FULL BA JOURNEY: From Below an A, to a Full C. 5’8, 135lbs

Right breast: 445cc, Left breast: 495cc

Silicone, Soft Touch implants. Transaxillary incision.

Backstory:

I have never felt confident in my body, and have been wanting a boob job since I was 14 years old once I figured out they weren’t getting any bigger. I flew in from Oregon to get this procedure done off of a recommendation from my sister in law, and from then up until now, I’ve heard nothing but great feedback about Dr. Shim Ching from my relatives/extended family about his work. I’ve read a few reviews and have seen women do 5-10 years of research that decide with him and are pleased with their results.

After my phone consultation last month, I knew the facility I was going to would take good care of me. I spoke with Kristy, and she was such a delight, answering all of my questions, and was very informative. Although there had been a price change for the new year, she still honored the old price since I was on a recommendation, and out of state.

Pre-Op Appointment on 02/08/2022:

My first appointment with Asia Pacific Plastic Surgery, I felt very comfortable, which was important and honestly a surprise to me because I am normally an extremely shy person. Everyone I spoke to was very kind and sophisticated. They offered us water during our waiting times. I was able to try on any cc sizing I was interested in, and tried a few larger ones just for kicks. They even had this advanced computer app that showed you what your breasts would look like for the cc’s you’ve chosen, which was such a unique and cool thing to see! They allowed me to take photos and videos throughout the entire try on, and digital process which I’ve attached here.

The paperwork portion of the appointment was a bit overwhelming, seeing all of the cautionary warnings of what could go wrong. I had to trust in the process and my nurses, and I know many women have gotten the operation with no complications. I’m very much an over thinker and tend to let my anxiety get to me, so I’ve been praying for everything to go well since I first got in contact with them back in January. It is also a time where Covid-19 is still present, which means extra paperwork and questions. Also had to get a covid test done 2 days prior to my operation to be cleared for my surgery. Throughout the paperwork, emails, and phone calls from the pre-op to the surgery day, I was asked a lot of the same questions and sometimes was told slightly different things from different people but just to ensure proper recovery, I went with the more extreme instructions.

Surgery day:

The day of my appointment everything felt like it happened so fast. This was my first ever surgery, and as stated before, I suffer from a lot of anxiety, so of course I was extremely nervous. I had like 6 nurses tending to me and making me feel more comfortable during the process, but it still felt like it was happening very quickly. Dr. Liu was the absolute sweetest, and made sure that I was taken care of. She has this friendly and charming demeanor that makes you feel like you can tell her anything. Going under anesthesia was crazy, because one moment she’s above me, easing me in to the anesthesia by telling me to inhale deeply and think of a happy place, and all of a sudden I’m out like a light. When I awoke next I was in my bed in the same spot I was before heading to the operating room. My body was sore from my armpits, to across my chest, my eyes were still adjusting to the light, eye lids fluttering open and close, and my teeth were shaking like crazy. They assured me that was normal, and then gave me one oxy pill, which helped immensely. Then I hear them get a phone call and say “oh, he’s here already!”, so I was helped into a wheel chair and taken out to the curbside drop off/pick up to meet my lovely fiancé. I felt like I was only awake for 5 minutes before I exited the building, but I’m sure I was up for like an hour before leaving. The anesthesia and Oxycodone were pretty strong, I felt dazed and relaxed for a couple of hours after the surgery. My hunni got me some poké cause he knew I hadn’t eaten since 8:30 the night before (my surgery was @ 2pm the following day.) and like a toddler he fed me by hand, giving me small bites every 5-10 minutes with sips of water. Shortly after getting back to our hotel, I was feeling extremely drowsy and almost dozed off but fought my sleep slightly and stayed awake for the day. My breasts were hard as rocks, and I felt numb from my pits to my nips, however my right nipple still had some feeling in it that eventually went away that night. My left incision (which was where the bigger implant was) began stinging and burning. I tend to sweat a lot as well so I tried airing them out by fanning with a notecard from the hotel and standing in front of the AC. My underarms were sticky from what I assume was the tape they put on. I was able to urinate smoothly, but needed my fiancés help pulling down my pants. Felt slight nausea before I climbed into bed. I took my necessary meds for the night, and propped pillows behind my back to ensure I slept at a 45 degree angle and both sides of my elbows as to give the incisions some air flow throughout the night. I suffer from insomnia and was also trying to stay awake till my next dose, so I didn’t go to sleep until around 2am. I usually wake up 2-4 times a night but I was able to sleep through till 7:30am, which was a wonderful change.

Day 2:

I woke up in discomfort, my chest and muscles felt tight and my left incision was still burning. I took my Sinecch and one Acetaminophen, and walked around the room a bit. My teeth began chattering slightly, an hour after I woke up. I got a call from their office asking questions on how I was doing, reviewing their workers and asking about my symptoms. They weren’t concerned about the burning or stinging I felt in my incision since it wasn’t producing any drainage, and they weren’t worried about the chattering either. They said if my symptoms changed into a fever or I began seeing redness/puss then to call them. Me being the worry wart that I am, googled my symptoms and read from others that they felt chills up and down their body from their BA up to a month later, and a few said it goes away eventually. I sat in bed for the next few hours, walking around occasionally. At this point I desperately wanted to shower but Dr. Shim said not to for the first 24 hours. I took my Cephalexin at 10am, and began feeling discomfort around 11:30, so at 12 I took 2 of my Ace. pills. Then I had my first real meal since two days ago: Grilled Salmon and Spinach salad, with some fried rice on the side. As soon as I finished my plate, I began feeling dizzy and drowsy, and went to the bed to lie down. The pain and discomfort were gone. Took a 3 hour nap and felt much better. My left incision still causing me pain but not gonna worry until there’s an issue.

This morning I woke up at 5:30am which was exactly when I needed to take my medication. Because I awoke at the perfect hour, I was not feeling too much pain quite yet, which was a really nice change from yesterday. I went back to sleep at around 7-8, and woke up at 11:45, took more medication and relaxed in my room. My implants didn’t seem as high on my chest as they were before, but they’re still pretty numb around the sides and the nipples. Occasionally left the hotel room to walk around and get my blood flowing, but nothing too strenuous. I’ve noticed when I’m not keeping up on my meds to the exact hour of when I’m supposed to take them, my chest feels a lot more tight and my left incision begins to sting again. I kept taking photos of my incisions just to ensure there was no negative change. CBD has helped immensely with the aches and inflammation throughout this recovery! Highly recommend taking around 10-20mg every 4-6 hours or as needed!
Tomorrow morning I’ll run out of my Acetaminophen, which I’m honestly quite nervous about since that seems to be what’s been helping my pain the most :( I emailed Erin at around 2pm to see if I could possibly get a prescription refill, but she never got back to me, and I realized later that tomorrow the weekend begins, so the office will be closed, and on top of that, Monday is a holiday, so they won’t be open for 3 days straight! Praying that the pain will be tolerable until my next appointment >

Last night at 12, I took 1 acetaminophen pill, woke up at 4:30am to take a gummy that was 25mg CBD, and 5mg CBN, then at 10:45am took my Sinecch, a tad bit more CBD, and Docusate (stool softener). I didn’t have too much pain when I woke up, I’d rate it like a 4. I have not had a bowel movement since before my operation, and I don’t normally have to go to the bathroom often (usually around 3-5 days) but as embarrassed I am to say this, I’ve been experiencing some inflammation in my lower region which hasn’t been super painful, just abnormal. I’ve also had a LOT of bloating in my lower abdomen, and when I poke at the sides, it’s sore to the touch but no physical bruising to the eye. I look like a rectangle; my curves are absolutely GONE! Lol. I read that was normal, and some women don’t have a bm for 10 days after surgery. I’ve taken a total of 5 Docusate pills (making sure only 2 max per day), and 2 (1 max per day) of my stronger laxatives they prescribed but that’s just making me pass light gas, and not making me go to the bathroom. I’ve been trying to lean off of my meds cause I heard that causes constipation too. I decided not to worry about it until day 6, which is Monday, and their office opens again on Tuesday. I was trying my best not to take any Ace pills because I only had 4 left, but at 11:45 this afternoon, my right breast began to feel excruciating pain. It was like a mini heart attack, only on the opposite side: like there was a shock wave and someone was squeezing a part of the implant or something under the muscle, for like 15 minutes, and i began feeling very tight in that area. I had this once yesterday around the same time, but it went away after taking my medication. This time it didn’t stop till 12:30 and brought on a few tears. Now I have 3 left. I’ve had some shoulder and upper back pain since day 1, and my fiancé has been massaging those areas until it feels like my body’s not in knots anymore. Today my back aches were pretty bad, near the spine and shoulder blades area. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without him. He’s been taking care of me so well, feeding, showering, dressing me, braiding my hair, just everything I’ve needed he’s been willingly doing, and scolds me when I try to do it myself. Bless his heart <3 it’s made this experience so much better; I’m very very grateful.
The rest of the day went far better than the morning: took a 4:1 edible @ 2pm (20mg CBD, 5mg THC) and that really calmed my anxiety down and lessened my pain. Walked around and ate some Chinese food, then passed out at like 5pm. Woke up at 8pm, took my afternoon Sinecch, and 10mg CBD. Pain was still pretty subsided, with the occasional stinging and burning in my left pit from movement. I haven’t been opening either of my arms out very much just to avoid that. Still feeling tight, but i think it’s getting a little softer on the top?
Showering is amazing. Cleaning my incisions with the antibacterial soap is so refreshing; I really hate not being able to shave or wear deodorant for this long, (due to me sweating more than the average person) so it’s so nice to bathe. Right now is 4am (my sleeping schedule is fucked) and I just took 12.5mg of CBD, and 2.5mg of CBN. Had double that amount at 1:30am, to make sure I don’t wake up writhing in pain since I’m holding off on the medication. Currently laying down in bed, propped up with all my pillows, and I’m starting to get that burning shock sensation in my left breast near my nipples that I’ve heard people talk about. It’s pretty light, and doesn’t bother me- especially after what I experienced this morning. Phew. Most of my breasts are still numb near that area, the sides, and where my incisions are in my armpits. I’m doing a lot better than I thought I would be today. Hope tomorrow goes well too: Finally venturing out a bit further and meeting up with some family. We’ll see how I do :)