I got my implants in 2007. I was a 34B before I got extremely fit and went down to a small A cup. I felt like I looked "flat" and boyish without bigger boobs so I decided to get some. The implants were about 425-450cc, if I remember right. i went from a 34A to a 34D. (I originally wanted a C but my surgeon said for spacing, I have pretty broad shoulders, a small D would look better.) They were fine and never really bothered me for a couple of years. Then I woke up one morning with lopsided boobs! Turns out my left breast had decided to encapsulate. My doc put me on a medication and told me to massage the swollen area. It didn't help.
So I decided to let it go, live with it, and think about it for a while before I made a decision. After about a year I went back to my original PS to talk about possible removal and he straight up said something along the lines of, "No, the physical and mental repercussions would be too much to handle. You should just have it repaired." So I asked all my questions and told him my concerns including the fact that if I were to have it repaired (for $3,500) there is a 50% chance the problem will recur, I don't wont to spend that money with those odds, and I also don't want to spend the money to replace them every ten years (something I wish I thought more about when I originally got the BA.) He still wasn't being helpful or supportive of my preference for explantation so I began looking elsewhere. Then I came upon Real Self and I am so thankful! The more I read and researched the more I wanted to explant. So long story short, I found a couple of surgeons on here, consulted with them and chose one. I cannot explain how anxious and excited I am to get these things out!
It has been 3+ years since the encapsulation and as time goes on I hate my boobs more and more every day. I can't wear all those clothes I should be able to wear without a bra because they are so lopsided. I feel extremely self conscious in most things, especially a bathing suit. Even long necklaces lie on my chest funny because my left breast is so swollen. When I run only my right boob bounces. I even notice the difference when I go over speed bumps in my car. I am SO sick of the lopsidedness, discomfort, occasional pain, not being able to sleep on my stomach comfortably, not being able to wear what I want to, not being able to work out comfortably and freely, among many other things. Thanks to all the lovely women on this site I have gained the confidence I needed to schedule the surgery. The implants are coming out on April 11th! I wish it was tomorrow! 30 days to go... :)
Finally free!!!
I got my implants in 2007. I was a 34B before I...
Hi all! I just wanted to add a few details that I...
Hi all! I just wanted to add a few details that I forgot to include in my original post. Reading these particular details in other posts were helpful for me so I just wanted to be sure to put it all out there. I will be reiterating some things I have already included I'm sure but...anyhow... :) I am almost 34 years old, 5'8", and 140 pounds. I got my implants in 2007. I was originally a 34A and went to a 34D. They are saline (not exactly sure what type...can't find my original paperwork) and under the muscle. I have had encapsulation on the left side since approx. Nov. of 2009. I have regretted getting the BA in the first place for quite a while now and hate to think about what an expensive lesson learned this has been. No lesson worth learning is easy, right?! I hope the story of my journey ends up being as helpful and encouraging to you just as others on this site have been to me. Much love and best of luck to all of you on your journey! :)
Just wondering what opinions those of you who've...
Just wondering what opinions those of you who've already explanted have about what type of sports bras to wear after surgery. What has/hasn't worked for you? I bought a couple of basic sports bras but I'm wondering if I should exchange them for the ones that are more low profile, thinner fabric with skinny/spaghetti straps. I'm thinking those will look better and less obvious under shirts. Will it be difficult to put them on over my head though? Should I get zip front sports bras? Any thoughts would be helpful! Thanks ladies!
Just wondering what opinions those of you who've...
Just wondering what opinions those of you who've already explanted have about what type of sports bras to wear after surgery. What has/hasn't worked for you? I bought a couple of basic sports bras but I'm wondering if I should exchange them for the ones that are more low profile, thinner fabric with skinny/spaghetti straps. I'm thinking those will look better and less obvious under shirts. Will it be difficult to put them on over my head though? Should I get zip front sports bras? Any thoughts would be helpful! Thanks ladies!
MY SURGERY IS IN 9 DAYS AND I CANNOT WAIT!!!...
MY SURGERY IS IN 9 DAYS AND I CANNOT WAIT!!! That's all I wanted to say. Hehe. ;)
Well, beautiful ladies...tomorrow is the big day! ...
Well, beautiful ladies...tomorrow is the big day! I am feeling anxious and nervous but mostly just excited!! I hope I can sleep tonight. I hope I feel good when I wake up from the anesthesia. I've been put under three times before and none of them were very fun experiences. I was ways nauseous, shaky and weepy. My anesthesiologist just called me to see if I had any questions and reminded me that they use IV anesthesia because it lessens the grogginess and nausea so hopefully that's true for me. Eeeeee I am so excited I just want it to be tomorrow already! Patience is definitely not my best virtue but I will just have to keep reminding myself that doing too much too soon is just not worth the risk. I hope my boyfriend is as helpful and loving as I need him to be in the coming weeks. As long as I am feeling up to it I will post an update when I get home tomorrow and then every day or two thereafter. I know the detailed/daily updates by many of you wonderful women have been helpful and reassuring for me so I want to give back as much as I possibly can. Please don't hesitate to message me privately or otherwise if any of you have any questions at all. Looking forward to tomorrow and sharing the rest of my journey with you all as it goes along. HUGE THANKS and HUGS to all the women that have explanted and shared their stories before me!! It has been amazingly helpful, reassuring, encouraging, and wonderful in so many ways to be able to follow you on your personal journeys. I can't imagine going through this without all of you! THANK YOU! And to whoever started this wonderful forum, you are an angel!!! You deserve an award...and so so much more!! THANK YOU and (((HUGS)))!!!! I'm going to go eat a good dinner and try to relax. xxx ;)
Thank you ALL for the sweet surgery day wishes!! ...
Thank you ALL for the sweet surgery day wishes!! I am feeling well as I sit in my doctor's office waiting for the day-after peek. I am uploading one pic of shortly after the surgery and will update more info and pictures when I get home today. I am a happy girl!!!
Well it's nearing the end of post-op day 1 and I...
Well it's nearing the end of post-op day 1 and I am feeling wonderful and happy to be free of those implants!! I went in yesterday morning, answered a few questions and was given a Valium to relax me and counteract some of the effects of the anesthesia. My surgery took less than two hours and I woke up freezing cold! I guess that's not a very typical response to anesthesia according to the nurse but it has happened to me all 4 times now that I've been put out. I'll take that any day over crying and nausea though which I had none of this time thank goodness. I've been taking the Tylenol w/ codeine religiously and will continue to until its gone. Might as well! She only gave me ten so they will last me through the morning of day 3 post-op, I think. Slept pretty well last night. Better than the night before surgery for sure! Got about seven hours over all and just woke up from a 3 hour nap which was nice. I definitely feel the soreness on my left encapsulated side with the drain. Dr. Chong's plan was to take out a portion of the capsule and score the rest but when she got in there the scar tissue was pretty extensive so she did a full capsulectomy. So you'll see more redness, bruising, and puckering of the incision site on the left side. She placed a piece of foam on top of my left nipple when she wrapped me back up today to encourage the settling down of the tissue and incision site. I asked her what the chances are that the puckering won't go away and she said about 20% but she's almost certain it's just part of the healing process and it will go away. My right side looks and feels like nothing happened, really. A bit of fluffing will be nice but if its stays the way it is I'll be happy! For day 1 post-op I think things are looking good! I go back on Tuesday morning to hopefully get the drain removed. It's pretty annoying and I'm not excited about having it in for 3 more days but I would rather play it safe and not risk seroma. I am SO glad to be on the other side and beginning the healing process!! Thank you to all of you beautiful souls for the kind words of support and encouragement!!! No way I could have kept so calm and sure in my decision to explant without you all!!! Happy, healing, supportive (((hugs))) and positive to all of you out there!!! xxxx
Positive (((vibes))), I mean. :)
Positive (((vibes))), I mean. :)
Day 5 post-op pics are up! I had my drain removed...
Day 5 post-op pics are up! I had my drain removed today. YAY!! That thing was pretty annoying. And finally got to take a real shower and shave my armpits! LOL :) There really hasn't been much pain. Just achiness on my left side and irritation from the drain. Finished my pain meds two days ago and just took Tylenol as needed yesterday. I haven't taken any Tylenol today and am feeling good! Just vulnerable and sensitive, of course. It feels so good to be in a normal sports bra even though I still have to wear the ace wrap on top of it. Will have to do that for another 9 days until my next appointment then I'll find out if I can wear just a sports bra. My left breast actually has more tissue but it's all stuck up on top and to the side as you can see in the photos. It makes perfect sense considering the amount of scar tissue that was pushing it all up there! I'm trying not to worry about it. :-/ The body's ability to right itself is amazing and I know they will change slowly over weeks and months. The puckering has actually already improved a bit but you can't really tell in the photos. You can see all the bruising from all the work she had to do in there and the bandage where the drain was. My right side feels totally fine! I will update again after my next appointment. Happy healing and ((hugs)) to all of you beautiful women! :) xxxx
Hey again, beautiful ladies!! So I'm 19 days...
Hey again, beautiful ladies!! So I'm 19 days post-op and things are pretty great. I had my last follow-up appt. on Thursday which was exactly 2 weeks post-op. My doc have me the OK to stop compression and just wear a sports bra for another couple weeks until we re-evaluate at my next appt. Thank goodness because the itching from being wrapped so tight has probably been the most uncomfortable and annoying part of my whole recovery process!! I think I have sensitive skin though, because even if I just wear a bandaid in the same spot for a couple days my skin seems to get a bit dry and irritated. Anyway, it just feels AMAZING to have small boobs that BOTH jiggle and to be able to wear a comfy sports bra. Hopefully I can go shopping in another couple weeks for some cute bras!! Doc also told me to start massaging my incisions, the puckered nipple, and lower area on my left breast (encapsulated side) with Bio Oil. I'm posting some updated pics. The "from below" view is pretty scary. I was even surprised when I looked at it. I'm not so sure I see much improvement on the puckering side but I'm not worried about it at this point. My poor little boobs need more time to heal. I also don't think they've firmed up much so far. They still feel pretty squishy. I'm not worried about that either. They will heal up and be what they're meant to be in their own time. I'm just so happy to be free of those implants. No matter what they look like now or in the end, I would explant ten times over. It feels SO good. :) Much love to you all. xxxx
1 month post-op photos are posted. :) I can't...
1 month post-op photos are posted. :) I can't believe it's been a month already! Left boob still has a ways to go but it's definitely improved. Feeling better and more comfortable every day. Left side is still a little sore sometimes. Especially when I first wake up in the morning. I'm used to sleeping on my side and stomach so I think I move in ways that I shouldn't while I sleep. At my 4 week check up my doc told me I can switch from sports bras to bralettes of some sort. Still no underwire and she wants me to be sure it has good support on the sides to help the tissue on my left side move in and down. In massaging my incisions and the damaged area of my left breast twice a day with bio oil and I think it's really helping. My left side looks and feels worse at times depending on how much I use my left arm, I think. It looks the worst in the morning and at the end of a busy day. It looks best when I've been doing nothing but sitting around and not using my left arm. Goes to show how important it is to take it easy after explant. Especially if you've had cc and a more intense procedure was necessary. Nothing else exciting to report! It is 90 degrees outside today so I think I'm going to go outside and try to hula hoop and sweat away some of these pounds I've put on since surgery!! Xxx
Summer, summer, summertime!!
Hey ladies! I just wanted to check in and say hi! I've been on a road trip for the last couple weeks and it's been wonderful just living normally with my new little boobs! Swimming, hiking, dancing, and just having fun! I will post pics as soon as I can. It's a little difficult to snap new pics when we're traveling and staying with friends and fam everywhere we go. Hope all is well with all of you!! ((hugs))
Just over 3 months and still improving!!
Hey lovely ladies of the real self world! It's been a while since I've been around! I was on the road for 3 weeks then started summer school as soon as I returned so I've just been crazy busy. My happy little boobs just keep improving and looking and feeling better. Still a tiny bit of tenderness on my left side. The indentation has DEFINITELY improved. I'm massaging once a day with BioOil and every time I'm washing up in the shower, too. I still haven't gone to get properly measured yet. I've just been wearing lace bralettes from Target and elsewhere. They're cute and comfy. I'm still EXTREMELY happy with my results and would definitely recommend explant to anyone considering it. I haven't felt this much like myself since I had those darn things put in. Best of luck and hugs to all of you out there!!
6 months post-op today!
They are still changing and I still love them! I wish the dent was more improved at this point but I'm fine with it. I would explant all over again. :)
I'm officially a 34B, by the way. :)
I forgot to mention this in my update yesterday. It was so fun to finally go get measured and buy myself some pretty, new bras. You can only wear so much with sports bras! Haha.
Just over 10 months!
Wow time has flown by. I can't believe it's almost been a year. Not much has changed since the 6 month mark. They may actually be a little smaller because I've been working out more lately. The dent is still there on my left side. I swear it looks worse in pictures than in person. But I'm still happy as ever! I have not for one minute second guessed my decision to explant. :)
I discovered Dr. Chong and a couple of other surgeons on this website. I had a consultation with her and one other PS based on their good reviews. When I met with Dr. Chong I immediately felt comfortable and liked her very much. She answered pretty much all of my questions before I even asked them.
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
