Breast Implant Removal / Explant for 32 year old Mom of one with 5 year old 375-400cc under the muscle silicone

Hi! I have I have under the muscle Mentor Silicone implants, 375 (L) 400 (R); transaxillary placement and I am 32 years old. I decided to have my augmentation done July 30, 2012. It's been almost 5 years and I didn't realize it'd been that long till I decided to have them removed. I am lucky in that I have been allowed this much time to come to my decision as I know many women have not been given that much time due to complications.
I'd always considered getting them done but when I chose to do it finally, it was admittedly for the wrong reasons. I was in a really bad time of my life and I told myself I did for me. In a way I suppose did but I wasn't being honest with myself about how much of "me" at the time was just insecure and felt less than other women. Especially after having my daughter and my body changed. My breasts got bigger than they'd ever been before during pregnancy and then just deflated. They didn't look awful in retrospect but to me they did. It was enough being small but being small and what I perceived as misshapen was enough to feed my insecurities that were cut wide open when going through heartbreak.
Anyway, I am very lucky, though. The doctor did a great job and I've had no issues. I did originally only want to go to a full C but he talked me into bigger implants and I went a size up. He wanted me to go even bigger than that but I refused. So I ended up at a 34DDD / F years later. I felt this was a good thing for quite a while. I don't hate them. This is simply not who I am anymore and I'm not sure it ever should have been. I went through a period of illness after a reaction to medication 3 months after getting my implants and knew during my recovery that if I'd known then, what I knew after my experience; I never would have gotten them. Because these things are simply not important in life, your health is. I have recently made some other big life changes such as quitting my job to spend more time with my daughter, minimizing my life, and I am discovering myself and who I've always been. This is part of my new journey. I look at myself in mirrors and cameras sometimes and this isn't how I was meant to be built.
I'm 4'11 and I was 98lbs my whole life. After I got pregnant and lost my baby weight (which was 60 lbs, btw), 105 lbs became my usual weight. A couple of months ago I got up to 123 as my heaviest ever. I decided to get more serious about my eating habits and try to get back to myself and have gotten down to 115. I feel more like my old self than ever. It may seem like a little to others but on my small frame 5 lbs makes a big difference! Also, I don't know if some of the health problems I had from the medication have either been from the implants or worsened by then but that is something that has been on the back of my mind ever since as well. I developed hypothyroidism within a year after taking that medication that made me ill and have had minor hormonal issues and IC like symptoms ever since. So I never knew if it was the medication by itself or in combination with the implants. This is like the final step to ridding myself of decisions I'd previously made out of fear and self- doubt and I really hope it goes well and I can find a good doctor within my budget.
I am interested in doing it under local anesthesia and in-suite. My original doctor stated he'd be able to remove them the same way he placed them (transaxillary) but that kinda scared me. And he didn't offer local anesthesia as an option so the price was pretty high and I'm still shopping around. Thank you for reading my long story and I welcome you to my journey :)

I finally found a doctor and have scheduled a date for my surgery. I was very unsure about who to go with for the last few weeks and I'll go over my consultation experiences here.
I was hesitant to go with my original surgeon for several reason before I even made the consultation. Although he honestly did a great job and I was lucky enough to be complication free, I had a kind of paranoia about him being resentful about me having his work removed. I was also concerned about his age as he seemed to be in his late 60's when I first had them done which was nearly 5 years ago. I looked up and researched more of his reviews and they really seemed to slow down in 2012 (when I had my procedure done) and there hadn't been many recent reviews which kind of made me worry more about how he's been performing lately. He also has many mixed reviews as many people do not like his bedside manner. Anyhow, I made an appointment for the consultation anyway as I was going to see how it went regardless. My fears were validated unfortunately at the consultation. I was questioned about why I wanted them out and the responses made me uncomfortable. I told him about it just being time for me and not wanting to maintain them later down the line and he responded that they would last another 10 or 15 years and just had kind of a, "They look great, I don't know why you're doing this" attitude. At this point, his Nurse asked me that it wasn't my boyfriend who wanted them out which just, was odd because it was actually my ex boyfriend who influenced my decision to get them in the first place. I told her no and it just made me feel even weirder. After that, the lady who talked to me about pricing also made a comment, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". This I thought was incredibly unnecessary and really left a bad taste in my mouth about it. This wasn't something I wanted to go in unhappily. One of the reasons I am doing this is because I am no longer wanting fear to alter my decision making in my life as it used to so I wanted to not be afraid to go with a different doctor. He also stated he could remove them the way he put them in, through the underarm which kind of scared me because they are silicone and it just seemed he would have less access to the important parts of the removal. I know he is skilled but it simply concerned and me and an incision under the breast just made more sense to me. As well as getting as little anesthesia as possible which he only offered general. So I made an appointment with the other surgeon in his office for the next week since I was pretty sure I didn't want to go back to my original.
This surgeon was regarded as one of the best surgeons with regard to implant removal on RealSelf and definitely in town. His profile boasted a large number of 5 star reviews and he had several hundred implant removal answers. During our consultation he talked about how important it was to remove the capsule (which my original Dr did not even mention) and that he would be going through the nipple and used drains, both of which I did not prefer. He told me about the dangers of silicone implants and scoffed at my original surgeon for his price and because he still uses silicone. He actually said my original surgeon's price is indicative of a personality disorder which I was surprised at but I've noticed doctors are pretty eccentric after all of this, lol. He scoffed at another local surgeon's prices as well. He was extremely thorough and informative but seemed a bit sales-pitchy to be honest. He also kind of took over the consultation and I just felt like a timid mouse sitting there listening to his expertise, lol. Ultimately, his price was extraordinarily high at $8,000 for just the removal with capsule removal. I thought at the high end it would be about $4,500 or so but 8 grand I couldn't even pretend to entertain so that was a no-go.
The next doctor was another one who had great reviews online but fewer than the removal expert and I'd read about other women's experience with him and they were positive. I also liked that they said they were able to do it in-suite and under local at a very affordable price for me. However, he was out of town but only about an hour or so out. His office was extremely helpful in talking to me and getting my information via email but unfortunately, his office was under renovations and they were only putting procedures done under local on a waitlist. Therefore, I decided to continue looking while they processed my information and got back to me on getting on the waitlist. The doctor was extremely kind and even offered a $1,000 discount based off my positive attitude in our email correspondence so I thought this would be the one but kept looking just in case.
Finally, I had my most recent consultation with a local doctor whom I also read about on RealSelf and had positive reviews, though there were even fewer than the out of town doctor mentioned above. His price was also a little higher as I called ahead and asked for a starting price but it was still in my price range so I made the appointment. I had a good experience from the front office to meeting with him. The staff was extremely kind and courteous and the doctor sat with my and discussed everything with me and didn't seem judgmental or rush me at all. He and the Nurse talked with me in a comfortable sitting room first and then met me in the clinical room. He made some measurements and fitted me for a bra that I would wear after surgery. He said it would be an under the breast incision and he would remove most of the capsule. He said there are parts of the capsule that get attached to the muscle that he did not take off since it was very attached and risky to remove. He said they also send the capsule to pathology to make sure it is normal. He said he doesn't typically use drains and I was glad about this, lol. He stated they use as little anesthesia as possible just so that it is painless. He also said he would give his patients his personal phone number if the surgery is on Friday so they can call him during the weekend if there are any issues because that is when most people have questions. The price was $1,000 more than the other out of town doctor but I just felt incredibly comfortable with this doctor and I liked that he used his discretion as far as how to remove the capsule, instead of making it a black and white thing and going exactly by the book by either removing it completely or not removing it at all. It was also very cool that he sends the capsule to pathology so if there are any issues, I will know about it. I tried to weigh the pros and cons, and not let my eagerness for the procedure (the local doctor could get me in much quicker) or need to save money have a factor in my decision. Right after this consultation, the out of town office called and said they could get me in for May 25th and to give them a call if that worked for me.
Ultimately, I finally decided to go with the doctor at the last consultation; Dr. Kopchinski. It was more expensive since he will be performing the surgery at a hospital but that also seemed more safe if anything happened. I just appreciated how caring he seemed and how he'd go out of his way if we had any questions. And I felt secure about his removal of the capsule, his incision site, and of the capsule being sent in to be assessed. It was a bonus that I could get it done sooner. Everything just kinda seemed to fall into place really well and made sense to me. Finally, I have my date set as 04/14/2017 and I go in tomorrow for my pre-op and to pay everything.
Sorry to be so thorough but that's just me! Hahah, wish me luck this week, I'll definitely post more updates from here on out as the surgery is set! Thanks for reading! :)

So today was my pre-op information date at the office and to pay the balance. I have to say, I got nervous at the office. Not at any fault of the staff of the doctor, they were just as courteous and informative as the first time, I suppose it just got a little more real discussing the details and what time to arrive at the hospital and such. My Mom decided randomly to come with me which it was nice to feel supported. I didn't expect it and realized she wasn't there for my BA and she said she wasn't really in agreement with that but that she's worried now. And that it hit her randomly and she was asking herself why she wasn't being there for me. So it was a nice surprise to have someone there with me, especially my Mom. I am used to going through most of these big decisions alone. This is also why I am a bit scared to talk about how I really feel about all of this until after it's over. This is a really, really big deal to me; that's all I'll say. I don't want to jinx anything, as silly as that is, hahah. I just hope it all goes well. I'm trying to find what the best kind of creams or oils are to use to promote the best healing so I can be prepared and get my house ready since the date is very, very soon. I did pick up what seems to be a good multivitamin today as well as oral Arnica, as mentioned in my paperwork. I am mostly worried about the general anesthesia, of course.

I also have to admit I'm quite overwhelmed at how much I have to do in such little time. I am a single parent and have been going through a period of great change in my life and attempting to improve my surroundings as well as my inner being. I have struggled with anxiety and depression and recently quit my job to focus on being a better mother and all around person. Quitting was not an easy decision to make as I went to school for 7 years for my degree but I was simply unable to keep up with everything, I couldn't do it and be a good enough Mom to my daughter. Anyway, that's a big rabbit hole I'll spare you from but I'm really trying to prepare the best I can. I live alone with my daughter and it can be a lot but let's hope everything goes well. I'm lucky to have my Mom's support in this and she'll be driving me to and from the hospital. But wish me luck, guys and if anybody has any tips on how to prepare or what creams/oils to use, it would really help me a lot! I'm going to add some new pictures for comparison purposes on this journey.

Thanks! :)