Almost Went Plastic...From Implants only to a Breast Lift w/o Implants and Mini Tummy Tuck- Columbus, OH

First, let me start off by saying, "Thank you", to this site and everyone who has posted. This resource has certainly helped me along the way...on "my journey", which may sound a bit corny but that phrase is spot on...

Story of A Girl:
And so it began several years after high school. I had always been thin (115) and in shape but you know how the story goes, girl packs on 10, then 15...finds herself in a miserable relationship, all the sudden she's depressed and weighing in at 175! Girl gets pregnant and tops the scale at 194..holy [RS bleep]. I didn't even recognize this person any longer. Reality hits that I'm now a mom and have another life to look after..my precious baby girl, I kick my ass into high gear with working out, eating organic/natural and 10 years later I work my way down to 125. Go me, right? Right....BUT I now have saggy breasts and a lower abdomen that will not shape up no matter how hard I try. What's a girl to do?..I could be content with my body, after all I did have a child and in some countries saggy breasts are attractive ( at least that is what national geographic implies ;) or I could seek out a plastic surgeon to magically wave his scalpel and create a work of art...After many years of deliberation, I went with door #2.
I went to 3 plastic surgeons in the Columbus, Ohio area. I initially was looking for breast augmentation only, with saline implants (please don't get me started on the weighing process of the saline decision). 1 doctor said vertical lift with implants, another said he could do the implants without lift and if I needed could come back for a lift in stage 2 and the last said mini lift with implant. I preferred the last doctor as I felt comfortable with his opinion and saw it as somewhat of a compromise since over the course of my research I did agree that my breasts needed a lift.( I'm going to take a moment here to say when you first start out you do not realize what all is involved in the process, some might think, "oh, the PS will throw in some implants and voila, I'm a sexy beast"..ok, maybe that was just me but I can say it definitely does not go down like that...it's a process.) So, I'm now signed up with Dr. Donaldson, doctor #3, I know of 2 other people that had been to him for breast augmentation only, with good results. My impression of him is pleasing, as well as his staff, and I'll get into those details more as the weeks progress...

Game Changer: Boo.
It's Sunday, November 3rd, 10 days before my surgery...the prior Friday I had asked my doctor for a sample of the saline shell they would use as my implant because I have sensitivity to certain chemicals and latex, I can break out. I didn't really think it would be a problem since the PS and staff assured me that no one has ever had an allergic reaction to implants but I wanted to cover all of my bases anyway, knowledge is power and all. I rolled up the implant shell and placed it under left breast, within a few minutes it started itching like crazy and getting red, I left it there for an hour and what do you know, when I removed it there was a welt and itchy bump! I couldn't believe it, my worst fear just days before I was going to get my big, beautiful boobies! Being the scientist I am, I placed it under the other breast and the same thing happened:( ...Tears, ya'll, tears. I barely got any sleep that night thinking about what my options were...Here's where it gets weird.. the next day I tried the same experiment and there wasn't any itch or rash? I can't understand why there was an issue but, there was one. What I do know is that the seed has already been planted and I can't knowingly put them into my body until I confirm that I don't have an allergy to the substance. I reached out to several allergist who do not perform blood tests, only patch tests; over the next few months I will do more research.
I talked to my PS and a staff member about it and while they weren't necessarily rude, I could tell they were bothered by it and did not think there could be an issue…if this were the 1800's they might have tried to commit me, I don't really fault them though since that is most likely the same reaction I would get from anyone in that field. Regardless, I haven't swayed and have just decided to tweak my game plan, I am now going for the mommy makeover without implants. I came to the realization that if I could get my body back to how it would have been without the excessive weight gain/pregnancy then I would be happy with that, no implants is actually more inline with how I am as a person (natural), so even though this decision was somewhat forced by an adverse reaction and paranoia, I've come to terms with it. If it is determined down the line that I am not allergic to the implant (why don't they have specific tests?!!!) then I always have the option to reconsider.

Moving forward:
I've decided to stay with Dr. Donaldson and I have a consult tomorrow to go over some questions I have regarding the new procedures. Wish me luck ! :)

Where was I? ..Oh yes, follow up consult with Dr. D... As I described in my initial post, I had some sort of reaction the silicone implant shell, I'm not sure if it was the silicone or something on it but the end result was a nasty, itchy rash. I decided against the implants and opted for a breast lift with mini tummy tuck instead. I did not make this decision lightly as I had my heart set on bigger formed breasts and really didn't want to spend an extra $5,000, but in the end it's the choice I felt most comfortable about. So I went to Dr. D's for another consult to discuss my options and the office experience seemed different...Prior to this visit, everyone had seemed warm and comforting but this time around, interactions with staff were curt and I didn't seem to have the same rapport with the doctor. No one mentioned the reaction I had to the silicone shell and even the nurse I had left a message for didn't call me back or say anything about it. I figure it could have been an off day in the office or it's a, "no one talks about the pink elephant in the room when they don't believe it exists", type deal. After speaking with some concerned friends, I questioned if I should stay with this provider, for the reason mentioned above and he didn't have many before/after photos. but on the flipside, he is a professional, with a good reputation, who does seem to take pride in his work and has been labeled as "meticulous" (gotta love that in a surgeon) so I am moving forward with high hopes and fingers crossed :)
I will be posting before and after pictures on here shortly, I feel photos significantly add to the review and I hope my review can help someone in the future.

I've spent a good part of this week getting prepared for the upcoming surgery + downtime. It all seems methodical. I'm not as happy as I should be. I had the, " if i should die speech" with my daughter...she's 10, how depressing. She doesn't know about the surgeries yet, so she thinks I'm being silly. But her promise to me, if anything happens, is that she will continue to learn guitar and write/sing a song about me. Gosh, I'm so vain ;)

I look as this surgery as pricey body maintenance to help fix what a life of weightloss, pregnancy and aging has done to my body. I think this outlook will change once I've healed, my main concern with all of this is the scars...I fear the frankenstein appearance. I'm assuming that's natural. Anywho, I have a lot more to do so I'm adding before pictures, and should be updating again within the next few days.