Fat Transfer to Small Breasts, Almost 40 Yrs Old, Two Children

It's been quite a journey so far.
As I previously stated, at my pre-op consultation, it was determined that fat would be harvested from my armpits (bra-fat), abdomen and flank to include my "muffin top" area and the fat above my buttocks. On the day of my procedure, as the surgeon was marking me up before going in to the operating room, she didn't think she would be able to get enough fat from those sites alone, so the backs of my arms and the fatty deposits from higher up on my back were included.
I woke up from the procedure in an abdominal binder (like a very wide ace bandage with velcro on one side), with a drain on my left flank and compression sleeves on both of my arms. Under the abdominal binder, I was wrapped in a foam-like substance and thin drainage pads (aka in the medical world as "chucks" similar to puppy pee pads used when potty training dogs). For three days, as directed by my surgeon, I kept the binder and the contents under it on but on day three I switched out of it to the compression garment I was provided with on the day of the surgery. I felt very dizzy, like I was going to pass out when I took the binder off. It took a long time to get me washed up and in to my compression garment. Warning to those of you who will have to go back to work or adhere to a schedule while you still have your drain - it takes MUCH longer to get ready when you have to be mindful of all of the layers of compression garments and drain care so plan accordingly!
I was hesitant to fill the norco prescription given to me before my procedure but I was glad to have it for the first two days. I only took one pill at a time at the recommended interval, instead of the 1-2 allowed and switched to Tylenol that Sunday morning (morning of day 3) as I needed to go in to my office on Monday and wanted to make sure I was going to be able to handle the pain with Tylenol. I felt sore but it was very manageable.
As others have commented, sleeping on my back is challenging, but I am lucky to have an adjustable bed and can prop my legs and head at various angles. I have been tucking a small decorative pillow under each arm to prop them up to allow drainage and lay a standard pillow across my belly to lay my hands on. So far, I have been sleeping fairly well. I am still sore every morning but it decreases daily.
One week after my procedure, at my first post-op appointment, I was eager to get my drain removed so that I could shower but I was still producing too much so I won't be getting that out for a few days yet. The staff member who removed my sutures showed me how to clean the drain and change the dressing and also helped me cut a hole in my compression garment to make it a bit more comfortable for me with the drain (cut a round hole big enough to pass the bulb through).
I have been pretty emotional since the procedure. I worry about not retaining the fat deposited in my breasts and I am concerned about the lumps in my abdomen. So far, my breasts have decreased a TON after the procedure but I still notice a nice contour that wasn't there before. I knew going in to this to expect a very modest increase, especially since I had such little breast tissue to begin with, but I was holding out hope that I would be one of the rare individuals to retain more than expected, haha! I have also done a ton of research and keep reminding myself that the small lumps are normal at this point in recovery and I won't see full results for up to 6 months. I am not a patient person and struggle with this! I have been massaging myself daily to help as much as I can.
In summary - I am really happy with the appearance of my arms already and I think I will really like the new contours of my body when the final product is truly visible. I CANNOT WAIT to get this drain out so I can wear normal clothes again! Take a look at my pics from this morning. I wanted to take more of the early days, but honestly I wasn't feeling happy and I wanted to keep my compression garments on as much as possible.

I have always had very small breasts but wasn't ever eager to have implants. A few weeks ago, I was flipping trough channels and I came across a documentary about a woman who had gone through fat transfer to augment her breasts. I had no idea that this type of augmentation was a possibility so I did a TON of research, including reading blogs and physician feedback on this website. What I learned was, any type of breast fat transfer would only provide a breast size increase of 1-2 cup sizes. This was ideal for me. I really just want to be able to purchase a bra or swimsuit that doesn't look ridiculous because of a huge gap between my breast and the garment. I did NOT want to go through a procedure which resulted in an obvious breast increase - I don't want to look outwardly like I have had anything done.

I found a surgeon a few hours away from my home who provided this service and scheduled a consult. I was leery that the surgeon, Dr. Mariam Awada, would try to talk me in to implants, so I was happily surprised when that didn't happen. She assessed my body and thought that she could get enough fat from my abdomen, flanks and bra line (near armpit). I was thrilled that my loose skin/problem areas could get taken care of while increasing my breast size!

I scheduled the procedure for 3 weeks from the date of my consult. I had a pre-op appointment two weeks after my consult, during which time I was given the opportunity to ask questions and they described in greater detail what to expect during the healing process and for the end result. Also during this appointment, my photos were taken so that the changes could be documented.

I don't have the photos from the office to share, but I had my boyfriend take some the morning of the procedure, which are the ones attached to this review.