Breast Implant Revision: Right Side Capsulectomy, Left Side Pocket Revision with Popcorn Capsulorrhaphy

Initially, I was happy with my first breast implant experience, but over time some problems arose. I started to notice that my left breast slid off my chest when I laid down, and caused a lot of pain when I wore sports bras, laid down, or propped myself up on my left arm. The implant just didn't feel stable, and was uncomfortable. The right side ended up developing capsular contracture, and was very high on my chest. It looked distorted, and further emphasized the nipple asymmetry I had before implants. Overall, I became very dissatisfied, and started to dress to hide it. I have missed wearing tank tops and strapless clothes!!
4.5 years later, I finally found the time and was financially prepared for a revision. I now live in Chicago, and found an excellent surgeon who was recommended by a friend. We ended up having two consultations, because I realized that I didn't feel ready to move forward without getting one more chance to talk things through. Dr. Iteld is a realist, and very straight forward. When I came in the first time, I presented some unrealistic expectations, and was very diplomatically brought back down to earth. I have little breast tissue, and it's a bit constricted, so when I asked for "underboob" and for my breasts to sit closer together, Dr. Iteld explained very thoroughly why my anatomy couldn't handle those requests to the extent that I had hoped. I really felt like I could trust his judgement, and I never felt like he was trying to push forward just for the sake of it.
We initially settled on fixing the capsular contracture on the right side, and leaving the left alone since I was happy overall with the size, but after sleeping on it, I requested that second consult. The second time around, I felt I expressed my concerns better, and brought up the fact that I felt my left pocket might have been too big. Dr. Iteld agreed, and swiftly presented a viable solution: a popcorn capsulorraphy on the right side to tighten the pocket, a total capsulectomy on the right side to fix the capsular contracture, and an implant exchange. I was happy with my breast size, so we just upgraded me to the newest model of what I had before, and I believe we decided to go up 50cc.
I had my surgery yesterday, and was able to see my breasts today for the first time. After such an intense procedure, I expected A LOT of bruising, but so far it's minimal. My right breast is softer, my left breast is stable, and I feel like a whole new person. My right breast has a bit of dropping to do, but it's SO MUCH BETTER than before. My nipple symmetry is back, and I have a nice smooth slope from my collarbone to my nipples. When I saw them today, I felt like they looked like an enhanced version of my original, pre-op breasts, instead of a distorted version of them. I'm experiencing some soreness, but honestly, that's no big deal... the wait is over, and I finally corrected issues that had been bothering me for the last half of my 20s. I couldn't be happier, and I can't wait to see how I look once I'm healed!!

I’ve taken it super easy today, because I got really sore towards the end of the day yesterday. I’m feeling so much better, and really enjoying relaxing. I got to take my first post op shower, and see my new and improved boobs again. I’m so happy not to have a visible implant at the top of my chest. I look at the smooth slope, and I’m just in awe of what a huge difference it’s made. I can’t wait to see how things progress. So far, I’m thrilled.

Time has moved so quickly! I’m feeling a little less sore everyday, but the sides of my breasts from the armpits down are still very sensitive. Hopefully this is normal— I’m assuming so, since it was a pretty intense revision. My breasts look so much better than they did before, and every time I go into the bathroom it blows my mind. I didn’t change sizes, but I can see that my clothes fit a bit differently. Couldn’t be happier, but I am getting tired of being in bed. My chest and arms fatigue like right away, and I’ve had to take Valium every 8 hours to combat spasms, so I’m just always tired.

On the plus side, I walked almost 2 miles yesterday, and it felt great to get out. I had to walk slowly prevent any bounce, but it felt nice to do something normal. So far my only worry is about the stability of the left side (popcorn capsulorrhaphy). It’s been sore, and I can’t help but worry that after all this, it’s still going to move around too much/slide off my chest when I lie down. My doctor showed me how stable it was at my post op, but there’s still an irrational fear in the back of my mind. I think since this is round 2, and I was so negatively impacted by the first surgery, I can’t help but worry off and on.

I’ve been extremely careful, so at this point I can only rest and hope for the best. I’m attaching a picture of my right side before surgery, to document a better picture of the capsular contracture. I’m so happy that’s gone, and hopefully it stays that way. I’m so thrilled I finally got all this fixed, despite how difficult it’s been to have such limited capabilities.