Three years of research, and I finally have the body I've always wanted!

At this week's post op appointment (1 month post op) my PS gave me the go-ahead to start upper body. Finally!! I am not a patient person, and one month out of the gym has been torture. I keep forgetting that it has only been one month since surgery. I feel so good, it feels like a year has passed.

My advice to girls looking to get back into their gym routine is this:
- ease back in with very light weight and high rep
As I said, I'm impatient and like to lift heavy. It was a bitter pill to lift so light. Remember your muscles were sliced. They need to repair and throwing around heavy weights only tears the muscle again. There is no benefit.
- at 2 weeks start back at cardio and low impact lower body work
You will risk capsular contracture if you cause premature internal bleeding around the implant pocket. Preserve your investment.
- being careful during recovery and returning to the gym at the right time will ensure proper healing and placement of your implants. Heavy lifting and careless movement can affect the final position of the implant

My first back to the gym workout looked like this:
LIGHT WEIGHT
Db front raises: 3 sets x 15 reps
Standing side lat raises: 3 sets x 12 reps
Standing cable curls: 3 sets x 15 reps
Standing hammer curls: 3 sets x 15 reps
Cable pushdowns: 3 sets x 15
Reverse grip cable pushdowns: 3 sets x 12 reps
ABS:
Crunches: 3 sets x 15 reps
Frog kicks: 3 sets x 15 reps

I'm not going to lie, some of the exercises felt weird and I felt my implants move up and out from the force of my pec muscles. That's going to take some getting used to.

As for the rest of my post op follow up, I still have dropping to do. I'm not 100% happy with my boobs naked, one (right breast) seems to be settling to the outside of my body. My PS said not to worry about anything yet. We can't really say if revision is necessary until at least 3 months. As I said, "I'm so IMPATIENT!!"

I figured I'd space out the updates so that you guys can see progress, because I know from, looking at them every day, I don't see/notice the progress as much.

At 11 days post op, and one day prior to leaving for 6 days in Costa Rica, I had a check up and stitch removal.. My PS was in surgery, so I was attended to by one of the lovely nurses at the clinic, Grace. Despite the stitches being mostly disolveable, Grace explained that Dr J liked to put in a stitch in either nipple. She snipped the end and that was it. No pain. The incisions weren't completely sealed so I was told not to go swimming or into the ocean. Ugh. I am a fish. No, really, I am. I belong in the ocean. It was torture not to be able to soak, swim and lounge in the water while on holiday. Grace gave me tagaderm patches to put over my incisions, but they weren't 100% waterproof and I didn't want to risk damaging my $9600 investment.

I did start back at workouts with a lunge assault on the beach. I couldn't walk for the next two days - it was amazing! I LOVE that I'm back to working out! Nothing fancy or crazy, but I am pushing myself through interval training for cardio, and bodyweight leg exercises. It really feels good to at least be in a gym at 3 weeks post op.

I wouldn't suggest any major bouncing or hard running, but a nice tight sports bra and non-bouncy jogging shouldn't cause any major concern for most.

I'm still wearing my band at night, and sleeping on my back. But, I have started to sleep on my sides. When I do I try to incorporate massage and push my implants inwards. I also try to sleep evenly on both sides.

Pain-wise, I have none. I get the odd twinges along and inside (under) where the incisions are. And, I have started to feel the implants rub along my ribs. It's so weird. At first I thought it was phlem on my chest, but when there was nothing to clear I remembered what a friend, who had hers done recently, said about them rubbing on her ribs. So weird.

I'm back at work and on the desk, not the road. Driving is getting better, but still makes my pecs grip the implants if I use the steering wheel a lot. Some days my implants ride high up under my pecs, but as the day goes on they drop down a little. They're right back up there in the mornings though! I'm still wearing steri-strips on the incisions, which I hate. I want to see my breasts naked, even if they are still hard and wide-ish apart.

I drive a stick shift. Yesterday I had an appointment 45 minutes away and had to get there during rush hour. It was the first time I attempted to drive. I figured if I could shower, wash and blow dry my hair myself, driving stick shouldn't be too much trouble. And, sure enough, it wasn't! It was a weird experience though. I'm at the stage where I don't have any pain at all, but it feels like my pec muscles are constantly flexing - which they basically are, to stretch around the implant under them. Turning the steering wheel and shifting into 1st gear was when I felt the most spasms. Believe me, it's a weird feeling.

I am still pain med free, and am back to normal bowel movements! I feel ready for the gym - lower body and cardio stuff - but I'm sure I shouldn't, at least until the stitches are out, which will be next Thursday.

Today I went shopping for my trip to Costa Rica (day after stitches come out). I drove around town and had no issues at all, just the weird grippy pec dance. Other than that, not much to tell you. I feel great and ready to go!

I have a concern about my asymmetry. I think my PS must have created a lower pocket on my left breast to even them out, but it's hard to tell. When I do my massages I can push my implant down and it becomes even, then pops back up. Will it learn to just drop into that space? I really haven't read much about implant pockets and how the implant drop works, so I would love to hear your experiences.