41 Year Old Mother of Three...Pain, Results, Scar Healing, Recovery Tips I Wish I Had Known and Why I Did It. - Frederick, MD

Was it worth it? YES!!! I am only about 3 weeks post op and I am beyond thrilled with the results. I had a breast lift with 325 cc high profile "gummy bear" silicone implants, abdominoplasty and liposuction of inner and outer thighs. The pain was the most severe I have ever experienced and I consider myself to have an excellent threshold for pain. Having said that, I would do it again tomorrow! I think having all three procedures at once was difficult because when you can't use your abdominal muscles, you tend to use your arms and upper body strength to help you get up and do other things. I remember that with my 3 c-sections. But when you can't use your arms or pull because of the breast surgery, I was completely dependent on people to help me do anything. Also it was difficult staying bent over for the first week - hard to sleep and my tailbone was killing me! Probably because I fractured it about 2 years ago and it never healed right. The liposuction was way more painful than I had realized. It felt like my legs were burning and throbbing. The skin was really swollen and extremely sensitive, like a terrible sunburn. The percocet helped some but then I was getting really sick from it so stopped taking it after 1 week. OK enough complaining about the pain.

My results are phenomenal!!! I joke and say before surgery I could have been the pin up girl for National Geographic and now I feel like I'd have a shot at [RS bleep]. :) My scars are way better than I expected from my research on the internet. Sorry but I'm not posting any photos. Despite my joke about [RS bleep], I'm shy. I have researched a lot about scar treatments - silicone, mederma, bio oil, etc. I asked my PS what he thought about them and he told me he didn't think any of them make any difference but I could try any of them if I wanted. I remember as a child, I had a terrible burn on my arm - a large pot of boiling water spilled on me accidentally. My mother would wrap my arm is cotton soaked with castor oil every day for a month. I have no scar whatsoever. I figured maybe castor oil would be good for my incisions and searched the internet for information. I found some great reviews for scars being treated with castor oil, as well as some other beauty uses (makes your eyebrows thicker, eyelashes thicker, great as moisturizer for extremely dry skin, hair treatment for thicker hair that grows faster, etc). I have only started to rub my incisions (gently) with castor oil morning and night and they already look way better!!! I'm not sure if any product is really better than another or if rubbing the incision alone will help to flatten the scar as it breaks up tissue a bit with massage but I thought if castor oil helped me before and it's really pretty inexpensive, why not? I'll let you know what my PS says about my scar when I see him again in 3 weeks.

OK so here's what I wish I had known before. You will need someone to be with you 24 hours a day for at least 1 week. I have had many surgeries before - brain surgery, thyroidectomy, 3 c-sections, hernia repair. I was able to get up the next day after all of them and take care of myself. I mistakenly believed it would be the same with this surgery. I had read lots of reviews about the pain and yes everyone is different and every surgery is different. My surgery lasted a little more than 8 hours so maybe it was more invasive than others. My PS is a perfectionist so I knew it would be a long surgery. Many of the review I read said it was comparable to a c-section or doing a million crunches. Well for me it wasn't even close. I am a very fit and active person - 5' 4" and 120 lbs. Before surgery I exercised every day - running, cardio, weight training. I thought I'd sail through but this surgery really kicked my ass. Get help for the first week because you may not be able to even get out of a chair without it. Second thing - I bought a recliner for my recovery but opted for the one with the arm vs. the remote. Big mistake! There is no chance you can push down with your legs to get up and don't even think about reaching your arm to the side. It's not happening! I read somewhere after my surgery where someone rented a medical bed and set it up in their family room. I think that would have been awesome. I was so uncomfortable in the recliner and I couldn't adjust myself or reposition with pillows without help and/or getting up. Not a huge problem during the day but at night I just had to live being uncomfortable because I didn't want to wake anyone to reposition me. I don't know how expensive it is to rent a hospital bed for a week but I'd have paid about anything to be more comfortable that first week. Stool softeners are your friend and don't waste your time with colace...Go for the mineral oil. It works way better. Stock up on compression garments and sports bras without underwire - and go large. You're going to be swollen! Don't buy a one piece compression garment. There is a ridiculously small hole to pee through and if you have to pull the whole thing off everytime, you're going to be exhausted and in pain and you have to take off your top every time you need to go. Get some spandex shorts and a compression cami. Way easier! Lastly...don't freak out when you feel your boobs up by your collarbone. They are extremely high at first and way bigger because of the swelling. They will drop and look more natural in time. You will be swollen for a long time so don't expect to love the way you look at first. It can take up to a year for swelling to go done. Have patience. I am still extremely swollen and bruised but I can already tell how excellent my results will be.

Ok so I'll tell you why I did it. I have always been self conscious about my body. I was always a little chubby - about 150 lbs. Not terrible but I grew up with sisters that are all really skinny and so I always felt uncomfortable. Having had three kids only added to my dislike of my body. My breasts were large - D cup but really saggy. I could never wear some cute clothes - strapless bras didn't really help lift my saggy breasts, bathing suit shopping would depress me, etc. I lost about 35 lbs through healthy eating and exercise and really transformed my body - especially with weight training!!! For the first time in my life, I could fit into a size 2 or even a size 0 in some style pants. I was a size 10 before I started getting in shape. For the first time in my life, I am thinner than my sisters. I'm sorry that makes me a little too happy. :) Even though I was feeling really good about my weight loss and I started to really like the muscle tone I was getting in my arms and legs, I would step out of the shower and see my saggy breasts and loose skin (which did get worse after weight loss) and feel ugly. I liked the way I looked in clothes but I knew what I looked like underneath. Lots of people thought I was crazy for having the surgery because they thought I looked great and because of my previous medical issues - brain surgery for 2 aneurysms. They didn't understand why I would put myself at risk and "you have three kids" to worry about. There can be a lot of feelings of guilt and selfishness for having the surgery. I've never spent that much money on myself before! My husband also was completely against the surgery. He told me he didn't like fake boobs and he thought he might find me unattractive with the scars. It was a really difficult time for me but I really wanted it. I wanted to feel comfortable in my own skin. I did it even though I had a lot of people who were not supportive of it and I would do it again. Yes I did almost die after one of my brain procedures but that has only taught me that life is too short to be unhappy. Is there a risk with surgery? Yes...but there is a higher risk every time you get in a car! I'm not saying it is for everyone. I don't think it's the answer to all your problems. I wasn't doing the surgery to fix any self esteem issues. I like myself. I am not defined by the way I look. I simply wanted to feel better about my body and after having three kids, going through all the medical drama and busting my ass getting into shape, I felt I deserved it!