10/10 Dr. Tork did great on my surgery I have 0 complaints. I was able to contact him personally at any time with questions and he was quick with responding. I would definitely recommend Dr. Tork for your plastic surgery needs. I feel much more confident in my body thanks to him!

At 14 years old I told myself if I was still unhappy & insecure about my nose when I was old enough to do something about it, that I would. 12 years later, I did my rhinoplasty research & scheduled my consult with Dr. Tork. It’s hard to put into words how wonderful this experience has been. I knew a rhinoplasty would be life changing- for obvious personal reasons. But I could not have anticipated how wonderful the entire experience would be, from start to finish. I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Tork & his assistant, Lisa. They were personable, supportive & kind. Aside from being an exceptionally talented & knowledgable surgeon, Dr. Tork’s charisma, humor & genuineness is unmatched. Dr. Tork prepared me well with the expectations for a procedure like mine, talking me through the options & the importance of realistic expectations for my skin type & facial structure. Throughout the experience, Dr. Tork’s meticulous nature reassured me I was in the right hands- after all, it is my face! I would recommend Dr. Tork to anyone looking for a highly skilled surgeon with an award winning personality to match!

I’m 36 years old and am a mother of four. I had breasts and decent breasts until my last baby. Collectively, I spent about 4.5 years breastfeeding and pumping to feed all of my kiddos and I wouldn’t change that for the world either! After my 4th however, I had very little breast tissue and I never regained my weight after I stopped nursing her.I remain about 25 lbs/10kg lighter than I usually am and almost zero body fat, so the chance of me getting natural breasts just wasn’t a possibility. I’m a young divorced/single female and love my body and just felt that I should have boobs, and did have them, especially while breastfeeding, so I did my research and began the process.Initial appt was January 20th, surgeon recommended Mentor high profile, 300-325mls/cc, pre-op appointment was May 11th, surgery May 28th. I opted to not have any pain medication besides Tylenol and it has been pretty easy. I have worked out almost every day, including the evening of my surgery, just not much with my arms.Being a mom of four, a nurse, high school teacher, and a volleyball coach, it has been hard to adhere to weight lifting restrictions as well as no arms over the head. I had my first post-op appointment on June 1st and the doctor said they were already softening up. I had been massaging them as much as possible knowing that it would only help, even if initially uncomfortable.My right breast and nipple have feeling while left breast has some but none in my nipple as of yet. I am typically a side or belly sleeper so, I’ve been sleeping how I’m comfortable not just on my back, I actually must have missed the recommendations in my discharge paperwork. I have a follow-up appointment on June 15th and hope that he and I are both happy with the healing and overall procedure.I’ve been pressing my knuckles together to tighten my chest/pec muscles as he instructed me to, and hope that helps everything settle beautifully into place. I am 5’5”, 112lbs pre-op, and muscular from working out in my 20s and early 30s and busy/active lifestyle and careers.

I am 22 yrs old, 4'10.5" and 97-100lbs. I have wanted a boob job for what seems like a decade now. My mom and a few of my aunts have had breast augmentation as well as several of my girlfriends so I've had great support in choosing to get mine done as well. I have been researching extensively for about 6 months. I had consults with 3 different surgeons and I booked my surgery back in Janurary. Tonight is the night before surgery, I feel like I've been counting down for weeks and now I can't belive it's actually here! Tomorrow, I will be getting Mentor's silicone implants under the muscle with the under the breast incision. My right breast is smaller than my left so they will be using a larger implant on the right side. My surgeon said he will decide in surgery what is going to fit best, the options are: 350cc (R) and 325cc (L) OR 320cc (R) and 295cc (L), all ultra high profile. I am nervous about sizing, UHP seems unideal as it looks the most "fake" but the surgeon explained this would be necessary because I have such a small/narrow chest diameter and he said if we used a smaller profile, my breasts would be too lateral. Other concerns: 1) My breasts are so small now, it's hard to tell but I think my nipples point a bit more lateral than they do straight on, so I'm wondering if this will be amplified by the augmentation (not a big deal, only my boyfriend will see them anyways!). 2) Since I am so small chested, I am slightly worried about stretch marks, though this seems rare from the countless other reviews I have read. 3) I have a history of Cycilc Vomitting Sydrome (CVS), and have never been put under before so I'm worried about nausea/worst case, vomiting after surgery from the anesthesia as I have an incredibly weak stomach (and I've had IV zofran in the past with no success). 4) Finally, I'm a nursing student in my final, precepting class. I am scheduled to be back in the MICU for clinical 9 days post op and I'm definitely worried about over exerting myself while boosting and turning patients but I'm going to plan on taking it day by day and pushing my clinical hours back if needed. Overall, I'm just so excited to have boobs. Being flat chested has been my second greatest insecurity (preceded by cystic acne) and I'm excited to gain more confidence after the healing process is over. Oddly though, within the past few weeks, I've began admiring my tiny, natural boobs and appreciating them more than ever. I know I won't miss them but did anyone else get this sudden appreciation for their natural breasts just before surgery? Anywho, super excited and need to try to force myself to get some sleep! Will hopefully update tomorrow!! Updated on 11 Mar 2020: Hello, hello! I am attaching some before pics both nude and in a couple tops I want to do a before and after comparison in! Arrived to the surgical center at noon, had an IV started by a wonderful nurse. Talked to the anesthesiologist who was equally as great, he answered all of my questions about the medications I would receive (which was relieving bc as a nursing student, I feel like people get annoyed when I ask so many questions but it was just genuine curiosity and excitement I felt about being on the patient side of things!) Dr. Williams of The Plastic Surgery Group in Cincinnati came in to do my markings, I asked what size of the two options he was going to do (again the options were all Ultra High Profile, either 350 in the right and 325 in the left OR 325 in right and 295 in left). He said he would try sizers and see what he thought was going to fit best but reminded me the smaller size would likely be chosen if my chest was very tight (and we knew I had very little tissue to begin with) I told him I trusted him and would be delighted with either. Then, I was immediately rolled to the OR by two nurses after getting a hug from my mom. In the OR, they began to strap my arms out laterally, they hooked up some leads to my back, put SCD pumps on my legs (to prevent blood clots) and got me nice and comfy. They put a non rebreather mask on me and encroached me to take deep breaths. I specifically remember the propofol (sedation medication) start working, it was a really cool feeling and I just remember feeling it work slightly and my eyes were still open, I said goodbye (lmao) and then it got really heavy and boom, I was out. I will make another post about waking up to describe my pain! If you have any questions, please lmk! I’m very open to sharing as much as I can about all of this :) Updated on 11 Mar 2020: So, when I woke up from anesthesia, I felt wonderful! Like maybe 2/10 pain if that, I could just tell it was tight and hard to breathe in deeply. I kept saying how happy I was to have boobs! I could barely see them from the position I was in and immediately felt they looked small (I think I was just still loopy lol). I asked my mom what size she chose and she ~thinks~ the surgeon said he used the smaller of the two options (325 R, 295 L, both UHP Mentor implants, under the muscle). He told my mom I did great and she said he told her over and over that he thinks I’m going to be very happy with the results! I was told I could not take my bra off for 48 hours and felt slightly frustrated bc I just desperately wanted to see them! Just have to be patient I suppose. Getting up to walk to the wheelchair, I felt decently UNSTEADY on my feet and it was difficult climbing into my mom’s big car. They me I could take my pain med as soon as I got home (they prescribed Percocet which is a small amount of oxy plus a high dose of Tylenol). During my last preop appointment a couple of weeks ago, my nurse said since I’m really small, I should try half a pill. We got home ~45-50 min after I had woken up, And I felt more pain and tightness during the drive. My boyfriend met us at our house and I’m so glad he was able to give me some support behind my back to help me sit up and get out of the car. I wanted to take half my pill as soon as I walked in the door but my mom said I needed to eat first or I would get nauseous. Having such a weak stomach, I agreed. Like 10 min go by of eating and I’m in horrible pain, honestly worst pain I’ve ever felt (bc I’m realizing I’ve never really hurt myself that bad before luckily lol). I took half a pain pill then, made it another maybe 5 min at the dinner table and I couldn’t take it anymore, I needed to go lay down. 30 minutes pass and my pain is still the same if not worse, I’d literally give it a 9 or 10/10. I asked my mom for the other half of the pill and took it. I didn’t start feeling ~better~ until exactly two hours after the first half was taken. Though I was still at a 6/10 at that point. Within 30 min of that (so 2.5 hrs after first dose) I finally felt comfy as my mom rearranged my pillows and actually got me into a really nice position bc I couldn’t fall asleep due to discomfort and I have to sleep sitting up/at at least a 30 degree incline, which I never do of course. I was FINALLY able to doze off for a bit and I made it about 50 min before I woke up to go to the bathroom. I felt really comfy when I first woke up but as soon as my mom helped me get out of bed, it was back up to a 6/10. Movement is just no bueno right now. But I’m back in bed with an ice pack on and probs back down to a 3/10! Getting my next dose here in ~50 min! At this point, it’s painful to reach my hand to my face to even just scratch my nose and I’m keeping my arms very close to my side with my elbows tucked. Pictures my mom took when I woke up are attached, again I can’t really get a real look till Friday which I’m okay with at this point because it causes me far too much pain to move right now anyways. I did ask my bf to try to look down at my nipples because they felt very soft through my bra, though I didn’t have much sensation in them and I wanted to know if they were super stretched out. Bf said they looked fine, my breasts were just high up and very tight. Updated on 11 Mar 2020: Sorry, for some reason, I’m still not seeing the before pictures I uploaded. Hopefully this will work. Updated on 12 Mar 2020: Still experiencing a pretty high level of pain that gets significantly worse when I stand up to go to the bathroom. My mom and boyfriend have been incredibly helpful, they are basically doing all of ADL’s for me (brushing my teeth, washing my face, preparing meals, etc). My mom wanted to try to wean me off the Percocet by increasing the time between doses and I was like woooah hold up there I still want the pills for now, I’m not ready yet. My breasts are definitely swollen. My skin feels tight af and they are pretty warm/hot to the touch. My mom lifted the bottom part of my bra to see if there was any drainage out of the incisions and she told me there wasn’t any. Already ready for these puppies to drop and fluff lol. Still haven’t seen them yet, looking forward to seeing them before showering tomorrow but also nervous to take the bra off bc it feels like it’s giving them so much support and holding them in place basically. Will update with pics tomorrow! Updated on 13 Mar 2020: Today I started feeling much better. I was able to get out of bed without assistance (still experiencing some pain), I walked around a lot, could go to the bathroom, wash my face and brush my teeth, and even feed myself. With concerns of COVID, I’m now at my boyfriends house since some of my family members are showing signs of the virus and I can’t imagine having a respiratory problem on top of already not being able to deep breathe or cough. My mom and boyfriend have been nothing short of incredible. My boyfriend washed everything for me in the shower tonight, so gently and thoroughly and I feel 10x better now that I’m clean again! Attaching pics, they are very high up (nearly up to my armpits it seems), taut, and shiny but I can already tell they are going to be perfect when they settle in a few months! I was worried they would be too lateral and not medial enough but they don’t go far off the diameter of my chest wall so I’m very, very pleased. I’m looking forward to my post op appointment on Tuesday to hear what the doc thinks and to get the dressings off and see the scars! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!! I know I had a bajillion questions even leading up to the day of surgery so I’m happy to help :) Updated on 14 Mar 2020: My pain has been well managed today and I’m going to try to start taking less medication! I did get nauseous for the first time today so I took a phenergan pill this morning. I have been up and moving a lot more and doing more ADLs independently. I think the worst of it is over, now it’s time to just be patient and let these babies settle! Updated on 15 Mar 2020: Off the pain meds! Just taking extra strength Tylenol. The implants are (of course) still very high up but I’m loving them more and more everyday! Haven’t had a BM since the day of surgery. Ate a can of corn, took a hot bath, and took a stool softener with no success yet. Stomach is definitely feeling full and bloated! Updated on 17 Mar 2020: Today I saw my surgeon 6 days post op. I’m pretty pleased with the incisions! They were perfectly placed and so much smaller than expected. The one on my right boob is a bit prettier than the one on the left but I think they are both going to heal very well. My surgeon had me hold my firsts together and flex my pecs while he pushed my implants medially and wowwww that hurt! He did say I can stop laying at an incline (thank god, my back and butt are really sore and I can’t sleep worth a damn because I’m constantly shifting my weight) but I need to remain flat on my back. He predicts about 7 more days of laying flat and then I can advance to my side as tolerated when the soreness is gone/bearable. He also predicted they will start dropping within 10-14 days. He says the muscle stretches will help move around and drain the fluids/swelling. Overall, I couldn’t be happier with how they are looking - they are the perfect size for my very small self. I am so happy I researched and found the perfect surgeon with so much experience. They can be hidden easily in shirts and yet they will look wonderful when I want to show them off in the future too. At first, I wished they were slightly bigger but there’s really no where else for them to go, they are already UHP and they are so perfectly on my frame, not very lateral at all (I went into this really not wanting a ton of side boob). Updated on 17 Mar 2020: Updated on 19 Mar 2020: I’ve been so excited about bathing suit shopping (assuming COVID will be cured by summer? ). But I decided to try on my old (size small) bathing suits and was actually so happy they look 100000x more attractive on me now that I have some tatas! I’m only 8 days post op and I’m already soooo happy with how they are settling Updated on 11 Apr 2020: So pleased with how quickly the implants have settled. Sensitivity: Over the past few weeks, the sensitivity of both breasts have been fluctuating. About 2 weeks post op, they were insanely sensitive and I felt very uncomfortable anytime anything would rub against them. For example, if I didn’t wear the tightest sports bra with the ABD pads and could feel any movement of my shirt or bra while moving/walking, it was super uncomfortable. I couldn’t let my boyfriend even touch them. But now they feel totally fine and not too sensitive at all. My right nipple still has very limited sensation but I’ve noticed it increasing as time goes by. Movement: They move well in their pockets (see video) and I’m able to sleep on my side comfortably. Sleeping on my stomach is a hit or miss though. I started working out again this week and they didn’t feel weird when moving in their pockets (only doing legs and core right now, not much chest yet.. tried one push-up and that was a no go lol). Incisions: Oh how did I not mention this first!? So I had a stitch left in my right breast on the lateral part of the incision. I contacted my surgeons nurse bc it looked pretty red and inflamed as it kept getting snagged on my bra. They had me start bactrim (an antibiotic especially helpful in treating/preventing skin infections) even though they said it is NOT infected (no warmth, pus, etc just redness from irritation) just as a precautionary. Any who, they had me come in this past Monday and a different surgeon (mine was out of the office) snipped it for me. I’m still left with this blackish looking scab that I wish would just go away already because it looks bad?? I’ll make a separate update just for the incisions to explain that whole process.

I have always have ice pick scars from acne as well as disliking my bulbous tip. I decided to have consultation with Dr.leadbetter at The plastic surgery group in Cincinnati,Oh. He seemed very confident in only doing the tip of my nose & that total fx should help with many of the scars. I had the procedure done on 12/16/15 & went ahead and had him put the juvaderm in my lips while I was out , I figured why not! with all this being said I am a recovering addict & absolutely can not take any opiates or benzodiazepines So I already was aware of how horrible this was going to be, but I'm tuff so I wasn't going to let fear hold me back! I WOKE up to the most god awful sight my face looked like I was put in a meat grinder!!! The nose couldn't feel a thing .....I really couldn't feel any pain in my face just slight sunburn feeling but I had no clue I would look like that!! So 24hrs in after a horrible nights rest, I was oozing honey color stuff everywhere and it just dripped I just kept applying hydra balm as I was instructed at 48hrs I was the same as first day just not as bad with dripping & I finally got to wash it too which was the highlight of my day! At 72hrs it had stopped ozzing & the dreaded itch started which was horrible! Then 96hrs came and I was getting impatient! Well the next morning I finally started to peel I'm assuming he went pretty deep!! But it was a relief THAT SOMETHING was happening finally! However, yesterday I began breaking out underneath of all the brown dead skin and probably had 35 whiteheads all over my entire face and it was the worst I have ever seen my face breakout!! It was so gross!! So back to today some of the whiteheads came off with the skin peeling today but a lot have not SO my new pink skin HAS new zits & whiteheads on most of it!! I'm discouraged feeling & just over the whole thing!! My appt is tomorrow & I'm praying he can give me something for the breakout & possibly some HOPE! Cause this seems horrible to me ....my cheeks have not peeled so unfortunately I can't get a good look at where scars were yet!! So I don't know if this was worth it....more will be revealed I guess & trying to remain positive!! NOW for the nose it still is swollen is what I keep telling myself cause it still looks big! Which is what I wanted to change!!! The shape is slightly different so I don't know about it either lol!! Stitches come out tomorrow hopefully & we will just see! Now my lips look great but that's instant & a given!! So I'm a lil all over the place with this whole experience sorry guys I will keep you posted thou...and one other thing my eyes were so DRY & IRRITATED during this whole thing! AND THANK YOU TO CHRIST HOSPITAL STAFF in Cincinnati For listening to me all 500 times I continued to tell you I wanted no opiated or benzos! Updated on 23 Dec 2015: Above you seen my face was broke out pretty bad he wrote me antibiotics, popped some gross whiteheads for me so I didn't have to walk around like that! & removed external stitches from my nose that he says were there to keep its shape I don't know He did give me permission to start using my obagi clenziderm so that made me happy!!! As for my nose there is like a welt or lump from where the stitching was it looks odd I'm praying it goes away! THE SCARS I can see some improvement but my face is so tight and red & bumpy from 35 whiteheads being popped I will feel better when the breakout is under control & then maybe get a good look at my face Updated on 18 Jan 2016: My skin is still really red and blochy in the places I broke out Unsure what I think of scars :( The swelling in my nose has went down some ... It's an improvement but the tip isn't what I wanted so I'm hoping there's still a lot of swelling still

I waited so many years for breast Augmentation only to wake up and be devastated . My surgeon literally did the complete opposite of what I asked for. He kept telling me to give it 1 year for them.to take their true shape and size ..when that year was up ..he quit! Maybe got fired...either way I got the short end of the stick . When I went back to discuss a reduction and some changes..I WAS QUOTED ALMOST DOUBLE THAN WHAT I ORIGINALLY PAID! This is life altering!! For me ..worst decision ever!

I left the office and did more research for a couple more months. I called a few other surgeons but didn't connect with them the way I had with Dr. Columbus. So, I set up a second consult. I had more questions prepped but had narrowed down my wish pics by a LOT. We talked about the specifics in each picture - what I liked in each and the feasibility for me. I was thrilled when he said he could accomplish everything I wanted!! Now my biggest concern is that I have truly no idea what it takes to get the size I want. How big is too big? What if I go through all this and you can hardly tell the difference? I don’t want to go too small! Dr. Columbus is amazing. He’s patient and understanding. He’s done so many of these that I’m sure he’s encountered many women asking the same questions but he never seemed annoyed and was always understanding and confident. One thing he said that really resonated with me was that he viewed this as an enhancement. He didn’t want to make me look sleazy, rather enhance what was there to make me look and feel beautiful. He recognized there’s a balance. Like, just fake enough to make people wonder. After the second consult, I was suddenly more excited than nervous. This was a shift in my emotions. I had been so nervous about whether or not I was doing the right thing. I had a conservative upbringing and had never in my entire life considered elective surgery of any kind. Something had changed in me though and I realized that technology and medicine had come a long way. The implants are much safer now and it (my breast shape) was the one thing I couldn’t change on my own. I can diet and workout and feel good about the way I look from that perspective but I would never be able to meet my desired goals on my own. And as such…I set my surgery for Dec 13th! Updated on 18 Dec 2017: Only the second half of my first review posted so it makes no sense. Here's the first part: This first review will be LONG because I'm catching up! I wanted to add a review because I did a TON of research and found very few reviews that I could relate to closely. I'm a 41 y.o. Asian with no children. I am pretty active, healthy and fit. I'm no fitness model - this girl loves to eat! But I stay in good shape. I have been unhappy with the shape of my breasts for as long as I can remember. The size wasn't ever too terrible. I wore a 34B but bras always gapped. They say your body starts to fall apart at 40 and I think they were right when it came to me! Even before that, my once perky breasts started to sag. I have never had kids, although I've been pregnant twice (miscarried) but not far enough along to have affected my breasts (at least, so I would think). I wanted to have some more volume and shape with a nice rounded upper pole, side boob and realistic cleavage. Not a huge gap but also no uniboob! My pre-op stats are as follows: 41 y.o. asian 5'0" 126 lbs 34B (sort of) I'm writing this 4 days after my surgery but will continue to update as things progress since it's still early on. After doing much research online and in RealSelf, I decided to go for a free consultation with Dr. Michael Columbus from The Plastic Surgery Group. He had many good reviews and the practice has been around for a very long time. He is a founding partner. I had, as I said, done a lot of research. So, when I went for the consult, I had a long list of questions and TONS of “wish” pictures. Dr. Columbus was friendly and easy to talk to right off the bat. He answered all my questions and provided me with tons of information - almost too much! I showed him many of my pictures but quickly found that I had way too many. During my consultation, he took measurements and determined my bandwidth to be 13.5". Based on my desired goals, he said that he would do over muscle with Mentor Memory Gel Moderate Plus. Going over muscle made it more difficult from a research perspective. The majority go under muscle. I had no issue with going over muscle and was actually excited that this meant I could potentially get back to working out faster. I don't lift weights much but do a lot of cardio in the form of high intensity, high impact Zumba. Coming into the holiday season and knowing I couldn't work out was killing me! Updated on 18 Dec 2017: Something went wrong and my entire review was just erased so I'm re-writing it. Hopefully I capture everything again. The day of surgery went smoothly. My nerves were crazy! I was trying to calm myself down but having my husband there was key. He has been supportive and caring throughout this entire process. He was my rock. Dr. Columbus came in and did his final markings. He said that after reviewing his notes from our mtgs that he thought he would go with high profile vs moderate plus as we had originally discussed. I didn’t have any issue with this and just said, I just don’t want to go too big. He assured me that he understood what I wanted. Shortly after, I was wheeled back. When I woke up, I was shocked when they told me he had gone with 500 cc high profile. This seemed much bigger than we had talked but after looking at the Mentor chart again later, I can see it still is within my bandwidth. Time would tell! I felt surprisingly good. Laura, Dr. Columbus’ nurse, had told me I would be amazed by how good I felt how quickly afterwards and that that was the issue sometimes. Women felt great and would overdo it and hurt themselves. I kept telling myself I would not push myself too hard. I didn’t feel any of the immense pressure that other ladies experience. I felt almost no pain but I was still heavily medicated of course. They gave me a Percocet before I left the surgical center, quickly got dressed and off we went. Once we got home, I climbed in bed with little help and pretty much stayed there the rest of the day and night. I took one Percocet after a few hours but hated the feeling it gave me. I felt woozy and like I was on a roller coaster with terrible motion sickness. I decided my pain wasn’t bad enough to deal with that and quit taking Percocet after that. The biggest sensation I had was that feeling of tightness where my skin felt very stretched and my boobs felt huge. I mean, they are! Isn’t that the point!? I was using ice packs to provide some relief to that swelling and stretched feeling. Updated on 18 Dec 2017: Honestly, I have felt very good since surgery. I got up and moved around some. Helped hubby decorate the Christmas Tree and wrapped some presents together. We’re hosting Christmas Eve which is 11 days after my surgery!! At this rate I think I’ll feel just fine and be able to manage to do everything but will have a hard time with people not knowing! I’m a hugger…a tight hugger…but I don’t plan to go sharing this news to the family so we’ll just see how it goes! I got pretty tired after that activity and laid back in bed until later that evening. I still didn’t have much of an appetite after the first day but on Day 2 it finally started to return. I still ate relatively light but felt good enough to go out to dinner that evening. Nothing crazy but still got out of the house and enjoyed being with my husband. Still felt really swollen and tight but no unbearable pain. By now I am only taking Tylenol as needed. I think they may already be starting to drop a little tiny bit! I took a shower on Day 1 post op and didn’t have too much trouble. I just tried to be careful with my movements. It’s the little things that get you like how much farther away your armpit is when going to shave! ? On Day 3 post op I slept a ton. I guess it was catching up with me. I was getting up every 4 hours to change ice packs and get more Tylenol. The only new sensation is small twinges like rubber bands flicking me under the left boob. They’re both still pretty numb underneath. The emotions I’m going through are WOW I can’t believe I did this and the whole thing seems SO weird! I never in a million years would have thought I, of all people, would get a boob job but here I am! I’m excited about how I will look. I’m fortunate that I’m able to be off work from the day of surgery (Dec 13) all the way until the New Year. So it’ll be almost 3 weeks by the time I go back to work. I’m hoping I will have really started to drop by then and soften up. I’ll still be in my sports bra and luckily it’s still sweater weather! I didn’t want it to be overly obvious and I think this will be manageable. Updated on 19 Dec 2017: Morning boob is the real deal gals! When I wake up in the morning the girls feel SO tight and humongous and heavy! It takes about an hour or so of moving around to start to feel better. They still feel huge and tight but not quite as uncomfortable. I think my nerves are starting to reconnect at least on the right side. I get twinges of pain here and there but nothing intolerable. It’s also super tender to the touch along the inner, under side. Hubby is so cute – he wants to touch and play but he has to be so careful. We’re both ready for it to not be so tender but all good things come to those who wait…right? I have been a little more sore these past few days than earlier but I think it’s because nerves are reconnecting. I also have noticed the weight on the armpit area. I read that 500 cc’s silicone is equivalent to about 2.3 lbs. It’s therefore, not surprising to feel the weight pulling down. Had my first post-op appointment. I was very anxious to find out what the doc thought. I felt great and thought I was progressing well but having never been through it, I wanted to hear it from the expert. He was immediately pleased the moment he saw them! It was as if he couldn’t be happier which was a huge relief. He said that I am exactly where I should be at this stage. He assured me they will continue to drop and that there’s still a lot of swelling. All the sensations I’m feeling are normal and he’s quite pleased with the progress. I still need to wear the sports bra 24/7 for another 2 weeks. And I need to continue to sleep propped up, facing up for the rest of the week. I normally sleep on my side so it’s been difficult but anytime I’ve tried to cheat and lay on my side, even for a little while, I become uncomfortable very quickly and find it’s actually more comfortable to sleep propped up. The doctor said that the Saturday before New Year’s Eve is when I’ll be able to switch to a “regular” bra with no underwires. Woo hoo!! It’ll be fun to go shopping! I can dress them up for New Year’s if I want to! We’ll see what fun hubby and I can get into! Due to the holidays, my next appointment will be Jan 8th. By then, the doctor thinks I will be really happy with the results and they will have dropped a lot more. I trust him and can’t wait to see! They’re really bigger than I would want them to be so I’m hoping there is a lot of swelling yet to go down. All in all, things are going well and I’m happy with my progress and hopeful for what will come in time. Updated on 26 Dec 2017: I’ve been feeling pretty good overall. I’m not in any pain, it’s more discomfort. Having never been through anything like this, I can only guess that what I’m experiencing is what others describe as hypersensitivity. It feels best the few minutes a day when I can just open up the bra and let the girls just be free with nothing touching them! That isn’t an easy task with a frisky hubby! LOL I am happy with the way they’re looking. I’m hoping they’ll continue to drop a bit and get softer and squishier. Which I think will still come with time. My Dr actually doesn’t believe in massaging so I’ve been avoiding it aside from the squeezes my husband and I give every now and then. Mostly, I feel like I’m healing quickly and that makes me happy. I hope to be able to get back to working out as of my next appointment on Jan 8. I miss my Zumba! We hosted family on Christmas Eve. My husband has been amazing in terms of helping me decorate and carry my many storage bins up from the basement. Even so, I cooked all day and partied all night so I was completely worn out by 9:30 pm! I’m certain I overdid it but what choice did I have? I rested a lot Christmas Day and slept in today so I’m feeling good again – minus the hypersensitivity. My right side seems to be healing at a faster rate than left, yet dropping slightly slower than left…weird. On the right side, I have feeling back almost everywhere but in that hypersensitive state. On the left, I’m still numb basically from my nipple area down. My husband noticed today that the left incision is really red. It’s been difficult to wash the skin there due to the glue used on my incision. It’s been falling off slowly and I’ve been peeling it a little here and there. I have some stitches hanging out from both breasts which I’ll ask about when I go back for my next follow up. It doesn’t bother me and I know that’s part of it. Just not sure what he’ll do about it! I sent photos to my Dr’s office who decided they’d call in an antibiotic just to be safe. It doesn’t hurt but I also don’t feel anything over there so hard to tell. I’ll feel better getting some antibiotic in my system. Hope everyone is feeling good and enjoyed the holidays! Until next time! Updated on 13 Jan 2018: I’m now 4.5 weeks post op and NOW I know what zingers feel like! Whatever sensation I was feeling before…I don’t know what they would be called but those weren’t zingers! I’m feeling great overall and am thrilled with my progress. I had my second post op visit to my Dr on Jan 8th. He is very pleased with my results and where I am at this point. He said that the fact that I am still numb in some areas and hypersensitive in others is perfectly normal. The hypersensitivity has really calmed down significantly except in my nipples. I should keep an eye on the numbness and call with any questions or concerns but he didn’t seem to think there was anything out of the ordinary. It takes 4-6 months, according to him, for the nerves to reconnect, so will continue to experience these sensations for a while. I had sutures still poking out on either side of each incision. The Dr said that he intentionally left the knots outside of the incision to keep scar tissue down so he just tugged on it a little and snipped the sutures off. It was only a little painful just in the “holes” where the sutures were sticking out and where he tugged on them. I am now allowed to use silicone scar strips and scar healing lotions. I’m using Mederma PM when I go to bed and the scar strips during the day. The left scar is healing faster and nicer than the right. The right one still has a lot more bumps under the scar. My nurse told me that the Dr has several layers of sutures underneath which will dissolve in time and that I can/should massage the incisions daily to help those bumps go down. The Dr says swelling is pretty much gone and this is where I’ll likely be in terms of size, shape and drop. I think I still have a little bit of dropping yet to do and sort of hope so. I still need to wait until I’m about 6-8 weeks post op to get any underwire bras but he said I can feel free to buy bras and be assured I’ll still fit them in the future. I have been cleared to lift more than 5 lbs and go back to working out (easing back in). I am absolutely thrilled that I can get back to working out. I’ve missed Zumba so much! After surgery, I had the typical bloat that everyone seems to have and between that and not being able to work out, plus the holidays…I have put on a few pounds I’m dying to get back off! I went back to my Zumba class this past Thursday and it was FANTASTIC! I could tell I haven’t been doing cardio in a month and a half. I was out of breath and I could generally feel that it was tougher than it used to be to keep up. However, I consider it a success. I didn’t experience any pain outside of the normal soreness at the end of the day. I went back again today and did a double workout. I feel great! I have actually decided that getting back to working out has accelerated healing – even though it’s only been a couple of times. I have since started regaining feeling in my left breast where before it was 75% still numb. The zingers are coming on much more frequently and while they’re annoying and painful for those few seconds, I’m glad to know that I’m healing. I can tolerate wearing a bra now for the majority of the day which is an improvement. When I first went back to work after the holidays I was extremely uncomfortable by 11 am (I start work around 7 am) and ready to rip the darn thing off by the end of the day. In sum…I’m feeling great. Seem to be on track and having the sensations I am supposed to be having at this point in time. I wish everyone good health and happy healing! Updated on 19 Jan 2018: I've been feeling quite good lately. Back to doing most everything pain free with the exception of zingers here and there. Those things really get your attention! I can feel it when I stretch a little far and my nipples are still hyper sensitive. My lefty is still numb from the side boob area down under my nipple. Hoping feeling starts coming back soon! So far, no one seems to have noticed anything is different with me which is exactly as I wanted it. I had discussed beforehand with my Dr the fact that I wanted to be able to conceal them if I wanted or bring them out to "party" at my discretion and that's exactly how they wound up! Outside of clothing, there is a very obvious difference. However, otherwise it is difficult to tell anything has changed. They are also much softer and squishier now and jiggle around quite a bit. I tried to go with just one sports bra yesterday to my high impact Zumba class...that was a bad choice. Definitely need a better bra if I'm going to go with just one...just need to find the time to shop for more. Next week I'll be headed to Florida for a few days. It will be my first time in a swim suit assuming it's warm enough - fingers crossed it is!! Since the Dr said that I was pretty much where I'll end up size wise, I haven't even had time to get officially measured. If I had to guess, I believe I've wound up at a 34DD. I used to wear a 34B but gapped quite a bit. I never realized that double D's are considered specialty sizes by so many retailers. I have one bikini that still fits and doesn't seem to be over the top so hopefully that one will work out for Florida. Otherwise I'll be in a mad dash to find one that fits in the middle of a snowy winter here in Cincinnati! Hope everyone is healing quickly and comfortably and complication-free!

Today has been a big day! I chose my surgeon! Now it all feels real. I've hated the size of my aerolas for so long and then after having two kids and gaining and losing and gaining and losing weight my boobs are shot! I got the PTO approved at work and my dad will be taking me on surgery day. Now I'm just waiting to hear back about the financing I applied for. I'm curious about what everyone else is doing/did about financing. I'm paying half up front and wanting to finance the rest. Updated on 23 Jul 2016: I'm so ready to have new boobs! Can't wait to get these big weights lifted up and get quite a bit of aerola cut off! I hate my current boobs. The surgeon said there is no breast tissue left on top. As you can see they just hang! Yuck!! I'm young and don't want to feel negative about my boobs forever. I've wanted this for so long, but have waited because every time I get ready to go for it I feel too guilty about spending money on myself since I have 2 kids. My parents are super supportive of my decision which I was concerned about too. I'm so excited that I'm finally doing this! Updated on 25 Jul 2016: So I paid my deposit today. I also scheduled my pre-op appointment for August 22nd at 8:30am. I am so so excited! It's surreal. I've been thinking about this for years. Any advice on things I need to get for recovery?? Also, my family are willing to help with my two boys. How long should I plan on them being away? Updated on 1 Aug 2016: I put in a transfer from an online savings account to bring money to my regular account last week. The money showed up today. I paid the anesthesiologist ($850)and the surgical center($1850). I still need to pay The Plastic Surgery Group. I was approved for a credit card through my bank for $4000 with no interest for 15 months and canceled my old card that had a 14k limit, but 14% interest. I hadn't used it in a few years. I typically don't use credit cards, but I'm paying $6500 in cash and paying $4000 with a credit card. It's nice that I'll have 15 months with no interest. I was talking with my HR dept at work today and found out that one of the ladies got a reduction with a lift in 2009. She said it was the best choice she ever made. I need to email them my surgeon's fax number to secure fmla, although I already put it through our payroll system and got the time off approved by my supervisor. I love getting some things in order. I've been looking at sports bras on amazon. It's so tough to find front closure sports bras in the store! I also got my kids school supplies over the weekend. I still have over a month before surgery. It's tough to wait! I've looked at more boobs than I expected to see in a lifetime. I appreciate so much everyone who has shared their stories and photos. This weekend I'm going to a friend's wedding. After that the next wedding I go to I'll have my new boobs! It'll make wearing dresses so much easier! Updated on 1 Aug 2016: Updated on 6 Aug 2016: I can't wait for surgery!! Once I finally made up my mind to do it I'm ready- like right now ha. The next few weeks will be very busy with my kids going back to school and soccer starting so that should help with my impatience. How long did you all wait to drive after surgery? Also, how many people did you tell? It's kind of an awkward and personal conversation. I've been nervous about telling my son's grandparents, but I know I'll need them to help more with him after my surgery. I can't wait to have normal size areolas! I have always felt uncomfortable with them even before having kids when my boobs were perkier. Updated on 14 Aug 2016: The bras I ordered came in the mail! I got them washed and they are waiting. I also got a comfy button down pjs set. Can't wait! Updated on 22 Aug 2016: I saw Dr. Robinson today for my pre-op appt. The paperwork that was given to me was very thorough and answered a lot of my questions. One thing I wasn't sure about was the size of sports bras I should be bringing with me for after surgery. He told me to get a C cup and whatever my current band width is so it'll be nice and tight and keep swelling down. I reiterated to him today how important it is to me to have perky breasts and smaller aerolas. He already had reviewed everything from our last appt. I could tell because he already knew exactly what I wanted. I feel so so excited! I also asked about when I could drive. I was told that I can drive once I'm no longer on pain meds, but probably won't feel really up to driving for 5-7 days. They gave me a prescription for vicodin. I'm glad I can get it filled ahead of time and have it on hand for after surgery. Tomorrow is my pre-op appt with my medical dr. That's really the last step that I have to complete before surgery. Come on Sept 7th! Updated on 27 Aug 2016: I'm posting a couple more gross before pictures. Since it's so close I wanted to make sure to get plenty of befores so that afterwards I can compare and do side by sides. I can't wait!! Thank you to everyone who I've been following and to everyone who has been following my journey! Updated on 4 Sep 2016: I got the last of the items I wanted the other day- arnica gel, tylenol, one size smaller sports bra- I'm taking several with me so they can choose which one will work best for after surgery. I'm so ready! If you are a person who takes a long time to make a big decision and then once you decide you want to do it like right now, I recommend to only schedule surgery a month out. I scheduled mine for almost 2 months out and it's been tough to wait. It feels like things are kind of on hold. I can't wait to see my new boobs!!! I am off tomorrow for Labor Day and then have one day of work and then up early on Tuesday to get to the surgical center by 715am. It's all surreal to me! Updated on 7 Sep 2016: Today has been a dream come true! I woke up with so much adrenaline running. I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to pee for the pregnancy test since I hadn't had anything to drink, but it was no problem. Ha. I've slept most of the day, but have set alarms for pain meds. I feel like someone is sitting on my chest, but really I've been pleasantly surprised about the pain. So Far ha. I'm eating some pineapple right now to help with swelling. Updated on 8 Sep 2016: I took my first shower post op today. It was a bit harder than I anticipated. I still have gauze on so I can't see much, but I like what I see so far! I've been resting a lot. The surgical center called this morning to check on me. I thought that was really nice! Updated on 8 Sep 2016: Updated on 9 Sep 2016: The last couple of days I've been blessed to be able to get a lot if sleep. My family has been truly amazing. They brought my boys home tonight. I missed them terribly, but was also nervous because I still am feeling so sore and tired. My mom brought chicken parm and it was delicious! Then my dad came over and watched the Angry Birds movie with us and helped with the boys. The pain meds are a double edged sword. I need them because Im still experiencing a significant amount of pain, but they make me have weird scary dreams and waking up sweating. I'm trying some ice packs right now on my breasts to help. I scheduled my post op visit for friday the 16th at 2pm. That's when he'll take off the gauze and I'll get to see them! Despite the pain and hassle I couldn't be happier that I did this. I've wanted it for so long. Updated on 10 Sep 2016: The gauze is so annoying when it's wet! Nice to get a bit of a sneak peak though! I'm feeling a lot better now that I'm off the vicodin. Updated on 11 Sep 2016: I finally pooped today! Yay! The nausea in the morning is getting better too. I made a simple dinner tonight. It was the first one that I've made since my surgery. I also did some hw with my kids. I'm happy I'm starting to be able to do more! Updated on 13 Sep 2016: I made it! Last week at this time I was preparing for surgery early the next morning. The last 2 days have shown great relief for me. I'm getting my energy back and feeling a lot better! The zip in front sports bras like to unzip.i really like the cotton ones with the clips down the front. I hope everyone is doing great! Updated on 18 Sep 2016: The tape came off when I went for my post op visit. Dr. Robinson instructed me to put Neosporin on my incisions and gave me more pads to put in my sports bra. The incisions looked pretty gnarley at first, but are already looking less red and gross with just 2 days of neosporin. I'm feeling a lot better and able to do a lot more. I ended up starting to drive again at exactly 1 week po. At first turns were a little difficult. I could feel the muscles tighten up, but it's better now. I still have to be careful reaching for things and still am only allowed to sleep on my back. I get stitches out at my next appt which is a week from tomorrow. Updated on 21 Sep 2016: Everything was looking so good. Now I'm really concerned about the under side of one breast. It looks like it's coming too far apart. What do you think? Updated on 1 Oct 2016: Updated on 1 Oct 2016: So this recovery process has turned put to be much more than I anticipated. I got my stitches put exactly 2 weeks after surgery. That night I went to change dressings and saw that the incisions on my left breast at the T junction had come open. I called my plastic surgeon the next morning. I was told to wash it with a mild soap and water twice a day and use neosporin on the open areas and continue using the dressing. They asked me to call back in a few days with an update. After a few days I was more worried than ever to the point I couldn't sleep. I called and asked to be seen. They fit me in that same day. He told me that I did a good job keeping it clean and that it wasn't infected. The yellow part at the bottom is fatty tissue. There are also some scabs forming. So the dressing I was using was sticking to the wound and causing scabs to come off and more bleeding. They told me to switch to tefla. It is a non adherant dressing. I switched to that on wed. I see the surgeon again this week on Friday. It's going to take quite some time to heal, but he said that in the end it won't affect my breast shape. Updated on 4 Oct 2016: Updated on 10 Oct 2016: I went back to my surgeon for my 1 month appt on Friday. He said that healing is coming along, but since the wound is still open I'm to stay in the sports bras and no exercise other than walking. I definitely notice some improvement. New skin is forming around the edges. Updated on 14 Oct 2016: It's nice that it no longer hurts for water to run over the open wound in the shower. Updated on 19 Oct 2016: Healing has taken a lot longer than I ever expected, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I go back to my surgeon on Monday. I'm still in sports bras and restricted from exercise. I feel patient though. I'm just trying to do everything he's told me to do and not do what he's said not to do. Updated on 22 Oct 2016: So I can finally lay on my sides sometimes. I missed that! I'm feeling excited about getting fitted for a bra soon too! Updated on 1 Nov 2016: It's almost closed up!!!! Still lots of redness. I'm still using a little neosporin on the open part and vitamin e oil on the rest to help with the scarring. Updated on 11 Nov 2016: