Having been blessed with symmetrical breasts of average size for most of my adult life thus far, as I aged (and due to weight loss following a serious accident) my breasts were last seen passing Portsmouth and headed towards France. My self confidence was last seen heading south with them as the volume at the top of my breasts was lost and when in a bra they just kind of 'fell' into the cup with no 'perkiness' at all. In fact I'd come out of a long term relationship at the beginning of this year so the thought of being intimate with someone new filled me with dread and swore me to a life of celibacy or to removing light bulbs whenever the necessity arose. Having done all the usual Google research I opted for my surgeon Mr Sheikh Ahmed. A really likeable, laid back sort of chap, with all the necessary credentials who understood both my dilemma and the end result I'd like to see. He advised the breast uplift combined with 340cc implants. I wasn't looking for an increase in size, I just wanted volume in proportion with my frame, with positioning being my ultimate aim. Mr Ahmed explained the 340cc would probably give an end cup size of approx. a C/D. I'm a 32 so this size sounded perfect as when my natural breasts were lifted into a bra they were also a C/D and I was happy with that amount of volume. He did express that the final cup size couldn't be exactly determined and I was happy to go ahead on his advice. I arrived at Burcot Hall Hospital, Bromsgrove at 9.15am, 36 hours ago and from stepping into reception the place had a friendly, welcoming feel. The room was nice and the nurses were absolutely brilliant. In my eyes they went beyond their duties and offered assistance with everything. It wasn't long after I'd settled in that Mr Ahmed came to 'draw me' ready for surgery, photos were taken and after all the check ups I was ready to go. I had to take a very quick photo of the drawing but if you look at the top of the triangle at the bottom of my breast it shows my new nipple placement. The triangle represents the skin that would be removed and where the two sides then come together. I was, as you'd expect, nervous at going under anaesthetic but the theatre staff were great and put me at ease. Before I knew it I was waking up in bed back in my room. I can't say that I was in any pain as such, it was more like stinging from the incisions. I also felt no pressure, which a lot of people have described as having in their reviews but maybe this is more size dependent? I was given Oramorph following waking and I had a really dry throat and wanted to drink water quite frequently but other than that I felt okay. I ate a couple of hours later and it was really welcome as I felt better for doing so however, I did start to bloat and as I write this 24 hours later I am still bloated. Apparently this is normal as my body needs to adjust following the solutions I was given during the anaesthetic although I am now on Codeine so will be taking Senakot as I know Codeine bungs me up. I'll continue my review for today in the next post, with updated photos. Although I was quickly hoisted into my Macom signature bra I did manage to get a photo of my new boobs and even though they are swollen and I haven't seen my nipple placement(the right is swollen more so than the left, and I was advised it's perfectly normal to have one more swollen) I am really pleased with what I can see. I've also purchased a silicone scar cream and having done the research I didn't cut back on price and would recommend going for a trusted brand as I do believe you get what you pay for. At this point it's far better to opt for the best. Scarring along with symmetry remains my main concern. Now I'm aware of the size of Macom bra I need I've ordered a further two in the 'i-bra' style as the hospital only stocked the Signature. Just a note to say the hospital purchase worked out at about the same price as online, £40. obviously without the postage. Apart from scar cream, Bio-oil and bras I haven't purchased anything else. I've posted before and immediately after photos and will update as the time goes on but so far so good. To summarise, great surgeon, lovely hospital, fantastic nurses and moderate to little pain (though I suspect this will increase as the anaesthetic wears off). Updated on 14 Dec 2021: Taking the Antibiotics every 8 hours, Codeine and Paracetamol for pain every six hours. Still I wouldn't say I'm suffering from pain as such, stinging where the incisions were made is how I would describe it. I'm still very sleepy and nauseous, and presume this is due to the Codeine which has always floored me in the past. I feel a mild pressure when the pain relief is due for a top up but I'm hoping to start decreasing the Codeine tomorrow and see how I feel. Sleeping well at night, despite the more upright position and have just ordered a V shaped pillow to help. My right breast doesn't seem too much more swollen than my left now and I have to say I'm so glad of the bra. I'm a 32 and having tried on a sample bra in the hospital I went for the XS despite the sizing guide recommending a small and I'm glad I did as I feel I couldn't get better support. The material in the cup area expands to fit your breasts, including the nipples and I'm finding the bra really comfortable. I'm not able to lift anything more than I'd say a 2 litre bottle of milk as it's amazing how much you actually use your chest muscles when lifting and I'm conscious of not wanting to put any pressure on my stitches. I'm also avoiding bending over for the same reason. Photos are from last night at about 36 hours post op. There's not much change today but I'm hoping I'll see further improvement on Friday (5 days post op) when I have my first appointment with the nurse. Updated on 17 Dec 2021: Saw the nurse today for a check up and change of dressings. She was lovely, really knew her stuff and gentle in her removal of the old dressings. I was dreading looking down (I was lying down when the dressings were removed) because I was expecting carnage, I think I'd scared myself into thinking that every twinge or sting was because I'd pulled stitches or caused further damage. When I did look down I was over the moon with how the incisions had healed. I'm home now and have had a good look at the photos and can't believe how clean and well the skin looks and is healing. The two photos without dressings were taken lying down, hence the shape. My right breast is still more swollen and my nipple on the left breast was squished downwards by the dressing. The two elements of this procedure I was most concerned would affect my end result were the scars and the lack of symmetry but I think Mr Ahmed has done a brilliant job as things are. I'm still taking paracetamol every six hours but to be honest it's due to the stinging of the incisions and soon wears off. I do feel a little pressure on my upper left breast but nothing significant. I was told I'd need to sleep propped up for four to six weeks post op but to be honest I'm getting used to it so it's no big deal. My Macom post surgical bras are brilliant and I feel fully supported in them. I went for the Signature bras in the end as the small print of the the I-bra says they are less suitable for those patients who have had an uplift. My next check up is 27th December so will post an update then which will be 16 days post op. So far so good. Updated on 28 Dec 2021: I was going to update with photos on the 27th December (yesterday) as this was my next date with the nurse to have my dressings changed. Unfortunately I was pinged for a Covid test so couldn't attend but thought I'd do a brief update on pain etc. Last night I slept on my side for the first time since the op and it was just heaven. It's funny though that I turned without thinking, something I hadn't done til then, so my body knew it was fine before I did. Although sleeping on my back. slightly raised was no biggy it wasn't exactly comfortable either. I hadn't been taking paracetamol for about a week but in the last 48 hours I began to feel a soreness in my nipples so I'm presuming the sensation is returning. I wouldn't call it pain, it's more like when a bra chafes against them only it wasn't the bra because it doesn't move. Itching has started but not too badly. It's in the areas of the incisions so I'm presuming it's the healing. One odd thing I noticed when I was sat in a bath (water quite low to not wet the dressings) was that my armpits don't feel the same shape. I only noticed as I came to shave them and they felt like they'd changed. Probably due to the swelling, which is going down, as is the height of my implants. Initially they sat quite high but I was assured by the medical staff that they would drop when the swelling etc decreased. The tops of my breasts are starting to feel softer and look less taut. I'm a farmer so I'm quite physical in my work and was concerned about taking too much time off but also about returning to work too soon. By day 8 I was carrying half filled buckets and slices of hay. Today I went back to milking cows and could managed to carry a bale of hay a short distance. I wouldn't recommend going back to physical work this early at all. I couldn't finish the milking mainly because stretching felt like I was putting the stitches and healing at risk. I also found I could feel I was using my chest muscles a great deal and this caused an aching. If I had an office job I'd have been fine going back to work after a week with care. I spent this time doing paperwork and it was no bother. I tried driving on day four and found I could without any issue except for gears 5 and 6. The position of my gears meant I had to pull the gearstick towards me and this caused pain. By day 8 I was fine to drive. I went to a spin class yesterday and just worked my legs and did my best not to get sweaty due to the dressings. I couldn't contemplate actually coming out of the saddle or using my arms but it felt good just to do some exercise after Christmas. But again, I'm a bit stupid and would recommend taking things easy. Everything feels like it's healing well and there's no pain. The bra can feel a bit tight at times but I just adjust it's position and I'm appreciative of the support it's giving me although having stuffed myself over Christmas an emergency bra one size up would have been a good idea. I certainly wouldn't feel safe in a normal bra as it doesn't offer the support anywhere near as well. I'll have an appointment to change my dressings in the next few days so will update with photos. Updated on 1 Jan 2022: Due to the holidays over Christmas and New Year and my work schedule, and a Covid test, I had to remove and replace my own dressings. It was easy enough and I purchased Mepore dressings from my local chemist. So this was my first opportunity to see my breasts since day 12. Again I felt slightly nervous at seeing them, especially since I'd had a stinging pain on the very outer edge underneath my left breast. It turned out this was just a small area that had bled slightly, probably due to over stretching. I have to say I'm really pleased with the neatness of the scars and can't believe how well they are healing. My right breast is still slightly more swollen but I'm advised it's perfectly normal for one or other to have reacted slightly more to the trauma. The photos are directly after the dressings have been removed so any distortion of the skin and marks are from the tightness and adhesives of the dressings. There is bruising in places, to be expected, and the breasts are still quite swollen and hard but are starting to soften. I have sensation returning in both nipples and where at first this felt like chafing and was quite sore, they are now calming down and feel fairly normal. I'm still mostly sleeping on my back but do wake up slightly on my side so I must be finding it comfortable enough to not have to wake up and manoeuvre. I'm not taking any painkillers, the only 'thing' I have are slight twinges now and again in the areola/nipple area, presumably just sensations returning. Over all I'm over the moon at the symmetry and can't believe the speed at which everything is healing. I have an appointment on Monday with the nurse for a check and removal of dressings so hope she agrees all is well. Updated on 6 Jan 2022: Had the appointment on Monday (22 days post op) with the nurse (she was lovely). She was very happy with the healing and the results and went off to find a camera to show the other nurses. She kindly took the latest photos but because my dressings had just been removed there are a lot of creases etc caused by the dressings so I took a few more this morning (25 days post op). The nurse didn't replace my dressings and I do feel far more comfortable without them. I'm so pleased with the results so far, the breasts are so symmetrical and I hope, as the swelling goes down and the implants lower, they are going to be exactly what I hoped for. When Mr Ahmed said I needed an uplift as well as implants I was really nervous of the 'anchor' scar running up to my nipples but to be honest it's barely noticeable already. I'm now applying the silicone gel cream that I purchased to help with the healing. As you can see from the photos there are still small bruises and scabs but overall I'm comfortable and far more confident to tackle light lifting as I know the incisions have healed. Still advised to sleep slightly upright and on my back and of course continue to wear the support bra.
there are number of ways of reconstruction. Autologous reconstruction, uses your own tissue, most effective and widely used is DIEP. It’s a big surgery and recovery is long however advantage is that it’s your own tissue not e drone is suitable for this type. Individual who have lower belly excessive tissue are good candidate. Another popular reconstruction is implant based ADM aided reconstruction (preferably muscle spring). Your surgeon will be able to advise you regarding your suitability
It is always sensible and recommended to remove the implant after infection and let everything settle down before re-planning reconstructive surgery, which may have to be flap reconstruction.
