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I have had an amazing experience. I started off as a 34 A, and am likely going to be a 34 C/D when i'm done healing. Everything has gone very smoothly, and I absolutely love my new breasts. They are even better than the "wish" photos I had shown my surgeon. I'm so glad I decided to have a breast augmentation! It's helped with my confidence and overall positive body image. Updated on 21 May 2017: Things are healing amazingly. I've been using essential oils since the first few days on top of my breasts to help with swelling, inflammation, and pain. After 2 weeks I started using oils on my scars. I'm able to sleep on either side comfortably, and I've been resume all activity in the gym (except any chest exercises), as well as HIIT workouts.
I would love to add my comments to this article as I too have had saline breast augmentation. My surgery is coming up on five years and I have to admit, in my case, I would not go through the surgery IF I had it to do over. I was turning 50.....had just re-married after a four year divorce.....and I wanted to do this for me. I was a size B and went to a small D and they were placed under the muscle. The results were great! I was very pleased with the surgeon and would strongly recommend him. Now for the part that was not pleasant at all: I thought the pain would kill me! Now, maybe it was my age but will never know. I can tolerate pain as I have had surgeries before including two C-sections so I expected pain but not like I had. It lasted SIX months!!! I literally hurt and I mean HURT for six long months. In the meantime, my breasts were settling in, the doctor said I was doing fine so I knew I was going to live. The second comment I have is EVERYBODY (well, maybe not everybody but it seemed to be that way) noticed my breasts and some even asked me if I had had surgery! Now, if I have to give one thought to replacing these implants, I will not hesitate to say NO! I think if you are 25 to maybe 40....great. If one would rupture, they are both coming OUT! For me, I just wouldn't do it again...period! For some others, I'm sure they would disagree me but it just depends on the person.
Had nothing, -A if that exists; went from nothing to C/D in size. I am VERY happy with the results, the doctor was exceptional and the cost was worth it! Updated on 12 Feb 2011:
I've been wanting a tummy tuck for over 10 years! A 10 pound baby plus weight fluctuations have left me with a gut! I Had cosmetic surgery 10 years ago and requested a tummy tuck then but Dr thought I could get results with liposuction only. Nope, didn't happen. So for the next few years I yo yo'd with my weight and finally got serious 5 years ago and lost 70 pounds. I gave maintained it now with diet and exercise. So a few weeks ago I was trying on the dreaded 2 piece (ugh) and I looked at my husband and told him that there was no amount of walking I could do or salads I could eat to make my stomach go away. He told me to call the doctor and make an appointment for a consult. I was so excited!!! So I went yesterday to Dr Zickler for my consult. I'm happy to say I'm scheduled for July 12th for a tummy tuck with muscle repair! I'm a little apprehensive because I don't have a lot of time to recover from it till I have to go back to work (less than two weeks), but I have a desk job so hopefully I will be okay. So, I guess let the waiting begin for the big day!! Updated on 28 Jun 2016: Had my pre op appointment today with Dr. Zickler. Surgery is scheduled for July 12th! He answered lots of questions for me which eased my mind quite a bit. One concern was the placement of my scar. Basically he told me the longer the incision the better result. I'm fine with long just don't want it to curve up to much. I'm a huge researcher (thanks Realself) so I feel like I'm quite prepared for what's to come. I hope anyway. I came home and tried on a swimsuit for before pics and it just confirms for me this decision. Can't wait to shop for clothes and not have to be concerned with how my gut will look or walking on the beach and trying to "suck" it in. Updated on 5 Jul 2016: So I have one week from today till my TT. I'm excited but also nervous. Each night when I go to sleep I always think how long will it be after my surgery before I can sleep comfortably again. But I know it's a small price to pay for a flat tummy. I've been making final preparations and going to do my final shopping this weekend and spending Sunday on the lake with family just to have that one last day of family time before the big day. Updated on 7 Jul 2016: So TT is in 5 days. I'm excited but anxious. Probably very normal feelings for what I'm about to put myself through but I feel so alone in this. I don't have a large circle of friends and the ones I have can't relate to this experience therefore it's hard to talk to them about it or they have made it clear they don't want to talk about it. So, other than my precious husband and this site, I have no outlet for my emotions or feelings and it's hard. Anyone else experiencing this? Updated on 12 Jul 2016: I can't believe that I am typing the words "my tummy tuck is done". 10 years I've been waiting and it's all over. Dr. Zickler told my husband I had quite a bit of loose skin and he got my muscles back nice and tight. Not really in any pain to speak of. He gave me exparel injections into my muscles. I'm having some discomfort at my drain sites but that is to be expected. Im just glad to be home in my bed.. Updated on 13 Jul 2016: Well it's been a little over 24 hours since my surgery and so far so good! My doctor injected Exparel before he closed the incision so I've only taken 2 pain pills. Otherwise I've been taking Tylenol. I would highly recommend you get the injection. It was definitely worth the extra money. I got to take the bandages off today and take a shower. It felt so good. I was really nervous about seeing my belly for the first time. I made my husband look first. I cried when I saw it! I'm swollen which is to be expected but already WOW! I can't believe it's my belly. I'm loving my new belly button too. I'm amazed at how active I've been. Honestly the drains are the worst part. I go back for my post op appt on Tuesday so hopefully they come out along with the stitches. Updated on 15 Jul 2016: 3 days post op and I can't believe how well I am doing! Still no major pain; only taking Tylenol still. Sleeping is a challenge but I nap during the day so not too bad. My husband and I went out for lunch today. It was nice to get out of the house for a while. I'm walking almost upright which is great for my back. I have to go back to work on Thursday so I feel like I don't have any time to waste. Hang in there! Updated on 19 Jul 2016: I just got back from my one week PO appt for my full TT with MR. I went today thinking that external sutures and Drains would come out. The sweet nurse comes in and takes out sutures but not drains. Not alarmed yet. Dr. Zickler comes in. Looks me over and asks how did we do? So I addressed my concerns with having more fullness on one side versus the other. He immediately goes into me having revision surgery down the road. That's not going to happen. It is what it is. Then he looks at my belly button which has been crusty black from day one and started draining Sunday. So basically my belly button is dying. I had told him in my consult appointment that I had two belly button hernia surgeries when I was small and I mentioned that to him again today. Light bulb went off! Basically the surgeon that did those surgeries did not leave much "stalk" therefore he had very little to reattach my new opening to and the tissue is just yucky. It is still possible for it to heal on its own but there is s chance of me having to have a belly button revision surgery done. So now on to my drains. I had been below 25cc for 2 days now. Normally he takes them out on day 10-14. I told him I was miserable! So, he took them out but now I have to worry about a seroma forming. Yeah me! I asked the nurse at what point do I start to love it cause I'm not there yet. She looked shocked at my question. Right now, to me, I don't look any smaller in my clothes than I did before the surgery and I most definitely feel bigger. Updated on 20 Jul 2016: So I started having severe pains last night in the area of my drain removal and woke up this morning running a fever and feeling horrible. Called the DR and went in this afternoon. I had a knot that had developed in the drain area so he asperated it for infection. Thankfully nothing came out but he went ahead and put me on a round on antibiotics. He also gave me a treatment for my belly button. dr Zickler was amazed at how well I was healing. Drain holes are already completely sealed and scar looking great. So, back to work tomorrow and Friday for 4 hours each day. Updated on 22 Jul 2016: So I have been to my surgeon 3 times this week. I went at 8 days for an infection at the drain removal site. Went back today because the swelling at the site was getting bigger. However when I came home and changed the dressing on my dead belly button ( read previous posts for details) it scared me. I was really wigged out! So I went to the dr. He reopened the now closed drain exit hole to make sure there was no build up of infection and there was none. Then came the belly button. Basically the top of my belly button stalk was dead so it had turned GROSS. So, he took out ALL my bb sutures, cleaned out all the yuck, and basically I'm starting all over from scratch. I have a hole in my belly. I have to pack it with Demex solution soaked gauze and keep it covered till I go back on Aug 4th where hopefull it will have healed and he can do revision surgery and retack it back. I am so sick and tired of worrying about this! I've truly not been able to really enjoy my shape. I'm swollen like I'm pregnant and I have a hole in my gut. I did go back to work yesterday. Worked half days. It wasn't bad. I'm just ready for complete healing. I want to get on with my life and be able to enjoy this new figure. I know it's there somewhere!! Anyone out there ever dealt with this type of belly button issues? If so, I would love to hear how it turned out. Updated on 23 Jul 2016: Here are pics of me 11 days PO with TT with MR and of my belly button. Updated on 26 Jul 2016: So 2 weeks PO with full TT and MR. Went back to the doctor today to have a recheck of my belly button and my infection site. Nurse said belly button is looking good! Swelling and soreness are improving at the infection site. So yeah me! Best news was when she told me my next appt. had been moved up to Monday so my revision surgery will be that day! Hopefully after Monday I will fully be on the mend with a cute innie belly button! My doctor is officially closing the practice on August 12th so I will hope for the best. I'm still swollen horribly but the nurse said it's all within normal limits. So, with each passing day comes new hope of finally seeing my stomach flat. Happy healing everyone! Updated on 29 Jul 2016: Until you experience a tummy tuck first hand it doesn't matter how much you research, how many people you talk to, or how many before and after pics you look at. It's takes an emotional strong person to go through this. I am a fixer by nature so it has almost driven me crazy cause I can't fix this! I can't fix the swollen belly, or the undone belly button, or the now oozing place in my incision where the infection is coming out. All I can do is wait, patiently. Wait for the swelling to go down, my belly button surgery on Monday, and the infection to go away. Tonight I noticed a change. I noticed my infection is starting to go away. The hard knot is not quite so big. I noticed my tiny waist that will be rockin a bikini once the swelling goes away and I remember that I only have 3 more days till I get a belly button(sounds weird to say). So, I'm thankful for little things. I know there will be more little things along this journey. I'm just hanging on for the ride! Happy healing everyone! Updated on 1 Aug 2016: Hello All! Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since my full TT with MR and I still don't have a belly button. I went today for the revision but Dr Zickler said the stalk was still yucky. He trimmed more off so he's hoping he got all the yuckiness. I go back Wednesday morning for him to recheck and hopefully try it again. It wasn't really that much of a let down. I'm to the point of it will happen in its own due time. I did however have my infected drain finally open last night and empty. I was in the shower when I noticed it so I was pressing on all areas of my stomach to try and get as much out as as possible. My doctor said it should clear up fairly quickly now. One less thing to contend with. Happy healing everyone! Updated on 3 Aug 2016: I got a belly button today!! Yeah!! Dr Zickler said it was much improved from Monday. So, he got me all fixed up! He basically turned the sides in on each side and sutured them down to the faschai. So now I wait and pray for healing. He said I had about a 50% chance that it would stay healthy and heal perfectly. I'm so hopeful. It really is cute. I really think this one is much better than the original one done the day of surgery. Happy Healing! Updated on 9 Aug 2016: 4 weeks ago today I went into surgery for a TT with MR. I was extremely optimistic of the results. Like everyone I had hopes of a flatter tummy; something I had never had. These past 4 weeks have been trying for sure. The surgery was fine. No complaints there. I'm still dealing with belly button issues. The revision that he did last Wednesday came undone. My body just wasn't ready. My doctor was trying to speed the process along due to him closing up his practice. The one bit of good news is there is no sign of infection and the skin is wanting to turn in on its own. He promises it will heal fine, it's just going to take a little longer. Oh, and the swelling... OMGoodness!!! It will not go away!! By the time the evening rolls around I look 6 months pregnant. I keep thinking each week will bring better changes but I'm still waiting. So, I'm on the fence on my decision. I'm still not happy. It's been a rough mental and emotional road. I'm hoping 6 months from now I can look back on this journey and say it was worth it. Oh, how I hope! Updated on 9 Aug 2016: Updated on 9 Aug 2016: Had a pity party today.. So I decided to go walking after work. It was nice to clear my mind and feel like I was doing something healthy for my body. I made it 3.5 miles! Yeah me! Came home and thought I'd take a few pics.. I was pleasantly surprised with the swimsuit pic. Just wish the swelling would go far far away!!!!! Updated on 10 Aug 2016: Yes, you read the title correctly. My tummy tuck with MR was on July 12th, I still have a hole where my belly button should be, and my Dr released me today. There was no offer of sending me to another doctor. He graciously gave me his cell phone number. Said I could text him pictures of my bb if I had concerns. Wow! Who does that??? I'm just lost right now. Said it should heal in 6-8 weeks. We'll see. Stay tuned.... Updated on 14 Aug 2016: So I'm almost 5 weeks PO and things are improving. I've noticed that I'm not as swollen in the morning which is nice. I officially quit wearing my CG and it feels so good! I've still been walking so I don't know if walking or no CG has contributed to the decrease in swelling. I went out on a limb today and ordered a couple of swimsuits for an upcoming beach trip. Normally I would have bought high wasted to try and cover as much gut as possible but today was different. I hope I don't have my hopes up too high. We'll see. There is no change with the BB. I dreamed about it twice last night. Guess I'm thinking about it too much. Happy Healing everyone! Updated on 23 Aug 2016: Well, it's hard to believe that 6 weeks ago I was in surgery for a full TT with MR! I am thankful to be where I am today. It's been the slowest process (besides losing weight) but it's taught me patience. I am healing! My belly button has shrunk down considerably! Today I went from gauze and tape to a bandaid! I started wearing silicone strips on my scar last night. I'm anxious to see how they work. I also went and saw a new doctor yesterday;Dr. Sam Huddleston. I really liked him. He said I was healing fine but he's going to continue my care till the belly button is healed. I'm thankful. I'm honestly thinking that I am going to send my out of pocket expenses to my old Dr and ask for reimbursement. Still thinking about that. I've had days here lately that I've woken up flat and remained that way most of the day. I've also had really swollen days to. I'm hoping I see more flat days coming my way. I'm going to the beach next week and I have two new bikinis to show off! Anyway.. To those of you reading this that are new to this journey Hang On! It's not an easy ride but you will get through it. Have patience with your body. It has to heal! It's not overnight. Celebrate small victories along the way. Happy Healing! Updated on 23 Aug 2016:
I will be updating more this evening. I am doing an entirely new posts because I couldn't do another "BREAST Implant removal" review because I already have one (that should have been breast implants anyways , since my original doctor is reviewed. I didn't know how to do this and I also have discovered you cannot delete what you wrote? SO, I had quite a few consultations and called nearly everyone across my state! Will jump back on and get into why I am removing my Implants and who is doing it! Updated on 13 Mar 2016: so much to update, so much to do! I have been more busy interacting with others and reading stories I haven't updated my own. I have decided to have the implants removed under local by a wonderful DR. in Tennessee. Dr. Roderick Zickler. I will update later as to why I chose him and other personal issues regarding my decision. I am super grateful for EVERYONE sharing their stories, interacting and sharing pricing information, pictures , etc. IT has been so very helpful and I would NOT be on my way to getting these out if I had not connected with so many of you not only helping in this decision but the support! MARCH 21st is the day!!!!!! I have been feeling all the emotions you all have felt/feeling and yet anticipate with anxiety and excitement for the big day. I am dreaming of the day of taking deep breaths, of buttoning all my shirts and dresses , of kayaking, doing yoga, snowboarding , paddle boarding, kayaking, skiing, dancing, lifting without suffering for weeks on end. I can only dream right now that my health will return and I will not feel so sick. Of not letting down my friends and family because I just don't feel well enough to attend or so tired I am falling asleep sitting up by 11am yet having so many sleepless nights aching with pain. maybe even an advanced yoga pose or two is in my future, who knows! Updated on 14 Mar 2016: I have been so busy interacting with others and reading everyone else's stories, that I haven't really updated much on my own site. About to call and pay for surgery and hotel is booked :D :D I am scheduled for 3pm ! Now to just try and find someone to take me. All my friends work, my mom wants to come but she just had a tumor removed, isn't too keen on driving through mountains but most of all, I don't want her BP to go up. I asked my kids father if he would take me but he told me no, not happening. :-/ Oh well! I might just take a cab to and from the hotel I am just not sure how I will be feeling the next day to drive home. I have made the decision to just go ahead and have them done under local in Tennessee with Dr. Zickler. I will then give myself some time to heal, detox, whatever and if my sumptoms do not improve I will then see Dr. Kolb or Dr. Feng...the only two surgeons that will EVER touch my body EVER *I would say Dr. Melmed too, but he is in Texas. I think I would like to see Dr. Feng because I have so many health/immune/weight issues that I seem to keep spending money on all these Primary care Doctors but ZERO results or solutions. She seems to have a good grip on the problems as does Dr. Kolb. I am confident both Surgeons can help me and get me back on track. I am keeping a positive attitude and confident with the decision to remove these. If even removal alleviate some pain, that is at least SOMETHING towards relief. I am very concerned about the scar tissue and Dr. Zickler did make me aware it may cause tugging on the nerves. I will cross that bridge when I get there. As far as appearance I could care less at this point. when you are in so much pain and always so sick...I could really care less and not too concerned with how they look after coming out....WORST case scenario I will work and save up for fat transfer in my boobs if I find I am not improving or liking what I see. NO BIGGIE. These doctors can do some seriously amazing stuff but appearance is the least of my concerns because I am truly in pain/suffering and sick. I like Dr. Fengs work on and that she does NOT do implants at all ! That says a lot! I thought i almost would miss mine until I read it took 30 chemicals to make these bags. That plus how totally terrible I feel leaves me NO doubts, fears, question that I am doing the right thing. I only am angry that some of us don't have the ability to see the top doctors who do this with care and concern and remove the scar, repair muscles if needed and remove swollen lymph nodes. THIS is important to me but I can't do it. I actually typed into my calculator how much I would have to save in 12 months so i could save 8k for the surgery....8k divided by 12 is 666.6666666 >...NO SIR...I DON'T LIKE IT! I opted to type in 7500. into my handy dandy calculator instead LOL I will have to save at least 550.00 a month just to get any revision or transfer. That's about 140 per week-I paid that just in daycare alone if not more so ,so where there is a will there is a way and who wants to wait MORE weeks for insurance to approve when you are already in pain? Actually, I currently am struggling just to keep my eyes open as I type this. I am so tired. I need a nap. I will have to post some pictures later! I have so much to talk about! I am going to be honest with you, I just watched Dr. FENG do the surgery. HOLY COW....JUST HOLY cow. Going to faint but I can see she is TOP SHELF for sure! She cares about her work and is meticulous. I can appreciate that. I wish I could go see her or Dr. Kolb now 1. because my health and hormones are such a mess 2. she is meticulous and knows her stuff and cares about her work ; you can tell. 3. I want every part of this mistake removed...EVEN if that looks painful as hell. IF I ever decide to do natural breast enhancement and the money tree I planted magically grows, it will be by Dr. FENG and no other. PERIOD! I Will update some pictures later. 1. of the painful rack 2. of the arsenal of supplements I need to take just to function like a semi-normal human 3. some of the things I am doing to prepare and 4. some of my own personal tips from experience with the pain and illness your implants are causing. I am also thinking about making a corset type closure sports bra for compression. WHY? Because I can't find a dang zipper sports bra for compression and no time to hunt one down with Easter also approaching. I thought, HEY, I can sew and hey, why not cut a sports bra down the center (buy x large for room to sew) then either create button holes and lace that bad boy up ...this sounds like a logical fix as you can also adjust as your healing to not be so tight or as tight as needed. IF that fails, I will just buy some ace bandaging or something. THIS doesn't have to be complicated right. After seeing that video of Dr. Feng in action, MY boobs hurt. It has been so great connecting with all of you. Thankful to those who were /are sharing personal stories and fears/concerns and victories. I get teary eyed when I read of women struggling AND when I read of women getting better thanks to the few doctors that truly used their heads and hearts and believed us when we said, "WE ARE NOT WELL. THESE NEED TO GO" I also get teary eyed when I read some girl say in her review that she was using snow to sooth her soreness and it was effective because it's soft and when she ran out her hubby went and bought a snow cone machine and that he sacrificed buying beer and lunches out so they could save for surgery. THAT IS A good man! Lucky, lucky girl!!!! Updated on 15 Mar 2016: Sat here writing for over 45 minutes. iPod just died, lost everything . Hate apple. Grrrrr that's it- going outside and will attempt again later Updated on 20 Mar 2016: I am soooo excited! I am almost ready to go! Got A LOT done around here and house super clean! It was a ROUGH week with pain and I had to break down and take that dang 800mg ibuprofen but I had to get stuff done. The excitement of knowing this will all be behind me soon got me through and kept me pushing. Today I am about to cook up a weeks worth of food and snacks *(yummy stuffed vegan mushrooms, quiches (not vegan lol but perfect for breakfast) organic chicken broth for me and going to make some meals out of the organic, free-range, NON-gmo, vegetarian, sun bathing CHICKENS that have been fed NON-gmo, organic grain :D :D :D GOSH darn it, living in these times are so exhausting. WISH I was born in the Victorian era ( I AM A HUGEEEEE HISTORY NERD) at best girls, we would have squished ourselves to death (jK) in a corset and used a little arsenic facial cream...NO big deal LOL :D :D I am a comedian of bad jokes when I am nervous , YET I am not really nervous at all and pretty confident in this decision! I just pray my pain goes away. Glad we had a cold-front here on the East Coast; I It is a sin to sit indoors on such beautiful days. GOD I have missed sooooo soo many beautiful days when I just couldn't push through the pain or keep my eyes open with severe fatigue. I hope to GOD no damage to my good health and body was permanent. I need to work again, it's imperative I get well. I don't fancy living in a cardboard box ! So anyways, I am not sweating this really. I am quite nervous that I will look wrinkly, deformed or concave because I don't have much breast tissue according to my doctor (how can they even tell. I don't know what is fat, implant, skin or tissue over here LOL) So I am MOST def. going to consider fat transfer if I come out looking awful- Doing my last round of cleaning, laundry, my nails , grooming my 4 dogs...going to have all three kids helping me prep and prepare all the food (most of all teach my teen girl how to cook , THERE'S NO APP FOR THAT! She has no desire to be in a kitchen and is def. challenged in that department) Got my bras, some antioxidant juices (Acai/blueberry Juice , Morello cherry juice, tons of fresh lemons , raw apple cider vinegar...which BTW ANY woman suffering from digestive, leaky-gut, overall blah feeling might want to give this TONIC a go...I am swearing by it and shared it on another posters review: 8-10oz Water 1/2 lemon squeezed 2 Tablespoons Raw apple cider vinegar (the foggy kind) OPTIONAL: pinches of cinnamon, cayenne pepper, ginger (not as bad as it sounds ) WITH THIS cure all , make you lose weight, make you 21 again, make you grow new brain cells and fight disease??? How the heck do I know, would be nice but what I do know is I felt normal when I drank this stuff --in other words, all the icky , awful, annoying , crappy, lousy, I-feel-like-i'm-dying symptoms I have had sort of disappeared and I felt I had a bit more energy. So is it helping inflammation, leaky -gut, etc. possibly...and this is obviously not medical advice but it's no different than something we might dump on our salads so I don't see the harm and I am sure most of us by now have heard of the benefits of warm lemon water and raw apple cider vinegar. I didn't go in this with the thought that all those things listed would improve, I thought it would speed up metabolism , it didn't do anything for my weight. My weight won't budge at the moment. I just noticed when I drank this I felt more like a semi-functioning human being. After these suckers come out, I am going on a full-force JUICING kick and will share all that and what I do and what supplements I LOVE. I do have a lot of good ones that really helped me (I listed a pictured) I know they have kept me going , without them (LIKE when I cannot afford them ) I feel like total garbage. I can only imagine now eliminating the source how I will feel!!!!! OK SO, all I have left to do now is pick out an outfit that is button down and easy to slip on! NOTHING fits. I got the most adorable denim dress in NY around thanksgiving and it's just going to sit in my closet! My closet is more like a fashion graveyard of things I could never button because of these fake knockers, couldn't fit in because of weight fluctuations, or didn't wear because I was just too tired or sick to go anywhere anyways. I have A LOT of work ahead of me to get healthy! To all the ladies I have had the opportunity to communicate with and everyone sharing their personal experiences with this who have helped me make this decision , ease my mind and gave me hope ...LOVE you all and thank you. I cried on my bed when I thought I was dying and I did not have money to get rid of these and then I cried tears of joys when I finally caught up with the stories just like mine and didn't feel so hopeless and alone. THANK YOU ALL! See you on the ITTY BITTY [RS bleep] committee board Tuesday morning :D :D :D Updated on 22 Mar 2016: Just uploading pictures then jumping on the lap top to type my experience ! Updated on 22 Mar 2016: OK, I just sat here typing for an hour....I LOST my entire post when I went to let dog out. I do that a lot!!! OK so I worked my tail off all week doing some spring cleaning and spent my entire weekend getting ready for Easter and cooked a bunch of dinner, snacks, lunches, etc. I am stocked up like Whole Foods with tons of fresh fruits and veggies for smoothies and juicing, TONS of healthy snacks and virtually everything I could possibly want or need right now. SO SUPER COMFY! I stayed up super late Sunday Morning (4am got up at 6am for kids) I figured feeling sleepy would help relax and knock me out. AFTER ALL OOKKK so this super mom mode left me dehydrated to say the least and that DID not help my surgery. I was sort of under the impression I shouldn't really eat or drink after midnight and that was probably not a good idea! SO Monday morning comes, I am not nervous AT all and ready to get these things OFF MY CHEST ! I didn't feel nervous at all but was rushing to get ready and took a HUGE chunk of flesh from ankle...I am going to be honest girls...THIS WAS MORE TRAUMATIC than the surgery OK!!!! LOL I had to play nurse and bandaged it up real good. GIRLS IF YOU ARE DOING THIS UNDER LOCAL , DO DRINK LOTSSSSS OF FLUIDS day before...not so much where you will have to pee mid-surgery but if you by any chance have a problem with being dehydrated it may just stall your surgery a few minutes to hour. I had quite a few veins "blow" to be continued....children calling NOT losing what I typed again and the copy/paste mode didn't work previously Updated on 22 Mar 2016: OKKKK OK! Everyone is content now I can get back to writing. SO, let me back up before surgery and say I took a pretty good chunk of flesh from my ankle Monday morning while in a rush ! I mean, A GOOD one. I thought, OHHHH great. OK If ANY woman is considering the explanting under local I want you all to know that I think the shaving wound hurt, and the poking around to get a line in for the IV --DEHYDRATION is a b...PINCH! LOL SO really, that hurt . Removing implants under local, didn't feel even the slightest pinch of pain. I was expected like , even a teeny tiny little pain. NOPE! Didn't feel a thing and think it was kind of cool hanging out there chit chatting with the super sweet doctor and his wonderful nurses. I mean, THE nurse hurt me more with the needles, but that really wasn't her fault. THAT was my fault for working my tail off and not drinking enough. She still did a great job and took good care of making sure i was well before the surgery and was super nice. Janet, the other nurse is the sweetest lady too. She wrapped me so cozy and comfortable. I swear it was like a spa day for me :D :D she wrapped my arms at my side and then covered me with sterile surgical towels and coating me with iodine (my entire chest down to almost naval I think. The next thing I know the doctor was discussing which side was giving me the pain and which to start. It was very fast and I didn't feel a thing. I liked being awake actually. It was kind of cool and he looked all up in the cavity for any abnormalities and I could see the implants *they looked great actually from what I could see. no mold or nothing....so, that rules out any icky illnesses due to mold or infection because he would have noticed that and said it. He said everything looked normal -always good to hear. They did give me some antibiotic in the IV bag (good just in case) I felt him push gently and the thing plopped out. Didn't even feel it when he put the expander in to lift and look...SO whatever he gave me in that big girl Capri sun goody bag cocktail WAS awesome. I was worried I would feel loopy, nauseous, drunk, shakey, faint, etc....I felt positively normal and awake yet SO GOOD not pain. I would like a 24 pk to go please :D :D joking! ..so this whole experience fascinated me really and I guess I knew better than to type up early morning or even this afternoon because you know, that stuff takes some time to wear off. I am super drowsy and just real sore. I tell ya, the cut on my ankle from shaving hurts worse. The only thing driving me nuts is really the weird airy/squishy/water feeling inside my boobs. I can't even move without feeling it and it's bother me.compression helps that so I suggest just getting some ace bandage. DO NOT bother to go and shop for bras.....I can tell you as heavy as I got and big as they did , I thought I had gained some breast tissue over here. I bought this perfect amazing bra that I have to upload and show. well, it's a B and I cannot even fill it. SO now I am just severely overweight and super saggy flat. :( I tell you, if I had my "normal" shape , I would be fine. I don't care about the boobs, I wanted to be out of pain and quit feeling so sick all the time. In fact, I was even running a low grade fever in sugery. I do care about my overall appearance and I think the weight bothers me, not my tiny, old little previous ta ta's! SO off I go to rest. I am feeling some dull aching pain in my left and think the compression is too tight so going to losen a bit and hit the hay! going to respond to emails tomorrow and try to go over any noticeable changes and stuff Updated on 23 Mar 2016: THESE IMPLANTS cost my family thousandssssss of dollars...OK! I can't help but sit here and think now even MORE about how many doctors I have saw who's exact words went like this: "what kind of implants do you have?" ME: "saline" DOCTOR OR SPECIALIST: "no, they wouldn't cause this...." The skin rash that would not go away...almost totally GONE in just 2 days I can actually see healing. SINUS issues, GONE. FUNKY left side pinching under rib where I thought my spleen or stomach would explode, GONE. HORRIFIC pinching in neck, arm, back, head, fingers (ring and pinky were numb) that whole dang area is now just a dull sense of what was lingering for years ... GONE. I do have a little achey sensation in my left neck area up into my head a little bit. feels more like a headache and I feel like my body is saying, OKKKKK we know we are not hurting anymore but for the years of being pinched we are going to take some time to adjust! I used to do ballet, I can now rotate my head and do circles without mega crunching noises. I MEAN, these things brought whole new meaning to "pop and lock " ok, wrong dance move. I can't wait to attempt to stretch , dance, do yoga and hit the trail. WOO HOO! NO massive HEADACHES thus far , though only two days but really, Praise Jesus. My incisions look super, just some bruising above where the pressure of the implant hit but the incisions look nice and clean and tightly closed. I am not too worried were they sit afterwards. I didn't want to gloat TOOOO much the first 24 hrs because honestly, whatever nerve block cocktail that doc gave me, I thought perhaps was still taking affect. WELL, that was some damn good stuff, I WANT a 24 pack to go. HAHAHAH I mean, I am no pill popper...but it was pretty amazing to be wide awake and feel NOTHING! I didn't feel drunk, loopy, stupid, drowsy or nothing. Not even sick on my stomach or dizzy. GOOD GOD what's in that IV! Every woman going through a hard breakup deserves that goody bag LOL Jk But seriously, IV bag jokes aside, I am feeling super today. I wake from sleeping and feel RESTED even if I felt drowsy as heck yesterday. Mark my words, one day this will be looked back on as a silly idea! I really hope they advance with the stem cell and I am still considering ONLY because I know when I lose weight I am afraid I will look deformed again. I wouldn't even put my PRE implant pictures on here after breastfeeding. MY MOTHER walked in on me getting my bathing suit on and I was in surgery the next week (she knew I had wanted them, knew I was small but didn't realize I was kind of deformed and one was significantly smaller than the other! She gifted them to me and now I feel so bad to ever have let my mom spend that kind of money on me and only to waste MY 20's and 30's feeling so damn awful and always had trouble working because of chronic illness or fatigue. I felt pretty useless but I know this healing still takes time so I pray this continues and no relapses. I am not even taking pain medicine and it's day two. I don't need it for my boobs. I took it for the mild headache I had. Cut myself shaving pretty bad and that hurts worse than this whole procedure. I don't even feel my incisions really. Another thing I have noticed is glowy skin. I had very dull looking skin due to "hypothyroidism" however, It is looking pretty good right now. My skin does not feel BONE dry! It feels soft and wonderful. JUST something I have noticed. My skin rash is GOING away finally. I have had to cover up for 3 y ears with this crap and it's going away! I can wear a tank top or dress without embarrassment. YEYYY! well , my arms need some serious toning up but one thing at a time. I am just about in tears from feeling so good. just the slightest tinge of a once very achey painful left side. Going to update more later with some more fun details ! I'm munching on this yummy Asian Kale citrus salad. I have some Blueberry, Pomegranate acai Juice that is rocking my world. I only felt very drowsy yesterday but today is better. I slept for 3 hours after I got my son on the bus though but I had to rest up because my daughter has a Cleaning appointment. I haven't needed anything for pain today, never even filled my Prescription. Got by on Tylenol. Not even sure I needed that , I just started taking it exactly at 24 hrs bc I could tell when that nerve block was wearing off just mild soreness. the weird, squishy, bubbly feeling inside is annoying and keeping me from leaping around the house with joy. :D :D I'll post more pictures later gators! Updated on 24 Mar 2016: it's too gorgeous outside to be INSIDE! wish I could work out, I haven't enjoyed working out in a longggg time so I can't wait! Got some things done for Easter. Feeling a bit drowsy today again but I got to bed later than expected. I had a lot of energy yesterday but starting feeling like a low grade fever coming on and massive cramps. I just started my period so I am relating the low grade fever before surgery to that too. All I know is that fevery, achey feeling is gone today. The cramps are lower abdomen but nothing unbearable. This time of year until June I suffer terribly with seasonal allergies. SO far, I have felt pretty good. Let's see how the next few weeks brings. Nature is flying all around and things are coming back to life in these parts and I feel I am on my way too! I can't report anything major today, Feeling pretty good and the same. I have really had zero pain from this surgery. A TINY bit sore in the back yesterday but I have been doing a lot (NO Heavy lifting just moving my butt around) went for a walk and was on my feet a lot. THE agonizing left boob pain that shot all through my left side , up my neck, down my arm is still gone. There is so much comfort despite some fluid, swelling and the sensation of knowing there are stitches and weirdness in my boobs (like a light tingle, maybe nerves ? To no surprise my right boob feels fantastic as it always felt like it wasn't even there. I had no problems with that boob at all. MY left is the one that has the swishy fluid feeling and I hate that. I don't like it and going to call my doctor just to double check because it is strong if I don't wear compression.. There doesn't appear to be any difference in size so I am not saying I have some swelling going on. It's totally annoying to "move to fast or in the wrong way" I feel the blub, blub, bubbling inside my boob. IT does not cause even the slightest tinge of pain though. I am so stinking bloated right now and feel LIKE I would be "PMS'ing" 3 weeks with 1 GOOD week out of the month so I can't wait until a week from now when I'm a bit more healed and not so bloated. MY stomach hurts. I also get super tired on my P-so wondering if that is why I feel drowsy . I definitely feel "clarity" and have motivation to do stuff at just day 3... Did anyone ever have a "weird" swooshing sound in both ears, like vibration..I also had ringing sometimes -I thought perhaps it was inner ear infection (ADD IT TO MY LIST OF WOES) but it's totally gone. My ears feel "clear" I can hear better. perhaps from constant sinus congestion was just drainage into the ear - also suffered (YEAH probably that-drainage ) I can breathe again NOT just through my nose but threw my lungs! JUST an ODD symptom that is gone, thank god! I had itchy ears too, doctors always said they were clear-that is gone. I have been taking nice , deep breaths because it's good for you and it's been so long since I could take nice, deep breaths. my diet is good and I dropped 2lbs after surgery but already gained that back - Need to have my thyroid tested soon though anyways. I don't think my feet even hurt anymore in the morning (I couldn't even stand getting out of bed...this is when I started thinking I felt like an old lady!!!!! I mean , really!) I will try to pay attention to that tom. morning.. I will keep posting notable things as the days go by. I really am so happy to be natural. IT does feel SO good to know My kid's father has been really nice to me and even took me to surgery.. NOT going to lie, I preferred this over my poor 70 year old mama. He has been ultra supportive and nice. That's all I ask and nothing more but he has been helpful and even bought me this 6" ace bandage that has really helped. He bought two actually and I wear it like a tube top. This has been the most comfortable way to go. I don't think I would want a band from a sports bra rubbing on my incisions and like not having anything cutting into my shoulders at the moment AND also get to adjust the compression as I see comfortable. Some doctors want to bind you tight. I found it uncomfortable as hell when I tried tight and that is when I started to feel sore....SO I guess it is whatever call your doctor makes but that is not very pleasant. I was also pleasantly surprised by this and the overall "atmosphere" in my home has really changed! Everyone seems to be in a good mood and happy/getting along....There had been a lot of tension in my home or like a "CLOUD" and it seems to have lifted. could it be my pain and sickness had brought down my kids ?????? I know they say, WHEN mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy...BUT THIS is a really delightful side effect I hadn't even really considered. I suppose seeing there mother GLOW again, come back to life, feel hopeful and quit suffering means A LOT to us all. I feel even worse to have put them through that -EVEN if I am mostly bubbly, flakey, silly mom I have had such horrible sleep, or lack of, and such excruciating pain over the past 3 years ...I wasn't always the most pleasant to be around and def not the most fun. MY kids spent a lot of time missing out on having a fun mom and it wasn't fair to have them always helping me out when I couldn't bare the pain; ALL in the name of vanity and fake boobs. HOW STUPID! I actually would get super swollen right between my shoulder blades at my neck (like a hump?) YES, I had all those pains through the collarbone, rib cage, arm, etc. MINE never extended to the hip. Feel pretty normal and no pain at the moment.... something I will never take for granted OKKK so my son is about to get off the bus soon. I will upload some more pictures as I wait. I think my boobs look ok- I am just NOT going to get too excited because I do plan to drop this weight and know better than to think they will remain the same! Sigh....if my arms and gut would stay toned at this weight, I would not give a damn...I feel to good at the moment to even care but I would like to at least get down to a healthier weight. ONE thing at a time right! :) ALL I am really concerned with is the chest muscle adhering back to the chest wall. I don't like having this "open pocket" I dont' even care about appearance or fluffing a nice push up bra once healed would be just fine..ONLY Thing is , if they make that weird squishing feeling, I am not going to want to push nothing up because I find it uncomfortably odd feeling. Updated on 24 Mar 2016: day 2 I was pleasantly surprised - But who knows what time will bring.... Updated on 27 Mar 2016: JUST sharing some things that I truly believe are helpful WITH any surgery....NOW, under LOCAL recovery is a breeze. I cannot speak for woman who have had more intensive, invasive surgery /repairs and such. I had Mentor Smooth saline implants removed under local . These may already be done or known but there might be someone just joining in on this journey. We are all here and so many have been so great in answering questions to help one another xoxo So number one- always consult with your surgeon/ doctor/Nurse FIRST. we are all particular in our needs and our procedures so please take some of these only as suggestions that helped me feel wonderful and healing much easier so far and just discuss with your doctor if it would be ok NO offense but some doctors might say EHHH it's not necessary, ask yourself this "does your doctor have breasts? Does HE know how this feel...if answer is NO, proceed and carry on with the suggestions those of us are sharing because we are all on the other side now. Stay positive and patient and we are all here to support and vent with! ALL of my new friends have been so completely helpful and supportive. I am so grateful. I didn't run away when my kids drove me nuts yesterday either ! LOVE ya BeYouty, thanks for listening last night if you see this xoxo OK my first suggestions as previous mentioned : 1. prepare, freeze or somehow plan /cook ahead a weeks worth of dinners, snacks and lunch salads. Unless you have a really good caretaker or lucky enough to have a spouse or a food fairy who can take care of you and things like that. Then don't worry about it I guess ,haha. It was just really nice not having to stress about "what's for dinner mom" or when I got hungry, I didn't have to depend on anyone nor spend so much time preparing anything. I had all my favorite and really healthy foods too. 2. I filled a large water glass jug with ice cold lemon water the morning I left for surgery.I feel this helped with swelling and water retention that I am notorious for AND hydration. I was dehydrated on the surgery table SO but lemon water is so good for you so I drank that all day to flush the bod. By day three the weird gurgling went away and I had no swelling whatsoever. 3. Sleep propped up. It just helps. If you use lots of soft pillows it isn't so bad. I feel it is good for circulation while healing and fluid.... 4. Totally off the record. IF You have young children or pets. DO arrange help. NO matter what you feel, your young children and pets probably want to jump all over you and will at some point. IF you can afford to kennel your dog (or kids AHAHAH JK JK ) for at least a week, do it. My kids are older and independent but having to care for my dogs (I have 4) while recovering was the most difficult at of this entire experience to be totally honest. I have to constantly get up and make sure they had water, food, walks, potty breaks etc. PICTURES now: 1. 6" ace bandage wrap if your doctor doesn't provide or use some sort of compression. Fit comfortably and perfectly like a tube top. so many of us found compression is totally necessary and even comfortable. ESP if you didn't have drains or repairs to muscle, You will more than likely have fluid, bubble, gurgling air type feeling in the chest wall the compression helps with that and provides comfort. I was lucky to have a relaxed doctor that didn't bind me tight and didn't think compression was necessary. I did not bind tight, when I did I had pain and discomfort so if you are having that , that could be why. I found snug to be comfortable and get two sets so you can change out. I washed mine too so my incisions don't get infected because it's getting really hot here and I sweat a lot. It took two to cover top and bottom so if you can find 10" or wider if they make, you are good to go with that. IT was so comfortable sleeping with the soft bandage and super glad my doctor didn't put me in some uncomfortable bra. 2. pack of 2x2 strerile gauze pads and surgical tape. After whatever bandages and compression you may or may not have, i feel better keeping my incisions covered. Follow your surgeons instructions on care but ALSO, you may already know this or not but do not use antibacterial soap UNLESS advised to do so. You are just washing away good bacteria if you do. It isn't necessary if you are keeping the area clean, if your surgeons sealed you up well AND you also did your part as well. Like, if you start to get swelling, knowing to lay back down propped up, drink some lemon water and call your doctor before it gets too bad so you don't expand the wound and possibly reopen . I AM notorious for doing that and have popped almost every stitch I ever had. MOSTLY because I am a busy body who won't sit still. Use cool/temperate water, not hot and pat dry. IF you choose to cover, do so very lightly, so air gets in there and wait until your incisions are very dry. i think the biggest thing that leads to popping stitches is doing to much too soon, not addressing swelling quick enough and wrong garments so I just opted to cover them and they're doing just fine. It is hot and sticky in some parts of the US already-so keep whatever your doing clean and change frequently. 3. A detachable spraying shower head. PRETTY random I KNOW and self explainable. I did not have one and just recently installed because my little man wasn't rinsing his hair very well. IT was very helpful when my mom had a tumor removed in her arm two weeks ago . Helpful washing the dogs and cleaning the shower. It should just be a standard to have one really. You may not be able to reach your arms up so high or overhead and it's nice to be able to control the water and rinse off if you can not get incisions wet just yet. I bought this double head and I LOVE it. I have found my kids hair looks shinier and clean because they can rinse easier. But that is off the subject, gain, if you have to wait to shower but can't resist (I cannot go to bed with dirty feet, without feeling clean or the sweat washed off. It's just me.) OH that said, wash your bed linens too. NOTHING better than fresh , clean sheets to dive into after surgery! I did all the laundry too because I figured I couldn't lift heavy baskets or do a lot of pulling out and shoving into a dryer. 4. Aveda Beautifying Oil AMAZING stuff I simply love with wonderful ingredients. GET if if you don't explant, just get a bottle. it's lovely, you can add to bath water, massage into hair, skin, scalp, nails, etc. IF you have implants YOU probably have overstretched or very dry skin (I could scratch my name into my legs and it would have probably lasted for days.) OH my god my skin feels amazing since explant and when I use this stuff, EVEN MORE amazing now. It is like stuff is actually doing what it is supposed to do! I have massaged into breast /nipple -those suckers have ONLY been overstretched for 15 years- I am amazed at how forgiving the skin is really right now. Makes a lovely gift too. I will get more into my skin dryness and other skin issues on a my seperate symptoms post soon enough. 5. Plusform instant shaper front closure bra with back support. I would totally wait until you are healed and ready to bra hunt when stitches are all out before even buying anything but I have found my back is oddly sore from explanting and I feel it's from being ultra careful with my chest (like straining other parts to keep it protected) I have needed no pain medicine of any kind to cope with it and this bra doesn't have the most comfortable feel to it (think girdle) but I am thinking the back support will come in handy. I cannot even fill the B cup so I would say again, just wait to buy a bra but one sports like bra has REALLY been a lifesaver , is really pretty, cheap and super comfortable I have also listed. 6. The Smart and Sexy front snap closing sports bra. THIS bra is like kind of thin wet suit feeling to it. It is just enough padding to look "natural" I never did like how padded bras look and this one doesn't make me feel obnoxious or odd shaped. I really like these and purchased this from Walmart. very inexpensive and that material makes it super durable for working out PLUS they are pretty too. The band also sits very low and STAYS there because of that material so I really reccommend this bra for after surgery. I got the one that is black and pink . The back is lace material so light on our back if you are already sore. THE rest are supplements (and apple cider vinegar -has to be the foggy kind) that again, should be discussed with your doctor/surgeon because all supplements can interact with other prescription medications so please ASK YOUR DOCTOR first! I am not a doctor. I do not take any prescription medicines except my Natural desiccated Thyroid (Naturethroid) and Bio identical hormone Progesterone. I found helpful and articles suggest the same if you research this a bit you will see some studies suggest they speed/aid in recovery after surgery. I am a believer but please clear it with your doctor. 1. Vitamin C with Acerola. The brand I use has several sources of Vitamin C and Acerola is supposedly high content of Vit C, JUST what I snipped real quickly regarding Acerola off a webpage Organicfacts.net: "Some of the most unique health benefits of acerola include its ability to manage diabetes, reduce signs of aging, prevent certain types of cancer, improve heart health, increase circulation, reduce allergic reactions, stimulate the immune system, increase eye health, protect the skin, and improve mood. Anti-Aging Properties: The high level of antioxidants found in acerola cherries are not only good for slowing the spread of cancer, but also for generally cleansing the body of dangerous toxins and substances that cause its breakdown. The carotenoids in acerola cherry help to protect your eye health and boost the health of your skin, while bioflavonoids help to boost your cognitive function and prevent the onset of other age-related diseases. I am a big fan of Natures candy FRUITS! YUM I can eat cherries all day long. I am a big fan of Morello cherries as well and found jars of them that had no corn syrup so I drain the juice and add chia seeds and drink up (Helps me sleep at night I think) and I eat the cherries for a snack. I LOVE MORELLO cherries. I could eat a lb of them. lol But seriously, it seems like they are doing more studies on cherries and benefits, I want a cherry tree farm all for me! I just love cherries! I don't care whether they do or not, I just want to eat them :D :D :D 2. ZINC I have a picture of Now brand. I take high potency Zinc 50mg. I was advised by my doctor to take 1 for 3-4 days only. over supplementing IS never a good idea either. so I quit all my supplements a week before surgery. I read an article that suggested Zinc aided in recovery by 40 or 50% recovery rate. something like that I had high levels of copper on my last labs. I believe I was put on Zinc supp because you can not lower copper, only raise the zinc or something like that. SO , I have to follow up and get the story on that but going to wait a month since I implanted. MY labs always came back with SOMETHING OFF since implants. Always. IF it wasn't one thing, it was another. Either way, zinc is important. you know the drill, talk to your doctor to see if zinc is right for you :D I confirmed this information too by SURGERYSUPPLEMENTS.COM actually go there and look up supplements after breast surgery. is it legal for me to share links within this site. GREAT information confirming what I am sharing. I TOOK these supplements BEFORE hand as suggested for my doctor from alllll the wonderful crappy symptoms I was dealing wtih. 3. Vit B complex. for whatever reasons or drugs used in surgery leave many of us wiped I felt I would continue taking for energy level and not to mention the site mentions "Vitamin B complex is thought to speed up wound healing, increase protein synthesis and the amount of repair cells at the wound. It also prevents excessive inflammation. Vitamin B5 is particularly beneficial right after the wound occurs." OF course remember Peepee PP protein and probiotics! No harm can come from a probiotic. I use a good Digestive Enzyme and am currently on the prowl for a good Probiotic. I think they should have more than 15 BIllion species or something Idk Now that surgery site offers many other suggestions and supplements, BE sure it is not some site just selling supplements. I don't know. I cannot see how the ones I listed wouldn't be too much to give a try! HAPPY healing NOW I have to throw down Easter Dinner! Happy Easter to you all! Hope some of this helps in some way. I know it's long but I put a lot of time into it and certain it may be helpful to some! Updated on 31 Mar 2016: HOLY cow, I just typed an update and the laptop died the last sentence literally! I will get back to it later! Doing fantastic but having many mixed emotions right now. Updated on 4 Apr 2016: SOOOOO my mixed emotions short essay was on point and this laptop of mine DIES! The short version of it went like this: YEARS and YEARS of doctors visits , thousands of dollars wasted on doctors, specialists and medications not to mention lost wages from being unable to work....THE One thing that can never be replaced is TIME. Two decades of suffering. ALL in the name of looking and feeling a particular way. ALL I wanted to do is feel more feminine and womanly. I felt very undesirable, unattractive , etc without breasts my whole life. Years and years of doctors visits and NOT one doctor would even suggest that my long list of woes could be breast implant related..... I suffered needlessly for nearly two decades! I had been seeking removal around year 7 I believe. I was told I would look deformed, not like how I looked and didn't even know where to turn or what to expect. The pictures I looked at back then didn't look very promising and they never mentioned that the breasts would improve over time after removing implants. Three hour drive to a consult, One hr consult, three hour drive back. Three hours back to surgery, two hours tops from start to finish for a procedure that felt like 15 minutes at most, three hour drive home to recovery. Fifteen hours? UNDER 24 hours to erase two decades of suffering....or so I thought. NOW I did amazing and felt amazing even the day I wrote the above. We were supposed to go to the beach because it was spring break but we had a ton of rain. Saturday came and I woke up to the wretched left breast stabbing pain, arm burning, headache, nausous, etc. THE whole damn thing feeling exactly like I did with the implant. LUCKILY it does seem more easily remedied than with the implants and I do still have my scar tissue/capsule so it could be nerve. WHO knows! I just know it sucks. I hate that I ever did this at all to my body! WHY!!!!! I felt soooo amazing and felt I was back to square one BUT in reality this time is different. I can actually function through it. I didn't have to end up in bed . Two very significant things I have done differently since that surgery and feeling amazing was 1. I started drinking coffee again 2. I took my thyroid medication. I am really starting to wonder if it is my thyroid medication. MY legs are dry again and I felt fatigue in the middle of the day. I did go to bed super late one night though. SOOOOO, now I am wondering if all along this was my particular brand of Thyroid medication and combination of nerve damage from implants. I can't imagine NERVE pain would cause nauesous feeling I get. My mom was on the same exact thyroid medication and had severe TMJ pain to the point she dropped like 20lbs. I am not sure what possessed her to quit taking her Thyroid medicine but she did and feels completely better. I am going to quit mine and have my doctor take my blood work in three weeks and see what the heck is going on! I bled for like 12 days and feel like I still have menstraul cramps. SO, I am off to a farm on a perfect sunny day in NC. I cannot find anything to wear because I am 40lbs overweight and stopping my thyroid medicine is a big gamble but I was told my T4 was high....I need to find a new doctor because both my original doctor at the beach and my doctor here in the Piedmont no longer take my insurance. The last thing I need to be jackin gup my hormones and gaining any more weight but I do feel kind of crappy again so I can't help but wonder if this is due to my Thyroid as well. None of my "mixed emotions" are coming from missing my implants though. It is a real pain in the butt to feel this burning pain in my neck and arm. I need to just get a complete and total physical. I am due anyways. I will have to figure a way how to manage this pain because living in pain SUCKS. I have a good for nothing spouse who NOT only controls the finances but now has gone into my wallet and taken my spending account card so that I cannot not go to the doctor. OH unless I ask his permission I guess? EVEN when I had the card he complained if I went and gave me hell about it. I am just a housekeeper and errand runner here-while he spends all the money and does whoever and whatever he wants. My daughter said "Mom, wouldn't that suck if it was just your thyroid all along and you just spent all that money and got your implants out" I was like, "NOPE! I would have wanted them out regardless and I don't regret doing it" I still feel lighter, breathing better, sleeping better, and love that I can massage and feel "MY breasts" I didn't like how they felt. They were just uncomfortable as hell. I can't imagine how they were doing my body any good, especially if I already have pain! THIS time at least , only takes 2 Tylenol to knock it out and feel good whereas it took 800 mg of ibuprofen, a heating pad and bed rest to rid myself of the pain. I wish I had scar tissue removed to have seen if that is the issue (it's quite visible when I flex) is it causing the problems, who knows BUT I am going to quit the Thyroid med. and will report back. I only had gone 4 days I believe without Thyroid medicine so I should know in a few days what the deal is. I know woman said on here it takes time....so only time and eliminating certain things will tell! I am quitting coffee too. i have heard that doesn't help breast tissue I think and I don't really need it, just a habit I enjoy in the morning. I have no issues switching to tea I am more of a tea drinker anyways! :) OK-OFF to a farm with my baby Updated on 4 Apr 2016: The boobs are looking ok, kind of the same -no major changes. Will take some new pictures later I guess. They are quite flat on the top yet I can just about fill a B cup now so I am guessing they have fluffed up a bit ? I love them and if my weight was normal and I was left with this, I would feel quite happy. I have no one to really impress at the moment or worry about judging me anyways. I have been super ultra productive too and kept busy with my kids on spring break. So at least the pain and ick feeling was only two days (and a little today) but I need to move my butt and get down to the farm. haha Updated on 5 Apr 2016: SO, just another update since yesterday. I have quit taking my Thyroid medicine. I believe 100% now this medication had caused breast pain, nauseous and other issues like very dry skin - IN conjuction to feeling awful/pain with implants....SO, IT is as though I eliminated two things now causing my issues. It is bizarre because EVERY symptom that the medicine should cure was basically ailing me- I decided yesterday to NOT take it to see how I felt because I didn't want to feel lousy on a school trip and low and behold by noon I felt this "fog" had lifted and felt better. SO perhaps the rest of my medicine left my system because I usually take my second dose around noon-2pm. AS did the pain finally subside. I still think my implants were causing a lot of the hormonal/thyroid issues in the first place.. SOOOOOO now I am on ZERO medicine for Thyroid and found a new doctor who I will see in about 3 weeks. Medicating a thyroid is a bit tricky and takes time so I figured , maybe I should wait a few weeks before testing my levels to see what the dang gland is doing on it's own. Totally crazy but this medication was NOT reacting well with my mom either who had severe TMJ pain when taking it so I am NOT going to take this particular brand anymore but somewhat conflicted on what to do or take should my levels go way low again. Just going to enjoy this wave of feeling good for the moment. It my medicine was working I wouldn't have felt like such crap and gain so much weight in the first place. Also hit zumba class last night and OH MY GOD, felt soooooo amazing to move my natural body! OH how the body moves without the two sinkers as as I call them. I COULD breathe, I didn't have to pee every five minutes, WASN'T dying of thirst through every song (I thought I was diabetic for a while) , ENJOYED feeling my body move with NO pain, my feet didn't hurt, I felt my body moving. I just can't explain the fog and feeling and so glad I GOT these things out REGARDLESS of what was really causing the inflammation in my left breast -Medicine or implants, I am so grateful to be rid of the pain and feeling so normal right now. OF taking deep breaths -all that upper chest congestion, heart flipflops/flutters, spasms, breathing clearly ----I was always so stuffed up I couldn't even breathe through my left nostral at all. SOOOOO without all that nasal congestion my eyes have less dark circles, no more sinus pressure and awful headaches. In fact, with the exception of saturday and sunday , I have no headaches. SLEEP? OH goodness, what a pleasure to sleep in your natural body, to be well rested and wake up feeling as such! I lay my head down and fall asleep and don't linger for hours praying for sleep to come or having to depend on melatonin. I wake up feeling refreshed and revived. imagine that. WORKING out was awesome, I had so much energy and was extremely surprised ...I have not worked out hard or through an entire song since last May. Now I thought it as my endurance suffering because like, you don't use it you lose it but I just had a very hard time getting it back and getting through a class. I felt ashmatic or something. Coudln't breathe. AGAIN, then contributed that to weight gain. Nope! NEITHER because LAST night proved it was not weight, ashma or endurance. I got through the entire class with not so much as a pause, in fact, I couldn't sit still even between songs....THIS is wonderful..... I AM SO HAPPY I got rid of these things. I feel great again.....maybe there will be days of lingering pain from the scar tissues, or a mild headache or two but I feel sooooo much better since getting them out. At least now I can massage the area without numbness, pain, tingling or other issues. At least I can breathe and I am really so very happy to be implant -free.... Will post how I "look" seperatly later on today. Everything is looking pretty good/the same and I think even working out help me some. some stretches felt great to keep the muscles from getting tight where just one felt like my boob was folding up on the inside, just weird, No pain at all while dancing one hour of zumba. IT was one cool down stretch that even felt weird but I am only 2 weeks post~SO no yoga or TRX just yet, but happy to report no major discomfort while doing what I love....DANCING! I just did the best I could and knew where to take it easy and when I could give it a little more. Updated on 19 Apr 2016: hey all- she's alive...alive!!!! Weird science LOL everything was going well- I am pretty sure I overdid it - had some positively wicked "period/PMS- type" cramps where I almost landed in the Emergency room. Also had a flare or two of the left boob- neck arm pain. Phantom pain perhaps - who knows. I just know that it was bearable , subside without any heating pad or medicine and I am in love with being natural. I love feeling free of those breasts of burden ???? Also- life happens ! My life is so stressful some days that surely I'm going to wake up and be 20 again passed out from dancing the night away and a chance to start all over again ???? ok - maybe not- but I am having a really hard time with stomach issues and fatigue. I had some sciatica (??) lower back pain - foot pain- wthhh!!??! I eliminate one thing and all these odd aches popped up! I am currently on zero thyroid medication - nada- niente- nothing. I am doing better off it and NO clue what the heck to take and up 4lbs (!!!$-(/;--&&/!!!) I am like 175 almost and never thought I would see the day and don't know what to do about thyroid medicine bc I feel sooo much worse on Naturethroid. I can't take armour and won't take synthroid so not sure what to do and orders some iodine supplement and some digestive enzymes and probiotics ! I guess I will just pray. I just want my weight to be normal bc I love my boobs imperfectly perfectly mine! I would like to love my thighs and toned tummy now too! Doing a complete girly physical- thyroid labs- and seeing a gastroenterologist for the severe stomach pain. I have concerned I may have gall or kidney stones from the prolong use of ibuprofen ! Other than some fatigue, kids wearing me down, husband never around, PMS pain like symptoms in my abdomen, all over back soreness , occasional phantom pain on left side, possible gallstones , disappointing weight, lack of thyroid help here- endocrinologist is booked until end of July -(wthhhh) some other minor setbacks ....I'd say all is good. ???????????????????? I'm not saying there's not a possibility ill run away somewhere and hide though - LOLLLL Missing all my girlys and will catch up on updates for everyone and hoping all are doing wonderfully-healing well and loving their new looks! I am super happy with my outcome and they look better than I expected/imagined but I do have some armpit flab going on?! Considering the rest of my body, the little extra flab off my boob near my ribs/armpit is the least of my worries lol Working out is wonderful without those wretched thangs too - when my body isn't super fatigued! Updated on 23 May 2016: Morning shot- so I look rough but I was dreading trying on any bathing suit but was presently surprised with the chest. The bottom portion on my body ...not so much but I'm more grateful for feeling so good - Years of chronic pain truly wrecked my health both physically and mentally I'm getting better every day and working out as much as possible Updated on 23 May 2016: soooo I had a lot of touch and go with my Thyroid-HIGH BP --low thyroid function-etc I am on a new medication/supplement regime and doing SOOOO much better and feel great. quick update for those new or who may check up: HAPPY as heck with my little boobs. I went to bed the other night and thought, "holy cow, I AM TRULY an all natural woman now. I am ALL ME" THAT was an amazing and great feeling. PHYSICALLY: I am doing amazing. I DO have some "underarm boob" but I had massive implants and massive weight gain. I have been working out as much as possible. I am approx 2 months POST and working out with NO pain whatsoever or weirdness -It's like they were never there. SO I am hoping to work out that "underarm sag/flab" I am already down 10lbs so I am very happy with that. I DO have days of when I feel sort of "weak" in my mid/upper back. I feel like the lifting light weights and doing more stretching, yoga, posture checking, etc IS REALLY helping that a lot though! Thyroid regime is doing wonders for my energy levels and I am on some really good additional supplements and eating a very good diet. THE ONLY bizarre thing is I broke out very bad under my arms. I am not sure what the deal was with that but I had done so in the past around this very same time of year. IS it poison oak or ivy, allergies to some pollen, detoxing from implants...NO clue. It is fading but it was pretty yuk looking and so I will follow up with my ear, nose and throat doc to check my allergies (I HAD been putting that off for a while) and then a dermatologist Wouldn't it be something if it was just some toxins coming out. I will also see a dermatologist and see if they can swab it or something before it totally goes away. I also went back to using no deodorant (JUST the stone) so it could have just been break out from clogged pores from yukky, unhealthy deodorant (I don't believe in using it...I don't smell either LOL I think it is terrible to clog that area up with chemicals-poor diet and hygiene makes you smell, that area was meant to release toxins NOT be clogged up with man -made chemicals ! I have a GF from Puerto Rico who uses milk of mag under her arms and says that works? I don't know I just have that stone and love it. Super cheap, lasts forever and works. NO staining my clothes, no issues with body odor so if it aint broken....I was using deodorant and that could be why I broke out. It's just i had gained so much weight and had some serious hormone issues so I was sweating terribly. Appearance. They look adorable to me. Yes I am kind of flat on the top, yes I need a little padding and push up action for the sag which is NOT nearly as bad as some surgeons led me to believe I would be, yes I have boobage off to the sides (under arm area) and yes they look wrinkly distorted if I flex but I am overall pleased with my little boobs and best of all, I AM FREE AND I AM ME. I FEEL amazing and have been doing SOOOOOO MUCH with my kids now that I haven't even had time to update this to be honest. Now that my thyroid and hormones are getting back in check, it can only get better. running (ehhh not a big fan but jogging feels amazing without those damn implants), soccer, badminton (I AM PRO! LOL) , cycling...etc all of these things feel so wonderful now. My breathing is also improving every day. I STILL have actually tell myself to "take deep breaths" I feel like years of those implants weighing down on my lungs and chest really cut my breathing down- PRACTICE TAKING DEEP BREATHS I believe 40andFree suggested that too. It is important I feel like Phantom pain and other issues are very real I HAD TWO days of neck/shoulder pain and headache in 2 months. I was able to Stretch and massage it out myself without ANY Ibuprofen or heating paid. I said originally I was dealing with this for 3 years and discovered it was more like 4 years!!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY!!! HAPPY I EXPLANTED AND NO REGRETS! I LOVE not getting attention for obnoxious BOOBS anymore. My husband thought I enjoyed it...but I DID NOT. I did like filling out a shirt nicely but in time they got just too big. I am happy with my more athletic looking "TOP"
So I got my implants about 7 years ago. It was 3 months after I had my baby girl which was the first mistake. I was still about 20 pounds heavier than I like, but I guess I assumed I would stay that big. However I finally got the motivation to lose the weight and ever since my boobs have looked ridiculous on me. I was a 34B before and told the doc I wanted to be a nice, full C. I took his suggestion and went with 350cc implants. I ended up a DD. They're crazy. They get in the way of everything. I can't wear any of the cute flowy tops that are in style now cause they just make me look like a cow. Plus they went almost completely numb. I never got that much sensation out of them before, but now it's creepy when you can feel pressure but have no skin sensation! Makes hugs and sex feel bizarre. Plus the back and neck pain. So many reasons for them just to GO! After meeting with a few surgeons I've finally found one that has the right attitude and that I feel comfortable with. I'm going with the option of having implants out under local anesthesia so it should be relatively simple and straightforward. I have my pre op appointment this Friday and one thing does worry me. I recently came across a picture where a woman had pretty bad double bubble before removal and the after picture was not so great. Basically she still had double bubble after, where the skin underneath didn't draw back up. I worry about this because I have double bubble and/or bottoming out and I worry that without having the muscle reattached or skin 'tacked back up' I might have issues. Plus I have an animation deformity. I've also read that will probably stick around after removal, but I don't care about that so much as long as they look relatively normal when I'm just standing there. Sigh. No matter what I will be happy for them to be gone gone GONE! I'm using skin firming lotion and supplementing with gelatin in hopes that the skin will snap back soon. Updated on 13 Aug 2014: Updated on 14 Aug 2014: Doctor just called and moved my removal up a week. 8 days and they're gone. Makes things seem very real. Updated on 18 Aug 2014: I'm wondering if anyone else out there has tried skin firming products to prepare before explant. I've been using Nivea skin firming & smoothing serum everyday and adding plain unflavored gelatin to my morning coffee. Gelatin supposedly can tighten lose skin and helps produce collagen. I'm hoping it'll help out a bit! Can't believe surgery is on Friday. I'm feeling really calm and good about it today. Updated on 21 Aug 2014: I can't believe tomorrow is the day. I'm still feeling really good and calm about the whole thing. I keep thinking about all the things that will be different. I'll be able to stop wearing 1 or 2 sports bras to smush them down so I don't look ridiculous. And tonight will be my last run while having to drag these puppies around. I've thought about coming back to work and wondering if people will notice but I've come to the conclusion I'm so happy to get rid of them, I don't give a damn if they notice or what they think. I window shop constantly. Looking at all the cute dresses and tops I could wear if I didn't have to keep the girls strapped down all the time. The loose tops I can wear this fall without looking like a cow. I just Can. Not. Wait! I've also thought about how I dread looking at them after it's done tomorrow. But then I thought well, if they look horrible at least if I see them tomorrow I can tell myself they'll improve. If I wait a few days or a week to look and it still looks horrible then I'd question them ever improving. I wonder if I should have antibiotic ointment and scar cream on hand for after surgery. I know my doctor told me I could shower the day after, but he didn't mention any scar treatment specifically. Updated on 22 Aug 2014: So the nurse asked me how out of it I wanted to be and then set me up with some Valium and something in my IV as well. I remember all of it though. We talked about old commercials during the procedure. Haha. They played music for me. The oddest part was watching him stitching me up. He was super efficient though. Seeing how big the implant sacks were afterwards and how much fluid came out was shocking. From going back into the room, getting everything prepped, done, talking about after care, and leaving the office was 2 hours total. Initial reaction is that I look better than expected. The skin is loose but not nearly as loose add I feared. What still concerns me is the skin underneath where my implants had bottomed out so much but won't be able to see that until tomorrow when bandages are removed. About 5 hours after procedure I started getting achy and tender feeling and took a pain pill but it is not bad at all. He prescribed me 5mg hydrocodone. Updated on 22 Aug 2014: I meant to say that skin sensation came back almost immediately in my right breast and seems to be coming back in the left. Also before surgery I measured 36.5" and now immediately after I'm 33.5" Updated on 24 Aug 2014: 24 hours out and minimal pain. Only hurts if I'm trying to lay on my side so the mild pain medicine helps me get comfy. My surgeon was really laid back about bras afterwards. He didn't seem to feel any compassion was necessary. Regardless I'm switching from wearing nothing, to a tight sports bra, to ace bandages just depending on what is comfortable. I'm really really happy with the results. I feel like I am already almost back to what I looked like before. They are so tiny and cute and comfortable. I've tried on a few shirts and just sat and cried in front of the mirror. It's amazing to feel like me again and like I don't have to hide anymore. Updated on 24 Aug 2014: Pain almost nonexistent when I woke this morning. I slept in ace bandages over sports bra. But then after climbing in and out of our truck a few times I thought I'd try to mow the yard. Both stupid decisions. The jiggling is a no no! Took a pain pill and hope that's the last I have to take. The incisions look really good, like they are almost closed already. There is only one little spot of red. I've been putting neosporin on them once or twice a day. Updated on 25 Aug 2014: First day back to work. No pain, just some annoying itching. I bandaged back up just to keep my bra from rubbing the incisions. Still absolutely loving my new old boobs. Hoping they fluff out a little as I'm not really filling out a B cup which is what I was before. Updated on 28 Aug 2014: Saw the doctor yesterday to get my stitches out and he said I don't have to come back again. Any problems or complications at this point have a very small chance of occurring. I'm definitely not fluffing up, if anything I'm still shrinking but that's okay because I love it! I bought 34B bras 2 days post and having trouble filling them out now. I've had a bad headache for the past 2 days and even some nausea. I don't think it'd be related to the surgery but man I hope it goes away soon! Updated on 29 Aug 2014: I made this before/after with my picture from yesterday, 6 days post. I just can't believe that was even me before. They were enormous! And that was just with 350 cc implants! My dog jumped up on me last night and hit my right boob. I had some stinging sensation in it after and a bit this morning but seems to be fine. Updated on 2 Sep 2014: So I've went a few days without scrutinizing the girls but when I looked today I noticed more changes. Before surgery I never really had a crease below my breasts and it looks like they are shrinking up to go back to that. I hope they don't shrink much more or my scar is going to be hanging out in my rib cage. This doesn't bother me but I also included a pic that shows how I still have animation deformity. Updated on 13 Sep 2014: So every week I'm noticing changes. They draw up a little more every week. I'm loving my shape. I love wearing shirts and not having these things bulging out from the sides into my arm pits. I did try to go for a run on Wednesday and was getting some pain. Nothing horrible but enough for me to say I don't want to jeopardize my healing process. Tuesday -Thursday they were painful when any pressure was put on them. I couldn't lay on my stomach. Not sure if it was a hormonal thing or what? Anyway they are better now!
Hey Ladies! I wear a 36b bra padded,I am A bit smaller.I have been wanting implants for A long time and now I am fixing to get them. :) I am going with 450cc to 500cc saline. My pre-op is Jan 29 2014.I am not worried about the surgery I just wonder how much pain that I may be in after the surgery.I can't wait to get my new boobs I will look and feel so much better,words just can't explain how good I would feel to have nice boobs.
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