I’ve been thinking about breast augmentation for a few years now and finally decided to pull the trigger after trying on my wedding dress and realizing how much I couldn’t fill it out. (We were supposed to be married 9/5/20 but had to postpone to 8/28/21.) Since we postponed the wedding to next year, I decided now is the time to do it!
I did a bunch of research and spoke to a few women I knew had breast implants to get their feedback and understand what their experiences were like before moving forward. With all of that, I decided to go with Dr. Brzowski.
Dr. Brzowski and his staff have been incredible. The virtual consultation was so informative and Dr. Brzowski answered every one of my questions without making me feel silly. He was honest, caring, and genuine. The staff have also been awesome. Super responsive, very friendly, and made me feel like family right away.
My pre-op was Sept. 1 where we decided on the 355cc moderate gummy bear implant by Sientra. I was a 36A with a muscular build and wanted something to make me feel proportion without being too big. We all agreed that the 355cc would be the perfect size.
Two weeks later, Sept. 16th was my surgery. I arrived at noon and they did a urine pregnancy test to ensure I wasn’t pregnant before proceeding. I then filled out some additional paperwork, they asked me some clarifying questions, and then April, the nurse, put an IV into my arm. The left arm didn’t cooperate so she had to go with my right arm which was a breeze.
I then met with Dr. Brzowski and Anita and they were both so professional and comforting. He marked up my breasts and then a few minutes later the anesthesiologist, Art, came in to speak with me. He asked some questions, briefed me on what would happen, and then I was good to go.
Amanda walked me back to the operating room where Art was ready for me. He put something in my IV to relax me and I was out. I don’t remember counting down or anything.
Next thing I know, I’m waking up in the recovery room with April. She gave me some apple juice and saltines and I felt pretty great. A little loopy, but no pain or nausea. She then helped me dress and wheeled me out in a wheal chair to meet my fiancé and get into the car. She then went through all of the post-op instructions with him and we were off!
When I got home, I made sure to have some ginger ale and soup before taking any meds, which has just been Motrin, Valium, and an antibiotic. They prescribed some narcotics but I honestly haven’t needed them.
I’m not in any pain really, it just feels like a lot of pressure on my chest.
Sleeping was a little uncomfortable as I propped myself up on some pillows to sleep on my back but luckily I’m already a back sleeper so it wasn’t awful. My fiancé set alarms to ensure I took meds at the right times.
I would definitely recommend having someone strong to help you. Repositioning just isn’t really possible so having someone who can lift your body weight is fantastic.
I’m now 24 hours post surgery and still feeling good. I have an ace bandage around my upper breasts and bandages under my breast, over the incision site.
I can shower tomorrow and remove the bandages but then put the ace wrap back on. I’m to leave the ace wrap on until next Thursday when I take it off and go without a bra until cleared by the Dr.
So far I am VERY happy and I’ll try to post progress updates as I heal.
Updated on 18 Sep 2020:
Feeling pretty good thus far. I haven’t needed to take any of the narcotics, just Motrin, Valium, and an antibiotic.
Showering felt great and it definitely helped having my fiancé wash my hair.
I feel like I’m slouching forward, so using a heating pad on my back while I ice my chest is a life saver. Taking deep breaths and an occasional cough also makes breathing a little easier.
I sort of had a mini-meltdown before the shower because I started to freak myself out that I went too small, but I reminded myself that I’m still healing, the swelling makes me look I have a wicked chest pump, and that the size will be great for me and my lifestyle. I’m sure I’ll be thrilled when they’re dropped and fluffed.
Updated on 24 Sep 2020:
Things are going really well. The upper pole swelling is slowly going down each day so my breasts look a bit more normal every time I wake up. The left side appears to be dropping a little faster than the right, which is to be expected - I'm right handed.
I've been comfortably sleeping on my back - not propped up at all.
I was allowed to remove the ace wrap this morning and now I'll be bra-free until cleared by the Dr. The biggest challenge with being bra-free: my nipples get hard with the slightest fabric shift, so I've been wearing pasties when I need to be on a video conference. (Button up shirts are also your best friend)
I few days ago, I developed a little redness under the incisions on my rib cage (almost like a reaction to the tape from where the bandage was covering the incision.) The area is tender to the touch and sore, almost like I got punched in the ribs. I freaked out a little so I called the office and spoke with Amanda. She asked if I could send some photos and then she called me to say it didn't look like an infection, but to monitor it and see if the redness gets worse/spreads. She suggested I use a marker to draw the edges of the redness to track any changes, which I did... with a Sharpie, so now I have odd-shaped green lines on my ribs that I can't really rub off.
I was still a little freaked out, so I called the office again and asked if I could come in to have it checked out, just to ensure everything was ok, and they got me in immediately.
Amanda looked at it and ensured me it was not an infection but possibly just some bruising/blood under the surface but to continue monitoring and call immediately if there are any changes.
No changes. The redness has gone down slightly but my ribs are still tender.
I've finished taking my antibiotics and now only taking 800mg Motrin every 8 hours which really helps. (I wake up at 6am, eat a banana, drink some water, and have my first Motrin of the day.) I'm also only taking a Valium if I need to, which is usually towards the end of my workday when my chest starts to spasm/twitch and feels uncomfortable. I'm also continuing to take a multi-vitamin.
One side effect of Valium that I wasn't aware of is constipation. I thought I would be safe by not taking the narcotics, but I was wrong. Luckily I was able to have a BM on Sunday and have since been taking a fiber pill and stool softener in my coffee in the morning. That has helped tremendously.
The other common thing during healing is bloating. I was definitely bloated for the first 5 days and its slowly getting better. I'm sure being constipated was part of that, but in general I feel like I've gained some water weight.
Also, some of the bandage adhesive is still stuck on me because I can't see it while I'm in the shower, and it's on there pretty good! It will come off eventually.
My post-op appointment is next week but I'm feeling great and so far very happy.
Updated on 30 Sep 2020:
Things are going well. The swelling has gone down quite a bit, but the implants are definitely still high.
My left arm has been experiencing some tingling/numbness over the past couple of days. It gets worse towards the end of the workday (probably from typing at a computer for 8+ hours and tensing my muscles). I mentioned this to the nurse at my post-op appointment yesterday and she said it's probably just the implants settling and nerves reconnecting, but to call if it gets worse. Hopefully it gets better as I continue to heal and the implants drop.
I've found that lying on the floor really helps stretch the chest muscles, as I've been experiencing some upper back and shoulder pain from my chest muscles contracting while I work.
At the post-op, the nurse removed the steri-strips and said everything looks good. No stitches to be removed (the PS used dissolvable stitches). There is some dried blood and a little bruising. I was told to gently clean the incision in the shower with a mild soap but not pick at the dried blood, and just let it fall off over time.
2 more weeks of no exercise or lifting more than 5lbs. No bra until further notice.
Next apt is in 3 weeks.
Updated on 7 Oct 2020:
I'm impatiently waiting for them to drop and fluff – they're still pretty high on my chest. My left is dropping a little faster than my right, which I expected since I'm right handed. The chest tightness has improved significantly – pulling my shoulders back (standing up straight) has helped.
I still have some numbness below the nipple and above the incision on each breast, but it's not too bad. Nipple sensitivity comes and goes.
There's still some dried blood/scabs on the incisions which I've been leaving alone so they fall off on their own as directed. There's also one little bruise on my right breast that's slowly fading.
Updated on 14 Oct 2020:
Everything is going well. No major changes, just slowly dropping. The left appears to be dropping faster than the right. Both incisions are healing nicely and I can start working out again today! (I have to take it slow with light weight, but I'm excited!)
Updated on 21 Oct 2020:
I had another follow up apt yesterday. Both the PS and nurse are very happy with how everything is healing and complimented the size which made me feel extra confident in my choice.
I can start wearing a bra now but I want the right to drop a bit more before I "lock them in" so I'll wait another week or two. I've been cleared for all exercising and sleeping on my side, with the caveat to listen to my body, stop if it hurts, and take it slow.
I've begun using Biocorneum scar treatment twice daily to help improve the look of the scars as they continue to heal.
Also, bra sizing is so inconsistent but here are my measurements now: 29.5" band (just under the bust) 36.5" bust. I'll get professionally fitted in a couple weeks when they've dropped more.
Updated on 28 Oct 2020:
No major changes to report. They're slowly getting softer and have more movement. The right is still dropping slower than the left. I'm waiting for the right to finish dropping before I start wearing bras again but right now the most comfortable size has been a 36C.
Updated on 4 Nov 2020:
The right implant is still slightly higher than the left and there's still a little numbness below the nipples. They're getting softer and starting to feel more natural every day! I bought a bunch of bralettes and a couple wireless bras from Lively, so I'm excited for those to come in :)
Updated on 13 Nov 2020:
Everything is going well. The nurse said they look great and I can start wearing any kind of bra I want as long as the incisions don't become irritated. I didn't have any luck with Lively bras, so if you have any recommendations, please share!
I'm finally starting to love them! My next check up is in March.
Updated on 16 Dec 2020:
Things are going well. I'm working out regularly again but training chest definitely feels super weird, so I'm taking it slow and using light weights. I also got professionally fitted, and it turns out that I'm a 32G! I was not expecting that, but the 32G bras fit perfectly. I would highly recommend getting fitted by a professional and not just someone from VS or guessing your size. The woman I went to has been fitting for 14 years and was VERY helpful.
Updated on 20 Jan 2021:
Just a quick update: the black sports bra I ordered on Amazon was awful so I returned it. I ended up ordering a sports bra from SHEFIT and I absolutely LOVE it. It's super adjustable, front zip, and really comfortable. I've worn it for both Zumba and skiing, and I couldn't be happier.
Also, I felt a small and slightly painful bump along my left incision last week so I called Dr. B's office and went in so that the nurse could see what was going on. She said it was probably a stitch, and the following day it came out. (I squeezed it a little in the shower). It looked like a giant pimple (gross).
Everything else is going well, but I will admit that some exercises still feel really weird. I've been avoiding pull ups and push ups because of that.