425cc. Silicone. Under the muscle. dec 5, 2013.

To all my fellow fantastic women:
You all look incredible, with or without the procedures you've had done or are about to get done. I am ever so thankful to you ladies who are sharing your accounts of what is a very private issue for the most part. I have appreciated being able to read about what's in store for me in the next couple weeks, and I know it wouldn't be possible without your decision to share. A big big thank you!!

Here goes.
I stand at 5'6" @ 157 lbs with 43" hips and 29" waist. Late twenties.
I am the humble owner of a 36B sized "rack", for a lack of better words.
Clearly my goal is to fill up and balance my larger lower body.. Looking to be a small to medium D

I should preface by saying this.. I am not the type of person to make rash uneducated decisions, I do thorough research on everything I do, be it a cruise trip for a week, or a new hair product, let alone a life changing surgery.

I am writing all this out for women out there who are like me and like hearing details of each case.

A little background:
I recently had a reduction/lift back in Aug of this year, 2013, to correct obvious asymmetry (left breast cup size med "c" and right breast cup size small "b"), that I've always had, since I hit puberty. The surgeon I had do the procedure was Dr. Gary Lawton, from San Antonio. He refused to do a lift and implants at the same time. He was adamant about having the procedures done separately and after months of research and having the first procedure already done, I am soooo happy I went with Dr Lawton's professional advice. Aside from the ugly scar I look pretty great for a small b. perky tight and high. ((Price @ $7,000)
Only downside??? I gained 15 pounds since my first surgery, those pain pills kept me at an all time high with my hunger and cravings!! Lost seven of them, now at 157. Been hoping to get to 150 in the next ten days.

Now I'm twelve days out from my BA. I have decided to go with Dr John Lomonaco of Houston bc unfortunately Dr Lawton only uses saline implants DON'T ASK ME WHY. such a brilliant surgeon with with stubborn foresight. After much research on implant filling I decided I would only accept silicone gel implants with dr lomonaco. (($6,965)

Now that being said, I have been obsessing over how big is too big, and how big I can go without looking absolutely ridiculous and I can't find the answers. I go in on Tues to discuss implant size. But I believe all the blogs I've read on this website and others has only confused me more :( I understand that each case differs bc each individual has a diff amount of breast tissue to begin with, diff heights weights and frames, but even when taking all that into consideration, there doesn't seem to be a common pattern that these cases follow. But of course professionals know better!

Anyway I guess i will be posting before and after pictures pretty soon. Happy Augmenting my fellow beauties! Any advice, or questions all welcome!

Just posting my 36B friends. The reduction surgery in Aug went very well, recovery was long, but actual pain was minimal. Suffered mostly from the itching.
Scar is "ghastly" yes.. But my bestie had the same surgery done four years ago (went from an EE to F). Her scar looked exactly the same as mine does now. But today, four years later you can't see the scar AT ALL so I really wasn't worried about the scarring.

Eleven days until my BA.

Went in to see dr LoMonaco today. Took in one of my best girlfriends with me for a second pair of eyes.

Before appt i was told to bring a bra that I think I may want to fill. Bought a VS 36D (DD seemed a little ridiculous)

At the office i put on the bra, Stood in front of a mirror while stuffing different sized implants one at a time in the bra. Then I'd put on a fitted t shirt over myself to get a vague idea of what'd each size look like.

350 cc... TooOOOO small
Then they didn't have 375 or 400 which was weird
450 cc.. Whoaaaaa alarmingly large for my taste. Looked ABSURD to me looked like I would topple over. And I am bottom heavy and still I thought it looked seriously big. But my friend didn't think it looked as odd as I did... Mind you she is a natural DD

Dr LoMonaco thought the 450 looked quite natural bc of my larger hips. But I told him I work out religiously and need my time on the treadmill. He then said I definitely needed to go down in size...

So now we've decided to be at a minimum of 400 to a maximum of 450.. I really don't want to be another woman, who months after my surgery realizes i wish I had gone larger like so many others. But I think I'd be even more miserable if I thought I was too large.

I am still confused as to which way to go.. Closer to 400 or 450...

Then spoke to dr LoMonaco about the surgery itself, in a technical and medical capacity. He told me what to expect... Answered all my questions, and really calmed by nerves. I don't think any woman knows exactly what to expect in terms of their surgery's results, but I have a fairly decent understanding of what my outcome may be... In a worst case scenario and a best case scenario alike.

Ten days left.

Just posting another angle of the before shot
Still on the fence about the size 400cc or 450??
still obsessing.
I have to ask, is it normal to obsess as much as I am about a BA?? I've never felt so vain and self involved. I want to be happy with the size, whether I feel it's too big or small.

Went back to the office to finalize which implant size to go with.. Stuffed my bra with different sizes again..

450 cc still looked excessively large. Tried the 400 cc, thought it looked great. So I decided on 425...

Also I had to keep in mind I'm about twelve pounds heavier than I usually am, so when and if i can get back to my goal weight (20 lbs less than now) the implants will look even bigger. I gained 15 lbs recently bc of my surgery in Aug. I'm feeling total remorse for not cracking down soon enough and shedding that weight before my augmentation...oh well.

Even if I think I should have gone bigger down the road like so many others, it will be better (i think) than thinking I went too large, and feeling regret in that way. I'd rather be too small than too large (I know most women feel the other way around).

Took some pictures with 400 cc implant stuffed in my bra.

Finally here, BA will be done and ill be back home w/in 12 hours

What a weird feeling, when you've waited for something for so long and you're finally at the end of the wait. So grateful right now for this supportive network with all you wonderful women... Totally feeling the love. It's nice knowing I'm not alone in any of this!

I'm supposed to be living in a sports bra for the next four weeks, as per instructions of my surgeon. The bra has adjustable straps.

Right out of surgery ill be wrapped with an ace bandage and I'm not certain as to for how long...my first post op appt is Monday, 4 days post op. loll I'm finally using the word "post-op"!!!

Went grocery shopping and got only "clean" food. Totally nervous about keeping weight off this time. I refuse to gain ANY more weight. But if and when in pain I'm a total sucker for sugar and bread.

See y'all tomorrow. Surgery at 7am.

Sorry I wasn't able to post a review yesterday, the day of.. But as you'll find out I was unable to move much of anything.

I'm going to be as thorough as possible in case anyone who is about to have this procedure done has a similar experience to mine.
First off, I'd like to say how wonderful my mother is, and how amazing she is to take such great care of me. I'm full of gratitude. Secondly, I'm so impressed by all you mothers out there who get a BA and you're back to motherhood so soonnnn I have no idea how I could have done that!!!

Pre op
Here goes. Reported to hospital 630 am
Somewhere between 730 and 8 I was urinating into a cup, then getting hooked up to an IV, being interrogated about food, drinks, etc.
Was given instructions about post op care.
dr LoMonaco (who is a PRINCE... for all you ladies looking for a PS in Houston) came in, spoke to my mother then drew his lines on me, asked me if I had any last minute questions. Made me feel very comfortable.. Didn't feel anxious or doubtful, which is not like me... But I guess it's bc I've been waiting for three years for this...
Anesthesiologist, who was another PRINCE, came in and asked me about my medical past. There's a lot to be said about doctors who make you feel so comfortable in such a scenario, my last anesthesiologist from my August surgery was not so delightful.
Was taken to the OR where they started to wrap me up to keep me warm. I don't even remember falling asleep.

Post op
Upon waking up, felt extreme pain where the incision had been made. Any kind of movement seemed to tug at it.
The nurse Aura, kept asking me to gage the pain 1 thru 5, 5 being the worst. I was at a 5.. But increment by increment she

...brought the pain down to a 2. It didn't take long at all so no need to worry if you're in that situation.
I was bandaged up pretty tight with an ace bandage.
Felt slight pressure on my chest.. Which honestly I thought I would've felt much more..
HOWEVER my anxiety started to rise quickly bc I DID feel intense pressure on my arms from the elbows down, which really did scare me. Felt like dead weight and somebody was sitting on each? I kept telling the nurse and she told me Dr LoMonaco was in another surgery and almost done.
When he showed up he told me not to worry, that pressure on my arms was quite normal...
Got dressed with the help of my mother, and up and into a wheelchair.
room started spinning FAST and thought I was going to throw up and faint. Nurses immediately gave me a pill for the nausea and another nurse put a cold wet rag on my forehead which gave me immediate relief.
Ride home was miserable. The hospital is in DT Houston so as you can imagine lots of bumps and rough gravel
Got home by 1 pm
Couldn't really stand unless I had to pee, which was quite uncomfortable moving around.
Arms still very heavy and tight.
Had my mom and friends give me hand massages which only gave temporary relief.
EXTREMELY bloated, as you'll see in the pic... I look exactly the way I bloat when I'm on my period.. Actually a little worse.

Next morning,( today),... Feeling MUCH better. Took the ace bandage off just or a while, and turns out the pressure in my arms is totally gone. Nurses told me they wrapped me up pretty tight! Most of my pain was from how tight my bandages were tied down.
My entire back is extremely tight. My bloated feeling is comfortable

After all that I've said I just want to be clear, these aren't complaints.. Just want to be as honest as possible so ppl know some to expect...

As far as my implants go.,,
They are sitting pretty high, and I'm getting the feeling I should have gone up to 450 cc.. But D LoMonaco said 425 was the biggest my skin would allow.. My previous surgery had formed so much scar tissue, that the breast was limited as to how much it would or could expand, which makes it easier to know I can't worry about going bigger since it would be possible,

Hey just updating my review.
Wanted to mention quickly I recommend getting a BA in the cold of winter.. Bc your body after any surgery is a furnace, your body is burning calories at an alarming rate so you'll already be warm.. I'd be miserable if I were in Texas summer right now.

Pain is little by little getting better.
Day 1 While lying down, don't really feel anything, but when I get up to use the restroom that's when I feel a shooting pain on the sides of my breasts. That didn't go away for a while, but Lets face it I had surgery there will be slight discomfort.
I am constantly hungry. I don't eat a lot at once but I sure do eat often.
I've had chicken stew, lentil soup, mashed potatoes and I can't remember what else.

Took muscle relaxant bc my entire back is tight and sore. Helped a lot

Day 2 getting out of bed is much easier. That shooting pain lasts a couple seconds when I'm getting up but is gone after. I'm still extremely sore and experiencing a dull pain. I'm walking around as much as possible but I start getting dizzy and feeling weak quickly. It's only day 3 I know I need to pace myself

Breasts have barely dropped. They feel pretty tight, but I know they'll soften up later.

Posting pics ASAP.

Here's a pic... It's only day 2 and I'm getting impatient with the implants not dropping. Am I the only one? Still wondering if I didn't go big enough, but I realize I can't really tell until the implants settle

It's about to be noon.
Feeling amazing compared to the last couple days. I just survived a night from hell.
Just wanting to warn you about the bloating and constipation... Yes I know it's "tmi" but if it's bad enough, it has to be said. My pictures show just how bloated I am and it's extremely uncomfortable. Now after using the bathroom, after 3 days, things have gotten a little easier. So far it's the only main thing I've had to struggle with. Yes there's slight pain, but everyone has their own level of tolerance..

Implants have dropped only a little today...

I am totally craving a good run at my gym. That's the hardest part for any of you who are workout junkies like me!!!

It's been less than a week and I now, am another patient who believes I've chose a size ONE size too small. Yeesh.

Just realized I haven't commented on Dr LoMonaco's work.. Now that the surgery is over... First off, what an outstanding surgeon. When I came out of surgery, I had ZERO bruising and minimal swelling. The placement of the implants was perfect. I didn't have to wait long at all for things to settle. The shape of how my breasts would end up was another concern of mine since no one can really assess exactly what you'll look like. But I love their shape. I know my case was different than most breast augmentations bc I had a lot of fresh, stubborn scar tissue from my previous surgery that Dr LoMonaco had to deal with. He even did me a solid and removed part of my keloid scars, what a doll :) hands down the best surgeon I could have picked In EVERY aspect!