300 and 325 Mentor Smooth Round Moderate Plus Under the Muscle - Axillary (Armpit) Incisions - Minneapolis, MN

I have always been small breasted, but for the most part content because they were firm and full looking for being small (typically a 34B - depending on the brand). I had looked into this about 8 years ago, but decided against it at the time because it was too expensive. It was about $1,500 more expensive now, however. I am now 47 and have been noticing that even though I have not had any children, that my breasts are less full looking than they used to be. Also, it seems that the difference in breast size has become greater with time (right breast is smaller than the left). I went with fairly small implants just because I did not want to be huge - just better proportioned and have back the fuller look that I used to have. So far, I am quite happy with my size - although I still may be a little swollen. I'm not sure how long it will take for the "drop and fluff" since I think it can be different for each person.

The main reason for my review is that in doing all of my research I could not really find any reviews for the type of incision I wanted. I am now 18 days post-op, and I would say that I have been fairly satisfied, for the most part. I had decided to go with this incision because I thought it would look better and the scars would be less noticeable. The part I was not expecting was the pain, bruising, and such severe limited arm range of motion.

So many people have written about such quick recovery and limited pain - most of those were individuals whose incisions were either inframammary (directly below the breast in the crease) or periareolar (in the tissue surrounding the areola).

Immediately after surgery, I did experience tightness in my chest - it hurt to take too deep of a breath. I assume this is normal especially with the implants being under the muscle. That did last for several days. I continued to take the pain killers and muscle relaxers periodically for the whole first week. The visible bruising lasted a solid 7 days, and even today I still feel bruised (although no bruises are really visible) down around my waist. Feels a little like I've done too many crunches. This may have been because I was taking vitamin E a week prior to surgery. Instructions were to stop all blood-thining medications and supplements 2 weeks prior. I did not read that vitamin E was included - that was my fault. When it was pointed out to me at my pre-op 1 week prior, I stopped immediately. By day 10, I was able to lie on my breasts without a lot of pain. I still get sharp pains once in awhile, but I am hopeful those won't last forever. My nipples are also very sensitive, but it is not severe and hope that will settle down over time as well. Of course, my experiences listed so far are probably fairly ordinary.

Where my experience starts to vary from the ordinary is the pain, swelling, and tight "cord" feeling in my armpits and going down towards my breasts and out towards my hands. I just had my 2nd post-op with the doctor. He said the tight cord only happens in about 10% of the cases and that it could take up to 3 months for it to completely go away. In the meantime, my range of motion has been very limited if I want to avoid excruciating. I have difficulty reaching for things above my head and putting on tops is still hard to do. I was given some stretches and other instructions (pressing very hard on the cord for several minutes, several times a day) to help speed my recovery. However, it is all very painful.

I am not blaming the doctor for this problem necessarily, but I don't think that the expectations were set very well as to what this would actually mean for me if this happened. The section in the post-op instruction reads, "You may possibly develop a tight "cord" which runs from the armpit down towards your elbow. This is of no concern and will go away without treatment. For comfort you may apply heat and massage."

I have been doing the stretches and other instructions very painfully for 2 days now, but I can already tell a slight improvement in my normal movement range of motion. I am able to move my arms further before the pain really kicks in. I have waited until now to begin my review because I didn't want to blow things out of proportion if it all went away within a couple of weeks. The doctor and staff have assured me that the incisions will end up looking great, and I will get my full range of motion back. My biggest concern is that I enjoy lifting weights (for toning, not muscle building), and with this kind of pain and limited motion, I would not be able to do a majority of my routine. Since this is still fairly early on in the recovery and I anticipate changes over time, I will plan to continue to update on my progress.

Now that I've had a chance to research "Mondor's Cords" (thank YOU so much rubykate!!) and have a better understanding of what they are and what I can do to treat them, I have given up on the more painful treatment of pressing really hard on the cords. Instead, I have been using heat, Advil, and some light stretching. My flexibility is much better and the pain has not been as severe (although it probably is related to the Advil I'm taking). I can dress normally now without pain. I still can see the cords and have super ball sized lump in my right armpit just under the incision and a golf ball sized lump under my left armpit incision. In another week or so I will really start working on trying to break up the scar tissue. It no longer hurts when I lie on my breasts, but I am still experiencing some nipple/skin sensitivity and shooting pains on my breasts. And, my armpit skin is fairly numb yet.

I did manage to do a shortened version of my workout routine today. Mostly because I don't want to be too sore tomorrow since it has been 3 weeks since I last worked out. I was able to do almost everything so that made me pretty happy. I skipped only 2-3 weight lifting moves because I could feel the pressure on my chest or the tightness in my left arm. I don't think I'll have to buy new sports bras either because those still fit - just more filled out!?!

I can't say that I've noticed much "dropping" but I can definitely tell there is some softening. I did go bra shopping for the first time the other day, and I find it really weird that I can fit into multiple cup sizes. I can still wear my old bras - they look too small without clothes on, but under clothes, you can't really tell. While shopping I tried on a C and a D. Both seemed to fit well - I couldn't really tell a difference and both were fairly comfortable. I ended up buying the D which was a good choice because when I take it off, I can see a seam imprint on the top of my boobs so it's obviously not too big. I think it's weird though because I don't feel like my boobs are THAT much bigger. Maybe it has to do with the brand of bra? I don't know, but most of the Cs I tried on (in a variety of brands) felt a little small. I only bought the one for now in case the "fit" changes over the next month or so.

I'll update again when it seems like there is something new to update.

Here is one more view of the left incision/cord.