38 y/o, 5'6", 115 Lbs, 34 A/B, Active, No Kids, Finally Did Something for Myself - 390/400cc Ideal Implants!

Pics are at a few days post-op, all the way to about 2.5 weeks, which is where I'm at now.
First week was really sore, and I definitely had trouble doing things on my own in the first few days. I had my one-week post-op appt to get my steri strips removed, and was given instructions on how to begin the massage. Second week was much better, but still feeling extremely tight, especially in the mornings.
My right breast has been a brat since day 1, but seemed to develop more issues in week 2. I get a dull ache that goes from the side of the implant, up through half of my armpit, and I keep getting a sensation like someone just flicked the implant from the inside....almost like it's edge is slipping off the edge of the muscle. I know that's not it, but that's the best I can describe it. That sensation is driving me batshit crazy because it's happening all the time, with just about every move I make.
I went to see my surgeon about it, and he said it will all go away with time, and that the nerves cause everyone to experience a lot of different sensations. I really hope that's the case. I can feel the implant very close to the skin on my right breast; so much that I can feel the saline move in the implant when I press it. The left breast doesn't do that. My right also had a bruise on the side of it, in the same spot that I'm having trouble with, so I'm wondering if maybe it's just the way the pocket was dissected.
And speaking of nerves! I had very little sensation in my nipples before surgery, but holy hell, they are so painful right now (2.5 weeks post-op). I honestly think those make me feel like the whole breast hurts, when really it's the pain coming from the nipples. So far, I haven't figured out a solution besides when the bra is off. Showering is uncomfortable, and god help me if I eat something cold or a breeze catches me, the pain is unbelievable. Impatiently waiting for that issue to dissipate.
So far, the worst parts about this have been the nipple pain, my right breast's issues, and sleeping on my back. Otherwise, it's not as bad as I aniticipated. Yes, it hurts still (again, mainly from the nipples), and I'm still tight, but it's not unbearable.
Otherwise, I'm really happy with them, and feel fortunate that they seem to be healing at similar speed.

Clearly, I didn't have much to start with. Within a few hours of getting home the swelling was ridiculous, and you can see the difference from immediately after surgery, and that evening. The next day was when the ace bandage came off (night and day difference in pain!) and I was put into a surgical bra.

I have been on the fence about BA for just over a decade, but never bothered getting the consults because it always seemed like the wrong time, and to be honest, I just wasn't 100% sure I wanted to get them. I wanted larger breasts, I just didn't want the interference that I thought implants would cause.

Around the beginning of the year, I started researching implants again, and came across the "Ideal Implant" - everything about it sounded great....until I realized their website didn't have any Las Vegas surgeons listed. I started calling around to the surgeons that I felt had the best reviews and reputation, to see if any of them would be willing to do the Ideal. All said no, except for Dr.Richards. I went and had my consult at the end of January, and his patient coordinator was going to get in touch with the company. From what I was told, no one ever got back to her, and after hearing about the way silicone has changed, I thought that it was also a good option.
For whatever reason, silicone didn't sit right with me, and then I stumbled upon info that I honestly wish I hadn't read. After that, I knew I couldn't go with silicone, just because I feared I would spend years always 'wondering' if they were responsible for an illness, and because I really had no interest in getting MRI's every few years. A lot of surgeons will tell you that the FDA removed that suggestion, and that they don't recommend getting them every few years anymore. Well, like anything, we should always fact check for ourselves. I did, and what I found was that the FDA's website DOES still recommend MRI's at 3 year, and every 2 after for silicone.

So, after cancelling one surgery that would have been silicone, I decided I was likely going to do saline. This time, I contacted Ideal myself, and asked them to please have someone reach out to the patient coordinator, so that we could get a sample and the rest of the info. They finally got back to my surgeon, and sent a sample. Upon examining it, I was rather disappointed. It rippled, and bad! So, I was now on the fence again btw risking it with silicone, or going with traditional saline, but I had about 48 hours to decide because they scheduled me for surgery the following week.
The whole ideal implant thing was just nagging at me, and I just couldn't understand how the Ideal had such rave reviews, looked so great in all the videos I've watched, etc... and then seemed so disappointing. I knew that the only way to get solid answers was to contact a rep at Ideal myself, which is exactly what I did. I explained my situation, and that I had about 24 hours to pick an implant, and begged for Ideal to have one of their reps call me. Within a few hours I had a call, and she explained why the implant rippled the way I was holding it, along with the info on the warranty, rupture rates, CC rates, etc (which I was already WAY too familiar with from my research).
I immediately sent a message to the patient coordinator, saying I was going to go with Ideal. The rep had already reached out to her, and let her know what we discussed, and even how sizing is a little different than traditional implants are measured.
Implants were ordered the next morning, and arrived the next week, one day before my surgery.

My surgery was at 2:15, so by the time I was home, I only had to deal with the pain for about 5 hours before going to sleep. Aside from the first day (BRUTAL!!!) recovery wasn't as bad as I expected. I was convinced the first night that the pain meds weren't working... I was swollen beyond belief, and I felt like I could hardly breathe, as the swelling mixed with the ace bandage felt like someone put my chest in a vice. Next day wasn't terrible, as I had the ace bandage removed late morning, and was put into a surgical bra. I stopped taking the pain pills on Saturday morning (surgery was Weds), and although they definitely still hurt, I didn't feel like it was unbearable, so I moved over to Tylenol.

I received 390cc on my left, and 400cc on my right to account for a slight difference in volume. Oh, and since these were the 375-415cc implant size, I landed right in the middle to give me the same profile height as the high profile projection listed on other manufacturers' implants. If you go all the way to max fill, you can really have a very high projection with Ideal.

All in all, they are still firm (only about 18 days post op), and feel bolted on at times, and I'm having a few hiccups with my right breast, but overall I'm really happy with them right now, and look forward to how they progress over the next few months.

And though they were significantly more expensive than my surgeon charges for silicone, I am just grateful he was willing to order them, and to me, peace of mind is worth the extra cost. If one pops, I'm going to know immediately, and that's important to me.

Also, for anyone else debating between traditional saline and the ideal, please make sure you do your own research and verify what each warranty covers. Make sure you understand whether you'd have to buy "extra coverage", and fully understand their policy on capsular contracture. For me, and from my research, I feel that ideal has a better warranty than the others, all without having to buy extra coverage.