The Ins and Outs of My Breasts 2/2013-present

I had implants put in November of 2012 along with an arm lift. Two weeks later I had a lower body lift. I have other blogs on those subjects.

My implants have been nothing but trouble. I cannot even say if I liked them because from the beginning there was an issue with my left breast dropping too low. A quick fix was tried but failed and it has been a year of both implants drooping lower and lower to the point that no bra fits me well, I cannot find a swim suit top and they are painful. I believe that they are sitting on my rib, at least that's how it feels and they have fallen below my muscle line. They are under the muscle but now sunk below it.

We have recently moved to a new State and I researched PS in my area. I found one who said that a good long-term outcome for me would be to remove my implants for 3 months, let my skin retract and heal inside then go back and do a revision. The revision is going to involve using silk mesh to create a new pocket.

I'm relieved to be getting them out tomorrow. I always thought my doctor put too big an implant in. I feel they just don't fit my body. So, in 3-4 months I plan to go smaller. These are 375 ml and 400 ml which isn't huge but I think because they haven't sit right on me, ever, they just seem like 2 big lumps on my chest. And not pretty ones either. My breast make me feel as if I have old lady saggy boobs, not the pretty, perky ones I wanted.

So that's my plan. Tomorrow I begin at least 3 months of healing and retracting. I had the arm, and lbl done because of my saggy skin so I don't know how my breast tissue will react. At least I won't be hurting.

So, yesterday I had the implants removed. I had been so nervous not knowing what to expect. It really wasn't that bad. Dr Hankins numbed me up pretty well and they gave me a Valium. I only felt sensations. When Bambi, Dr. H's nurse showed me my breasts before wrapping me up I thought it didn't look so bad. When the numbness wore off I was sore and today I am too. Not sure how to describe the pain. It kind of feels like muscle soreness in addition to the incision. I was able to put on the little sport bra they gave me and then wrap the Ace bandage around that. I think the band to the bra is sitting on the incision. Also, the area right below, where the bulk of my implants were, is a little hard. I've got a call into the office to ask if that's OK. I have 2 drains.

I have more mobility than I thought I would. I guess I was expecting it to be like when I got the implants in. Of course, I had the arm lift at the same time so I'm sure both those procedures prevented me from lifting my arms up. I can take off/put on my shirts alright.

I was so ready to get the implants out. I feel like myself now...even though I'm flat as a pancake!
I go in for my post op next week.

Well, today is the 3rd day after having them implants out. It's going well but there are a few unexpected feelings both physical and emotional. I am in more pain than I thought I would be. Is this the muscle retracting? I have 2 drains and the site where they exit is pretty tender. I can feel the tube inside me which is pretty weird. I'll be glad to get the drains out. The sports bra and Ace bandage feel good. I like the way they hold me in. The emotional part is probably normal. As ready as I was to get the implants out I still feel unattractive. I'm afraid my husband won't like the way I look. I know...it's only been 3 days. I have 3 more months so I'd better snap out of this! That's it for today. We're getting out of the house. Today it a gorgeous day in Las Vegas and I don't want to sit in the house all day.

Whew...I got rid of the grenades yesterday. Drains are out! After a week things are looking better. I am hoping my skin, muscles and all the tissues can retract well. I see the doctor in a month. I am so glad I chose to have the implants out. During this 3 month waiting period I will do a lot of thinking about what I want to do. I know, after my weight loss, that my breasts will not be pretty without implants. I really wish there were enough fat there to give them some kind of contour. So, we'll see.

Ugh...I can't do any strenuous cardio for at least a month, possibly 6 weeks. And, no lifting over 5 pounds. I didn't expect to hear that. I can walk and that's what I'll do. I know it is so my INSIDE can heal. I have to remind myself that just because I may feel better my insides are healing and that is the point of my experience here.

Since my last update I have seen my PS a couple of times. I had my implants removed and because waiting at least 3 months or more will give me the best healing time and end result this is what I've decided to do. May was my 3 month and during that time between Feb and May I took that time to really think about what I want to do.

I signed up to run in the Las Vegas 1/2 marathon which will be in November. So, I need to train for it and I know that if I were to replace my implants before then I would not be able to. My decision is to wait until after the 1/2 marathon. That extra time to heal will only be to my benefit. My PS said that about a month before the time I would like to schedule I should come in to discuss options.

I feel good with this decision. Weight training is getting my arms in good form and I've been running and increasing my distance. I've had a slight setback. My heel has been hurting so I'm doing other forms of cardio while I let that heal.

I decided to have a lift and small implants. I waited 7 months between taking the old ones out and doing the 2nd surgery. Mostly because I wanted as much healing as possible but also I wanted to run the 1/2 marathon in November. I did that and had the surgery a couple of weeks later. I got 350 cc, gel, and the size is perfect for my body.

My PS said that he wouldn't know how the repair would go until he got me open. It was worse than he thought. As far as my natural fold goes, I didn't even have one. My new PS said that my old PS had over-dissected me so badly that he could see into a space below my breasts that you shouldn't be able to see. He had to use Silk to create a new pocket for me as well as try to reconstruct and fix a uni-boob issue. I was a mess in there.

Post op is going well. I'm 2 months out. I had an open wound in the right breast scar but that has closed and I'm feeling more normal. I was warned that I really wouldn't see what they will be like for 6 months to a year. I think I'll have to have a little tweeking in my right breast but overal they are so SO much better and I feel like they are mine. It's nice having a little something up top now.

I should really put up more pictures.

So you can see the opening and hoping it reassures you that it will get better.

It has been nearly 4 years since my original surgeries. In a couple of months I will have had 7 surgeries and/or procedures on my breasts. Original implants were 11/2012, failed repair 12/2012, failed repair 2/2013, implants removed 2/2014, revision surgery and smaller implants 11/2014, repair to revision 1/2016, and sometime in the next coming months implant removal.

At my first revision my PS used Silk to recreate a pocket for each breast and repair symastia. My right breast didn't hold and it was drifting over the center again. At my second revision my PS reused the original Silk and bolstered my right breast and reinforced my left. For some odd reason my left breast is now a full size bigger and rounder than my right and the right isn't holding.

I am going to remove the implants and keep them out a year at the very least. My PS and I want to see how they retract after having used the Silk. I am hoping that enough of a fold was created so that they look OK. To my PS's credit, he has done an amazing job of making my breasts look real again. The over-dissection left me without a natural fold and I think this has been the source of the ongoing issues.

I am pretty beat down about all of this. Four years and 7 procedures is a lot.
= (

Things are going well. I think since I had a lift at my 2nd implant surgery and after removing the implants, my breasts are relatively up where they should be. I still have the one larger issue and the other is pretty flat on top. It really limits what I can wear and what bra to wear. From the photos you can see the ridge where the seri silk is all bunched up and it's under each breast. It is painful and really bothers me. I've gone swimming topless and it's the oddest feeling. The fat in my breasts floats but the silk is like cement and holds down the bottom part of my chest because it's attached to my ribs.

My doctor is talking about fat transfer. I have seen many people here who've done it and are not happy. I am afraid to do it. I'm happy with my smaller self but would like a little better symmetry.