25 Yrs Old, 5'7" 145lbs Getting 450cc Allergan Silicone Gel Implants - Orlando, FL

Okay, some backstory:

Over the past 4 years, I've lost about 125lbs. I lost the weight very slowly by incorporating healthy habits, one by one, so I have very little loose skin. Even still, I lost ALL of my breast tissue. I was never THAT busty for a plus sized woman-- my boobs always looked smaller than the rest of me, so I'm not totally surprised that this happened, but I always did have very perky and full boobs. At my heaviest, I wore a 38DDD bra.

Fast forward to today, and I have maintained my weightloss for about a year and a half (yay!) with very little effort. I'm an active yogi and weightlifter and I eat a plant-based vegetarian diet. My body looks incredible, but I'm super self conscious about my boobs. There is loose skin where my breast tissue should be, and I look very pear shaped. My current measurements are 34-26-42. I want this procedure so I look more balanced, proportional, and so that I once again have that fullness in my breast.

My procedure is tomorrow (1/16/18) at Fiala Aesthetics in Altamonte Springs, FL (just outside Orlando). I chose Dr. Susie Rhee because I just felt more comfortable going to a woman, and because she had an impressive resume. My consultation back in November was absolutely amazing; she was understanding and really listened to my concerns and wishes. She walked me through the procedure and the different types of implants and was super honest about what would be right and wrong for my body. I went in absolutely set on getting saline implants (I wasn't jazzed by the idea of silicone in my body) but she provided all the research to prove that they were safe and helped explain why, because of my almost non-existent breast tissue, they wouldn't be the best result for me. She even let me feel the implants and I could immediately see she was right; the saline implants rippled right in front of me, so I knew I wouldn't be happy with them in my body. She let me "try on" different implant sizes and shapes and even explained the different manufacturers' features and the difference between low, moderate, and high profile implants. She picked the perfect pair on the first try-- the Allergan 450cc high profile silicone gel implants. I tried other sizes and manufacturers just to be sure, but those were PERFECT!

Overall, I was impressed and she made me feel comfortable with the decision. Pam, my nurse, is incredible as well. At my pre-op appointment (about two weeks ago) she walked me through everything I needed to know and answered all my questions without any judgment. She also shared my preference of holistic medicine and recommended natural muscle relaxers for me to try during the healing process, and although she prescribed a narcotic just in case I needed it, she explained how I could combine the muscle relaxer and ibuprofen so I (hopefully!) wouldn't need the narcotic. I really appreciated that she shared my lifestyle beliefs; so many doctors and nurses are quick to dismiss holistic healing methods, so I truly appreciated that she not only supported it, but shared this lifestyle. It made me feel like I truly found the right office!

Like I said, the operation is tomorrow (Tuesday, 1/16). I'm extremely nervous, as I've never been under general anaesthesia before. All my friends who have had surgeries and procedures while "under" say it's like taking a nap; I hope they're right. I know I'll miss yoga and working out for the next six weeks, but I'm hoping for a speedy and effortless recovery. I'm excited to finally, after years of hard work, have the body I dreamed of when I first started working to lost weight.

To prepare, I'm "carb loading" today to build up my glycogen stores (although if there are any other plant-based dieters out there, you know carb loading is a daily activity ;) ). I'm also working on a few meditations to relax and calm me before the procedure. For the past couple weeks, I ate an extremely healthy diet (limited eating out, no processed foods, no added sugar) and have practiced the breathing exercises provided to me by the office. I also worked out more than usual, mostly because I knew I would miss it!

I took an entire week off of work for recovery, but since I work from home, I know I can "catch up" on some stuff if a feel up to it. I spent the weekend meal prepping so I wouldn't have to cook over the next week, just cooking off a lot of rice, quinoa, beans, and chopping up fresh vegetables so I can easily through together meals without having to pull out cutting boards, pots and pans, etc. My mom and my boyfriend with be "tag teaming" and helping me with my recovery, and I didn't want them to have the added stress of trying to cook for me.

I'll share the post-op results as I feel up to it, as I know I'm curious as to how the implants will "drop" over time and how the healing will progress.

It's the day after my surgery, and I'm surprised at the lack of pain that I feel. I had 450ccs placed sub muscular through an incision at the crease of the breast. I felt a little loopy after my surgery yesterday and kinda kept rambling. The last thing I remember before surgery is the anesthesiologist placing the mask over me and breathing in three times; I woke up in the recovery room. The recovery room was amazing-- they gave me warmed up blankets and kept a heater near me so I wouldn't be cold from the anesthesia. After a few minutes, my mom was brought in. I'm not sure how long I was there, but the recovery nurse wheeled me out of the facility and I headed home. I slept most of the day, which felt great.

The pain wasn't too bad-- I just felt like I had completed a really tough workout the day before, like I did 100 pushups or pull ups. I had a hard time walking, partially because of the drugs, partially because I felt top heavy. This morning, I had a bit of pain at the incision site; it might be the nerve blockers wearing off. I feel like I have two bricks strapped to my chest, which is a strange feeling. My breasts are rock hard and I have a huge amount of volume right below my collarbone. The shape is off, but I expected that.

I've been taking the ibuprofen and muscle relaxers and haven't had to resort to the narcotic pain medication. Laying back is great, but standing up feels weird. I'm also taking antibiotics and Singulair (to reduce chance of capsular contracture). I mostly alternate between reading and sleeping. I could sleep in my own bed, but I'm worried about instinctively laying on my side. So, I've been sleeping in my living room recliner. It's VERY comfortable and I'm glad I made that decision-- at one point last night, I caught myself attempting to roll onto my side just as I predicted I might!

Overall, I am so pleased with the amount of comfort I felt in the surgery and recovery rooms. I'm so happy I've been able to manage this without narcotics (so far) but the muscle relaxers do make me quite sleepy. I'm glad I took the entire week off work-- I have a feeling that I'll need it!

I didn't see the point in doing a daily update, since it would mostly be me talking about being in pain, sleeping a lot, and being SO BLOATED. I guess that's normal, but the bloat is ridiculous. I'm used to seeing defined ab lines and right now, it doesn't matter how hard I suck in, those lines aren't appearing.

I've been taking gentle walks since yesterday, which has done wonders for my cabin fever and general wellbeing. I miss my spin classes and yoga, but love being able to just walk around a bit in the meantime. I'm very careful to keep my heart rate low, because I am at risk of a hematoma.

More than anything, I want to shower. I washed my hair in the sink yesterday and it was heavenly! I'm so ready for a hot shower. I have been wearing the surgery bra and it's too tight (yes, I know that's the point) and my incisions feel itchy. I can't wait until the sutures are removed tomorrow and I can finally take a break from wearing a bra. I rarely ever wore a bra before; this is a brave new world.

Getting up in the morning is the hardest-- I feel the most pain when I try to sit up in bed and get out. I'm still sleeping at an angle, which is hard on my back. I find putting a long, skinny pillow under my knees helps with back pain. Hot tip if you're also struggling with back pain!

The girls still feel like rocks and my pecs hurt so much. I have noticed though that they've dropped quite a bit and are starting to take on a more natural shape, less of the square boob thing I had going on before. I'll post pics soon of the progress. I am wondering if I went TOO big, but I have to remember that I am still quite swollen. I guess I have the opposite of boob greed! I am definitely glad I didn't go bigger; I think I would look really ridiculous.

The upper pole fullness is insane but GREAT. I've never had that before. Even still, I'm excited for these to settle and look just a little more natural.

As far as pain, it was at its worst yesterday (weirdly enough), but now it's just uncomfortable. I haven't taken the narcotic pain killers; I've been managing with just muscle relaxers and ibuprofen. I do have a pretty high pain tolerance, but I notice I'm just uncomfortable and miss being normal-- miss being able to just vacuum or lift things out of my way and just generally do what I normally do. But I'm forcing myself to take it easy for now so I don't screw up the result!