So Far Sooo Good :) - Philadelphia, PA

2 Weeks Post Op: March 28th

Wow time is really flying by! I am feeling really good. Last night I was able to lay completely on my side to sleep! Finally! I no longer have the tightness and extra firm feeling in my breasts in the morning either. I went back to work on Monday (03/26) I am an X-ray tech, no one at work knows I had surgery....they just think I was on vacation. I was very scared to go back for 2 reasons....I felt like everyone would know immediately upon looking at me and also nervous about the lifting/pushing/pulling associated with the job. Being that I wear scrubs I really shouldnt have worried about people noticing....because no one did! My good friend said you look great did you get your hair done? or get some sun on vaca? I was very sore coming home from work Monday night...I really can't avoid pushing/pulling/lifting in job because I only work with 6 other techs and we work mostly by ourselves. I took ibuprofen every 4 hours and just made sure to take my time and not overdo it. Tuesday was a little better as was today. Another thing I find I am doing is hunching over. Has anyone experienced this? When I stand completely straight with shoulders back in good posture I feel a lot of tightness and pressure on my implants from the muscle, so naturally I am hunching slightly forward so I don't feel this, but now have pain in my upper back/neck and trapezius muscles :( I'm trying to be more conscious of my posture to avoid getting these back pains. I am assuming once the implants drop and the muscle relaxes and gets used to the implants being there it will help with this bad posture habit. I took updated 2 week pics, including a side view upon request :) which I will upload as soon as possible. I am still very happy so far......I wish I could fast forward a few months to see the final results haha :)

Hello everyone! I have been considering breast augmentation for over 2 years now and have finally done it! So here's my story. I am 24 years old, 5"4' 135 pounds, no children. About two years ago I began to take exercise and eating healthy very seriously. The results were great. I lost about 20 pounds overall, toned up and gained muscle. Unfortunately, there was a catch...I went from being a full 34C to a deflated 34B. I felt self conscious in tight fitting summer tank tops and bathing suits and I decided I wanted to change that. I haven't told anyone about the breast augmentation except for my boyfriend of 4 years with whom I live with :) I felt that this was something I wanted to do for myself and I didn't feel the need to share that with anyone else. I went in to my PS for a free consultation back in January. We discussed size, placement, and incision location. He took a lot of measurements and then we used those measurements to look at before and after photos of women with the same height/weight and breast dimensions as I was. We ultimately decided to go with Mentor Smooth Round Moderate Profile Saline placed under the muscle with an inframammary incision. We decided 375cc on the left and 425cc on the right due to my asymmetry. He predicted I would be approximately a 34D after the surgery. We scheduled surgery for March 14th. I had my pre-op appointment on March 5th, which included receiving my prescription orders, pre op instructions, and routine bloodwork. After having a little anxiety about going too big, I decided to re-look at the before and after photos again with my PS. After again, we changed the numbers to 300cc on the left and 350cc on the right. He predicted I would be a mid to full C after surgery. Being that I am a woman I'm sure many of you can relate to this. The next day I became worried that changing my mind about the smaller implant size would be a decision I might regret. After calling my PS and having a long conversation about how I felt he felt comfortable going in between the to sizes that I had chosen. So 337cc on the left and 387cc on the right. God bless this man I'm sure he deals with indecisive woman far more than any man should...however I'm guessing it comes with the territory...I mean this is a huge decision to make. But I feel 100% at ease now. Not sure was bra size I am predicted to be after surgery with this change...but I'm not too worried about that. Day Before Surgery: March 13th I had all my prescriptions filled an ready. I did all the laundry and dishes, cleaned the house from top to bottom, and moved essentials to counter level for easy access during recovery. I packed my day of surgery bag with comfortable yoga pants, zip-up lightweight hoodie, slip on moccasins and my post surgery sports bra. I have long hair so I had a friend do two french braids that would last me a couple days. Let me tell you ladies this was a lifesaver. The last thing you want to worry about is lifting your arms above your head worrying about your hair during recovery. I wasn't feeling nervous at all just excited. My PS suggested taking a Valium the morning of surgery to calm my nerves and also one the night before to help with a good night's sleep. I didn't take the Valium the night before because I didn't feel like I needed too and that was a big mistake...I don't think I slept a wink. I don't think I mentioned this but I am an xray tech so it is a fairly laboring job...I was able to to take off from March 14th-25th...12 days total...hopefully that is enough. Day of Surgery: March 14th Woke up and took a Valium for anxiety, the prescribed antibiotic, and an Emend for post op nausea. My boyfriend and I reported to the hospital at 7:30 am. I was taken immediately to the short procedure pre-procedure area for some quick registration questions. I changed into a hospital gown (was allowed to keep only panties on). The nurse was super friendly. She placed compression stockings on both lower legs, blood pressure cuff, and started an IV in my hand. They kept me bundled up with warm blankets as I waited to be taken back. I was a little loopy from the Valium but was able to chat with my boyfriend for a little while. Next my PS arrived to take pre-op photos and he made some markings on my skin with permanent marker. Next I said my goodbyes to my hunny and I was wheeled to the operating room.This was approximately 9am. Honestly the last thing I remember is the anesthesiologist talking to me and then giving me IV meds to put me to sleep. I woke up in the same recovery room where I had been before the surgery. I was in no pain, just felt heavy pressure on my chest. I was in and out of sleep for about an hour I am told. I finally was able to stay awake long enough to have a a conversation with the nurse. She gave me sips of ginger ale and crackers. I was then taken to a quiet more private area were I was transferred to a wheelchair and was able to sit with my boyfriend. I think we were there for about another half hour or so. I vaguely remember the nurse giving discharge instructions to my boyfriend and her helping me change into my clothes. By 12 o'clock we were ready to go home. The ride home was a little tough. It is about an hour and a half trip for us. I was still really groggy so I remember drifting in and out of sleep, but I awoke with discomfort at every single bump. Finally we arrived home and I immediately took another nap for about 3 hours. I had some chicken noodle soup with crackers and ginger ale for dinner. I took a Vicodin, a valium, and my antibiotic. I was not in pain, I just remember feeling a lot of pressure and heaviness on my chest which made it difficult to take deep breaths. I slept like a baby propped up with pillows in our bed. (I posted pictures of when I unzipped the bra to apply ointment) Post Op Day 1: March 15th I woke up feeling pretty uncomfortable. I definitely could not get myself from a laying to sitting/standing position. My boyfriend was very helpful in supporting my back and lifting me without me exerting any effort. My breasts felt super high and rock hard, however I have very little swelling and no bruising at all. My PS said I was allowed to shower the day after surgery but seeing as it was difficult to even go to the bathroom....we decided one extra day couldn't hurt. After all it wasn't like I was running marathons and getting sweaty :) I was instructed to put polysporin ointment over the steristrips that were covering the incisions daily until my first post op visit. I found it extremely uncomfortable to take the support sports bra off to put on the ointment. It felt as though my breast weighed 100 pounds each and they were pulling so hard against the muscle. This day was probably the worst. Still no pain, just a lot of discomfort and pressure. I couldn't get comfortable any way I tried to position myself. I was getting frustrated because I kept trying to do simple tasks like pull up my pants or reach for my ginger ale and I couldn't You really don't realize how much you use your arms and chest muscles for everrrrrrrything. Post Op days 2-4: March 16th-March 18th These days went by pretty fast. I experienced the same uncomfortable rock hard "morning boob" sensation each day as I awoke, but once I was up and moving around this went away. I showered on Post Op day 3 with my boyfriend's help. Hardest part of that was getting the soap out from underneath your armpits....tricky situation I would suggest taking a cup into the shower with you :) Each day I experienced less discomfort and was relying less and less on my boyfriend to help me up from sitting to standing. (I found the key is to use your legs and lower ab muscles) I was not using my arms for pulling, pushing, carrying anything heavier than my cell phone. I took about one Vicodin on each of these days usually in the morning and took a Valium before bed each night to help relax and sleep. Post Op Day 5: March 19th Today was my 1st post op appointment. I was a little nervous about an hour and a half drive so my boyfriend rearranged his work schedule to take me :) So appreciative! So my PS said everything was looking great. He removed the steristrip bandages and I was able to see the incisions. They don't look bad at all. About 1 inch long and mostly just red and a little puffy. He went over the massage I was to do twice daily to help the implants drop and fill the space he made. I was told to switch to a gently moisturizer such as cocoa butter, vitamin E, or Johnson's baby lotion to use daily on the entire breast including the incision. I chose Palmer's concentrated Cocoa Butter cream lotion with vitamin E and I love it...it was about $8 and it's supper soft, gentle, and smells great. I was also instructed to no longer wear the sports bra. Instead I am to wear either a camisole with shelf bra, soft bra with no underwire, or nothing until my next appointment which is April 6th. I was told I am allowed to sleep anyway that is comfortable for me but no sleeping bra. Also was told to switch to Ibuprofen for pain reliever as needed, and use the valium for trouble sleeping. Heavy lifting, pulling and pushing is still restricted for 2 weeks. 1 Week Post Op: March 21st Today I feel really good. I tried to sleep on my side last night....It didn't work so well. The breast closest to the bed was fine but the top breast was very uncomfortable because of the weight of not being supported...I ended up balling up a small blanket and placed it in between the two for support and that seemed to work okay, however I woke up midway through the night and was on my back so I stayed there because it was more comfortable. Still woke up with the "morning boob" sensation, but it went away within about an hour. I did my massages this morning. It was a very strange feeling. No pain or discomfort....it just felt like the implant was going to fall out the bottom and bust open the internal sutures. My PS warned me I would feel this way but assured me this is not possible. He closed the incisions with 3 layers of dissolvable stitches, the inner most layer not dissolving until 90 days. But still I was a little freaked out. I was able to actually style my hair today with minimal discomfort and made breakfast for my boyfriend....he was happy :) It is still hard to open jars/cans/medicine bottles and I find that opening the windows in the house and carrying the water pitcher is still a little uncomfortable. I tried on an old bathing suit top and became super excited!!! Besides riding really high they are looking great! I love the size and I think as they drop and soften up I will be even more in love :) We are going to Jamaica in August and I can't wait to start bathing suit shopping! I have posted pics from today below to show the progress so far...it seems to me the left side is riding a little higher than the right which is strange since I'm right hand dominant and also the right side has the higher cc's...but who knows I'll just have to be patient :/ A couple helpful hints I wish I'd known before surgery: -wear loose elastic pants home from surgery...the fold over yoga pants I had were a pain -pain medications WILL most likely make you constipated...drink lots of water to prevent this by staying hydrated, also have some prune juice and laxatives on hand...trust me on this one -your trapezius muscles will be sore due to you not relaxing your arms by your sides....heating pads feel great and airplane neck pillows are comfy while watching tv or lounging around - taking a Vicodin pill whole made me very nauseous, my PS instructed me (my boyfriend) to cut it in half and take it half an hour apart...this was a tremendous help....this was the only nausea I experienced throughout the entire ordeal I hope that helps....I will post again soon.