After having 4 children and very poor skin elasticity I have decided to do something about all the sag. My procedure is scheduled for Jan. 9, 2015. I will be having a breast lift with saline implants under the muscle and a full tummy tuck at the same time. I have chosen Dr. Steven Siciliano in Hickory, NC as my PS. I can't wait to see the outcome! I am hoping my recovery will be quick so I can get back to the mom life.
Updated on 4 Jan 2015:
My pre op appointment was last Monday, Dec. 29, 2014. The appointment was quick. I read over and signed all the consent forms (18 pages) the nurse took my 'before' pictures and I consented for them to use my images to show results to other clients. I forgot to mention I'm 6 feet tall, curvy and weigh 215 lbs. going to take some before pictures of my own and post those hopefully later today. I am filling my rx's today. Dr Siciliano answered all of my remaining questions and I paid my balance in full. I have 5 children, including one stepchild , so my husband and best friend will be helping me while I recover. My husband got me a recliner shortly after my initial consultation. I'm hoping I have everything I need! Friday will be here before I know it.
Updated on 8 Jan 2015:
I am definitely a ball of emotions! I can't believe how quickly time has passed and my surgery will be in the morning. I'm ready to say goodbye to my flappy, saggy skin and hello to my new shape! I'm attaching some dreaded before pictures. It's hard to even remember what my youthful, perky breasts used to look like before breastfeeding 4 children. Now my nipples are soooo low and I have zero upper pole fullness.
Updated on 10 Jan 2015:
Let the recovery begin. Surgery was about 4 hours long and I was home and in my recliner by 4pm. I remember waking up in the recovery room in excruciating pain but the anesthesiologist quickly resolved any pain I was feeling by giving me meds in my IV. Dr. Siciliano and his staff were wonderful. Along with the breast lift I had 390cc saline under the muscle implant in my left breast and 375cc in my right. The worst of it so far is the darn drains!! I am staying on top of the pain as best as l can. Getting up to walk every 2 hours is painful but it helps to get my blood flowing. I feel really weak. I won't be able to get a good look at my breasts or tummy until my post op appt Monday morning. My husband and best friend are both here and they are taking excellent care of me.
Updated on 12 Jan 2015:
My first post op appointment was this morning. I mistakingly took my pain meds without food before leaving and struggled not to throw up the entire drive to my surgeons office. Thank goodness for Dr. Siciliano's nurse. She quickly gave me some ginger ale upon arrival and it kicked the nausea. First thing she did was undress me and lay me down. She changed all my dressings and let Dr. Siciliano take a look at my healing progress. I look like Frankenstein and I'm pretty swollen in my belly but overall I AM THRILLED! I have a cute little belly button and the incision for my tummy tuck is super low. I will post a picture but it is very graphic. I have a lot of bruising in my breasts. My areolas are much smaller, which is what I wanted and are positioned high and perky. The drains are definitely still the worst part because the stinging and pulling are constant but hopefully they will be removed at Thursdays appointment. I am not draining a whole lot of fluid and Dr Siciliano said to empty them 24 hrs before my appt so he can see how much is draining. I'm back home now in my recliner, resting. I am standing up straighter already which is relieving all the strain on my lower back. Still no bowel movement, crossing my fingers that things start flowing soon. Still taking stool softeners.
Updated on 13 Jan 2015:
My pain level is starting to hopefully plateau. I am tired of being dependent on others to help me with so many things. I am beyond grateful for the help but I am ready to be able to just hop up and be my normal self. I am using less pain medicine now. Finally had a bowel movement and have graduated from the uncomfortable recliner to my bed which feels like I'm laying on a cloud in comparison. The incision sites are all very tender today and I still HATE the drains and am ready for them to go. Fingers crossed that happens Thursday. I'm sharing a progress pic of my breasts. They are starting to round out and drop more. Still very sore. I'm happy with the symmetry and areola size.
Updated on 14 Jan 2015:
The struggle is really real today. I think yesterday's bowel movement was some kind of hallucination because today has been recovery day from hell! This whole post is going to be TMI but I hope it helps someone out there going through the same thing. I stopped taking the narcotic pain meds today, even though I definitely still need them, I CANNOT handle the constipation they cause. I have been extremely cautious with what I eat. Mostly fruits, veggies, chicken....And yet I had an hour long battle on the toilet earlier and almost feel like there is a blockage. It was worse than child birth but felt very similar. I called my PS office and thankfully Dr. Siciliano was there and spoke to me immediately. He said to definitely come off the pain medicine if at all possible because it causes extreme constipation and that I should be okay to move to Extra Strength Tylenol by now. Keep in mind, I've been taking 3 Colace tablets since 2 days pre op and have continued taking them every day since and they haven't done a darn thing. Dr. Siciliano suggested I try either a laxative(which I really despise the cramping that goes along with that), a suppository or try 'manual stimulation' using gloves and lube....all of which sound horrible. My husband went and got me some of the Colace that has laxative in it and I'm hoping it does the trick. Pray for me y'all....I really need some relief!
Updated on 16 Jan 2015:
Yesterday I had my second post op appointment. Besides becoming extremely light headed once my surgical bra and binder were removed everything went well! My left drain had caused me pain and discomfort since surgery and I was so RELIEVED to have it removed. My other drain is hardly noticeable. It is still putting out minimal bloody discharge so hopefully the fluids clear up in the next 24 hrs. I will go back again on Monday afternoon and have it rechecked as well as get the stitches removed from my areolas. Because of my light headedness I did not take any photos but will hopefully be up for some tomorrow. Happy healing fellow RS'ers :)
Updated on 21 Jan 2015:
I went Monday (10 days post op) afternoon for another follow up appointment with Dr. Siciliano. He checked my drain output and for some reason my fluids on the right drain are increasing instead of decreasing and still dark red. My right side is very swollen but Dr. S wasn't concerned because the area is soft. Idk what that means but what I do know is the pesky drain stays put. Yesterday's 24 hr output was 38cc buy Mondays was 50cc and today I seem to be following the 50cc trend again. I have a very tender spot on the right side, it developed after the appointment but it is relatively mild. I go back to work Thursday! Will have to do some fancy drain hiding and I will also have to leave work early. I got the stitches from my areolas removed and also had the tummy tuck clear stitches removed and all the knots cut on the dissolvable stitching. I am so happy with my breast lift/augmentation. I can't believe how perky and symmetrical they have become. I also love my belly button. It looks amazing and even with the swelling my stomach is so much flatter. Please cross your fingers and say a little prayer for me that my drains produce less volume and clearer fluids. I WANT TO TAKE A SHOWER :) so over the sponge baths.
Updated on 23 Jan 2015:
No more drains! I can't wait to take a shower! I went back to work yesterday and I'm Definitely taking it easy. I was exhausted by the end of the day. I go back for my next post op on Tuesday. I can't believe it's already been 2 weeks since my surgery!
Updated on 16 Feb 2015:
Life has quickly returned back to normal. I cannot believe how quickly I have reached this point. I am still taking it easy and following my doctors orders but I could not be happier with my results!!! Dr.Siciliano and his nurse, Teresa, have been amazing. My swelling is slowly decreasing, I definitely have worse swelling at the end of a work day. My right side is definitely more swollen and tender than anywhere else but even that is slowly improving every day. I'm still not allowed to wear a regular bra but I am anticipating that next step in the healing process and can't wait to get sized.
Updated on 1 Mar 2015:
I feel better and better every day! The swell hell is no joke but even that seems to be reducing daily. I'm tired of wearing the compression garments but they are definitely doing there job. I have a post op appointment tomorrow. I have developed a lump on my right breast and looking forward to the peace of mind tomorrow's appointment will bring. Praying it is nothing major! Check out my pre & 6 week post op comparison