She spent plenty of time clearly explaining potential options and procedures with me. I didn't feel rushed and had all my questions and concerns addressed. Dr Arledge and staff are wonderful. Excellent experience! Had Botox and fillers and will have some laser work in about a month.
Have wanted to do this for several years. Have 3 sons, 29, 25, 19. Youngest one recently moved out so now I'm taking care of myself. I'm nervous as surgery will be in 2 days. I'm concentrating on the out come so as not to freak out on the actual surgery. Will post pictures in the near future. Updated on 3 Oct 2014: It has been exactly one week today that I had my surgery done. It took approximately 7 hours as I had a breast lift with implants done and a full tummy tuck. It is true that time heals all wounds. My back still hurts from the bending over. My tailbone hurts from sitting down so much and my breast are sore. Feel like a muscle soreness. I finally slept in my own bed last night as opposed to the recliner in the living room. Started off being a little uncomfortable, but was tired from my trip to the doctor so soon fell asleep. I live in a small town, so the surgery was performed in a town approximately a two hour drive away. I'm feeling a lot better but will take advantage of my husband taking care of me. He will be going back to work on Tuesday, so I will be on my own beginning that day. I haven't taken any photos of myself since the surgery, but will and will get them posted so the change can be seen. I'm past the "what was I thinking" phase of recovery to "it wasn't so bad" phase. Even if I end up with scars, which I'm sure I will, it will be a lot better than having all that loose skin. And my breast being the same size will sure make it a lot easier to buy a bra! Updated on 9 Oct 2014: Sorry about the picture...I had just gotten out of the shower and that is the only time I'm not all bound up! My breast are a little sore, but not bad. If I do too much in a day then the next day my breast seem to be a little more sore. My tummy tuck is finally loosening a little to the point that I am not so hunched over. Go back to the doctor next Tuesday when I am sure they will take all the tape off. So far so good! Updated on 19 Oct 2014: Feeling a little depressed today. I got up this morning and took a shower and when I got out I noticed that the incisions on my left breast looked awful. It almost looks split from the nipple to the crease under neath. I just figured by now that things would have progressed a lot better. My incisions from my tummy tuck look amazing. Which is crazy cause I was most worried about them when I started this journey. I will be so glad when I am fully healed and can get back to a normal life and not have to worry about incisions and feeling these strange feelings in my breast. Updated on 21 Oct 2014: Tried doing a consultation over the phone concerning my recent issues. My ps is a little over 100 miles away. I contacted the office yesterday and emailed them several times with pictures. The receptionist stated they never got the emails. I tried a few more times yesterday to send emails. I contacted them again this morning and they still hadn't received the emails. I emailed them again twice this morning and then just went ahead and scheduled an appt for this afternoon. I'm just concerned about what kind of scarring I will end up with if I don't get this taken care of. It may not be anything, but better safe than sorry. I am so, so ready to be over all this healing already! My incision from my tummy tuck looks awesome and that was the one I was most worried about before I started on this journey! Updated on 22 Oct 2014: So glad I went to the doctor! They were concerned about the area right under my breast as that is the sight that the implant went in. The incision from nipple to crease and the incision under the breast were both re-opened, cleaned up, dead skin was removed and then all restitched. I didn't feel the needle they used for numbing as breast is still a little numb from initial surgery. It was strange to lay there while this procedure was being done as I couldn't feel anything but maybe a tug or two. My ps is awesome and kept me calm through the whole experience. I felt it somewhat last night after the numbness wore off. But now feel better and looking forward to continued healing! Updated on 25 Oct 2014: I went into Victoria Secret to look at the bras and dream about the day I can start wearing a real bra again. The sales lady offers her help and I explained to her that I was just looking. Then I saw their sports bra and decided I would get one, even though they are a tad bit expensive. The sales lady offered to measure me and stated I was a 36B or maybe a 36C. I just kind of looked at her. I didn't pay what I paid to be a 36B when I was bigger than that before I did all this! So she pulls a 36C for me and I go and try it on. It was one with the zipper in the front. I couldn't even get the zipper started. She comes in and stated that the shirt I had on was deceiving and I was bigger than she thought. She measured me again and this time came up with 36DD. I'm still some what swollen, so I don't think I will stay this big, but hopefully won't be a 36B when it's all over and done with! Updated on 4 Nov 2014: Went for a follow-up after having my incisions redone on my left breast. Dr took off steri-strips and was a little concerned as the incision is trying to open up again. There is a hole at the bottom of the breast, where the vertical and horizontal incisions meet. After careful consideration and thorough examination of the hole, it was decided that she would put steri-strip on it again to support it and let it heal on it's own. The hole looks deep, but when you actually look into it with a light, you can see pink which is a sign of healing and no sign of implant (thank goodness!). It is almost 6 weeks since surgery. Will be so glad when I can go back to normal living and wearing regular bras! Updated on 8 Nov 2014: It's been 6 weeks since surgery. At this point I should have been cleared to start working out again and probably be back to almost normal. But due to the complications I've been experiencing, it's gonna take a little longer. I'm working out a little, but not as much as I would like due to not wanting to sweat so much, since it's under my breast that I'm having issues. I'm keeping a close eye on things to make sure everything is going okay. This is just another obstacle I need to get over. Only time will heal! Updated on 13 Nov 2014: Went back to the dr today as I was concerned of the look of my incisions. It looks like it is opening up again and the small hole on the bottom while not as deep has widen some. Dr is now having me do wet/dry wound healing. No infection but will continue to keep a close eye and as always dr expects me to call with any concerns. Will be so glad to get over all this. Updated on 15 Nov 2014: So this wet/dry wound healing is not fun. My incisions are so tender that just the bra touching them causes it to sting some. The incision on the bottom of the breast is the worst as stretching my arm to get something or turning a certain way causes it to hurt. I am so ready to be over all this! I am back to "what was I thinking" attitude. Not good! Updated on 17 Nov 2014: Still very tender. My bras hurt, regardless of which one I wear. Of course they are all sports bras and not sexy by any means, but I this point that is the last thing on my mind. I have to be very careful as I have always used food for comfort when things didn't go good in my life and being this time of year, it's hard to stay away from it all. Sometimes I wish I could just hibernate for a month or so and when I wake up all would be healed! Updated on 21 Nov 2014: It is exactly 8 weeks today since my surgery. Breast lift with augmentation and full tummy tuck. Tummy tuck is healing great. Scar is still very visible but hoping with time it will lighten. My breast surgery is a totally different story. Right breast healing good, but it's the more awkward shaped one. It is still a little more boxy shaped, but is getting better. Both breast are still pretty firm. Can't wait till they start feeling more natural. The left breast is on it's way to finally getting healed. After having to have it restitched and then opening up again it is looking like it is finally healing. The picture posted is from this morning. It actually looks a lot better in person than in the picture. I go back to my ps on Tuesday and hopefully will get good news.....like maybe it won't scar so bad! I did all this because even though I didn't look so bad in clothes, I didn't like the way I looked without them. Now I'm wondering if I'm ever gonna feel good at the way I look without clothes because even though I no longer have the extra skin and flab on my stomach and my breast are now where they are supposed to be and pretty much the same size, I will probably have major scars and still have quite a few stretch marks on my stomach. Only time will tell. Updated on 29 Nov 2014: It's been 9 weeks since surgery. Still struggling for the left breast to heal. Last visit to ps was told that it is looking good. Still doing the wet/dry wound care. That gets to be a pain because I have to usually stop what I am doing to take care of it. PS did say that a scar revision will more than likely need to be done, but not something we need to even worry about until I am all healed. When I started all this, I never imagined it would be such a long process. I will post new pictures in the next day or so. Has anyone had scar revisions done? How bad was it? Updated on 30 Nov 2014: Pictures taken today. Love the curves with the tummy tuck. Breast still got some healing to do. Right breast still a little boxy. TT scar still a little dark. Not as dark as picture shows, but can fade a lot more. Updated on 5 Dec 2014: It's been 10 weeks since surgery. Breast is finally healing. Still pretty sensitive. Still wearing a sports bra 24/7. Can tell by the pictures that it will probably leave a very big scar. So that will be another procedure I will be getting done in the future, scar revision. Updated on 12 Dec 2014: Finally starting to see some major healing. Updated on 19 Dec 2014: Went to my ps on Wednesday. She removed that last of the stitches that had not dissolved. Have to admit it was somewhat painful. She pulled them out as far as she could before she cut them off. That left it pretty tender so certain movements caused a lot of discomfort. But it is quite a bit better today. I no longer have to do the wet/dry wound care. Now I only have to keep an antibiotic ointment on it. Updated on 26 Dec 2014: Looking better. But I don't think I will be wearing a sexy bra for New Year's! Soooo ready to be over this! And then I will have to prepare for the scar revision. Updated on 3 Jan 2015: Now have a few stitches coming out. They aren't usually painful unless I touch them just right. Still putting the antibiotic ointment on daily. Never thought that it was going to take so long to heal. Don't go back to the ps until the 14th. Updated on 23 Jan 2015: It's been 17 weeks since surgery. Still not completely healed but getting there. Last week I went to my ps for follow-up. Some stitches that came through the skin were removed. I feel another one coming out already! The ps stated that I was starting to get a yeast infection on the site. Prescription given for ointment that I was to put on twice a day. I used it for a week, but it has actually left my site a little raw. PS initially wanted me to use it for a week, then since we decided I didn't need to see her again for at least 3 months, I should probably use the ointment for 2 weeks then I would make the decision on whether I needed to put something on it (like neosporin) after the two week period. But since the ointment is leaving me a little raw, I figured I would quit using it after a week. So starting today I am not going to put anything on it for a few days and see what happens. It has constantly had something on it for so long. So when I go back in 3 months (which will be almost 7 months since surgery) we may discuss scar revision, depending on how things look at that time. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it would take so long to get through this. At least with the scar revision it will be done in office and it shouldn't be so traumatic. Updated on 9 Mar 2015: Healing is going better. Breast is still a little tender. Sometimes bra causes a little irritation. So ready for this to be done! Updated on 12 May 2015: Breast is almost totally healed. It is still pretty sore at times and some bras irritate it some. It has been a little pink for some time around some of the scar around the areola, but that seems to have finally gone away. Looking at doing a scar revision after the summer, so that I don't have any restrictions as far as to what I can and can not do on vacation, such as not being able to go swimming or getting into hot tubs and things like that. PS also stated she could do a revision on the right breast and make that scar look better. I honestly hadn't even thought about getting anything done to that one as I was concentrating so much on the other one. But I was also told that when the time comes, it may fade enough so that I wouldn't want to get that one done. She will let me decide once I decide when I want to get it done. Updated on 28 Jun 2015: Hard to believe that it has already been 9 months since surgery. My left breast still has it's tender moments and I have to be mindful of which bra I wear. I am still primarily wearing sports bras. I don't dare to even try on an underwire bra as some of my sports bras leave me a little tender at the end of the day. May be due to the seam rubbing me wrong or something. The area around the areola of my left breast looks okay, but the other one you can actually see how white the scar as become and it looks a little jagged. The scar on my left breast is kind of strange in that it is wide but only the outside part of it is dark and the inside part is pinkish, almost white. I will be going back to the ps next month and schedule a scar revision. If it's healed well enough to be able to do it. By the time this is all over and done with, it will have taken me a year to recover from all this! Updated on 11 Aug 2015: It's been almost a year since my surgery. It has been a long year. My left breast which took so long to heal still has it's tender moments. I am aware of it almost all the time. I'm hoping that the weird feeling will go away and I don't think about it. The area on the underside, where it took so long to heal, is still tender. I still don't wear bras with underwire. The scars on both breast are still kind of dark. The scar on my tummy tuck is still somewhat dark. I have a small dog ear on the left side. I've put on a little weight due to some personal issues, so I'm sure that may have some thing to do to why I feel the way I do. Still haven't schedule a dr appt to look into scar revision. I just need to get myself together and get things done! Diet, exercise and schedule that dr appt! Updated on 13 Aug 2015: This is what my belly looks like when I am in jeans. The marks going long ways is from sitting too long and the jeans left a mark on me. The lines going up and down are stretch marks. And my belly button is still a little dark. Updated on 6 Sep 2015: So have my scar revision scheduled but it's not till November!! This month will mark a year since beginning this journey and looking back, it seems to have gone by pretty fast, but living it on a daily bases, it went by kind of slow! Went to my ps to discuss the revision. In examining me, she noted that the right side looks like "the muscle has slid of the implant a little". Didn't even know that could happen! I had noticed that the right breast seemed like it was going a little to the side. But since my main concern has been the scars, I hadn't really thought too much about it. She did explain that when she does the revision, she will be able to correct that. Not really looking forward to the revision as she did say it was gonna take a good portion of the afternoon to get it all done. Will only have a local and then pain pills for after. So now I have to hurry up and wait!! Updated on 30 Jan 2016: Sorry I hadn't updated any sooner. Life has gotten in the way of most things. Currently going through an ugly divorce. But that too will pass! I got my scar revision done the early part of November. Was not painful at all and didn't have to do anything special to take care of it. The scar is slowly fading. Still pretty obvious but so much better than before.
