Nervous, Excited, and All of the Above - Chicago, IL
Updated 9/4/2012 Hello all! My name is April...
Updated 9/4/2012
Hello all! My name is April and I am a 23 y/o, 5”11, and 160 lbs. I went for my consultation on 7/5/2012 in downtown Chicago. A close girlfriend recommended my doctor to me who also had a breast augmentation done. She is of similar built and raved about the entire experience. When I went for my own appointment with my mom the office was very clean and relaxing, the assistants and nurses made me feel very comfortable (many had procedures done by the Doctor also), and the Doctor took his time with me and made sure that every one of my questions were answered.
I decided to go ahead and schedule the procedure because this is something that I always wanted to do. I am a very tall, slightly broad shouldered girl and having smaller breasts always affected my personal self-esteem. I felt that I would look better in clothes and overall with slightly larger breasts. While I am slender, I am not stick think and being on the flat chested side always felt like I was missing something. After years of wearing padded bras and tank tops through puberty I finally realized that I was not going to see any changes after I hit 22 or so. I am a middle sized A cup now and I am going to what I hope is a full C (370CC). I choose to go with gel silicone implants because there is less of a chance of wrinkling or rupture. They feel real and hold their shape quite well. The most important thing that I hope to achieve from surgery is a natural look. I made that very clear when I saw the doctor during the consultation.
The consultation was very informative and gave me the confidence and self-assurance to book the appointment within two months. The Doctor was able to use a program called Vectra that allowed him to take a real life picture of my breasts and then manipulate the image using a computer to show me different sizes and profiles. Seeing how my breasts will look more or less gave me a very good depiction of what to expect and also allowed the Doctor and myself to be on the same page regarding how I wanted my end result to look. We also tried on the actual implant underneath my clothes, he was able to examine the current dimensions and specification of my breasts (thankfully I have really good symmetry) and went over some of the general specifics of surgery. I booked my surgery for 9/14/2012 and while I am excited I am definitely very nervous.
Updated 9/5/2012
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With just about nine days to go the reality of what I am doing is setting in. I am worried about the results of surgery, what if they don’t look good, what if I lose sensitivity, what if I am making a mistake. For smaller breasts, mine look good but like I said I always wanted something more. I am nervous about changing my body forever. I started reading other people’s stories and blogs of their experiences and all of the positive feedback is making me feel at ease. My main fear is going too big and the results not looking natural, which is really important to me. I have a couple pictures saved of how I would like to look after surgery and reminding me by looking at those is actually very helpful. While my boyfriend is supportive he is a bit skeptical also. He is worried about hurting me and how I will feel after surgery. Luckily, I have a desk job Monday thru Friday so the surgery is scheduled for Friday morning and I hope to be back at work by Tuesday or Wednesday if the healing process goes well. I waitress on the weekends but when I start to feel better they told me that I could hostess as opposed to serving which will definitely alleviate some stress on my body.
My pre-appointment is scheduled for this Saturday at 9 a.m. I also think knowing more about what I need to do before, during, and after will help me relax and know what to expect. At the consultation the Doctor and I decided on under the muscle and under the breast incision. The Doctor explained that going thru the armpit might affect symmetry and thru the nipple might affect sensitivity. While the breast crease might scar a bit more than other areas, I am a pretty good healer and I hope for minimal scaring.
Replies (1)
Updated 9/10/2012 As the day of surgery gets...
As the day of surgery gets closer my emotions range from calm and confident to freaking out and nervous. I have a lot of questions and thankfully my doctor and my girlfriend are there for me to have them answered. My pre appointment was 9/8/2012 and everything went really well. The nurse made me feel like I was in good hands and went over everything that I needed to be aware of and make preparations for. I was also able to try my implants on again inside a bra to reassure myself that the size I picked was exactly what I wanted.
I had a few glasses of wine Sunday night but I decided not to drink anything until well after my surgery. The nurse told me not to drink alcohol within 48 hours but I have been drinking tons of water. I am trying to eat a lot of chicken this week and fruits and veggies. I know I will want some “comfort food” after surgery but I am going to try and keep that as infrequent as possible so that I can heal quickly.
So surgery is Friday morning at 6:30 a.m., at least that is the time that they told me to be there. I am glad it is so early so that I don’t have to spend the day waiting around and I can be home early in the afternoon also. My mom and my boyfriend will be taking care of me over the weekend. My mom agreed to spend Friday night and anytime I need her over the weekend. I have some things on the DVR to watch but I am looking forward to doing a lot of sleeping also. My post op appointment is scheduled for Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and they will take the bandages off me and put me into my sports bra.
I have been obsessively looking at YouTube video blogs and written blogs on other sites. My boyfriend tells me that I am crazy but I like to be well informed. The worrying of whether I picked the right size is starting to come through also. I don’t want to be bigger than a D (I told my doctor C) but I don’t want to be smaller than a C. My doctor seems very educated and comfortable with breast augmentation so I know I am in good hands.
Replies (0)
Updated 9/11/2012 It’s hard to believe that I...
It’s hard to believe that I will only have my current boobs for two more days after today. I am definitely excited to throw out all my bras but the nervousness is still there. I have had people tell me that recovery is easy and others tell me that it is the worst thing imaginable. Hopefully I am somewhere in the middle.
I started taking the Arnica tablets this morning which are supposed to help reduce bruising, swelling, and overall pain. I have to take five tablets three times a day until the day of my surgery. I also picked up my other prescriptions which are Vicodin, Keflax, and Celebrex. While reading other people’s accounts of their experiences the differences in recovery are all over the place. Some doctors say to use ice and others say no ice and only heat. I have read blogs where the doctor says to go braless after the surgery while my doctor says I need to be in a sports bra for six weeks. My doctor only wants to see me one day after surgery and then the next follow up visit will not be until six weeks after. So many differences!!!
I told my boyfriend that I want the whole house cleaned from top to bottom this weekend. He looked at me like I was crazy ? Laundry, bathrooms, and kitchens are not things that I want to worry about when I am recovering. I have a few friends that are bringing me meals that I can freeze and reheat. I also am looking at getting a reclining sofa set today instead of a very uncomfortable sectional that I have. My old couch was like a dream and I had to give it away due to space issues. I also have a tempurpedic bed but I can imagine getting in and out of that might be a bit hard.
I have been looking for zip up sports bras at department stores and I am not having much luck. Any recommendations?
Replies (10)
Hello april~ Congrats on booking your surgery! I am sure you are very nervous & excited too....I had my BA done 6 months ago and got silicone, mod + 304 cc's. Our stats are very similar- I am 5"10 145 and wanted a "natural" look also. My doctor provided the Vectra imaging also, such a wonderful feature to give patients a realistic picture of what they will look like post op! I currently fill out a full C/small D cup, most people do not even notice I had a BA unless wearing a tight blouse or bikini. You should be aware there is a GREAT risk for nipple sensitivity loss. My nipples pre-op were very,very sensitive and now they are quite numb. Very disappointing, but overall I am happy and have zero regrets. The unsightly "mosquito bites" are gone, I threw away all the padded bras and finally have sexxy curves...... So life is good! Lol Good luck on your journey:-)
By the way, I'm very close to your height and weight and I had my BA yesterday morning. I have the new Sientra Shaped HP textured 550cc over the muscle I was a small A and now sitting here with no pain with a large C small D. Ge it done girl!
GOOD POINTY CHRISTINE!! Yep, not everyone looses nipple sensation. But there is a risk. I hope yours turn out amazing and you will be100 % thrilled with the outcome :))
My recovery was truly amazing! I took no pain killers and was out to dinner the same evening after my surgery! My PS offered "Rapid Recovery", not many doctors do. I had no bruising and was able to lift my arms above my head right after surgery. I think all doctors should learn this technique so women who have BA's do not have to suffer. research this procedure on google to learn more;-)
It sounds like you've thought about this a lot! Just make sure you've communicated thoroughly with your surgeon what you want and don't want. Here's a great list of what to buy and prep before your surgery. Please keep us posted!