Dr Parker and his staff have been a pleasure. My consult was straight to the point. He listened to my concerns and informed me on what he could do. Everything has really been smooth sailing. I’m 1 month postoperative. I was up and walking same day of surgery, pain was a 4 at the most during my whole recovery. My incision is healing wonderfully you can barely see it, my belly button looks very similar to pre-op. Dr Parker just did a great job all around he gets a 10 out of 10 from me.
I've wanted this since I was 8 years old. I'm so glad I was able to do this and I feel Doctor Parker did and is still doing a great job. The pain is bearable but uncomfortable. I can get up to go to the bathroom and grab another water but I am sleeping a lot with my legs propped up. So far my results look great, and I am very excited for the met chapter of my life. Updated on 16 Jun 2021: Healing and moving around much easier. Looking forward to the drains being removed so I can move around and not worry about getting caught on things. Still swollen and stiff but I know that’s because of tue muscle repair. So excited to fully heal and get back to the gym. Updated on 25 Jul 2021: Doctor Parker was able to make time for me to come in and we’ve been checking the wounds every week now, and so far no pain or infection. Keeping them covered and still wearing my compression garment through out the day.
So ever since I was in high school I've had larger than average breasts for my age. This was tolerable (albeit annoying when it came to gym class or buying bras) until I hit 21 and my breasts grew again, and with vigor. I never thought about having surgery until one day I put on one of my well fitting bras and it didn't fit. My breasts overflowed from their containers and it made me so upset and unhappy. My husband was actually the person to suggest I see someone about it. So I did! I was terribly worried about the cost so I went online to my insurance provider to see if they could help. Unfortunately I couldn't find any information on the criteria for having a BR covered by insurance, even after 2 telephone calls to them. Undeterred, I made an appointment with a plastic surgeon near me, Dr Parker from Parker Plastic Surgery. It all happened so fast! Updated on 4 May 2017: My surgery was May 2nd but I wanted to write about my experiences leading up to the surgery as well so that hopefully someone can find it useful!! Here are some pictures of my 34J breasts pre-op ! Pendulous and very heavy/dense tissue Updated on 4 May 2017: The pictures I uploaded are from pre-op not post! Updated on 5 May 2017: Just got back from my post op appointment. They removed the drains!!!! I am so happy. It didn't even hurt at all (he just snipped them and that was it?) Husband was sitting in the chair across from me so he got to see the undersides of the breasts and He said they looked good- so that made me happy! Unfortunately when I got home I had a searing pain in my right breast - felt like someone was twisting a knife in there. Thankfully some painkillers and ice solved that. Hopefully nothing is wrong there, it just felt like one of the nerves awoke and was not a happy bunny. Anyway, they didn't change my surgical bra but instead said that I can now shower (but not scrub) so I should do that today and change into the other clean surgical bra. I've added 2 pics that I just took. I'm semi lying down so not an accurate portrayal, just more of a documentation of stitches Updated on 5 May 2017: So my drains were taken out earlier today and the nurse said I was welcome to take a shower provided I remove the tape and gauze. At the time I definitely did not feel like taking a shower! I was nauseous and weak. However fast forward 6 hours and I feel energetic and happy again so I decided, with the help of my husband, to take a shower and change into my other surgical bra. So I took off all the gauze and tape and everything and my boobs were free! They still felt stapled to my chest but anyway, into the shower I went. Hubby washed my legs and my arms and my back with anti bacterial soap on a loofa which felt amazing. Hadn't realized how itchy that bra was lol. I let water run on my breasts but didn't soap them or touch them. Next, he washed my hair with shampoo and conditioner which felt really good. I then had the difficulty of getting dried and into the clean bra with new gauze but we managed it. Horray!! Pics shortly .... Updated on 5 May 2017: Updated on 5 May 2017: So this evening my body decided that it would provide a bout of hiccups to accompany me on my restful journey to full health. SURPRISINGLY it didn't hurt too bad- but maybe that's from the 2 pain pills I had to take earlier after I got back from the post op appointment with my PS...... still.... uncomfortable to have them bouncing all over. Talking of excess gas.... wow the bloating!! I had no idea. People say it's the IV fluids and the pain meds which makes sense I suppose. It's like I'm constantly on my period with the amount of bloat-y-ness that's happening. Phew! Anyway, I've been enjoying an excellent diet of mostly meat and green beans, and have sent the hubby shopping to buy some prune juice which should help. He's been so supportive and helpful and dedicated - makes me feel so grateful. So my last question... how long did y'all wear the surgical bra for? My instructions sheet says 2 weeks. Updated on 7 May 2017: So I'm 6 days post op, still feeling tight up there but I'm entirely off the pain meds and I'm not in any pain which is excellent. I still have my anti biotics to take till Monday to prevent infection, but I'm okay with that. Now that I'm off the pain meds, certain things have started happening. Firstly, the bloating has gone (huxah!), secondly, I started noticing pain in my back from sitting in the recliner too much (so have moved back to my temperpedic bed which I love), thirdly, I am a little less "cavalier" about life (as to be expected when you come off narcotics). However there is one problem I'm having. Accompanied with the tightness in my chest , I also have numbness around my underarms, to about half way down my arm. I can't feel anything if I poke there and it makes shoulder mobility quite difficult. Does anyone have any experience with this? I may call my PS and get him to check it Updated on 10 May 2017: I have my second post op follow up tomorrow with my PS. I definitely have some questions for him; namely 1) when can I raise my arms above my head? Because I wanna wash my own hair! 2) why do I have swollen boobs on my side? It means I can't put my arms by my side which is very awkward for driving and walking. 3) when can I get out of the surgical bras? Many questions for him! Anyway, I've been feeling good, upbeat, less bruising and swelling. I like to open my surgical bra once a day and just relax for 10 mins. Feels so good. I went back to work early today and it tired me out quite a bit so I came home and rested and read a book for a few hours which seemed to help. Updated on 12 May 2017: So I had my second post-op review with my surgeon and he drained some excess pus/fluid from the sides of my breasts. That immediately helped because now I can (sort of) relax my arms to my sides- something I couldn't do after my surgery. It also enabled me to lie in my side later on that day which felt heavenly!! He said that I can switch out of the surgical bras (yay!!) and start raising my arms higher than my shoulders. I was so happy and felt much better after that second appointment. I rushed out to the shops and bought a non-underwire pretty bra in a very large size because I'm still quite swollen. It doesn't provide any support, but at least I can now wear t-shirts without the humugous bra poking through. I am looking forward to them "dropping" a bit more and to not be so high up on my underarms! Updated on 12 May 2017: Updated on 16 May 2017: Today is 2 weeks since my surgery! Horray! I had some difficulties today with stiffness and swollen-ness on my right side so I now have an ice pack under my arm. I'm still walking round like a gorilla because I don't feel I can close my arms to my sides at all. Which is very unfortunate and not what I had anticipated. I also left work early today due to the uncomfortableness and I felt very exhausted and fatigued. It didn't help that my boss yelled at me which caused me a great deal of stress. I feel like I took 3 step back in terms of my recovery. .....Thanks stress/work..... I am still wearing my surgical bra, but that's mostly because I haven't found anything other bra that protects and supports them as efficiently as the surgical bra. The stitches, on the other hand, are looking fantastic. They have healed really well and closed up nicely. I'm very pleased with the work Dr Parker did there. We will see what happens in the next week! Updated on 23 May 2017: Hi guys! 3 weeks post op here - doing good, getting back full mobility of my arms and torso which is fantastic! I am a little nervous about going through airport security on Thursday and I've read some horror stories on here about being patted down harshly. Ah well!!! Scars are healing nicely, scabs are falling off leaving light pink scars which is good. I have a small amount of smelly discharge coming from my right boob underneath so I will ask my surgeon today about that. Otherwise... bring on the scar cream! Updated on 29 May 2017: Hi guys!! I'm checking in at one month post op! I'm back at work, doing the usual things (minus heavy lifting), feeling much better. I've been able to put my left arm by my side, but not my right arm due to the swelling. My right breast has not changed much in shape unfortunately, meaning I still have breast up in my armpit and all around the side. Very annoying. The left one has been much better and is starting to feel and look like a boob should do! I have a little leakage out of my stitch where it ends, but nothing dramatic. I can lift my arms almost to full length upwards, and it seemed good enough for the security gate at the airport!!!!!! Was worried about that lol. I have noticed that my energy still gets sapped super quickly which I know is frustrating for me and my family. We were on vacation with hubbys extended family and I just couldn't keep up with all the events and obligations. I simply had to say "no I can't. I just had surgery and I need to rest now". Frustrations. Anyway! I'll check back in a week! Updated on 4 Jul 2017: Boobs are feeling fantastic. Have full range of motion on my arms and chest. Still very numb on the sides and under arms. Loving wearing no bra or wire free bras
Parker Plastic Surgery Center offered me much more than a visual cosmetic solution, when I had reconstruction surgery, due to a bi-lateral mastectomy. My General Surgeon prepared me for the visual transformation of my body, by offering me a list of cosmetic surgeons in the area. Regretfully, the Alphabet dose not start with the letter P for Parker! Dr. Parker was much more than a visual solution surgeon! He and his staff encouraged, supported, and informed my family and I through the process of this life changing event. Women going through this process need someone like Dr. Parker, who encompasses their medical training to change the visual reminders of the event along with one’s experience to heal the psychological changes no one sees.
I have ALWAYS wanted lip injections so I finally decided to go for it. I saw Dr. Parker in Athens, GA. After a quick consultation, we went back to the procedure room and got started. I wasn't given numbing cream, (didn't think to ask for it), and OUCH! It HURT! It only took about 10 minutes total. I LOVE the results and am going back again for more. I only got 1 syringe to be sure it wasn't too much, but I would love to see what 2 would look like. Updated on 12 May 2016: I got another half syringe in my bottom lip today! :-) I wanted to balance out my full upper lip
I'm officially six days away from surgery! This site has helped me in terms of what to expect before and after even though I'm experiencing so many different emotions right now. I can't help but think of the risks involved, the money spent and final results not being what I expected. My husband has been super supportive and is the reason why I'm posting on here instead of stalking like I've been doing! Updated on 31 Jan 2016: Anxiety is starting to kick in. I've had dreams about surgery the past two nights that have left me unable to sleep. I'm ready to get this over with! Today I plan on getting my station set up with everything I'll need after surgery. I would love to post before pictures but I've not worked up the guts to do that just yet! Updated on 18 Feb 2016: Surgery went extremely well. The first few days after surgery was hell but I made it through. Dr.Parker is an excellent surgeon and I'm beyond overjoyed with my results! I will post more details along with before and after pictures later.
Several natural births left my body able to bounce back fine. Then there was the cesarean. Since the c-section, my tummy had excess skin that wouldn't tighten back up. No amount of exercise would help. My ab muscles had also pulled apart from being stretched so many times. Dr. Parker gave me my body back! I can be a great mom AND feel great about the way I look again! Dr. Parker is very down-to-earth, easy to talk with, and discreet. I felt comfortable and respected. My recovery went extremely well, and I felt supported by Dr. Parker and his staff the entire time. It was an environment where I felt like I had been included into a caring family of professionals. I would do this again in a heart beat, if needed! I have no reservations at all in recommending Dr. Parker and this procedure. I should have had this done years ago! This has been one of the best decisions I've made. Totally worth it! Thank you, Dr. Parker and all the wonderful ladies who treated me like family :)
I have been wanting a BA for years now but wanted to wait till I was older and didn't need a cosigner. I finally made a consultation for fun really but ended actually going through with it and I couldn't have been happier! I started out with wanting 400cc and two days before surgery changed it to 430cc cause I would rather spend that kind of money and them be too big than wish I would have went bigger. So far I'm very satisfied and patiently waiting for them to drop and start looking more natural! Do as much research as possible before doing it because the reviews on Realself.com can really help you decide! Updated on 1 Jun 2014: I'm on day 4 and feeling a lot better than I did day 2 and day 3! I am still a little sore but more just tightness and just a little uncomfortable... Updated on 1 Jun 2014: Updated on 4 Jun 2014: Today is day 6 post op and I'm feeling very normal just feeling like a little work out sore on the sides of my breasts. My incisions are still covered by the steri-strips so I'm not sure how they are healing but they aren't red or oozing anything so i am assuming they are fine. I go to my first check up tomorrow and hoping to hear that I'm healing good and everything is well. I will update you all tomorrow when I get back home from my appointment! :) Updated on 5 Jun 2014: I just got home from my check up and my PS said I was healing very well and that I could start the massaging stage and start doing arm circle exercises and start stretching my muscles out . He said I was more than welcome to take the steri-strips off but i could keep them on until they ware off. Idk if it is the same way for everyone but i experienced constipation the following week of surgery. And i asked my PS about it and he said it was completely normal to just take some Miralax and it would fix the problem! I am checking back up with my PS in two weeks! Updated on 7 Jun 2014: Updated on 10 Jun 2014: I am doing very good! No more soreness whatsoever! FINALLY took my steristrips off and my scars look great! You can barely see them! When I am able to take a good pic I will post a picture of my scars! They are dropping fairly! I can definitely tell a difference! Very happy with size and do not regret a thing! Updated on 12 Jun 2014: Updated on 13 Jun 2014:
I am a 49 year old mother of three (now 27, 24 nd 21). I had wanted to get a “Mommy Make-Over” for several years. Last June, on my 49th birthday, I decided that it was now or never. So I called a Plastic Surgeon’s office and made an appointment for a consultation. I actually scheduled consults with four different surgeons in my area. I wanted to be sure that I picked the best and I did!! I had a mommy make over (TT, breast lift and augmentation) on August 29, 2012. I was so scared. I had read about all of the bad things that could happen, which only made my apprehension worse...... It's good to be prepared and to know what to expect but don't get bogged down in the bad cases. There are way more people out there with great results than there are with bad. I think the problem is that you don’t see stories from from people who are happy with their MM results all over the internet like you do with the horror stories. That's why I'm so thankful for "Realself". This website had been a God send for me:) Okay, so heres what i did......I set appointments and had consults with four very well respected, well known surgeons. They were all very nice but one Doctor stood out. I immediately felt comfortable with him and his staff was awesome. They went out of their way to answer my questions and make me feel special plus he had operated on all four of the staff members that I was talking to. Nothing says I have confidence in my boss like letting him operate on you! After careful consideration I picked my PS (Dr. James Parker in Athens, Georgia) and scheduled my procedures. My husband and I met with Dr. Parker and his staff several times to discuss everything and decide on exactly what we wanted so the only thing left was to pay and get on his schedule. Selecting the size for my implants was so fun. My husband came with me and I tried on sizers from a 300cc to a 550cc. I didn't want to look like I had implants, I wanted my body to look natural so we settled on 425cc silicone gel which fit perfectly into the "C" cup of the bra I was wearing that day. With all of our questions answered and the final size determined we were ready. We paid the Patient Coordinator and I was scheduled for a breast left with 425cc augmentation, tummy tuck and liposuction. I am now just a little over 7 weeks post-op. There are a few things that I wasn’t as prepared for as I could have been. I read a lot of post on Realself and my doctor did tell me everything but I think maybe I was on information overload. I just didn’t realize what this swelling would be like. I guess I just didn’t understand that it would last this long……I still swell every day. When I get up in the morning it’s not really noticeable but by the end of the day I’m pretty swollen and I feel bloated . My drains were removed at two weeks and I felt GREAT! BUT…….by the end of week three I had a little bulge right below my TT incision. It was making it feel like I did at week one. Short of breath and hard to stand up straight because doing so put pressure on my incision. I called the PS and they get me right in that day. As it turns out my body was not able to get rid of all of the fliud i was producing and it had build up in my abdomin. My PS had to drain it off with a needle. It’s BIG needle but luckily I still don’t have feeling in the area around my belly button so I didn’t feel a thing:) WHEW!! My PS pulled off 90cc of fluid that first time. I had to go back about 10 days later and have it drained again (only 60cc’s that time). I went back two more times and the drainage had significantly diminished each time. The last time I was able to wait 11 days between visits and when I went in on October 18th, he only drained off 25cc’s of fluid. Looks like my body is finally doing the work and getting rid of this fluid. I’m very hopeful that I’m past this stage. Before the MM, I was wearing size 14/16 pants. I'm now 53 days post-op and I’m wearing size 10 pants. I still have some swelling, so I’m not sure if this is the size I’ll end up with or not. Either way I could not be happier with my results. My shirt size did not go down and i think that's due to the implants. I love the way I look now. I can't wear any of my "before" clothes. Even though my shirt size is basically the same, my old shirts don't fit right now. They don't hang the same because my breast don't "Hang" the same. In fact, my breast don't "Hang" at all! No more empty sagging breast for me, LOL!! My PS says that I'm doing great and he thinks that I'll be ove the swelling by 3 months post-op. I sure hope so,I’ll keep you all posted!! If you’re reading this and you haven’t decided on whether or not to have a MM, my advice is absolutely yes, DO IT!! It didn’t hurt nearly as bad as everyone said it would and it’s so worth it, I’d do it over again in a minute!!!
The worst thing about having a tummy tuck & lipo was the miserable drains! I can't lie, they hurt & they were just a burden. The best part about it is that I finally have a nice flat tummy & I actually have a shape & its not round!!I had this procedure done because I have gained & lost weight my entire life so I had excess skin & I also had a C-section 10 yrs ago which also caused problems.For me, I've had a great recovery so far (4 wks out)! I've not had any severe pain. I have found that I get tired really easy so I have to rest more than I'd like to.One thing that I've learned through this process is that EVERYBODY is different & our bodies respond differently to surgery. Educate yourself as much as you can before having any type of procedure done.
Thanks so much for your question. In looking at your pictures, I think a full tummy tuck would get you a much flatter stomach. While you may end up with a longer scar, a full abdominoplasty will help both the upper and lower portion of your abdomen. I would suggest getting second opinion from a board certified plastic surgeon to see what he/she may say since you had some doubts about the mini. Good luck.
Thanks so much for your question. In looking at your photo, it looks like you would be an excellent candidate for an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck. I would suggest making an appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon, and he or she will be able to talk with you about your goals and the surgery that will best help you get there.
Thanks so much for your question. In looking at your photo, it looks like you would probably be able to get a great result from an augmentation. Your nipples are in the proper position, so a lift would probably not be required. My suggestion would be to schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. He or she will be able to talk with you about your goals for surgery and the best way to achieve the look you want. Best of luck.
Thanks for your question. When I perform a tummy tuck after a patient has had a C-section, I usually make the incision below the scar. This way, the new tummy tuck scar incision will be healthier because we are using new skin, and the old C-section scar will be removed. It's always best to schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon, and he or she will be able to help you move forward with surgery keeping your goals in mind.
Thank you for your inquiry. In looking at your pictures, you would be a great candidate for breast augmentation without a breast lift. An important factor would be the sizing portion of your appointment. Your surgeon will be able to talk with you about the different implant sizes in order to avoid the "cartoon boobs" you are worried about. In my practice, I usually make the incision in the fold of the breast. I believe it allows for better placement of the implant and the scar is barely visible. My advice would be to schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. He or she will be able to talk with you about your goals for surgery and the best way to get you there.
