Hi!
I decided to get a BA because I used to be a cheerleader and had nice perky boobs that were between a 32D-32DD. I lost a lot of weight due to a health condition and ended up at basically nothing. I wanted my shape back.
I saw Dr. Simon’s natural results and decided to go for it.
So today was the day of my surgery and the first day of post-op!
I have a post-op appointment tomorrow morning.
I took a Xanax this morning an hour before the procedure, waited about an hour and a half to actually get on the table and into surgery; during which we started the IV, chatted with the surgical tech, got marked up by Dr. Simon, and was evaluated by the anesthesiologist.
I was super nervous all week. I kept weighing bigger vs smaller implants. Dr. Simon has a very gentle touch and honest and straightforward bedside manner. He made me feel very comfortable in my own skin and the evaluation went really well, he also has a great sense of humor and directness. I loved that about him, and his results look super natural.
He had initially recommended 250, which I loved - absolutely adored in the Mentor HP silicone sizers. But, I worried they might be just a touch too small. I had gotten used to my small flat frame and I worried I would be disappointed to have to use a push-up bra if I got surgery.
I also worried about the 10% or 25-50cc decrease in size you read about online for submuscular placement. Dr. Simon said the mentor sizers are generally pretty accurate. Given my shrinkage concerns, I worked my way up to 275cc. We settled on 300cc just moments prior to surgery since I said I wanted a fuller look right then.
Looking back I sort of wish I had listened to him saying the sizers are accurate and factored potential weight gain into my sizing decision. I also wish I’d read a little factoid before surgery that said that projection of the sizers was increased after actual placement, which was my main concern about going for 250. I read some journal articles that said that on average 1 cup size is 138cc, which would have put me at two cup sizes at only 275cc!:
Cite:
A New Method for Determining Bra Size and Predicting Postaugmentation Breast Size
Author:
Pechter, Edward A.
Journal:
Plastic and reconstructive surgery (1963)
ISSN:
0032-1052
Date:
09/01/1998
Volume: 102 Issue: 4 Page: 1259-1265
DOI:
10.1097/00006534-199809020-00056
I just hope I didn’t go too big.
We performed a periareolar incision and I spent about an hour in recovery. I was strapped up in a surgical bra and gauze when I woke up. I was wheeled out to the cab and then straight home.
I had a lot of pain at first and couldn’t lift my arms very high or get up or bend over slightly. After two pain meds and ice I felt so much better. My areolae/nipples feel like they’re oozing.
I’m including some pics of before and directly after surgery, some photos of the sizers, and my wish pic/mood boards.
Updated on 20 May 2020:
So much less pain than yesterday.
I apologize for the wild review from earlier - I was on a lot of pain meds and was rambling.
I’ve barely taken one pill total today for the pain and had my post-op this morning. We removed the gauze and I saw how high my boobs were sitting, my nipples are almost facing downward and my left breast is more swollen than my right.
The nurse recommended that I don’t do any massage for now, as they have seen that it can actually expand the breast pocket unfavorably. Letting it drop naturally for the next two weeks will determine if at the two week post-op I need to begin massage based on where they sit. They’ll also remove my stitches then.
Gentle fondling is ok, which I’ve been enjoying.
I asked about drop and fluff and whether they’ll actually get bigger and the nurse said she actually thinks the opposite - they’ll look smaller in comparison when they settle into a more natural position than so high - which I was also relieved about.
They look huge, I weighed myself this morning at the office after the surgery and I gained 4-5 lbs! A quick search tells me the (2) 300cc mentor implants weigh about 1.3lbs total, so that makes me feel so relieved that a lot of the extra size I see is swelling.
I’ve been worried about looking overly busty and not being able to look “athletic.” But...after calming myself down and calculating the swelling in my weight, drinking plenty of water, and talking to my friends who’ve had BA’s or reconstructions I feel better about the settling size and experience.
Honestly, this recovery has been amazing. Last night my partner jiggling the bed when he crawled in was painful but once I got into a good position I passed out like a light. I woke up feeling so much better than yesterday. I can pick up large plates and open the fridge and pick things up and even bend over a little much more easily than yesterday. I didn’t even need help opening the medication bottles.
I felt comfortable taking pictures today with the gauze gone and I’m very happy with the shape and size and the way I expect them to turn out.
I’m a little bloated in the belly, very thirsty today (recommended to drink lots of water and take stool softeners to excrete the anesthesia), and am excited to watch them heal! Highly recommend. I’m going to miss my small boobs because I loved them but I also love these
Updated on 21 May 2020:
I should probably start spacing these out after this so progress is more visible :)
I finally took a shower! The nurse told me yesterday I would be able to bathe today - no soap directly on the surgical tape just let the water run down and blow dry my incision tape afterwards. I was able to shampoo, condition and brush my hair on my own just not as vigorously as usual.
I feel like a sore workout today! I paid the price for the shower in the afternoon and had to lie down due to some soreness in my high side boob and along the underside of my upper arm.
I haven’t taken any pain meds so far since I’m bloated and trying to have a BM but I might give in soon so I can sleep.
I tried working today but being on the phone left me a bit out of breath from feeling like my chest is compressed, so I only worked for a few-ish hours.
I was told I could do body weight movements (no resistance), so for the prescribed ambling around time every two hours I’ll do a few air squats to get my blood flowing, hopefully it’ll help with swelling and maybe a BM after some coffee! No such luck yet.
My right boob is way less swollen today and I’m still excited, half praying they’re not too big and half not too small! I keep telling myself they’ll be perfect and they absolutely will be! No regrets :) Happy healing to all you out there!
Updated on 22 May 2020:
I know I said I wouldn’t post but I wanted to address “crepitus.”
There’s a crunchy/bubbly/chip bag popping noise that only I can hear when I bend over, stand back upright, lean back, or press on the inside top left cleavage.
Sometimes fluid or air can get trapped inside the implant cavity during placement. I called the nurse today and she said it should resolve during the next few days to weeks, as my body absorbs it naturally. I hope it’s sooner rather than later so I can stop feeling like a human level :)
Not taking anything except Tylenol today, am able and allowed to lean on my elbows, prop myself up on them to get up and out of bed, and can shower as many times a day as I want with soap (no anti-bacterial or scrubbing the incision tape) as long as I blow-dry the tape afterwards, make sure it is dry and not moist, and must wear a sports bra 24 hours a day. No underwire for 3 months!
No BM yet and still a little bloated. Barely sore! I can work today without being out of breath and find myself more restless and eager to move around.
Including some photos.
Updated on 15 Jun 2020:
Thanks for being patient guys - sorry it took me so long. So much happened with my life and work and moving, I had to get settled and before I knew it it’s been 4 weeks.
Here are some new photos! They are dropping nicely, nice and soft(er) now, my scars are taking a while to fully close and I still get sore when I pick things up or do too much.
One thing I’ve been worried about is the fact that only one implant moves when I raise my arms (and one implant is further away from the sternum) and I posted an “ask a surgeon” question about it and I’ll let you know. My surgeon can’t speak to it until I see him in person.
I’m happy watching them drop and develop over time though it is weird to flex and feel my chest so much lol.
One thing I was sad about is I asked my friend not to say anything to anyone since it’s normal for people to be emotionally insecure about it in the beginning and she told some friends, I’ve been feeling off about them since that but I know it’ll go away. Just kind of sucked it wasn’t my news to tell when I was ready.
Updated on 25 Jun 2020:
Hello!
Good news! The left one isn’t migrating as much anymore when I raise my arm -Yay!! I posted my question and the surgeons mostly said it’s normal in the beginning and to give it time.
I did a little photo shoot for you all in some lingerie. The photos bent over are to show how the bras don’t really sit on my sternum, but maybe this will change. At first I thought the bras were the same size but then I realized why the red one fit a little better, it’s a 32DD.
There’s one tiny little persistent scab on the left that I’m just waiting for. Otherwise I’m scarring normally for me (white with hyperpigmentation surrounding it) that eventually goes away. You can see it in the photos, and I’ve already seen an improvement in the pigmentation over time.
Updated on 6 Aug 2020:
Hi all!
Posting some new photos of nearly 3 months. It’s a little obvious to me that my right boob needs to settle a little more. My left boob (the one that is further away from my sternum when I lift my arms to my sides) has settled into a great shape and the nipple position looks normal. My right one makes them together look like that silly bacon-egg smiley face in Mulan’s breakfast (it sits lower), but it’s a waiting game. The sternum placement of my left boob still drives me crazy because it flops laterally about 1-2 finger widths more than my right from my sternum when I lie down but maybe once the muscle relaxes and they drop and fluff more in the next 3-6 months mark it’ll look/feel better.
Still haven’t found the right size bra but using a 28-30DDD/E or 28F for now. Underwire is so uncomfortable (digs into my sides) so I’ve been using XS sports bras to keep them supported.
I was a 32B before surgery, a 32D or 32DD before I lost weight and deflated to the 32B pre-op. Happy to be back to my size. I was debating pre-op on 250cc-350cc HP mentor silicone implants and settled on the happy medium at 300cc and not regretting a thing. I was a bit thin at 100lbs pre-op and wanted to gain weight, so I think it was a great size to grow with. It’s been an emotional roller coaster for sure, but my partner says they look more natural every day and though they weren’t previously a fan of implants or the “fake” look or feel, they have noticed a huge improvement in the hardness/feel, shape, and look since the initial stages. I’m happy to have a second opinion lol, and someone to keep me sane.
I ran out of my silagen silicone gel cream and have been using scar away silicone gel strips for the time being.
Not getting shooting pains anymore but I do feel ripples if I’ve been wearing a bra for a long time. I think those will go away with the settling process once the implant expands into the full pocket and the muscle relaxes instead of contracting it so much.
Sometimes I get these little white pimples where the suture was and I just pop them, i think they’re called spitting stitches. Also including pictures of my scars. They’ve discolored/hyperpigmented a lot less but the scar is still white.
No bras today, but will show off my new ones soon.
Updated on 13 Oct 2021:
I’m a little saddened that the displacement of the left implant worsened and causes discomfort, especially with pressure, I will be going in for a consultation hopefully this year if not next, the surgeon offered a reduced revision since it’s only one. But standing, they look terrific! I do wish I had some of the swelling and height from 3-6mo post op. Maybe I will save it for a later date.
I’ll try to post some from 6ish mo p/o later <3