33 Years Old, 5'6, 150 Lbs, 550cc, No Kids, Weight Loss Repairs ;)

Sooo, after losing quite a bit of weight my "girls" are seriously diminished and in need of repairs. I have always wanted BA surgery but now it has become really important to me. I feel like I did a lot of work to lose weight and I want to feel completely good about my body. I decided to make the appointments for consultation and for surgery very close together because I want it done before the holidays while I have time off from work to rest and recover.

Very, very nervous. I feel confident that I have chosen a good surgeon in my area. Like many others, I did quite a bit of research prior to making my appointments.

Mostly, I am nervous about the pain and the recovery. The risks are frightening to me and I have a low level of pain tolerance.

I am going into this with an open mind, I don't really have my heart set on any one particular thing (saline/silicone, over/under) but I am very excited to hear what the surgeon recommends. Mostly I just want "more" and a fuller appearance. I plan to take pictures and update the whole way through this experience.

Since I have not met my surgeon yet, I sent some "before" photos and he said it appears I will need a lift as well. I really don't want to do the lift because of MORE pain/healing but we will see what he says when I go for the consult.

Had my consultation yesterday. The staff and the surgeon were all wonderful. I felt very comfortable. Since I booked everything so close together, I had my preop and consultation in the same day.

Decided on 550cc Ideal saline implants (under the muscle) with an inverted T lift. The size looked a little shocking at first but everyone says go a little bigger than what you're thinking so I'm doing it!

About the lift... I was really not wanting to do it, not just because of the additional cost but also because I'm really concerned about the additional healing. It means about 4 weeks of very limited activity and no gym. But after we looked at my imaging and measurements, I understood why it's necessary. I want the best outcome possible and if that means getting a lift now, so be it!

I signed a ton of paperwork and my husband and I had fun together looking at ideal outcomes and sizes. At first I was really reluctant to go bigger than 500cc but the nurse and my husband both helped me compare and contrast and now I'm super excited.

I met with Dr. Colgrove briefly. He's exactly what I expected after reading other reviews of his practice. He's very laid back and I could see how some people think he's cold but I didn't think so. The most important part to me is I felt very confident about his knowledge and abilities.

My nurse was Robin and she is amazing. Very friendly and so helpful. She explained everything to me and answered all my questions.

I filled prescriptions for pain medication, a muscle relaxer, antibiotics, laxatives, and picked up some vitamins and Hibiclens. They said to come in comfy clothes with a button up shirt. I need to wash with the Hibiclens the night before and the day of the surgery.

I can't stop looking at the sizing pictures we took! I wish they gave me the size padding to wear now because I cannot wait to show off my new look!

Sooo, after losing quite a bit of weight my "girls" are seriously diminished and in need of repairs. I have always wanted BA surgery but now it has become really important to me. I feel like I did a lot of work to lose weight and I want to feel completely good about my body. I decided to make the appointments for consultation and for surgery very close together because I want it done before the holidays while I have time off from work to rest and recover.

I chose my PS based on reviews I read here on RealSelf and on other places online. I'll post my before pics here and then another update about the consultation I had on 11/2/2016.

Wow, that came up quick. Finishing up things around the house today and then I'm going to try to get to bed early. Surgery is scheduled for 7 AM and the nurses said I'm the first patient of the day. I hope I've got everything...

I need to start taking the antibiotics today. I've got comfy clothes to wear for the week, with easy button down or zip up tops. I've got bags of frozen peas, small snacks to have with medication, my "entertainment" area is all set up in the bedroom. I have a wedge pillow for sleeping propped up. The doctor said I'll need to do that for the first week, at least.

Can you tell I'm nervous??? Mostly, my concern is the same as when I first wrote- just worried about the pain and healing well from all the extra stitches with the lift. I don't need to worry about working this week and I'm planning/prepping meals ahead today to make things easier for my husband. I don't know how I'll be feeling after I get home tomorrow but I will try to write an update if I can. Think good thoughts for me, ladies! I'm taking the plunge!

I think everything went pretty well.

Obviously I was very, very nervous this morning. Check in went smoothly. I put all of my clothes in a cupboard and put on a gown, surgical underwear, crazy stockings, and shoe covers.

We signed some last minute paperwork and then got my IV started. My husband tried to cheer me up by telling me corny boob jokes but I was just really nervous. Finally they took me to an operating room and got me under a really warm blanket. Then the anesthesiologist put something in my IV to help me relax and put the oxygen mask on.

Next thing I knew I was waking up and trying to get out of the bed. Everything is really blurry but they did tell me they ended up putting 560 in one and 525 in the other. The pressure was really intense but the pain wasn't so bad at first. I have drains on both sides and now the pain is pretty intense. Been sleeping most of the day. Have not peeked at all. Will keep y'all posted.

It's a little too early to call it but I think that today may be the worst of the pain. Any slight movement makes the soreness unreal. Still taking the "heavy duty" pain meds every four hours and a muscle relaxer every 8. I've been drinking water like crazy, I think I had at least 80 ounces yesterday. Been icing every 2 hours and my appetite came back yesterday... But no BM since Sunday :( I've been taking Colace since Sunday.

my drains aren't filling up with a lot of stuff and I'm running a low grade fever of 99.5. That's not that crazy but I'm usually around 97 something so it's a bit more than normal. I left a message with the PS's nurses line last night but they didn't call back so I'm guessing it's not that big of a deal.

My husband was taking excellent care of me but he had to go back to work today. His mom will be here helping out. I did get a little peek yesterday when I got in the shower. They're still all bandaged up but things are definitely looking like what I had in mind. Just gonna try to take it easy and hope today goes by fast. Pretty bummed.

The difference between yesterday and today is like night and day. I was very nervous and worried, in pain, and a little bummed out. Today everything seems manageable and I'm getting the hang of stuff.

The nurse from my PS's office called back yesterday and said the low grade fever is alright as long as it doesn't go higher. I got some milk of magnesia and slept in the recliner last night because it's easier to get up and really helps with the morning boob. I took a heavy duty pain killer this morning but by this afternoon I've only been taking Tylenol. Finally had a BM (first time since Sunday) and that really helped me attitude. Going to take another shower tonight (my husband's the best!!) and I'll try to get some pics with the bandages on.

I have a follow up appointment tomorrow so I'll share what I learn then.

Hoping all goes well at the follow up appointment tomorrow.

Had a pretty good day, my postop appointment was at 11 and it was all great news. The nurse helped me get my drains out, cleaned the incisions, changed all the bandages and gave me additional after care instructions.

The right side is already dropping and the nurse said everything looks amazing. Soooo relieved about that. Not being able to see the wounds has been a blessing and a curse. I can't tell how things are going at all. But the incisions underneath were healing so much my skin is already forcing out some of the staples so the nurse removed them. She said to just keep doing whatever I've been doing.

There's still a lot of swelling but I don't need to wear the ace bandage anymore and I've been cleared to pick up another compression bra. My next appointment is in 3 days and I'm feeling really happy.

Everything still feels very tight and I have been taking the "lighter" pain killers throughout the day. It seems the ice and muscle relaxers are what help the most.

Feeling so much better! Almost have full range of motion back in my arms. I haven't been out of the house much and I still fatigue pretty fast. Still using pain medication, especially at night.

My husband took me shopping today. I haven't enjoyed buying clothes for years. Today I felt like a million bucks. I have another follow up appointment tomorrow so I'll update again then :)

Feeling so much better! :)

I went to my one week follow up appointment yesterday. Things are looking good but I had a couple of "weepy" areas where the stitches weren't healing as well as the rest. So the nurse showed me how to spot clean the areas gently with soapy water (2-3 times per day) and I was prescribed a cream to put on after cleaning. I don't think it's a huge deal but I definitely wasn't as pumped as I was after my last appointment because I just want everything to be perfect and heal up fast.

Still no driving, no reaching, no carrying things over 5 lbs, no cooking, no exercise... just trying to be a model patient, relax and get better. Yesterday was my first day with only Tylenol for the pain all day. It didn't go so bad. I felt pretty stupid for using the pain medication longer than others have said they used theirs, but I'm learning that recovery is a very personal thing. I know I have a low pain tolerance so I just did what I needed to do to stay comfortable and happy. I am still using the muscle relaxer because of the size of my implants (560 & 525cc Ideal saline). When the muscle relaxer wears off the muscles over the implant feel so tight it seems like they might just pop right out of my chest. And, as others have mentioned, waking up in the morning (MORNING BOOB) is pretty rough. Everything just gets tight throughout the night from not using the muscles, so the first few minutes of waking up are pretty gnarly until things start stretching and warming up again.

After a week of being on heavy duty and lighter pain killers, things were pretty stopped up for me. I tried prune juice, milk of magnesia, eating leafy greens, fruit and really spicy stuff... nothing was working very well until the other day I panicked and drank a 10 oz bottle of magnesium citrate liquid. That works very well. Just make sure if you do that to drink plenty of water :)

My husband and friends have been marvelous caretakers and I'm so glad I did this during a time when I didn't have to worry about rushing to get back to work. Planning to take it easy through the holiday week and maybe after that I'll be able to drive again. I have another follow up with PS/nurses in a week.

As far as everything else... The girls are still sitting "high and tight" but are much less swollen than even yesterday. I noticed the right one, with the smaller implant, is the one that is already dropping. I'm not too worried about imbalance or asymmetry at this point because I'm only a week out of surgery. Just going to keep being good to my girls!!

I picked up a 2nd bra from Wal-Mart, a Danskin Now "High Impact" sports bra with a zip in the front. The nurse at my PS office said as long as it's holding them up and together and it's not too tight, we're good to go. I like having the 2nd bra so I can wash the surgical one. My husband has been washing and drying my hair but I'm going to take my first solo shower today so we'll see how that goes.

To those of you who are also on the mend during this time- happy healing during the holidays! And to those of you reading this wondering whether or not to get this procedure done- GO FOR IT! It is worth every penny.

After taking it very easy for over a week, I had to road trip with my husband for the holidays. It's been a bit more challenging than I thought but not unbearable. I am still fatiguing very quickly and my chest muscles are still very sore. Days 9 & 10 were tough just with the sheer amount of time I was sitting upright or walking around the house for family stuff.

I'm getting irritated with my sleeping situation. Tired of trying to fall asleep on my back. But it still hurts to try to lay on my side, so on the back it is. I find myself instinctively doing movements that are natural to me but there is still pulling so I have to stop myself.

The areas my PS was concerned about are looking much better but I am concerned about the stitches on the underside. I haven't moved the steristrips but there has been a small amount of blood coming from underneath on both sides. It is driving me crazy with worry which has not been fun for my husband. I just wish I could figure out what I did that made that happen or how to make it stop. I'll just have to be patient until my next follow up in a couple days.

Things are changing slowly. The right side continues to sit a little lower and though everything still feels very stiff, there is definitely softening going on around the tops, sides, and even bottoms. I've got sensation in my left nipple but the right is still numb. They definitely don't feel like boobs again yet, but it feels like things are heading in that direction! I'll add more pics after appointment with PS.

Had my third follow up appointment today and it was all good news. The areas that were slightly infected have healed up and I got all of the stitches removed. Still have one staple on each side. My PS said everything looks "perfect" right now. I was cleared to drive and for light walking. I've gained a little weight so I'm very excited about that.

The right side has dropped a little more but the left is still higher at this point. I was joking to my husband that it feels like I've got immovable boulders on my chest. I'm loving the way they look in clothes, though, and can't wait to see more changes over the next couple of months. I was told to get a smaller bra for maximum lift and support.

Finally got all the tape and last staples removed today! PS says it's ok to start using scar cream, to do the displacement massaging, and lower body workouts. I'm so excited! I've definitely gained a few pounds and I'm so excited to head back to the gym tomorrow.

I'm cleared to wear any bra as long as it lifts and supports them in place. After two more weeks, I can sleep without one.

The girls are getting softer every day but they are definitely still firm and high up. Hoping the massaging helps.

I'm feeling great! The girls have started to drop and fluff.

Now I understand what other people were writing about when they said their implants were starting to feel like real boobs. Until a couple of weeks ago I was always very aware of my implants, even after the incisions healed and the morning boob pain stopped. My breasts were still very stiff and I could feel the implants inside when I moved. I now have full range of motion back and they actually move and jiggle the way boobs are supposed to.

I wear a very supportive sports bra most of the day but am now sleeping without a bra at night. I can lay on my side again without things feeling weird. My PS finally gave me the go ahead for running and I am so excited to start doing that again. I have been doing lower body exercises but still no lifting or anything that works arms or chest. I definitely fluffed up a bit over the holidays and I'm pumped to be able to burn it off.

I have only bought one regular bra so far. I want to wait until they've fully dropped before I start trying to find my actual size. The bra I bought was a 36DD and it fits very comfortably. I haven't experienced any boob greed others have mentioned so I think I chose a good size for me. Definitely glad I decided to go a little bigger than I originally thought.

I'm using Scar Away silicone gel strips on the incisions and cocoa butter cream everywhere to try to avoid stretch marks. Sooooo excited for bikini season!

Still feeling great. Love the way things have settled.