325cc High Profile Mentor Silicone Gel Unders - Removed After 5 Years - Jacksonville, FL

As of this writing I am 11 days post op. Getting breast implants is a personal decision I have vacillated between for close to 15 years. I finally was in the right place in my life and after meticulous research and preparation I made the decision to move forward. I had reservations up until the day of surgery but a calm, quite voice in my head assured me to trust my instinct. The first 2 days post op were mild (I credit this to my diet and supplement regime leading up to the operation), but after day 3 an adverse reaction to the pain medication caused unexpected post op symptoms and also made me discontinue the pills, which forced me to feel the effects of the operation fully. The first week was intense and there were a few times I regretted my decision and felt the severity of the monumental changes I had inflicted upon my body. However, after a week the unbearable tightness went away, the implants began to soften and I was completely done with the anti-biotics and pain medication. I began to feel like myself again and also began to appreciate and even adore the enhancements to my body. I work out often and take care of myself, I was always very content with every other aspect of my appearance with the exception of my sad, stunted chest. I could never wear dresses, bras or bathing suits without finding creative ways to disguise 8 levels of padding in the garment. I'm an all organic "pass the granola" kinda girl and for the longest time I tried to just accept myself naturally but deep down I always was very dissatisfied with my chest. I knew there was a readily available option for correcting this so when the time was right I began researching the procedures and risks in depth, getting advice from friends who have gone through with the procedure and also consulting with my mother who has had implants for close to 30 years. I received nothing but support and encouragement from everyone I spoke with and also from the community here at RealSelf, after careful deliberation I went through with the surgery. I am absolutely elated with the results, so far I can confidently say that everything was SO worth it!

It's 5am, I woke up unable to get back to sleep but feeling surprisingly calm, rested and ready for the procedure, it may be all the preparation or it may be the xanax, who knows. After taking the batch of 'before' photos last night I got to witness how much I truly need this surgery. It's almost to the point where I don't feel it is a "cosmetic" surgery but more of a reconstructive surgery to correct a severe deformity from birth. :-p

My surgery is scheduled for 9:30am today. I have been researching and preparing for this day since December.

I purchased 2 wedge pillows, 1 stiff foam (great if you love sleeping on concrete) and the other memory foam. I got the memory foam pillow from Bed, Bath & Beyond for about $40. I sliced the foam pillow down the middle and have used it to create a bracket on either side of the softer memory foam pillow. This gives me approximately a 4 foot based at a 45 degree incline to sleep on my back and assist with circulation. I purchased these 3 weeks in advance and made every attempt to sleep on my back to train myself to sleep like that and hopefully make it easier to adjust to the new position when I will be forced to sleep like that for about a month.

4 week prior to surgery I discontinued using all herbal supplements. This included a thyroid and an adrenal support supplement for anxiety which I wasn't convinced was doing any good until AFTER I stopped taking them. I cannot wait until enough time has passed with the surgery to allow me to beginning my regime.

3 weeks prior I started taking recommended vitamins / supplements to aid the recovery.

Multi-Vitamins 2 pills 2x per day
Bio-C Plex (Vitamin C & Citrus Bioflavonoids) 2 pills 3x per day
Mito-Detox (celluar regeneration) 2 pills 2x per day
Fibro-Ease Multi (muscle relaxation and energy production) 2 pills 2x per day
Biozyme (digestive enzymes, contains bromelain) 1 pill w/ every meal

I'm a big water drinker but I increased my water consumption even more. I also have avoided alcohol completely for 2 weeks, have tried to eat more salads and whole foods and avoid salt and processed foods. I was not extremely strict with my diet but tried instead to find a path of moderation. I had to shower last night with a special medicated soap and put absolutely nothing on afterwards. Usually as soon as I'm done showering I slick my body down with creams, oils, lotions, toners and treatments and I must admit it felt extremely liberating to be totally bare and natural. Just me in my skin. I have to shower again with the soap this morning, paying special attention to the surgery area. I am not allowed to eat or drink anything this morning with the exception of taking a teensy tiny sip of water with the xanax the doctor prescribed for anxiety.

I made sure my laundry was done, my car was clean and had a full tank of gas, my bathroom and bedroom were clean. I made a huge batch of kale soup so I can have it to snack on during recovery. I filled all my prescriptions through the doctor, prepared and outfit for surgery. I went to the library and got tons of books and magazines and also prepared a queue of moves in Netflix. I've reviewed all of my recovery protocol with my mother/caretaker and purchased a whistle in case I need any assistance. I've taken 2 days off of work to coincide with a weekend which will afford 4 days of recovery, back to work Monday (hopefully). I've kept my upper body exercises very light to avoid any tightness in my chest area. I've even set up a photo studio where I can take progress photos.

I am ready - I am excited! Let's do THIS.

I arrived to the surgery center about 10 minutes early, a woman came to the waiting room to collect me and instructed my parents to return in about an hour so the doctor could let them know how everything was going. I went to the back, peed in a cup and then went into a small room where I took off my top and put on a gown, they said it was fine to leave my bottoms on which was great considering the room felt about 60 degrees. She took some photos and gave me 2 pills, one was for nausea, I'm not sure what the second one was for. The doctor entered shortly thereafter to greet me and make a few markings around my chest. Finally the anesthesiologist came in and explained the process; to begin he started the IV right there and added something to help me relax. We went into the surgery room where I laid down a soft operating table, one of the girls in the room proceeded to throw comfy blankets on me and talk about what an exciting time this is.

The next thing I know I'm startled awake, it didn't take long to remember where I was and instinctively I glanced down to check on things. They were definitely in there, I was happy to realize I hardly felt anything at all in my chest. There was just a subtle tightness, the best way I can describe is like an intense version of the soreness you feel on your period when your breasts are swollen. I came to for a moment and then was assisted into a wheelchair which was taken out of the side of the building and into my parent's waiting car. The pain was hardly noticeable on the ride home.
That entire evening was very mild, once I poked the visible part of my cleavage and found the area to be totally numb, I'm guessing the boobs are as well which could explain the lack of pain. The hardest part was the fear leading up to the actual operation. I took a few naps and when I was awake I was able to walk around the backyard to get my blood flowing. I was able to raise my arms and do just about everything I could do before.

Sleeping upright was not as difficult as I expected. On the second day I woke up with a lot of tightness and a moderate amount of pain, definitely worse than the first day but tolerable. I took a pain pill and almost immediately felt nauseous, definitely recommend food with those. Once the anesthesia had a chance to wear off I also started feeling itchy in the area of my cleavage and also on my stomach and legs.

The doctor said it was ok to shower on day 2 and remove the white gauze from the incision area. It was such a relief to take off the strap and the compression bra, that is until immediately after I removed all the items and was standing there with just me and my implants. They felt heavy and tight and as though they would fall out if they were not supported. I felt vulnerable and more protective of them than I had since before the surgery. Even though I had been raising my arms no problem I was less fluid in my range of motion, they were tight and tingly and very foreign feeling. I took the quickest shower possible then put my bra back on post haste. I was starting to think of it like my security blanket.

After the shower the pain and discomfort kept intensifying. It felt like I was carrying around two rock solid boulders in my chest. The tightness was far worse than the pain, I kept breathing deeply and encouraging my chest to open. I dozed in and out of consciousness and let myself sleep whenever I felt like it, I was probably averaging about 12 hours of rest per day.

On the third day I was able to sleep through the night. When I woke up the pain and tightness in my chest area was about half as intense as the day before. I considered forgoing the pain pills then remembered I'm not bionic and proceeded to down a pain med with some saltine crackers. I routinely stretched and walked around but other than that I spent most of the day resting. Just like before, as the day progressed the tightness and feelings of heaviness gradually increased. I took a pain pill to help with the discomfort but then I started feeling almost feverish, my teeth starting chattering and I felt my muscles contracting in my legs. This was the most frightening part of the entire ordeal, I took my temperature and blood pressure. Everything was normal so it was clear that I was having a reaction to all the medicine. I fitfully slept all night and woke up in the morning with a serious migraine headache from all the drugs. I decided there would be no more pain pills for me so I put 2 bags of frozen peas on my chest and 2 more bags on my head and pretty much lay there is misery for the rest of the day.