I am 5'4 , 120lbs very athletic. Before kids I was small, 34 A but perky. I wouldn't say I was 100% happy with my boobs, I had always thought about having an augmentation but at the time it was totally unrealistic financially. Fast- forward a few years, 2 kids later my once small but perky A cups are now very deflated A cups. I have been in happy with the, for years (7 to be exact -since my last child was born). I have for YEARS tried to just accept my body the way it is. I am somewhat of a hippy at heart and like to be natural so even considering plastic surgery seems a bit hypocritical. I eat well, exercise, into yoga and nature and have been at an inner war with not being able to accept my boobs. I look back now and think that if I had my before children perky A cups now that I would be able to o be content. It's really hard to be content with deflated water balloons! I finally decided to save up money (it took me the whole year) and I booked a consultation. I decided that if I decided after the consult to not go through with the procedure, there would be no negative to having $10 grand in my pocket right?
35 Years Old, 2 Kids In Need of Breast Augmentation. Cary, NC
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Cadence1015
- Not Sure
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Cost:
$9,000 - Cary, NC
I am 5'4 , 120lbs very athletic. Before kids I was...
Starting pics and unsure of size
I keep going back and forth with my desired size. I am petite and would like to stay that way and stay athletic looking. I definitely do not want to be top heavy or have my boobs make me look shorter or like I have gained weight. However, I definitely have somewhat of a curvy backside. I know I want a natural, but perky, youthful look. I have been looking at so many pictures and I sometimes feel like it would be easier if I were a guy because boobs just look like boobs to me! I do know that I am not really interested in having a lot of side boob, I fear that would get in the way of my workouts. There are so many choices????. I keep going back and forth with wanting to go the full side of natural (kind of hour glass figure) or just filling out what I already have, staying small on top. I am hoping that I can find a good doc to kind of lead me in the right direction. I know it is my body, but I am definitely no expert and I definitely need guidance. So my goal is to find someone that I can trust to make sure I look natural, and youthful. I have posted some starting point pics. After looking at my boobs in pics I'm like 90% sure that I want this done and I don't feel guilty about it because I feel like there are just some people who need them after having kids. It's really not fair for me to HAVE to accept that my boobs will be deflated and ruined the rest of my life just because I chose to have kids. Guys have it so easy - nothing happens to their bodies like this! I also have supernumerary nipples (extra nipples) - 2 to be exact that I have been so extremely embarrassed of my entire life. I am hoping that these can be removed at the same time.
Full body shots
I think it has been really helpful when I look at reviews and can see a full body shot of before and afters. It's so difficult to tell how the augmentation affects the shape of a persons body if all you can see are boob pics and cc numbers. So I decided to add my before body shots. The top is completely unpadded. I am definitely more shapely at the bottom and have absolutely no cleavage, all of the fullness in my boobs is in the lower pole. I actually think I would be happy with my size if I just had more upper pole fullness.
Choosing a surgeon
So... I did a lot of research in the area on plastic surgeons, I've looked at sooo many pictures. Out of the several doctors in the area I found one doctor that I liked the results of every pic I saw. Now, don't get me wrong I understand the doctors will give their patients what they want so when I looked at some augmentations that screamed fake to me...I also understood that that may have been the look the patient was going for. However, I wanted a doc that I could trust to guide me towards a natural look. The doc I scheduled with I know is about 30% more expensive than the other plastic surgeons in the area. However, I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for and my body is not something I want to " go cheap" on. So I decided to only book one consultation with dr. Law in Raleigh, NC.
Consultation
I was extremely nervous for the consultation. The nurse and doc came in explained to me a little bit about the process, I asked a bunch of questions. I explained to him that I had a really hard time in my last surgery, I lost a lot of blood during my c- section and it wasn't pretty. He assured me that the likelihood of that happening was very slim and explained that there shouldn't be any blood loss really during this procedure, that it interferes with the procedure itself and went on to tell me that he takes precautions during and after surgery. It made me feel a lot better. He seemed very genuine and straight forward. He left the room and they had me put on a robe. When they came back in he had me take off the robe and he basically just pointed out everything that I did not like about my breasts without me even telling him which was amazing(lack of upper pole fullness, asymmetry,stretchy skin makes the crease hard to see). We then tried on sizers, we finally settled on 240 on the left and 220 on the right. He said that due to the fact that my skin is so stretchy he would like to take off some extra skin that will make my crease be more obvious and give my breasts a perkier look. He also said that he will remove one of my extra nipples with the skin and the other may have to wait until after surgery and schedule it as an outpatient procedure, just due to the location of it. He showed me what me breasts would look like by just removing the extra skin and I was already sold. It looked like what they were before I had my kids. I am now very excited. It started as a very nerve racking experience for me but his calmness and demeanor put me at ease and I realized I definitely made the right choice for me as far as a surgeon goes. So I went home and thought about it, the next day after talking to my husband I decided to go ahead and take the leap I called and put down the $1,000 deposit down. My pre- op is scheduled for May 5 and at that appointment I will get some forms that I need to take and get some blood work and testing done. The total cost will have to be paid at my pre-op appointment so I should have the money by then if I play my cards right. I just have to be careful and not do any shopping splurges. I promised my husband that he could come to my pre-op appointment so I'm a little nervous about that.????
Pre-op in two days????
I'm starting to get nervous about the pre- op appointment. My husband, whom has been supportive so far, as part of the deal wants to be there for this one. I just feel like it's going to be awkward with him there and I fear what kind of questions he's going to ask. It could range anything from super serious stuff to totally immature stuff.....who knows what is going to come out of his mouth. I have to submit my payment as well. I will have to admit it was really really difficult for me to transfer this amount from my savings. I called my bank just to be sure that I don't have any kind of debit limit and I'm glad I did, because I found out that I had a $3500 point of sale limit. I guess it's for fraud protection, understandable. That would be embarrassing if my card declined! So I gave them the date of my pre-op and hopefully the limit will be waved that day. I'm super stressed. I had some water damage to my house, a bathroom renovation, have two birthday parties this month (husband & kid), lots of stress at work and of course this huge payment to make (which I'm hoping it will be worth it in the end)!the good thing is that with all that is going on, I have not even had time to stress about the actual surgery. I just realized that my pre- op snuck up on me!
Pre-op
So my husband and I both took a half day off of work....he picks me up and as I get in the car he says " ready to see the titty Doctor?" Ugh, this is exactly why I did not want to bring him. When we arrived he went back with me, I was instructed to get into a robe. We tried on sizers again as my husband awkwardly stood behind me. It was definitely awkward for me - I just felt him hard core staring and his uneasiness as I stood topless in front of the doc. He took some more measurements, we both asked a few questions. The doctor reassured my husband that I was in good hands and wasn't going to bleed out and die, that was seriously one of his questions. We then went and met with the nurse who went over all of my pre-op instructions. She gave me the prescriptions for my Meds, and all the pre-op testing forms. Then I paid in full. That was seriously painful, spending all of that money at once. My husband actually made me feel better about it though. He knows it's what I want, I think he's excited too. Afterwards, we went straight to the pharmacy and picked up my Meds and a few things (his idea). I was able to get all of my Meds but one, insurance for some reason would not cover it so they called it into another pharmacy for me and are supposedly covering the charges. We will see about that. I haven't updated in a while because I, in the midst of renovating my house, it's a disaster right now. But on the plus side, I think I would be freaking out right now if I wasn't. I haven't had the time to update or even give this much thought because I have been dealing with contractors and moving my stuff from one room to another...so annoying. I am definitely expecting a freak out realization at some point soon, I don't think this has all hit me yet that it's actually happening.????
Testing a and Meds
So my doctor ordered a bunch of tests. I'll be honest having to find the time to get all of that done and kind of stressed me out. I was very busy at work then I found out I had to get copies of my last breast exam (luckily I had just had one so I just had to get it faxed over), urine tests, pregnancy tests, blood tests and an EKG....all of that had to be done and the results had to be in within two weeks or they could postpone my surgery date. I found out I could walk in to the lab at the hospital, so that's what I did. I woke up early and got to the lab at opening on a Saturday morning and I was in and out within about 20 minutes. I hardly ever go to the hospital, most medical stuff for me has always been taken care of in doc offices so I felt a little anxious. It ended up pretty painless though, everyone was really nice. It was a slight hassle getting the results to my surgeon though. Even though I took the tests all on the same day, the results kind of trickled in. When I checked the hospitals website it said results were USUALLY in within 5-10 days. I only had ten days! It all worked out though.i just got the bill today in the mail and was a little disappointed...just over $300 for all that. Then I looked at the total bill $800. Luckily my insurance paid half, so then I felt thankful. I also picked up all my Meds. I had trouble with one pain medication. For some reason my insurance wouldn't cover it and it was $100. Luckily, the surgeons office told me to let the, know if I had trouble getting it. I called them and they ordered it at another pharmacy and they covered the cost for me....which was pretty awesome of them. I mean, I already gave them my life's savings (practically) and this other small stuff has been adding up. So I'm about a week away????
Getting ready
I thought I would be WAY more prepared at this point. So far...I've picked up my Meds, extra strength Tylenol, stool softners, two gel/fabric ice packs and 3 bras. One is a cheap front zip one that I picked up for $10 at Marshalls and the other two are coobie bras. Oh, I got an acrylic belly button ring. They said no metal or jewelry in surgery. I was hoping to get a wedge pillow but I could not find them anywhere and it's probably too late to order. I might just pick up a firmer pillow and a neck pillow. I'm a stomach sleeper so this might be hard for me. They to.d me to wear loose clothing the morning of and believe it or not....I think all of my pants are yoga pants, leggings or skinny jeans.???? I might have to pick up a pair of sweatpants (or maybe I just want another excuse to go shopping)????. I'm definitely going to wear my zip front hoodie, no bra and I was thinking just flip flops but I wonder if that's a bad idea. What did you ladies wear to surgery? Any suggestions?
Surgery day????
I had to arrive at 6am, which was great because in all honesty I was too sleepy to overthink about anything. Upon arrival they had me change into the warmest paper gown ever, seriously that thing had a thermal lining. The nurse did the Iv, honestly that was the most nerve wracking part for me. I told her that people always have trouble finding my veins so she put a rubber band on my arm and waited and waited...it felt like forever. She actually used a numbing agent so I hardly felt anything and was scared for nothing. Next, we went to go over sizers with the surgeon he pulled out 240-285, slightly larger than we had previously discussed, I was fine with that though because after paying all this $ I definitely don't want any regrets of going too small. We went back into pre-op and I signed paperwork, it freaked me out a little talking about if anything went wrong what hospital I would be sent to blah blah blah. Definite deer in the headlights moment.???? next, the anesthesiologist came in , he was really nice. He told me he was giving me an injection and instantly it popped into my head that that was the same stuff Michael Jackson died from. So now super freaked but also too tired to cry. I do not remember being wheeled into the operating room, guessing I passed out pretty hard core, I remember them scooting me from one bed to the other, I woke up slightly and I was on the pre op bed again with people swarming around me I thought we hadn't started yet and it was done! I woke up more in the recovery room and felt fine until the nurse had m try to sit up...trigger nausea. I told her I felt sick and she immediately gave me some nausea Meds through my Iv.....and I passed out again. I was so sleepy but I was ready to go home. I arrived at 6am and walked out at 11:30.
Type of implants
I just realized that I did not include the type of implants... I had Sientra smooth round, silicone implants. I also had a skin excision (excessive skin from being stretched during pregnancy) removed on the right side. The surgeon was going to do both sides but realized that the left side was actually fine during surgery. He placed 255 in my right moderate profile and 280 high profile in my left in order to correct some pretty extreme asymmetry. I was also supposed to have my supernumerary nipples removed but he decided this was best done post-op under a local, between 3-6 months post op. I was a little disappointed but I also want him to do what is best for me. He was worried that with their placement it would negatively impact the scar formation from the implants. I'm just a wimp and would have preferred to be asleep while stuff is being cut off me....but ultimately I want in the end whatever is going to heal better.
Recovery pain.....
The day of surgery I honestly only felt a lot of pressure in my chest. It didn't impact my breathing at all it was just slightly uncomfortable. Post op day 1: I woke up and needed help sitting up- the pressure was gone but there was definitely soreness- I felt like I did a million push-ups????, I would say moderate pain. Post- op day 2: I slept through the night for the first time since being home for surgery and when I woke up- morning boob pain....this was the worst pain I felt. I needed my husband to help me sit up ( he slid his hand under my back and pushed up). I almost took the narcotic, but he talked me out of it...glad he did cuz once I took the normal pain med the Celebrex, the pain dissipated. Post op day 3( Friday): I woke up, sat up by myself with minimal pain. I started breaking out in a rash from the antibiotic and honestly the itching was worse than the boob pain, no lie. My surgeon prescribed me a topical cream and it's going away. I finished my last dose of antibiotic today as well. I never do well with antibiotics anyways. I switched from the surgical bra to a coobie bra. I was able to pull it over my head with some slight assistance. The surgical bra was cutting into my skin in places, the coobie bra is seamless so it's a lot better on my itchy skin right now. I was also able to shower last night- still can't get all the marker off from my surgeons lovely artwork on my chest????
Very swollen
I'm definitely not used to them, I'm so swollen especially on the sides by my armpit. Under clothing so far they look like I'm wearing my super padded bra ( bombshell from VS) but without clothing they are very projecting like "bam" I'm sure it's just swelling. I was hoping at the end to be a full B or small C. But I'm honestly just going to be happy to have boobs, I know I will get used to them even if they are slightly bigger or smaller. I went home to pick up my kids today and my parents (who I did not tell about this) noticed nothing and this is 3 days post.
12 days post op
I feel like they have started to drop a little - my scar is now completely in the crease. I'm totally happy about that. I am still worried that they feel a little big for me- hopefully it's just swelling. They are still hard as rocks, the soreness is worst and definitely most evident in the mornings. Ladies- when does morning boob go away? I'm getting a little frustrated waking up so sore everyday. The incision pain has gotten better, I am still really avoiding touching my boobs at all. My nipples are going back and forth between being numb and overly sensitive. I'm still really bloated but I also got my period today so who knows where it's all coming from.
Two week post op
So I had my two week post op and my doc said that I may need a skin excission under the left breast.ugh! He said they may just be settling at different rates that it's too early to tell so we will come back and look at doing that within the next few months. My husband was not pleased. He's been great about being supportive but I will admit I'm a little disappointed because I am finally starting to feel better and I may have to go under again and have another incision to recover from, granted the recovery will be much easier. It may work out for the best because I still have to get my supernumerary nipples removed and I think I'd rather go under for that instead of a local because I'm such a wimp. It's just the prospect of going under and having to " recover" again right as I'm starting to feel better, sucks????????
3 week update
So the swelling has definitely decreased which I am happy about because they seemed WAY too big initially. I am still really tender on the sides and have numbness underneath. My nipples keep going through being hyper sensitive and numb. It's really weird. overall, I am still really sore and they still feel stuff and kinda hard, although I think they have softened up a little it's not significant. Looking at my pics I realize the doc is right and I definitely want to have the skin excision performed on the other breast. I am disappointed that I will have to go back under and deal with incision pain again. I definitely have had moments of lots of tears. I knew that stuff like this was possible but I was hoping everything would turn out fine the first time. I emailed the office asking what that would involve from me- if I have to pay anymore I think my husband will flip out. I paid for them to do the skin excision on both sides and during surgery he opted not too. I will be a lot happier knowing that I wouldn't have to cover any more costs. I think that's the main thing bothering me that and it will delay me getting back to my workout routines.????????
5 Weeks
I'm definitely feeling better. I started working out last week (week 4). I am sticking to light cardio (low impact stuff- bike, elliptical) and legs. My first day back to the gym really hurt- my legs that is I was sore for 3 days!!! It definitely felt good to be back at the gym. My boobs were kinda sore when I got home. I really need to invest in some sports bras. My boobs are getting softer- I can feel them jiggle a bit when I walk downstairs. The swelling has gone way down- but they are still pretty tender. I am wearing a cookie seamless bra 24-7. My incisions look really good my doc says that I probably won't need laser treatment (they offer this for free). I still think I want to have a revision to adjust the crease. I feel like one side looks youthful and the other kinda saggy. So I can't say that I am happy yet.
Got measured for bras
I got measures today at Victoria's Secret and they told me I am between a 32 D and a 32 DD!!! Holy crap. I know that their sizes run small but I was just going for a full B /C. I'm not upset about it - it is nice to have boobs after not having them for so long and they don't look big under clothing. I don't feel I look too heavy. I don't know why- I just really don't like the look of large bras. Oh well! So picky I know! I tried on a 32 D and that's what my measurement put me at and the lady said I had some spillage on the side so she recommended that I go to double D. Although with a double D there was some gapping. I think I will buy bras in double D for my everyday ones but I think that for going out or wanting to just be sexy I will go with D. I've waited this long to have boobs I don't want to still have gapping in the cups. I ordered 2 wireless ones in DD and 2 sports bras in D and one in DD. I think it's gonna depend on the style. Hopefully they get here soon - sooo tired of wearing the same style bras! Definitely do not need padding ever again. I tried on some with padding and it was WAY too much!
3 month post op
I just saw my surgeon for my 3 month post op. He wants to tighten up the breast fold and do another skin excision. I knew this may be a possibility almost immediately out of surgery because one of my breasts the crease was slightly lower- so he mentioned that he may want to correct this. He did say he wants to do the skin excision on both sides though. My skin is pretty lax from pregnancy so he wants to remove some more skin and slightly raise the fold to give a more youthful appearance. I decided that I did indeed want this done. It doesn't bother me- I don't hate my breasts but I'm also not in love with them either and after spending so much time and money I'm just at the point where I want it done- over with so I can get on with my life. I love the shape and size of my breasts but I do agree that the crease is a bit low, causing me to feel a bit matronly. I knew that I would have a second phase anyways to remove my supernumerary nipples- this kind of works out. He was going to remove them under local????????. But now he will remove them at the same time as the skin excision under anesthesia. I told him I would like this done as soon as possible. I'm back at the gym and really trying to get back to where I was before surgery so I don't want to put it off anymore. He gave me the date of Oct.18 for the second surgery. I will have a pre-op on Sep. 30. I will have to cover the anesthesia and operating room fee- which I'm not thrilled with, but I knew this was a possibility when I decided to get implants. As far as general recovery goes.... At 3 months I would say I am pretty much back to normal. The lower portion of my breasts are still a little numb but I don't have any pain. They are soft (slightly firmer than my natural breasts) but they feel way more natural now. I am aware of the implants sometimes- random times, but not all the times. I sometimes wake up and find myself sleeping on my stomach- I try to avoid this- but they obviously don't hurt. I am back to the gym doing everything- I lost a lot of strength in core and upper body so I'm trying to work on this. it's a little bit frustrating but I'm improving almost daily- so it's just gonna be a matter of time.
Revision
So I had my revision yesterday. The purpose was to tighten up the pocket (they had bottomed out a bit) and to do another skin excision on both sides to raise the crease of my breasts. The nurse had a problem finding my vein for the IV ( not her fault - this happens to me a lot) - so after taking a cup full of pills and the needle constantly poking me I almost passed out. I think it's more my fear of needles. The put me under a lighter sedation this time and I swear I heard them talking in the OR...or I was having a very detailed dream, who knows...I was drugged up. I didn't experience any nausea this time...they gave me a patch before surgery. When I woke up I actually felt a lot better than last time. My doc said that they surgery was a lot more extensive than he thought. He ended up having to remove the implants during the procedure and it took longer than what we originally thought. I was there from 8:30 am until about 2:15. The doc put drains in, which I didn't have last time and I can already not wait for them to come out. I am sore on the bottom of my breast, with a slight burning sensation (the incisions) and where the drains go into my body they are taped under my armpit....and I swear it's the tape that is bothering me the most....every time I move it kinda pulls my skin. My boobs are hard again which sux cuz they were just getting nice and soft at the 3 month mark. I'm disappointed that I just got back into my workout routine and now have to wait again, frustrating. My belly is so bloated, again and to make things worse...I just got my period. Ugh!
