44 Y/o, 3 Kids (All Bf), Needed BA, BL and Mini TT (W/out MR) - California

I'm very late to write this (4 weeks post-op today!!). I'm extremely nervous about I'm posting something publicly because I'm an extremely private person. (I didn’t plan to do this, so I'm sorry that I don’t have pictures from my journey. I’ll see if I can get pre-op photos.) But I've benefited so much from reading everyone else's reviews, I felt I should share a little. There aren't many out there with stats and the combo of procedures like mine. I'll try breaking this down into segments:

I'm tall-- 5'9.5 and about 135-140 lb preop. At my heaviest weight, when I was pregnant with my last kid, I was about 220, so I had a bunch of loose skin, but because I was tall and carried low, it was mostly around my lower ab. I tended to be heavy most of my adult life, but I lost it and maintained it for the past nine years through watching my diet and regular exercise. For the past few years, I’ve run 4-5 days per week (not particularly fast or far, just consistently).

I've always wanted a great set of boobs, and I was disappointed when they never grew. One was larger than the other. I was a 34/36 A on the left and an AA on the right. It turns out that one side of my rib cage protrudes more than the other too--by about a full cm, which really made it difficult for bras to stay in place. When nursing, they'd get up to a D, and after nursing, they were sad flat pancakes. But they were never much to begin with.

Just out of curiosity, I booked a couple of surgical consults about the ladies. (I was in fantasy land--I didn't really think I'd actually do such a "selfish" thing at this point.) It wasn't just the money. It was the time away from work and family responsibilities that it would take.

Both surgeons picked up on the rib cage and size asymmetry. They both recommended a lift (the first said the areola gathering kind--sorry, I forgot the name--and the second suggested lollipop/anchor, but only the second mentioned using two different profile implants to correct for the rib cage differential. Both said I'd have to go under muscle because of my thinness. The second surgeon had stellar reviews, has done far more aug/lifts, works with a second surgeon during the surgery, so it goes faster, and I felt more comfortable with him. He was also able to fit in my surgery very quickly, which I needed because of my work/family schedule.

I hadn't even seriously spoken with my husband at this point, but when I did, his response was that he wasn't sure what he thought. He didn't think different/improved boobs were even an option for us--ha!! But after a day or so, he started to like the idea. I went from my initial consults to the pre-op within a few days. I spent those days trying out rice sizers and thinking all sorts of crazy things, going back and forth about whether to do it.

At my pre-op, we (husband, doctor, and I) decided on about 350-400 ccs. We gave the surgeon and upper limit, and left the decision to him during sx. The left (higher rib cage side and bigger boob) would be a moderate profile round and about 50 ccs smaller than the right. Right would be HP. I told him my preference was to end up a solid/large C or small D. I wanted a natural look, and I didn't want them to interfere with my running.

I brought up the idea of a TT. I figured if I was doing the ladies, I might regret not taking care of my loose stomach. He said I didn't need muscle repair--which I was happy about because of the easier recovery. He said recovery would be about 2 weeks (ha!) I asked about a mini, but my surgeon dismissed the idea. He said it was rare that a mini could be done successfully.

I left my pre-op on Monday scheduled for surgery that Friday. The doctor's office called within minutes after I left, asking if they could move me up to Wednesday because of a conflict with their anesthesiologist's schedule. So, I ended up having surgery within a week of my initial consult. It was a whirlwind, and looking back, I didn't have a chance to consider the significance of the surgery and the toll of recovery.

Today--4 weeks: Things are so much better at four weeks. I'm not aware of every movement that my arms or body makes like I was two weeks ago. I can sit up in bed and not worry that I'll get a sharp pain in my incision. My energy is better, although I still can take a nap in the afternoon. My body will tell me if I overdo something. Like last week, I lifted something I shouldn't have, and I felt it in my breastbone and ab incision, and needed a Percocet that night.

I tried not wearing Spanx since yesterday, and I must say it's more comfortable. And I didn't seem to be any more swollen yesterday. This morning, my stomach looked nearly pre-op flat, without the loose skin when I bent over. The ladies are starting to really feel good--not painful at all and they're getting a little jiggle. The left feels softer than the right. The right was the smaller to begin with and has the bigger, HP implant. I'm a leftie--I don't know whether that matters.

The day of the sx, everything was much like you've read in other reviews. I arrived, hungry and thirsty. They set the IV, and I took a pregnancy test (pretty funny since my tubes are tied).
As the surgeon is drawing all over me, he commented on how long my torso is. He calls in his surgical partner and they discuss how they'd rather not do a full TT and all the reasons why. Something about how there wasn't enough depth for the BB to move? I couldn't follow it all, but since I didn't want a full to begin with, it was okay with me. My husband kisses me goodbye and they wheel me away. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in recovery. I feel dopey and heavy, but decent. No pain and just a little nauseated/whoozy.
That reminds me, I paid for a single dose of a really expensive pill to take before surgery because I'm prone to vomiting with narcotics and anesthesia. It's a new drug that they give to chemo patients. I'd say it was well worth it since I didn't throw up. I did get light headed on the Percocet after I got home, but it was manageable.
Anyway, I'm not sure how long I was in recovery. I live about 5 minutes from the surgery center, and I don't remember much of the drive home or the transition to the house. We have an electric recliner, and I set myself there and stayed put. I slept in that for the first four nights. I tried sleeping in bed sooner, and I couldn't do it.
I highly, highly recommend one of those travel-type neck support pillows. And ice packs.
During the first day post-op, I took my Percocet every four hours, and I iced the ladies, and I drank a ton of water. I didn't have much appetite, and I napped a lot.
Second day, I stopped taking the Percocet and switched to Advil every 4 hours. I didn't have much pain, and I wanted to poop...which I did. :) Since I was really bloated, I wanted to get that moving. Walking more around the house--very hunched over. I take my first shower, either on day one or day two—I don’t remember now. :) But I didn’t wash my hair until day five or so.
Days three-2 weeks: Gradual, tedious, boring improvement. I watched a ton of movies, rested, walked around my house, did a little work, read a lot of RS reviews during the first week. It was hard to not go crazy. I didn’t move well, and I had a drain that I couldn’t cover well with clothes, so I felt trapped at home. I was frustrated. By week two, I was able to drive, run errands, make dinner for the family, and I returned to work at 13 days (desk job). The body doesn't look so hot. I still have some surgical marker, surgical tape all over me, I look heavier than I did pre-op because of the swelling, and the boobs are bruised and not really much fun yet.
Just a note about the drain. I don’t feel that my surgeon sufficiently warned me. I only had one from the TT incision, but it was a pain in the ass!! I couldn't wear any regular clothes because I had to hide it, and it stayed in much longer than he said it would--he said about 4 days, and it was in for 12. It also got slightly infected at about day 8--not a huge deal to treat with antibiotic ointment, but it made it even less comfortable.
Post-op appointment at 12 days: I finally got the drain out. Removal wasn't painful, just uncomfortable. And what a relief!! I felt I'd been freed! I ask about my stitches--I have some strings that hang out of me. He says he trims them at 6 weeks...weird, but ok. He says I can remove the surgical tape in 2 days and start silicone when the scabs are gone. He gives the okay for me to wear spanx when I go to the office (he doesn't have patients wear a compression garment). I’m hoping it will help with afternoon swelling.
2-3 weeks: I started going for walks at 2 weeks. Very slowly at first--like 18-minute-mile-pace slowly. By 3 weeks, I'm walking 3 miles at about 4 mph. It doesn't get my heart rate up, but it feels good to know that my body can still function. My stomach is looking better—at 2 weeks, I can wear pre-op clothes--but it swells in the afternoon. I still have some pain in the ladies--and in the breastbone. I need Advil less frequently, but usually at night. My ab incision grabs me painfully at times.
I took the tape off at 2 weeks, and things look better than I thought! (Sorry, I don't have pics.) I start silicone strips during the day and bio-oil at night.