31, 5'2", 130lbs, no kids - 360cc saline, under the muscle implants

I have been small chested my entire life. Coming from a family of well endowed ladies, I patiently waited for my breasts to appear throughout my teens and early twenties. After all that waiting, I managed to top out at barely fitting a 32B. And as my stepmother used to say, I could wear a bandaid over my nipples, go bra-free and no one would know. While I have loosely toyed with the idea of breast augmentation since my late teens, I always hesitated to move forward due to the fear of pain and inability to screen for cancer. After a few lumps were found during an annual gynecologist visit, I had a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy to ensure everything was okay. I also decided to get tested for the BRCA gene given the high rate of cancer in my family. Fortunately, the biopsy showed benign lumps and I tested negative for the BRCA gene. This experience gave me the opportunity to discuss implants and cancer screening with experienced professionals. Those discussions and my healthy test results helped push me to consider augmentation in more depth. Beginning in January 2016, I began reading reviews on RealSelf, watching countless videos on YouTube and researching doctors. Living 30 miles south of Seattle, I decided to speak with doctors in my city. While 30 miles is not too far, Seattle traffic can be brutal and I wanted to avoid spending hours in a car after surgery and my follow up appointments. I met with three different doctors at local Tacoma, WA clinics based on reviews - Artistic Plastic Surgery, Aesthetica Clinique and Franciscan Plastic Surgery Associates. Given all my research, I arrived prepared with a list of questions; I'm sure they loved that! While all doctors and clinic staff were kind, patient and helpful, I ultimately felt that Dr. Nichols and his staff at Franciscan Plastic Surgery best addressed my questions and eased my concerns. Primarily, I wanted to guarantee that I had a very natural look; a size that fit my small frame correctly and maintained a tear drop shape. Additionally, while I wanted a natural appearance, I knew I wanted saline implants for my peace of mind. I knew that the implants will eventually fail and I would feel much better knowing salt water would enter my body rather than silicone. All doctors took the time to explain the difference between both silicone and saline implants while one doctor was slightly more pushy in encouraging silicone due to the more natural feel and lack of rippling. Another doctor approached size by allowing patients to select their own. As a woman with essentially no breasts, I really did not feel comfortable selecting the implant myself. There was help from a nurse however, the sizes suggested were so large! It felt as if they assumed that anyone desiring breast implants hoped to look like a top heavy Barbie doll. The suggested size was 450cc. I am 5"2', pear shaped with a current weight of 135lbs (I typically maintain a weight of 125lbs but have been neglecting the gym after gorging over the holidays). It was just way too much for me and I did not think that an implant that large would assist in reaching my goal of looking natural. Dr. Nichols and staff were AMAZING at discussing my concerns, explaining implant variations (high, moderate and low profile) and ideal size ranges for my frame. Although I had notes, photos and clear goals, neither of the other clinics provided the same level of insight as Dr. Nichols' staff. It felt like they understood my concerns and goals and were carefully working to select the best fit for my body and my vision. After considering my consultation experiences, I made an appointment to move forward with Franciscan Plastic Surgery on May 4, 2016 (today!). I'll post some before photos and prepare a few more entries about my experience leading up to surgery day and my recovery so far.

The night before surgery, I bought everything I thought I would need such as baby wipes to use until I could shower, bottled water, fruits, veggies and a stool softener to have just in case. I also packed all my pills, ID, insurance card, Chapstick, hair tie, water, apple sauce and directions into a ziploc bag. I cleaned up the house, washed the sheets to ensure a comfortable sleeping environment and set a TV tray with some goodies next to the couch.I would highly recommend everyone do the same prior to surgery. It was nice to have less to worry about on our way out the door in the morning and even better to come home to a prepared space.Surgery was scheduled for 9:45am with a check-in time of 7:45am. For the first time in my life, I was early to something and arrived at 7:30am giving me plenty of time to freak out in the waiting room.When we arrived, I signed some disclosures, watched TV and then eventfully went back to get settled. They performed a pregnancy test, checked my medical history, had me undress into a gown and placed circulation cuffs on my calves.My husband and dad were able to come back and keep me company while I waited. Eventually, the anesthesiologist, doctor and surgical nurse came back to prep me. Once the doctor marked my chest (without my dad in the room), I was ready to go.After a quick bathroom break, the nurse led me back to the operating room. The table was heated and comfortable. I climbed up, the anesthesiologist told me she would provide a sedative to start the process but not put me out. All my nerves and uncertainty were pointless because it was over before I knew it. It's possible I was alert for a while but the next thing I remember is waking up in recovery with the nurse. She provided some applesauce and pain pills, let my husband and dad back into the room and shortly afterward I went home.The ride home was okay and for the most part I just felt like my chest is really tight. Even with an anti-nausea patch, I felt sick walking from the car to the house. My husband gave me an ice cube to rub over my skin because I was very hot. That helped a ton and I was able to make my way to the couch to relax.I stopped eating and drinking at midnight the night before surgery and while I was starving at the clinic, I wasn't hungry after surgery. I've spent the day eating light food such as soup, salad and rice crackers. To maintain hydration, I've drank water all day long.The pain seems to have increased over the past several hours. My husband set an alarm to ensure I take my pills on time and stay ahead of it. My chest still feels tight but my back is beginning to hurt more and my right side and right arm are noticeably more sore and weak than the left. You never realize how much you use your arms until you're unable to use them. Watching me crawl off the couch, attempt to grab something or scratch an itch is laughable. However, it hasn't been too bad so far but I've heard from several people that day two is much worse.I have propped my side of the bed up as instructed and am hopeful that taking meds during the night will decrease the likelihood of waking up in major pain. Guess we will see.Here's a photo of my beautiful surgical bra and bloated belly.