So happy they're out!!

Hey guys. Since so many if you guys are keeping me so strong and confident about the journey I'm about to take, I wanted to pay it forward and share my story as well. My surgery is in 16 days and I am SO EXCITED! I'll give you my current stats: I am 25, I have had my implants in for 2 years, I have 575cc saline unders, and I am 5'2" 120lbs and an athlete. I got them because I felt like I looked like a boy with my athletic build, and I had naturally lower/deflated looking breasts. I thought my husband would think me prettier, I thought clothes would look better, and I thought I could get as fit as i wanted without worrying about losing my breasts completely. I instantly regretted my decision once the implants were in, and I became so depressed and always tried to hide them with sports bras and sweatshirts. They look so unnatural and get in the way my running and cross fitting. I get the wrong kind of attention everywhere I go. I have to special order every bra. All I want is to be able to work out in a sports bra and wear a swimsuit or dress without looking like I should be in an issue of Playboy magazine. Although my mom and PS keep telling me that the difference will be too drastic and I should just downsize to smaller implants, i am set on having them removed completely. I don't need implants to make me feel beautiful, and I don't want to be tied down to the financial constraints of the maintenance in them. I am petite, and I am going to rock my little boobs. I know it will be hard at first, and I might get a little sad about their weird appearance, but I'm going to hop on this site when I feel down and see how many women have come out of this feeling so much better and looking more beautiful than ever.

I am trying so hard to stay strong and believe 100% that I will be ok after this. My mom has told me so many times that she does not believe ex planting will be right for me. She thinks I should get a small implant instead. She has implants herself, and she loves them. It's so hard when someone so close to you doesn't support you. She thinks I will be going from one extreme to the other. I keep trying to tell her that this is not about looks. Obviously my boobs would look better if I had a small implant inserted, but that is not the point. The point is that I have learned that life is not about striving for perfection. The big, round balloons that we see on women in magazines and television are fake and airbrushed. The women that we need to admire are the ones that are happy just the way they are, and don't feel the need to go through painful surgery to be accepted. People will love you for you, not for your breasts. That being said, I am definitely a bit worried about how large my implants are and how much my skin has possibly stretched. I am opting for no lift because I haven't even had children yet, and I already had a lift with my BA (I was told I needed one, but looking back I don't feel the same). I feel like I should wait until after children to possibly have a lift, although after this I may never want to be cut into again. I would love to hear from some women with larger implants who have not had a lift with their removal. I am sort of just hoping and praying my skin elasticity is good enough that it will shrink up enough to be tolerable. My pre-op is in exactly a week and my surgery is in 2 weeks. I wish I could move my surgery date up to next week, but I am in a wedding next weekend and I had to have my bridesmaids dress majorly altered already (big boob problems) so I don't think that will be a good idea. Today I am going to take some pictures and post them of what I look like right now. I will also try to dig up some pre op photos if I can. I plan to make my recording of this journey as complete as possible so that I can help someone through this like all of you have been helping me.

I went in for my pre op this afternoon and the staff as well as my ps were all awesome. They told me they will sedate me, numb the area, and then pull out my implants. The need for removing the capsule or putting in drains will be determined on the day of surgery. They were very easy going about it and told me that my final results won't be clear until about 4-6 months and to take it easy for a couple days post before returning to work. They will wrap me up in a bandage when they send me home, but for now I need to find a good compression sports bra to wear. I feel so lucky that my job entails wearing sports bras every day, so I can totally get away with it for however long I need to. My surgery is in exactly a week. IM SO EXCITED!! I couldn't believe how much my body has changed since I got these bags in. I had chicken arms! I have put on so much muscle since then! It's awesome. I love showing off my hard earned muscle. I don't need boob to show off. T-minus 7 days!

I can't believe it's finally here. Tomorrow morning I go in at 8.30am to remove these awful plastic bags. I am so happy. Since I am working all day today, I went to Nordstrom and bought a nice tight sports bra that zips up the front. I had no idea what size to get, so I bought an XS. Hopefully that fits! The nurse said its ok if it's a size too small because I'm going to want that compression. I'm not gonna lie, I'm really nervous. Being under local sedation weirds me out a little bit, but I know I'll be just fine. It's a short surgery. I'm ready for the emotional roller coaster ride that is the first few days and trying to adjust to some strange looking boobs. I'm definitely going to need the support from all of you wonderful ladies. I am SO ready to be myself again. I am sad I learned a tough lesson about inner beauty and self esteem the hard (and expensive) way, but all at matters now is that I did. I'll let you ladies know how the surgery goes tomorrow!

Hey everyone. Surgery this morning went well. I had them removed under local anesthesia. My dr did not feel that I needed any drains, and he did not remove the capsule. I could hear them talking, and I felt the pressure of someone pulling on my breasts, but it didn't hurt. I'm wrapped up in an ace bandage right now, so I haven't seen them yet. He wants me bandaged up for quite a few days, and then in a tight compression sports bra for a couple months. I don't mind that at all considering I work in a gym. In my sedated haze I asked the nurse if they looked like raisins and she said they look much better than she expected and that I have quite a bit of my own breast tissue. YAY! I literally feel like a HUGE weight has been lifted off of my chest. The nurse gave my hubby the implants in a bag and we both cannot believe how much they weigh. 3 pounds! Lol we also don't know what to do with them....haha did I mention they are the size of small dinner plates? It's crazy! I can't believe I carried those around on my chest for 3 years! It really puts things into perspective seeing them like that. I've been sleeping most of the day, and I feel good, just a little sore around the nipple/incision site. This ace bandage makes me look flat as a pancake, but IM SO HAPPY that I don't even care! :)

I'm not in any pain at all today. I'm still trying to lay low, but I have a hyper active personality and I'm having a hard time making myself just lay here. I feel great. I have to say that all of a sudden I'm noticing the extra weight I gained while having implants. It's ok, as I'm sure ill lean out to my natural state once I can exercise again, but its just so strange that I can totally see it now. Implants really make you see your body differently. When I got them I felt so top heavy that I felt like I needed to gain weight on my bottom half just to be proportionate.

I was super nervous today when the nurse removed my ace bandage and gauze. I saw them for the first time!! They look a little sad, and definitely deflated, but over all I am very happy with the results. If this is as bad as they get, I'm totally ok with that. Im lacking a lot of upper fullness and they look kind of wrinkly and weird (partly from loose skin and partly from the bandage & gauze) but to me they just look like the boobs I had before....just a pair that's been through hell and back. Lol. I'm confident that with time they will start to look much better. It's still so early. I'm in compression sports bras or an ace bandage for the next month, and I can't work out for at least two weeks, but its no biggie. I know I need to let my body heal. I'll post photos tonight.

I have noticed some other ladies say this, so I've decided to also. My feelings about wanting my implants out is not because my surgeon did a bad job. He did a wonderful job on my implants. I just decide they weren't fitting of my active lifestyle. I would still recommend him for those who want a BA because he and his staff do a wonderful job. I am one of a handful of women they have explanted, and they have been great through this process too. At first he told me a few times that this probably wouldn't be a good idea. His nurses also told me during my explant consult that ex planting can cause psychological distress. I chose to do it anyway, and once I had made that decision, they did not question me or tell me it was a bad idea again. They just took good care of me as always. I just wanted to clear that up so no one thinks otherwise. I'm going to out up new pictures on Tuesday of post op 1 week :)

Hey guys! I'm feeling awesome and I'm super happy with my results so far. I've been wearing either my bandage or a compression sports bra every day. I'm going a little crazy from not working out, but overall I feel great. I LOVE having small natural boobs. Shopping is WAY easier also :) the only thing I've noticed is that when I raise my left arm, my left boob puckers a little and it looks like it separates (even I know that isn't what is actually going on). Does anyone know why this is? Is it just extra skin? Extra space? The pocket isn't closed up enough yet? Anyway, I am noticing now just how much extra skin I have from it being stretched out, but its only really noticeable to me, and It can be expected considering I had almost 600cc implants! Let me know your guys' thoughts/experiences.

I wore a sports bra all day yesterday and did not wear a bandage when I slept. I noticed that when I woke up this morning, my boobs looked and felt more full. Maybe the tight compression days are over and I can just continue in supportive sports bras from here on out. I wanted to update with a few pics for you guys.

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since surgery. Time flies. I feel incredible! My boobs fluffed so nicely and the skin tightened up a lot! I even went and bought my first two bras. I was sized as a 32D. I have NO IDEA how that is even possible. They look so much different than they did right after surgery. It is amazing what the body can bounce back from! I still mainly wear sports bras because of my job, but I have been cleared to wear normal bras as well. I am back at 100% with working out with the exception of pull ups, any hanging from a bar movements, and push ups on the ground. All pressing and pushing movements feel just fine. It's sad when you can bang it a ton of pull ups and chest to floor strict push ups one day and then have to start all over the next, but it was worth it. I'm confident I will get them back soon. I feel incredible and so real. My confidence has gone up so much. I feel like people see me for me, and not my boobs. I feel like I look like the athlete that I am. It's amazing. If you are someone reading this who is afraid to go through with this surgery... DO IT. You will not regret it. I promise.

Hey ladies,
Sorry for being so absent over the last few weeks. I have been enjoying life with my new little boobs. I LOVE them! My healing was easy and fast. I am totally impressed and shocked at how quickly my body returned to its natural state. I don't have much excess skin at all, my scars aren't bad, and theyre only a tad bit droopier than they were pre BA. I went back to working out at 2 weeks, and I was surprised at how I could pretty much do everything without discomfort. I've been able to do pull ups and push-ups strict since week 4. I feel amazing, and I am so happy. Don't be afraid, ladies! Go for it! Your body will surprise you! I will post some pics tonight! It is so amazing to shop now! I love buying size small sports bras and not having to special order my bras.im saving so much money!