35 Yrs Young, 2 Kids, Taking my Groove Back! - Tampa, FL

So yeah, I'm 34 with two elementary school aged kids. Work out regularly and have a rather high stress work/home life. Ready to do something exclusively for me! Been wearing push up bras, push up swimsuits, padded sports bras, cutlets for too long after breastfeeding and I just want to feel confident without all that. I'm about a 34/36 B/Very small C. I have a wide chest imo (15cm) and broad shoulders. I am extremely analytical and enjoy the process of researching; however I am also rather impulsive. I love that I found this site so early in my journey appreciate the positivity and the wealth of info.

Getting excited, confirming my surgery date of 12/29/15.
It's been interesting experiencing the consultations and hearing the opinions of all of the american board certified surgeons. Funny how they all seem to use the phrase "You're going to look like a rock star!" :D Really...all five surgeons or treatment coordinators! Im thinking, do I have undiagnosed rock star envy that Im in denial about?? I just want bigger boobs people. Too funny. I am also having minor lipo on my knees and they all seemed to have a different approach to it. Meaning one surgeon felt I needed to have my whole inner thigh and could not just do knees, another said it was very simple and another said complicated. And the price variation fir the lipo was a difference of $1000's! (As in the range was $900 to $2500) I definitely feel very strongly about taking the time to consult with different surgeons. Even though the second one may seem like "the one" and they have availability for your preferred surgery dates, my advice would be to hold off on cancelling your future consults. Just go with an open mind and you may be pleasantly surprised.

On the other side! Got home around 5pm yesterday with a surgery time of 12pm Friday July 16,2016 after about an hour drive (which I literally have no memory of). Was very challenging to walk as I had minor vaser lipo to my inner knees but my chest tightness was intense. It was hard to walk and recline yesterday and after throwing up once, I've been pretty comfortable. Steady diet of broth, unsalted crackers, Gatorade and flat ginger ale seem to be suiting me fine. My throat definitely was sore from breathing tube so my hubs had hard candy for me. I ended up with 325 moderate plus profile mentor memory gel under the muscle with a crease incision. I was surprised to find that I only had 325cc and am admittedly a lil concerned about them getting lost in my wider chest. Time will tell ;) Feeling pretty good today and trying not to overdo things. Only taking 1 oxy every six hours and feeling mostly pressure and tightness near my armpits and cleavage area. My ps says that I can shower this morning, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow. My 'Z' bra from the ps is surprisingly comfy and I can see why he raves about it. Well. That's all for now. So glad that I did this for myself already! Good vibes ladies.

Updated pic

Okay! So last Tuesday had my first post op appointment and was generally feeling pretty ok. My boobs still felt very firm and although I was gaining mobility in my arms pretty quickly. I wasn't sure if it was wise to give in to that ability or try to take it easy. I decided to take it easy. I also had vaser lipo on my medial knees which has been a breeze thanks to my awesome ps. So I had been told to walk for 15 minutes around the house EVERY 2/3 hours (excluding bedtime) since I got home from surgery. Which I've been doing. I think it's really helped with swelling overall. One thing I wasn't prepared for was the constipation and bloat! I am pretty regular and never experienced these with my pregnancies. I had no idea I would feel like someone force fed me thousands of bazooka bubble gums! ;) Sooooo uncomfortable. Anyway! At my appointment I was told that my girls were coming along fabulously, and was reminded the benefits of only wearing my zbra oppose to any other store bought sports bra (at this point in recovery). The zbra (of which I have no affiliation with, but notedly do mention by manufacturers name pretty often) not only supports my girls toward my chest but have side panels providing proper support for implants to stay out of the armpits. Very breathable too. I also learned that my knees were coming along fine, that I didn't need a boob strap, and was told about a very very important part of recovery and a pleasing result, massaging. :/ :/ ;| :| Of which feels nothing even remotely close to a massage! My hubs and I were shown how to grab the area under my areola, push all the way back until we felt my ribs and with gentle contact pressure, push that implant all the way up my chest until the top of my implant is in line with my clavicle, and then gently release. :-0 !!!!!! First few times are an out of body experience of pain and very very extreme weirdness, but even after it was done twice on each boob we could already see a tiny bit of muscle relaxation! They were great at empathising and preparing me for what this massage will feel like as the lady instructing me had gone through the same thing with her own ba. Nothing like first hand relatability! So I have started doing that 10 xs on each breast 3 xs a day minimum. I did a few massages myself and of course hubs got in on the action so he can help and quality control as needed. :p Below are a few Questions that I had prepared for my appointment. Obviously customized for me and my ps instructions and practices but hopefully it can be helpful. Q. What is the crackly air or squishy sound that comes from my chest when I move a certain way? :-0 A. This is very common and it is air and fluids from surgery that will eventually absorb into my body. Q. When can I shave my under arms? A. Let's wait a week after second post op appointment. (Post op day 11) Q. Will I need to wear a band to help me drop more? A. No I will not need a band, I simply do not need it. Q. I noticed my stitches are long at the end, is there a reason for this? A. Yes it should not be in my way, but they do this on purpose and will address it at the next post op appointment. Q. Is it normal to have stopped taking all narcotic pain meds and muscle relaxers by day three? A. It is not unusual and fine. It will also help with the stomach bloating and constipation. Q. I was surprised to read that my implants are 325 cc. Are you confident that this will get me to my desired size? A. He didn't know if I felt they should be bigger or smaller (reminder that my ps uses pics and asks questions, no talk about cc or numbers or bra size) but that this was the largest implant size that we could place to avoid any potential complications either way. He thinks I will be very very happy with the size. (So far I AM!)

Soooo, week numero two. Exceedingly better than week numero one. Here are my notes on my personal progress and my 2nd Post op appointment.

Is anyone seeing their ps every week for the first month?? My next appointment is on Thursday.

Progress:
- Boobs are feeling softer and I can actually make them touch each other without any pain.
- Still having little zinger feelings from nerves however a lot less achy feeling.
- Skin is starting to feel less itchy and tight and weird numb/over sensitive nipples are gaining normal feeling. Still sensitive, but less than half of how bad I felt a few days ago.
- Although my "massages" are the worse, they are getting less and less uncomfortable and I don't have to threaten my hubbys life when he helps. (If you have been told to do "massages" I highly recommend having someone do them with or for you. It's horrid at first but, I'm feeling my boobs drop over my incision a tad and they've shifted out of my armpit area completely. My ps feels that wearing ONLY my zbra and doing my "massages" (3-4 times a day, 10 times on each side) are nonnegotiable.
- Full range of motion in arms.
- Slowly lowering myself from sleeping at a 45 degree angle. Still waking up 2/3 times throughout the night to reposition. I can lay on my side with hand on my head for a few minutes before it becomes uncomfortable.
- Outer areola and side boob areas are most tender, which makes sense I think as my implants drop and expand.
- Mentally and emotionally feeling more like myself and boobs feeling more like a part of my body and less foreign.

2 Week Post Op Appnt (6-28-16):
- Ps says my progress is going beautifully. Phew. Yessss.
- He "massages" them and I thought I might actually shed a single tear. It hurt that bad. Quickly reminded me that THAT is what it should feel like if I'm doing them effectively. NOTED! :/
He gave my hubs another quick tutorial to help. (I was sore for two full days after, I felt like I was back at day 3)
- Trimmed stitches and removed post op tapes. First time seeing incisions. Lil overwhelming, but I was reminded that this is the worse they will ever look.
- Provided with paper tape and a rather pricey SkinMedica TNS Recovery Complex bottle. I apply one pump for both scars on clean dry skin allow to dry and cover with tape. My ps swears by this stuff and his minimal scars photos (especially on darker skin tones) was one of many reasons I chose him. So I'm doing exactly what he says and nothing much else.
- Advised to take one 400 vitamin e daily to help lubricate and make "massages" easier.
Reminded to keep incision area cool and dry. No pools or beach, or excessive sweating. Stay out of sun.
- May resume intimacy and only light walking.

All in all, so far so good. Trying to stay grateful, positive and respect the 'process'.
Good vibes luvs ;)

Woooow! It's crazy how fast time flies. It's been well over a month since my last update and everything has been great.
At my 3rd post op checkup I was encouraged to continue my massages 10 xs a day on each side and switched to a SkinMedica treatment that will help with blending my scar color with the rest of my skin.
A month later (last week) at my 4th appnt I was given the green light on any kind of bra I would like (PURE JOY)! My massage regime has been reduced to five times a day until month three, when he would like me to massage once a day for the next six months. No more tape and I can do any exercises besides heavy lifting using chest/pecs. My next appountment is in six months.
I'm feeling pretty normal. Every once in a while when I sleep funny (and by funny I mean like a raving lunatic as I fall out of bed at least one time every week.. Lol) I can feel a slight discomfort in the side of my boob. Certain bras can be very very uncomfortable. But it's almost as if they've always been a part of me now and that foreign feeling is gone. I'm feeling more comfortable with my size choice as I can play the girls up if I want to, or minimize them. I can run fine and they don't make anything that I do feel cumbersome.
I feel fortunate thus far and plan to follow my surgeons directions to the letter and remain positive as I continue my recovery journey! Wishing you well...Good vibes luvs ;-)