Breast Augmentation: Stories

This site is such an invaluable support for anyone looking to undergo PS. I am 30 years old, 5'9, 130 lbs and currently wear a 34A/ 34B depending on the bra. I've always had a little bit of boobie so I never felt like BA was an urgent issue. However my body has been changing and I'm finding my tummy sticking out further than my boobs.... : 0 oh my.

I started researching BA and I know this is the right choice for me. I would love to have a larger bust, to feel sexy and feminine, and honestly to embrace the notion of doing something simply because I want to. My husband fully supports this (though I had to do a bit of convincing initially) and I'm in a place where this is really the perfect time.

However, because I'm such a scardy cat, I alternate between excitement and decisiveness and then fear and anxiety. Reading everyone's posts has really given me the strength to continue with what I really want, and to quiet the horror stories, judgements, and disapproval of others (namely my sister, mother, and good friend- all of whom love their itty bitties). It's also difficult to go forward with a surgery I know will only require future surgeries, as these are not lifetime devices. I' m trying to keep a positive attitude and tell myself this isn't as big a deal as some people make it out to be. Ultimately it will be an exhilarating, wonderful, fulfilling experience because it is empowering to make a physical change for the better! Just typing this I'm feeling the fear subside and the excitement take over!!! Yay boobies!

My consultation is August 7. I will keep everyone posted. I want to do under the muscle, probably a full C or small D. The other decisions I will make with my PS as I'm sure he will be able to advise me on the other details. In the meantime I am eating right, exercising, and thinking happy thoughts with the help of this wonderful community of strong women!!!

So I've been researching some tips on how to prepare my body for surgery. I had a major unexpected surgery many years ago and had a terrible recovery. Partly because I had been in a terrible accodent but also partly because I did not take care of my body back then.
I've compiled a list of "body friendly" goods and I figured I'd share it with you lovely folks in case anyone is interested! Most of the information I gathered came from reading many posts on this site as well as on a few medical sites.

Pre op supplements I'm starting this this week with PS approval
- Vitamins and minerals
Ester C, B-complex, zinc
Get off your multi vitamins if it has vitamin E

- Extracts to start 3 days pre op to reduce swelling with PS approval
Bromelain
Quercetin
(Continue post op)

- Food based nutrients with anti inflammatory properties and high in vitamins essential for recovery
Kale, tofu, sunflower seeds (tahini), seaweed, shiitake mushrooms, avocados, wild salmon, broccoli, spinach, sweet potato, olive oil, eggs, turmeric, ginger, WATER, papaya, low fat plain yogurt (will keep you regular)
- Avoid alcohol, excessive caffeine, salt, sugar. All of which dehydrate

I'm excited to nurture my body before my surgery so I can have the best chance at a smooth recovery! If anyone has any other great nutrients to add, please do!

Well tomorrow is my consultation with my initial doctor of choice and I scheduled an additional consultation with a highly regarded surgeon in NYC on Wednesday. The difference in their fees is pretty dramatic, which I know shouldn't be an issue but I can't help but let that weigh in on my decision. Hubby says go with the one that does the best work and ignore the price. Hopefully I will be able to determine which doctor to go with! In addition to being a cheap-o, I can be extraordinarily impatient so I must resist the urge to go with the doctor that can do them ASAP and go with my gut on which one will be able to give me the look I'm going for (as natural as possible but also in the c/d range). I've gone through the before and after galleries on each surgeon's website a billion times and at this point all the pictures look the same.

My recovery bra arrived in the mail. It doesn't fit my tiny boobs so I can't imagine getting on over big boobies. Will be returning that! Anyhow, I'm super excited for my consult and I can't wait to try on sizers with hubby there. I'm sure he will crack a ton of jokes and totally put me at ease.

The boobies have been paid for and I am set to go in next week for a pre op visit Tuesday and surgery on Thursday! I saw two doctors, one just outside the city and the other in Manhattan. While both doctors were competent and highly qualified I ultimately felt the best man for the job was the Manhattan doctor (my second consult). He just came off as so aware and intelligent ultimately I knew in my gut that he would be meticulous and gentle with the procedure. As soon as the consult was over my husband and I looked at each other and said "done!" so we booked the surgery. I did the rice test to determine size. The Dr. said I should try out 325, 350 and 375 cc to get a feel for which one I want. We are for sure on doing silicone unders with mammary fold incisions. I'm definitely leaning toward 375cc but he said they may not fit, so we'll see what happens. I'm totally freaking out and excited that I'm going to do this next week! There is so much to be done!!!

3 more days until surgery. Tomorrow morning is my pre op visit. I've been cleaning and getting things ready around the house and I set up TiVO to record Shark Week so I have some mindless TV to zone in and out of while I convalesce. My mom is flying up Wednesday. Coincidently, her visit overlaps perfectly with my BA so I figured I'd better tell her what she's going to encounter! To my surprise she was happy to be available to take care of me. She has really come around in her old age I must say.

Hubby is doing great and sharing in my excitement. If he has any anxiety he's masked it well and I'm grateful for that. I'm also appreciative of everyone's comments and blogs, it's been wonderful to have a support network. I have to admit that while excited, I'm also totally freaking out. If I didn't scrub my whole house down today I don't know how I would have managed my nervous energy! I nearly gave my poor old cat a bath in my cleaning frenzy. It's amazing how much anxiety can motivate you!

I am 11 hours away from surgery. I spent the day with my mom and then had a delicious dinner with the family. They did a wonderful job distracting me and honestly I didn't think much about the surgery. Now however, I am totally thinking about it and I'm just praying everything goes well and that the pain is manageable. My PS said to make sure I breathe deeply because chest surgeries often cause people to take shallow breaths and thus cause fever. I found that very interesting.

At my pre op the doctor and I finalized everything. He is suggesting 300ccs because he just doesn't think I will be able to carry anything larger unless I'm okay with a fake look...which I'm not. Unfortunately i was hoping to get a bit bigger than that but I have to trust his judgement. He has such a good eye, I know the resut will be wonderful. Well everyone, please pray that all goes well. I think I've done just about all there is to do. I'm ready!!!

Yay! I have me boobies!!! I went in at 8 am. The doctor ask a few questions, drew some markings on me, we finalized everything, and i met with the anesthesiologist. They had me put on my gown, booties and hair net. I laid down on the operating table, received a numbing shot, then got the IV put in and the next thing I knew I was giggling like a little girl for a about 10 seconds and then I was out. I woke up when it was done and they told me they put in 325cc! I was nauseous so I asked the nurse to put my sea bands on and they actually worked! I HIGHLY recommend getting some. They work by applying pressure to an acupressure point in your wrist. My hubby came in and I instantly felt so happy. There was virtually no pain, just pressure and I kind of felt like I couldn't catch my breath. The doctor loaded me up in to the car and off I went. I ate some pretzels and sipped some ginger ale on the ride home. I started feeling sore so I took a pain pill. When we got home hubby got me dressed into my PJs, tucked in bed and then I fell asleep for about 8 hours. He woke me up once to take my muscle relaxer and I just now took my second pain pill because I felt the soreness creeping up. Overall though I feel way better than I thought I'd feel and I'm really happy with the size! I will continue to update and let you all know how I progress. Thanks again for your prayers and well wishes:)

Day 1 post op- today I am definitely feeling more pressure and soreness than yesterday. I've been taking a low dose of my pain pills but I think I should probably up the amount as my left breast is much more swollen than the right and it aches a bit. I put some ice and arnica gel on and that helped immensely. I was able to sleep last night and only woke up twice for about 10 min each time. Id eat a few crackers, take one pain pill and fall asleep again. The doctor said today and tomorrow will be the most painful days. However, I'm feeling mostly good. My pain is at about a 3 on a scale of 1-10. The highest it got was a five. Walking around also eases the pressure. I've been doing lots of breathing exercises as well. The hardest part of all this is not getting to hold my puppy. She wants to climb on me and I have to push her off. Hubby is making a little nest for her so she can at least curl up next to me.

Post op Day 2: yesterday I think may have been the worst of it. I wasn't in much pain as long as I took my meds on schedule. I did have some soreness radiating down my left arm that would creep In right around the time I'd have to take my next dose of pain meds. I had pretty substantial swelling to my left breast but Doc said that's normal. Last night I actually got a solid night's sleep. I woke up at 2:30 and 6:30 and both times, while I wasn't in pain, I took a pain pill just in case. Then I officially woke up at 11:30 this morning. Again, no pain so I just took half a pain pill and a Tylenol. I'm hoping to transition to just Tylenol by tomorrow. Today I'm feeling great and I'm SO happy I did this!!! I was able to wash my face and tie my hair back this morning. I can't shower for a week so of anyone has some ideas for how to deal with that I would love your input! I'm going to go for a short walk outside later today and then family and friends are coming over tonight for pizza and a movie. I'm hoping I can walk to my salon by tomorrow. I need a mani pedi and a blow out.

Post op day 3- I'm feeling a lot stronger today! It's amazing how our bodies can heal so quickly. I'm off the pain meds and am taking extra strength Tylenol and the muscle relaxer. Last night I woke up at 2:30am covered in sweat. My heart was racing and my left chest muscle was twitching like crazy. It was a scary moment. I slowed and deepened my breath and got my heart rate down. I took my temp, but there was no fever. I'm not sure what that was all about, but I'm fine now, so I'm not going to worry about it. I also have HUGE boobies right now from the swelling. They are making strange crackling noises. I hope to post pics soon. Right now I'm in dressings and a sports bra that has to stay on until my post op visit.

Post op Day 4- I woke up with some soreness but it's very mild and it's mainly around the incision site. The feeling of pressure and tightness has subsided significantly. I definitely feel better this morning- both physically and emotionally and Im just praying I continue to improve and don't face any complications.

I didn't sleep as well last night. It's very uncomfortable to sleep propped up on pillows when youre not drugged with pain pillls. I'm really looking forward to being able to sleep on my side. My doctor has been wonderful and he calls twice a day. He said I can begin to tapper off the muscle relaxer, which is awesome because I hate the side effects ( dizziness, sleepiness, dry mouth). I'm also not needing to take much Tylenol, but I am taking the arnica and bromelain regularly. Not much else to report. I didn't make the walk to my salon yesterday. I just got too tired after about two blocks, so I will try again today.

Post op day 5- woke up super sore but felt much better once I got up and moving. My nipples are very irritated so I put some lanolin on them and covered them with nursing pads and it feels like heaven. Last night I actually walked the 7 blocks to dinner and it felt great to get out of the house and move my body, so I'm definitely going to do some walking today- maybe Ill get some flowers from the farmer's market :)

My breasts have been healing at totally different rates, which is so interesting. My right has already dropped and is not sore at all, but my left is still up under my collar bone and its tender. You can see in the pic that my left also has some minor bruising near the dressings. Its almost like i had two totally different surgeries. I've heard that your dominant side is usually tighter, but I'm right handed. I was in an accident many years ago and was hit by a car on my left side. My massage therapist says the body remembers trauma and that my left side is tighter from the accident. I think that is just such a fascinating idea. Either way, I see the doctor tomorrow so I'm hoping he can suggest something for lefty. I also get my dressing removed which means I get to take a SHOWER!!!! Im counting down the hours. Sponge baths just aren't cutting it.

post op day 6

I had my first post op appt today. Dr. E said everything looks perfect and I am healing nicely. He also said it's totally normal for one implant to be higher and that they will even out as the weeks go on. I can shower tomorrow and I don't have to wear that uncomfortable sports bra anymore. Now I can wear a soft cotton bra. YAY! He also said i don't have to do massage or wear a strap. I was really starting to get crazy yesterday from the itchy bra and tape and gauze. Plus, the tingling sensations were a bit uncomfortable on my left side. It is sore today so I've convinced myself that is because it is dropping to catch up with the right. My right side feels totally normal and I have full range of motion in that arm. I posted more pics

I was out and about for most of this morning. I don't have all my strength back so I relied on taxis instead of my usual walking and subway. Note to self: hold boobs in taxi cab rides. ouch!

1 week post op

WOW, what a difference 1 day can make. Today was a day of firsts and it was the first day of getting back to my old routine. here is a list of things I could do today that I couldn't do yesterday:
- take a shower and wash my hair and shave my underarms
- put on a pullover tank top over my head instead of up my body
- walk my puppy around the block
- walk a full mile (roundtrip) to meet a friend for lunch
- carry (light weight) shopping bags home from the store

I don't know what happened between today and yesterday but I got my energy back and I'm feeling excellent (hopefully I won't pay for it tomorrow). I'm definitely ready to get back to my regular work schedule by Monday. The heat outside combined with my walk felt AMAZING on my tight chest muscles. My shoulders totally opened up and cracked and popped. I hadn't realize how much I've been slouching. I am sill not able to sleep on my side but I also don't need to be propped up. Its kind of a relief but I end up waking super early because my back gets sore from laying flat in the same position all night. My incisions are very red around the steri-strips. I think my bra was rubbing on them. My PS suggested I wear the sports bra for another week. grrrr.

I probably won't update for a few days unless I something interesting happens.

PO #17
The girls are coming along nicely. I'm basically back to life as usual and have been for about a week. I am still having my groceries delivered and making hubby do all the lifting because I don't want to take any chances until I see my Doc to get the okay...and because I am milking this for all its worth. I am done with the sports bra so I got measured for my bra size at VS (32D). The only non underwire bra they have doesn't come in that size so I went to Bloomingdales. I found 2 excellent bras. One is a t shirt bra by Calvin Klein and the other is by Hanky Panky. I highly recommend this bra. It was $50 but its so comfortable, sexy, and stretchy, so it will fit even as the girls change- see pic. Next on my shopping list is some fitted shirts. I've always worn flowy tops to hide my flat chest and protruding lower abdomen. Now, tank tops are my best friend! Its amazing how my breast totally minimize my lower stomach. On a side note I've finally found out that I have curvature of the spine that causes my lower stomach to stick out and that it can be corrected by a chiropractor. Ha!

I had some serious nipple pain in my right boob for a few days. My left is still higher but it no longer hurts and it is making slow but steady progress downward. I asked a few brutally honest friends if the difference in the breasts is noticeable in a low cut, tight fitting top. One said yes (the friend who was opposed to me getting implants...bitter party of one, you're table's ready) but the others said not really or only if you are really analyzing them. Both breasts are sore when I squeeze them, so I try not to squeeze them. I still don't have full range of motion in my shoulders, but I'm sure that will improve with time. Overall I am beyond thrilled with my breasts and I think this is the best decision I ever made. Oh, and I am able to sleep on my side!!!