9 Year Old Implants Removed with Lift - Oakville, ON

So I guess you can say my story started 9 years ago. I was 25 years old and had been thinking for a long time that I wanted to get my breasts "fixed" as I had very saggy c-cup boobs. After MUCH contemplating I decided to go and see a plastic surgeon to see what could be done about them. I was given a recommendation through a mutual friend to see Dr. Yazdanfar at the Toronto Cosmetic Clinic. For those who haven't heard, Dr Yazdanfar was the surgeon who had her medical license removed b/c she was not a licensed plastic surgeon, she was just a regular family physician who was performing major surgery in her own clinic and one of her patients died on her table. Keep in mind that I only found this out about 3 years after I had my surgery. If she was a real plastic surgeon then she probably would have told me that I should get a lift not implants. But being naive I took her advice and got implants which took me from a small c-cup to an e-cup! I was absolutely horrified. I had basically taken one insecurity and traded it for another. I now had to get my clothes custom fitted and don't even get me started on the costs of my bra's to fit these "monster boobs". No matter what I did I couldn't hide these things. Fast forward 8 years, I'm now married and have gained 50lbs from my pregnancy so my boobs are now an f-cup. It was at this time that I had reached my breaking point. My back was killing me all the time, I was having horrible headaches and my posture was really bad. That's when I decided I had to make a change so I started to eat better and work out regularly. I have now lost 30lbs and barely anyone has noticed as I am still wearing loose clothing to hide my breasts. I'm running regularly too now and having to wear tight compressions bras is so uncomfortable! Ugh, I just hate these horrible things. I've gone ahead and booked a consultation with a real plastic surgeon that was recommended to me by my current family physician. Her name is Dr. Julie Khannan of the ICLS clinic located in Oakville, Ontario and my appointment is on May 3rd. I am just hoping that she can help fix a mistake that I made manny years ago.

Morning struggle...trying to find an outfit that fits the girls.

Getting ready to go for a run. Having to wear a tight compression bra and they still look huge.

Just wanted to share some pics of me in a bra so you all can see just how much it digs into my shoulders on a daily basis from the sheer weight of my breasts. Having a horrible headache today...I wonder why. I'm counting down the days to my appointment.

Due to the constant pain in my left breast, I went to the hospital today (recommended by my Family Physician) to get an ultrasound on my breast to be sure that my implant wasn't ruptured. Thankfully it wasn't, but while I was telling my story to the ultrasound technician she asked what the Dr's name was of the surgeon who would be removing my implants. I told her that my NEW Dr will be Dr Khanna and that was when the ultra sound tech told me that she had worked with Dr Khanna personally and that she is a really good doctor. This, as you can imagine, absolutely made my day given my first experience. Oh but it gets better! She also proceeded to tell me that she has personally seen Dr Khanna's end result work because she does the ultrasound scans on her breast cancer patients. To hear that from another health care worker (who I might add has no affiliation with Dr Khanna) tell me my new Dr does great work....I was so happy! This totally took away some of my worries/fears.

So a day that started out on a bit of a crappy level turned out really well in the end. :D

So it's been a little while since my last update but that's only because nothing has changed. Tomorrow if my first consultation with Dr Kannan and I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. I am trying to get OHIP (government insurance) to pay for a portion of my surgery due to the amount of pain that I am in on a daily basis but I'm not sure is I will be approved. It all depends on what Dr Kannan reports back to OHIP. I know for sure that I have to pay for the majority of the costs myself and I'm ok with that but any little help from insurance would be a bonus. Anyways, I've attached another picture in the hopes that other women, like myself, hopefully find the courage to remove their "plastic prison" as well. I will post another update tomorrow to let everyone know how it went. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a good day :)

So here is an update. I went to Dr Khanna's office and her staff there were super nice and very friendly. I didn't have to wait long at all, my apt was for 10:45am and I was in the office with the nurse by 10:50am. This was wonderful for me as I was actually on my way to a conference that very same day so I was on a deadline. Plus, how nice is it to not have to wait at a doctors office for a change?!?! Being from Canada you get use to waiting, so this was a nice change for me. :) Moving on..... I met with the nurse who took all my details and asked me a bunch of questions on my medical history. Pretty standard stuff. Then I met with Dr Khanna. She was very friendly and patient with me which was nice considering how super nervous I am for being in her office due to my first experience with plastic surgery. She examined me and explained all my options that were available to me. She also did not try to pressure me into anything that I was not comfortable with (like getting new implants). I told her what I wanted and she told me that I was best to have the implants removed, along with the capsule around the implants, and to then have a small lollipop lift. She also said that I will be out of commision for a couple of weeks and probably not running for at least six weeks but I'm ok with that. She also gave me some real expectations of what to expect but if I'm perfectly honest, all I really want is to have these implants out and feel like me again. Some days I can't even remember what it's like to have small breasts which makes me really nervous. That is actually the reason why it took me so long to write this....I didn't pay my deposit until today b/c I was still on the fence. I went for a run today and I was reminded just how much I hate these balloons on my chest so when I was finished I called the clinic and made it officially. I just had to do it.....am I scared? Absolutely! I'm still scared but if I don't do it I know in my heart that I will regret not getting it done for the rest of my life. My appointment is Aug 3rd! Sometimes you just have to go for it you know... I just wanted to say thanks to all you ladies out there that had the courage to share your stories as its given me hope that I too may be able to find happiness within myself. I'll keep everyone posted :)

Things they don't tell you before you have implants? That you would have daily pain in your shoulders caused by the bra that you will have to wear to hold up the implants. Sigh.....

Well I'm sitting outside my surgeon's office waiting for my final consultation before surgery and feeling two types of emotions....excitement and nervousness. I know deep in my heart that I will be sooo much happier after these implants are out and yet, at the same time, I'm scared. I've had implants for so long now that I can barely remember what it feels like to not have these heavy saggy implants.

I hope that my surgeon is able to give me back a newer and more real me. Someone who can get up in the morning and not have to worry about "what am I gonna wear today?".

I also want to set a positive example for my step daughter who is turning 11 this year and is already starting to "notice" what other girls on TV look like. I want her to know that true beauty is really on the inside and it's not just a cliché saying. That sometimes you don't need plastic surgery to "fix" something with your body. Sometimes you just need to "fix" yourself on the inside. How can I look at her and tell her that she is beautiful just they way she is whiling having these monstrosities on my chest.

Anyways, I'm rambling now. lol

I'll keep everyone posted on how things go.

Well it's 4 days till my surgery. Just squeezing in some last workouts. Can't wait till I'm actually able to wear this workout shirt without looking obscene. I am actually starting to get really excited! I'm so done with implants. :)

OMG OMG OMG.....I can't even begin to explain just how excited I am for surgery tomorrow!! I feel like tomorrow is my version of Christmas morning. I'M READY!! :D

I can't even begin to say how happy I am right now. I'm almost in tears for the sheer joy of being me again. I'm still pretty groggy though and I can't stop shivering as the anesthesia is wearing off but I feel good.....and really sore. This is way less painful then having implants put in though. I'll give everyone the nitty gritty details tomorrow though as I'm really tired and just want to catch some sleep while I can.

Thanks everyone for sharing all your stories with me. It was what really gave me the strength to get this done....so thank you!!

So I can say that I am a lot more sore today then yesterday but I was expecting that. I'm still happy that I got this done though even despite the discomfort. :). I'm also a little nauseous today so I'm gonna try drinking some orange juice as opposed to water for a bit. I've heard that may help. Something that I've noticed is that I'm not really hungry for some reason. Has anyone else experienced this? And my tummy is very bloated..... I suppose there could be worse things but it's just odd to me is all. I'm able to move around quite a bit so that's a bonus. I usually get up every hour (if I'm not napping) and walk around the house just to keep moving and I feel pretty good doing that. I'm also doing my small stretches that the nurse instructed me to do. I find that the stretching really helps my back.

I've uploaded some new pics to show that not much has changed. I haven't seen what I look like under the bra just yet and I'm still too nervous to peak. Not too mention that I'm also one of those people that faints if I see blood...lol. It's quite embarrassing tbh. I cut my toe once and blacked out so I don't want to take a chance on peaking just yet.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask away. I'll answer any that I can :)

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to give everyone an update. :)

A nurse called me today to see how I was feeling and to get the measurements on my drains. She also told me that based on how little is coming out of my drains, I may be able to get them removed tomorrow (Friday). Another nurse is going to call me in the morning to get one last measurement. If it's still low then I'll be heading back to Dr. Khanna's office to have the drains removed! Yay! I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed caused that would be wonderful. Drains suck :( the sooner these things come out the better. It's not that they necessarily hurt, they are just really uncomfortable. Every once in a while I move a certain way and I can feel them pulling.

Another thing that isn't so great is that I'm also still really bloated and my back still hurts. I am still getting up every hour to walk around a bit which really helps my back along with the stretches. It's just after I sleep for a little while that my back gets stiff. It's funny cause I did remember this from when I had the implants put in. I also remember too that the pain did eventually go away so I know this will only be temporary.

Another positive note is that I have already been able to start cutting down on my pain meds. I'm down taking 2 Tylenol 3's every 6-8 hours and 1 400mg Advil once a day if needed. I usually only take the Advil at night so I can get a little extra sleep. I don't take any Advil durning the day and sometimes I only take 1 T3 as opposed to the 2 T3's. Actually while on this subject I'll give everyone a tip. Keep a written or digital log of when you took each medication. I also put a tick mark next to the time I took my meds just so that I know 100% that I took each pill. I'm not sure what everyone else was or will be prescribed but I'm currently on 2 types of antibiotics, T3's, a generic stool softener and Advil (when needed). I find that sometimes I just can't remember when I took each pill cause they all have different schedules. Without writing down what dosage I took and what time I took it, I would be lost. And I also wrote down any side effects or things I should do next to the name of each medication. Things such as "take this medication with food" and "no dairy". I don't want to get an upset tummy and will do anything to prevent that, hence the detailed medication log. I also want to be 100% sure that I can do everything possible to have the best results I can so I'm following everything Dr. Khanna's office said to do almost to the letter.

As for Dr. Khanna herself, she and her team has been amazing so far. I have never once felt pressured to do anything that I wasn't comfortable with. She has listened to everything that I said I wanted and told me if something may not be possible. For example, she told me that even after a lift I may not have fullness in the upper poles of my breasts but I'm ok with that. :). Her staff has also been extremely nice and helpful. They have never seemed pushy in any way and listen with compassion when I told my story of how I got my implants to begin with. I basically feel like I am in really capable hands and I would recommend Dr. Khanna to anyone at this point. It's worlds apart from the treatment I received when I had implants put in.

Anyways, that's my rant for the night. I'll keep everyone posted tomorrow. And maybe even get some actual pictures of my new itty bitty boobies. :)

So my nurse just called me to asked about my drains and she said that based of the info J gave her I can get my drains removed today! My appointment is at 1:30pm. Yay!! I'm sooo excited to have them out before the weekend hits. I've also added a couple of photos to show just how much my belly is bloated. It's probably my most uncomfortable side effect at the moment. That and the fact that I have not been able to have a #2 since the surgery even with taking to stool softeners. :/

Anyways, I will try to get more pics of my actual boobs today when the drains are removed.

I'll keep everyone posted. :)

Ok. So I got my drains removed which was super easy but I got really nauseous so I couldn't take a pic at that time. Since I got home though I felt better so I took a peak..... It's not pretty to look at by any means and there is still a lot of dried blood and swelling so keep that in mind. I do like though that my incisions are relatively small and don't go all the way across the bottom of my breasts. I also like that I don't have incisions in the middle of my chest so I may actually get away with low V neck clothing in the future. (Not that I have any plans to wear such clothing at the moment lol). So.....overall? I'm happy and still glad I had the procedure done. :)

Hi everyone,

Got my first shower tonight and was even able to gently wash my own hair which is a wonderful bonus. I'm also down to taking only 1 T3 ever 6-10 hours so that means the pain is subsiding. I still take 2 T3's at bedtime so that I can get some sleep as that's when I mostly feel the discomfort. When I up moving about by day I'm sore but not really in much pain so I don't need the T3's much. I'm still taking the 1 Advil 400mg by night to help with the swelling. I also still apply the ice every so often too as today I was a little more swollen than usual when I forgot.

Hmmm what else? Oh, I got to really look at everything after getting out of the shower and I'm optimistic that it will look better once everything starts to heal, it's just not that hot to look at right now. To be honest, it's a little hard to look at myself but it still has not gotten me down. When my husband finally saw tonight what everything looks like (he helped me dry off and get dressed), he told me that he's still happy that I got the implants removed. He also told me that I do look better now and that he never truly loved the large implants from the start. I can see the sincerity in his eyes too which means the world to me. If my husband can still find me beautiful even with the scars then I think I'm gonna be just fine.

Happy healing to all the ladies that may be reading my story that have had the procedure done already. And to those who may be considering breast implant removal or a reduction but haven't taken the plunge just yet.... Just do it! It's worth it in my opinion. :)

Hi Everyone,

So it's day 5 post op and I'm feeling better every day. I've showered twice now and I take my support bra off every day to wash / dry it and to allow some air on my breasts. The swelling has gone down a bit and I usually only take 1 T3 at bedtime. Otherwise I only take Advil 400mg when needed. Another side effect that I'm not happy with is that I now have a feminine yeast infection from taking all the heavy duty antibiotics. :( Out of all the stories I've read on here I never heard anyone say they got this so I'm not sure if I'm the only one whose ever gotten this side effect or, and this one I believe is more likely, is that no one has ever mentioned it. So I figured I would share this lol

I also still have swelling in my belly, centre of my chest (between my breasts) and on the right and left side of my breasts but it's starting to subside.

Other than that, not much has changed. I'm still sleeping on a 45 degree angle and putting ice on my breasts for about 15 mins every 2 hours. The ice actually really helps. Another side effect that I haven't heard about is the itching. It's not sever or anything like that but there is some slight itching of the skin on my back, sides and top of my breasts. No itching on my incisions though.

I also still get really tired through out the day if I've been moving around a lot so I nap for 45 mins about ever 3-4 hours. This also helps a lot. I'm also not lifting anything remotely heavy. As I said before, I'm basically trying to follow the instructions Dr. Khanna's office gave me to the letter. I want to look back on this later in life and honestly tell myself that I did everything possible to have the best results possible :)

Anyways, I'm off to have a nap. :)

I've added a few updated pics so everyone can see what my results are with just a regular sports bra on. Keep in mind that my sports bra is not a push up bra in any way and this is all me :)

:)

So today is the first day that I have been able to get up, get dressed and do my hair since the surgery....... I feel fantastic! It took me longer than it normally does but I did it all on my own. :)

I went for my 1 week post op appointment on Wed and while in with the nurse she asked me a question. "How are you feeling?". I thought for a moment and the first word that came to mind was liberated! I feel LIBERATED!! Gone are my back / shoulder aches. Gone is my memory fog and even my Rosacea has cleared up. Gone are the days of trying to "hide my boobs"! I'm down 5lbs since surgery and I just feel so much better about myself.

One last thing. I spoke with my Dr about the itching and she said that there are a bunch of nerve clusters just under you arm pit that get aggravated during surgery. The itching is because the nerves are firing signals and reconnecting....which is a good thing. :). She also said that applying ice to the body just under your arm pit should help and that if it doesn't help then talk to your Dr.

Anyways, Happy Friday Everyone. Hugs

So I thought I would update everyone on something that I am only now just noticing. The swelling has really gone done on my right side compared to my left breast. Also, my left nipple (the one with the dried blood still all around it) has no feeling still and it's still itching. Whereas the right nipple has some feeling back and is only itchy a small amount of time. Has anyone else experienced this? I still don't know why I never noticed this before...hmm. Interesting. I wonder if it feels this way because of the swelling? Thoughts anyone?

Another thing, and this one I'm really happy about, is that I slept on my side a little last night for the first time since the surgery. My nurse told me during my last visit, that it was then ok to start sleeping on my side, as long as I kept a pillow between my breasts. It actually took me 10 days post op to do this gently as opposed to the "normal" 7 days. But hey, better late than never right. :)

So this morning I noticed that I've started to get a little feeling back in my right nipple and low and behold....my right nipple is a little perky this morning :D ahh it's the little things in life that can make your day. Happy Friday everyone.

Hi everyone,

So I had another follow up apt and got my surgical tape removed. I still have some sticky residue left on my skin though, hence the black stuff. My left breast (right one in the picture) still has some swelling and itching but the Dr is pleased with the the results. I'm hoping that once the swelling goes down completely that the nipple should be the same size as the other one.

I'm extremely happy with my results and my husband is also happy. He confessed to me a couple of days ago that he never did like the implants but never wanted to tell me as he didn't want to hurt my feelings. (I already had implants when we met). He said that this was the best decision I have ever made even though it's made our monthly budget really tight for the next couple of months. This confession was insane to me cause he always tells me that I looks great no matter what size I am (I gained 80lbs when I was pregnant and that didn't include the "baby weight"). Since surgery I have actually lost 8 lbs and counting. It's like the weight is just coming off which Is strange cause this has never happened to me before. I have ALWAYS had to work extremely hard to lose weight in the past. I'm not doing any exercise or walking for that matter but I am watching what I eat. Only clean eating for me right now (until the weekend lol). This weight loss journey has been a 2 year journey so far but I'm 8 lbs from my goal weight. Yay! Can you say excited?!?!

Anyways, I'm off to work. Happy healing ladies. :)

Hi everyone, gosh it's been a long time since I posted an update.

So....I guess I'll start with all the positives.

1. I still feel amazing!
2. I'm cleared to go back to light exercises and I can start to lift objects that are a little heavier than 10 lbs. (I don't feel I'm ready just yet for the lifting part just yet, but I'm definitely ready to start walking again).
3. Back & shoulder pains are almost non existent now
4. My clothes fit better
5. I've now lost a total of 12 lbs since surgery without really changing anything (although I eat pretty heathy for the most part)
6. My husband loves the new me. He still tells me how much healthier I look without the implants and he doesn't even mind the scars (although, if I'm totally honest, I'm still a little nervous to get naked around him).
7. NO MORE UNDERWIRE BRAs!!!! Yay!!!!

And the list can go on....

Now for the negatives, or should I say the one negative.....

1. I've broken out in a not so fun rash. It doesn't hurt but it can be super itchy at times. I've been to see Dr. Khanna and she thinks it's due to an allergic reaction to the scar cream. I've stopped using the scar cream and have switched to using pure coconut oil (Dr. Khanna's recommendation). I've noticed a difference but the rash still persists unfortunately. But it is getting better so I'm just gonna give it time. Plus I smell pretty good most of the time and my skin is thanking me.

Dr. Khanna said that if the rash hasn't cleared up in two weeks that I have to go back to see the dermatologist.

Overall, I'm very happy with my results. My one nipple is slightly larger than the other and it still does not have any feeling but it does get perky.

That's all I can think of. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask away. :)

Cheers ladies.