45 Yr Old, No Kids, Have Always Wanted a More "Balanced" Appearance, Mentor High Profile 295cc

Hello everyone,

I didn't discover this wonderful community until just a few days before my breast augmentation surgery. Still, reading about your experiences made me feel better and more at ease going into the surgery and I wanted to be sure to reciprocate by telling my story.

After I went through puberty, I was frequently teased by my classmates for having a flat chest. I've always had an athletic build, with naturally wide shoulders and hips. My breasts never "grew in" to match the rest of my body. Many times over the years I researched implants, but never scheduled an appointment due to time constraints (busy work schedule), cost, relationships, or fear of being judged. I wore push-up bras or baggy clothes to make my chest appear larger. In the past few years I gained 10-15 pounds. I didn't like the extra weight but did like having a little bit more cleavage.

I have been traveling alone through Central and South America for the past year and knew that this would be a great opportunity to finally have surgery. I am in excellent shape now and have lost all of the extra weight due to being more active, eating & drinking less, and having less stress in my life. I was initially focused on Brazil as the best place to have surgery, but ultimately decided on Colombia because I had spent time in the country before and knew I would be happy staying in one city for an extended period of time, plus I speak Spanish.

After thorough online research, I reached out to a handful of doctors & clinics in Cali to get price estimates. I ultimately scheduled a consultation with Dr. Lina Triana because of her reputation, plus her staff was the most responsive to my inquiries and the quoted price was the lowest.

My consultation was November 1, 2019. I spent over an hour filling out paperwork (medical history, personal information, etc.) and talking with Dr. Triana's assistant about what I was trying to achieve with this surgery. We also looked at pre & post op photos of other patients. Then I met with Dr. Triana for about 30 minutes. She made it clear that she does not perform surgeries that alter appearance drastically, meaning she is only interested in helping you get a desired natural look. She was very thorough, questioning my motivation for the surgery and explaining all the risks plus the overall procedure, options, and pre- & post-care. She examined my breasts and took measurements, then recommended some possible sizes. She only uses a particular brand of implant so she explained the pros & cons of all the types of implants and why she prefers this one. Finally, her nurse came in to help me try different sizes by inserting the implants into a post-surgery bra.

My next appointment was November 5. This was actually a series of three different appointments taking about three hours total. First I had blood drawn to be screened for a wide variety of things. I also gave a urine sample (pregnancy test). I had an electrocardiogram and basic physical exam by an internist. And I met with the anesthesiologist. Note that because of my ongoing communication with the doctor's office over the previous month and a tentatively scheduled surgery date for early November, I had already stopped drinking alcohol and was following all of the other medical guidance to be prepared for surgery.

All of my test results were back by the end of the day (with positive/healthy results) so they scheduled my hospital admission appointment for November 6 so I would be ready for surgery on November 7. It took about 30 minutes to fill out all of the paperwork for the hospital as well as for my special insurance policy (which is included in the overall cost of the surgery). Later that afternoon they called to tell me when to be at the hospital the next day for surgery and when I would need to start fasting. Ultimately my surgery was rescheduled for 7:00 a.m. on November 8.

I was instructed to take two 25mg Hiderax (an antihistamine that has a sedative effect) the night before the surgery and two more an hour before surgery. I also had to wash my chest area two separate times with chlorhexidine, a disinfectant and antiseptic that is used for skin disinfection before surgery. I had to fast (no food or drink) for 12 hours prior to surgery.

I checked in to the hospital at 6 a.m. yesterday. I removed all of my clothes and changed into a hat, gown & booties. I sat in a waiting room for about 15 minutes with other women who were having aesthetic procedures and then was taken to the pre-op room. A nurse started an IV line (saline only) and then I waited another 30 minutes. My doctor came to walk me to the operating room after drawing lines on my breasts. Then I climbed up on the operating table and my arms were arranged perpendicular to my body (wrists secured to the table) and my legs were spread slightly apart and also strapped to the table at my ankles. My doctor referred to this position as "the crucifixion." I felt a strong burning sensation in my IV line and soon I was asleep.

I woke up in the recovery room about 2.5 hours later. They said the surgery lasted about 1.5 hours and then it took another hour for the anesthesia to wear off. I was very groggy and dizzy for another hour or so but eventually got dressed and was moved to a recliner to drink some water and eat some crackers. I could feel a tightness in my chest but the pain was manageable. I took a taxi home around noon.

I am taking Nodol Forte (325mg acetaminophen + 30 mg codeine) every six hours and 200mg celecoxib (an anti-inflammatory) every 12 hours. The pain is tolerable; mostly I feel a pressure and tightness in my chest, like I was in a car accident and the airbag deployed. Occasionally I feel a burning sensation where the stitches are (7-10 on each areola). I have to sleep sitting upright for the next four days which is definitely not comfortable.

This morning (Day 1 post-op) I had a follow-up appointment with the nurse. She examined my breasts and said that everything looks good. There is some bruising, to be expected. She told me to put a small rolled up sock in the gap between my breasts as the bra was putting too much pressure in that area (I hadn't noticed but when she touched me there during the exam it was very sore). This was the first time to see my new breasts. They look very natural so I am happy. Hopefully as they settle they will be a bit closer together, but I am naturally wide-set so I don't expect too much.

My next appointment is Tuesday, November 12 (because Monday is a holiday here in Colombia). I will have my first of 10 ultrasound treatments. If there are any updates before then, I will post more. For now, I have added before and after pics and all the other details I can think of.

Weight: 70kg/154lbs
Height: 5ft7in
Original bra size: 38A
Implants: Mentor Smooth Round Ultra High Profile Gel Breast Implant Cohesive I (295 cc)
Insertion: peri-areolar (nipple) incision
Placement: subpectoral

The cost in USD was just under $3000 all inclusive. If you are interested in an itemized price list, please send me a PM.

I made it through the weekend with no problems. Pain is usually worse in the late evening and early morning, especially when I try to move after sleeping upright or when I accidentally use my upper body (pectoral) muscles. Ouch! I still have the burning or stinging sensation in my stitches, but thankfully that is not constant.

Today was my first therapeutic ultrasound appointment. Ten treatments are included in the cost of my surgery. The nurse applied gel and then gently moved the wand on and around each breast for about 10 minutes on each side. This is supposed to reduce inflammation.

I must admit that I have had some "maybe I should have" feelings over the past few days. Wearing the post-op support bra with a blouse, I really cannot see an obvious difference in the size of my breasts. Without the bra and looking into a mirror it is more obvious, but still not significant. My breasts are wide-set so I know that makes them appear smaller. My primary goal was to balance my natural shape, but it would be nice if the enhancement was more noticeable while wearing clothes. Hopefully this will improve with time. For now I'm thinking I should have gone with a larger size implant...

I had my third ultrasound therapy this morning. After my second treatment yesterday I was more sore than I have been since the surgery. I also started having a stinging sensation behind my nipples. It feels like a combination of an electric shock and a bee sting and it is internal, not on the surface. I told the nurse and she said this is normal because the medications (including numbing agents) that were used during my surgery have now completely worn off.

Today after my ultrasound treatment the nurse removed the tape that has been protecting my stitches. That was unpleasant! However I can now take a normal shower i.e. get my breasts wet, even though I'll still have the stitches in until the end of next week.

I also saw Dr. Triana for the first time since the surgery. She said that everything is healing well and I am lucky because I don't need to wear a band like many patients do at this point. She determined this by squeezing my breasts HARD to feel if the muscles are too tight. They are not, so now we move on to the next step in the healing process which is auto-massage.

The nurse showed me how to use my hand(s) to massage my breasts twice a day. I would describe this less as massage and more as forcefully pushing each breast in all four directions. It is extremely painful; I honestly felt like I might pass out! But I have to do this to encourage the muscles and other tissue to be as soft and pliable as possible in the future.

Normally my therapy appointments are at 10:30 in the morning but today they moved it up to 8:00 a.m. so that I could also see Dr. Triana. Thus I did not take my pain medication prior to my appointment as I had not eaten anything yet. This was a big mistake! Note to self: ALWAYS take pain meds prior to therapy!

Finally, I want to mention one more thing that I have not discussed before. Besides my doctor and her staff, there is only one person in the world who knows that I had this surgery and he lives 1,500 km away. I am going through this entire process completely on my own in a foreign country. I have had plenty of non-elective surgeries in my life so I knew what to expect and was confident I could manage on my own assuming there were no complications. However I totally underestimated my need for and lack of emotional support. I wish I had someone whom I trusted and who knew me well, who could have been with me during the consultation and given me feedback as I was choosing the implant size. And now I wish I had someone who would tell me I look beautiful as always and overall would boost my confidence. Thus I am very thankful for the RealSelf community and everyone who shares their stories, good and bad. I feel a little bit less alone because of you.