Journey to 34DD

Feeling amazing! All numbness is gone and I have slight sensation in my nipples - woohoo! On January first it will be 11 months, post-op. I am so happy with my results! The gel implants have dropped and the incisions are healed - a lot of scarring is gone (thanks Vitamin E and coconut oil!)!

As I near the six-month anniversary of my surgery, I wanted to document my breast lift and augmentation journey in the hopes of helping others with their plastic surgery experience. Having the lift and augmentation was a huge decision for me – it took four years to get over all the fears of being under anesthesia and being cut open (this was the first major surgery I’ve had) – and also one of the best decisions I have made for my mental health. I am a firm believer in being happy with who you are and doing all you can on your own to change your physical form but threw in the towel after my breasts deflated so much post-weight loss and there wasn’t much I could do on my own to gain volume. I am also a self-proclaimed gym rat and personal trainer and love strength training and was fearful in taking 12 weeks off from exercising because I feared losing the gains I’ve made in the weight room (spoiler alert – I didn’t lose much strength and it was actually nice to take time out and recover, especially during the crummy Wisconsin winter). For these reasons and many more, I was hesitant to have the surgery but did a TON of research and heard personal testimonials that helped propel me to scheduling the surgery. At 5’1”, I used to weigh close to 200 lbs. (the highest I weighed myself was 197 lbs.) with 34D breasts five years ago. I lost 55 lbs. in two years and went down to a 32C - I initially did a consultation with a plastic surgeon in Pewaukee, Wis. four years ago in the midst of my weight loss but wasn’t ready to pull the trigger and decided to keep searching as I saved up money. Fast forward to 2017 - I was toning more with weight lifting and lost another cup, bringing me down to a 32B. I tried everything I could in the gym – bench presses, push-ups, chest flys, etc. to build volume but without mass in that area, my breasts remained flat and saggy. A friend who had great results with a breast lift recommended Dr. Philip Sonderman at Greater Milwaukee Plastic Surgeons (https://drsonderman.com/) so after much deliberation (and saving thousands of dollars) I finally decided to schedule a consultation in December 2017.



Consultation Day (early December 2017) – I went with my husband to meet with Dr. Sonderman at the Brookfield, Wis. clinic to get more information on the procedure and recovery. I was doing so much research online regarding what to expect, pros and cons of each type of lift and type of implant, horror stories, etc. so I was anxious to meet with him. The clinic was full of supportive and friendly nurses and staff and Dr. Sonderman’s gentle personality made me feel instantly at ease (I had received a few recommendations from friends/friends of friends and read a lot of reviews on his work). He knew I had done my research and was supportive in my desire to have a breast lift and augmentation. After discussing the pros and cons of the types of lifts and implants, we decided on a donut lift as my breasts, although small, were sagging from the weight loss, and submuscular gel implants of at least 425cc each.



Surgery Day – February 1rst, 2018 – The day was here! I couldn’t sleep much because I was so excited and nervous to have the surgery – I couldn’t wait to have more volume and shape in my breasts again but was also a nervous wreck (I’m a worst-case scenario type of person so I was thinking of all the things that could do wrong in the operating room and post-surgery). My husband drove me to and from the surgery and waited during the two-hour morning procedure – I was in the building around 9:00 a.m. and out the door around 1:00 p.m. The surgery took place off-site from the clinic I did the consultation at Moreland Surgery Center in Waukesha and the support staff, nurses and anesthesiologist were top notch. They made me feel at ease and were so supportive and friendly – I can’t say enough of how much they did to calm my nerves. When I woke up from the anesthesia I was groggy and looped up from the pain meds but feeling so happy to be back to reality and ready to hit the road to recovery.



Days 1 - 6 – For the majority of time, I laid in bed for the entire first week, besides going for my day one checkup with Dr. Sonderman, and attempting to work from my bed. I had the surgery on a Thursday and took off of work both that Thursday and Friday (to do my day one appointment) but was still groggy and out of it from the pain meds so I would highly recommend taking a full week off to recover. I work from home but still struggled with staying awake (the pain meds made me so tired and nauseous). Keeping a constant schedule with dosing the medication (pain meds, antibiotics and anti-nausea pills) every four hours helped to dull the pressure and soreness of healing. I was able to see my new boobs after the bandage was removed – I was so happy to see the volume! They were sitting very high but Dr. Sonderman reassured me that they will settle gradually over the next 12 months and the swelling will decrease as I heal. They were very swollen and firm and the tape around the incisions were to stay on until my three-week checkup.



I had a periareolar mastoplexy lift (aka: donut lift where the surgeon cuts around the areola and lifts up with no anchor scar) and I received gel implants under the muscle; the left is a 500cc and the right is a 450cc as my breasts were not the exact shape volume (which is typical). I had larger areolas and wanted to keep them somewhat larger so they look more natural so Dr. Sonderman made them more symmetrical but also kept them true to my natural state. The doctor said my pec muscles were very strong (from all the weight lifting I did), which made it a little more difficult to place the implants under the muscle and also made recovery a little more difficult as I felt more pressure as the chest muscles shifted around the implants. Because of this, I recommend avoiding chest exercises with heavy weights for at least a month pre-surgery so your pecs can loosen up.



Day 3 – My first shower! It felt so good to get clean but also difficult to wash around my incisions as they were very sore and swollen. I recommend having help from someone just so you have support in case you lose your balance. Still feeling pressure, sore and swollen and not able to sleep well as I am a side/stomach sleeper typically. I would recommend having a few body pillows to prop yourself up on for at least the first week post-op.



I received a post-op bra to wear that would provide some support without underwires and ordered a few of these racerback, wireless bras from Amazon that worked very well for the first six weeks until I went bra shopping for bras with wires -



Day 7 – The first day without pain meds – I definitely felt the withdrawals after only six days of being on them. I went through a few hours of sweats and cold flashes – it was my first time using pain meds and my body was definitely starting to get accustomed to them. The pain and soreness increased as I was able to feel more of the healing but I self-medicated with edibles (gummies) and Aleve a few times per day.



Day 8 – The pain and soreness lessened and the withdrawals from the pain meds subsided. Still uncomfortable but feeling stronger and getting used to the weight on my chest and standing up straight. I started to develop a pressure sore on my lower back from sitting for a week but it went away after a few days of me moving around the house more. I still didn’t lift anything and started to feel helpless as I relied on my husband for everything (he is amazing!). I also started to feel some depression due to the anesthesia and pain meds as well as feeling cooped up since I hadn’t left the house in a week.



Day 10 - First event out of the house for a local concert at a bar and I was still very sore and in pain from healing. Dealing with depression issues from being cooped up, the pressure in my chest as my body gets used to the implants and heals from the incisions, and lack of sleep from sleeping on my back made me feel pretty anxious but I am lucky to have a great support system and the ability to use other medications to feel some relief.



Day 14 - Two weeks post-op and feeling sore still in addition to feeling myself healing (which is a pretty freaky yet cool feeling). I continued to feel stronger each day in addition to not feeling as depressed but still not feeling normal yet. The pressure is starting to diminish as the swelling is going down and my body is getting accustomed to the implants.



Day 17 – Over two weeks post-op and the pain is subsiding and the swelling continued to decrease. Walked a fair amount yesterday with my husband and dog and was sore but each day is getting better. Still not lifting heavy objects over 10 lbs. and frustrated with not being able to do all that I previously did but reminding myself the recovery will all be worth it. I’m was filling up my Amazon wishlist/cart with cute outfits to wear come summer time.



Day 22 – Started to feel like myself again after three weeks post-op. The swelling is down and the tape came off the incisions at my three-week check-up with Dr. Sonderman. I started to massage the implants and use the silicon creme I purchased from the clinic (worth the money as it has sunscreen which is really important to ensure the scars are protected from any UV light – I have been instructed not to tan for over a year as the light can mess with the scar tissue and cause discoloration) and vitamin E oil on the incisions to help with healing. It was still very tender by the incisions but everything was healing as it should.



Vitamin E oil from Amazon



Week 12 Post-Op – I had my three-month checkup at the clinic with Dr. Sonderman that went great. It was a short visit where the doc took some pictures and felt around my breasts to ensure things were healing properly. There were a couple incisions around my areola on both the right and left breasts that took longer to heal and I kept an eye on both as I know some people who have spit sutures. My breasts were no longer as tender and the feeling was starting to come back in the nipples; they weren’t hard like they were in the first few months of healing. All in all, my scars were healing well and the swelling was pretty much down; I was excited to see the progress from the day after the surgery to now.



Month 5 Post-Op – Feeling great! The scars are healing very well (still not exposing them to the sun and massaging vitamin E oil daily), even in the spots that took longer to close up, and the implants are settling in very well. The swelling is completely gone and they feel like real boobs – squishy and bouncy. I have settled into a size 34DD and couldn’t be happier with my results. I have scheduled my one-year check-up and cannot wait to compare where I am now to where I will be as it takes at least a year for the implants to drop into place and the scars to fully heal.



Throughout your journey, people who have never had the surgery will give you tips on recovery that most times aren’t consistent with your surgeon's recommendations (when to massage, what exercises to do, etc.). If you have questions, ask the professionals and don’t push yourself too quickly – you don’t want to mess with the healing; let your body do what it needs to do.



Best advice I can give is to take it one day at a time post-surgery and realize it will continue to improve – the time will fly by! Even if you’re feeling down, be easy on yourself and remember that everything needs time to heal; the patience and positive thinking will pay off. You may feel depressed (I didn’t feel back to normal until about week four) so cut yourself some slack and be okay with relying on your family and friends for help; my husband helped with lifting things, taking the dog out, cleaning, etc. for the first month or so (which I struggled with as I am very independent). I highly recommend scheduling the surgery in the winter months so you don’t miss out on any fun summer events (and to give yourself enough time to recover so you can show off your new assets by the time the outdoor events roll around). Eat a well-balanced diet comprised mainly of fresh foods (veggies, meats, fruits, fats) and remember the supplements (daily multi-vitamin, fish oil, biotin, etc.) to ensure your body has the nutritional requirements to heal efficiently – this will also help your mental state and moods as you recover.



Don’t expect to jump right back into your fitness routine after six weeks as it will take time for your body to adjust – don’t push yourself! I still am not able to do pull-ups or full push-ups and may never feel comfortable doing those again but I do modifications of exercises and don’t stress about not being able to full target my pec muscles like I was able to previously; having the self-confidence of having a fuller chest again is worth not having full mobility/strength.



Every person’s surgery journey is different – just be patient, ask a lot of questions of your surgeon and medical provider(s) and pay attention to what your body is going through - everybody is very different and no two procedures are the same. I hope your plastic surgery journey is as rewarding as mine has been – I’m glad I did the surgery when I did and with Dr. Sonderman; the road to recovery was worth it - I love my new 34DD breasts!