I had a hard time finding reviews and photos for...
I had a hard time finding reviews and photos for over the muscle augmentations so I thought I would post my experience. I did find a great gallery at dbreath.com. The site states for each one whether it was over or under the muscle. I had originally planned to go under the muscle but because of droopiness from breastfeeding, my surgeon recommended to go over. I was really nervous that it would look unnatural and like two balls under my skin.
I went with my surgeon because he has a great reputation, extensive great reviews, and a lot of the before and afters I saw online that I liked were his work. I wasn't taking any chances with the outcome. I had asymmetry and wanted to even them out more. I went with 345cc on the one side and 415 on the other, based on Dr. Edelstein's recommendation.
I am very happy with my results. They are not perfect, but perfection isn't the goal. The side that was larger is still a little bit larger which I'm okay with. You can't tell unless you study them. The one with the larger implant is firmer when you squeeze it. This makes total sense as there is more in there filling it up :) At first they were so hard and sore and it really worried me, but they have already softened up so much. They don't look like balls, they look natural, but with the benefit of being fairly perky for someone my age who has had children. I am having so much fun wearing bikinis now that I couldn't fill before, and trying on clothes that I fill out so much better.
I will post some photos I took along the way over the last 6 weeks with some notes about what I was feeling and experiencing at the time.
Surgery
My surgery was on a Friday which couldn't have been better timing. I took the Friday off plus the next week off of work which gave me a total of 10 days off to rest. I can't imagine going back sooner because I was okay to go back at that time but still sore and very tired.
I got to the Forest Hill clinic about 1.5 hrs before surgery and it was nice being able to relax my own room and watch TV to calm my nerves. About 20 or so minutes before the surgery time the nurse came in and gave me some pills to take and then the surgeon came in to draw on me. After that everything went pretty quickly. I was brought into the surgery room and they worked quickly to put in my IV etc. The anaesthesiologist had a great sense of humour and we were joking back and forth. I was out pretty quickly.
When I woke up I felt more out of it than anything else, but also felt pain. I asked for a painkiller and the nurse gave me one. I wasn't in a rush to leave because I felt pretty woozy. After about an hour they started getting me ready to leave. I already had the surgical bra on when I woke up and the nurse help me get dressed and I was wheeled out to the car. I had a 1.5 hr drive home which wasn't the most fun but not too bad either.
I stayed in bed for most of the rest of the day and slept off and on. I scheduled reminders in my phone for every 4 hours when I was supposed to take my medication. I highly recommend taking the medication for constipation right away instead of waiting until there is an issue. If you are taking painkillers you are very likely to get constipated which is very uncomfortable. I started taking the pills shortly after the surgery and it was still about four days for me. Expect to get pretty bloated for the first week or two as well, you retain a lot of water.
The Reveal - Day 2
The morning after the surgery I realized that I wasn't overly bandaged and I could take my bra off for a peek. The photo attached is the first photo I took and it's the day after surgery. It was pretty darn exciting getting the first look at them. I was so happy that from the front at least, they looked pretty good. I know a lot of people look really high for the first while. They did not look great at all from the side because the bottom of my breasts were empty since the implant wasn't in place yet. They looked pretty bad from that angle, but I knew things take time.
I was sore, but it was manageable with the painkillers. I don't like taking a lot of medication but I didn't hesitate to take the painkillers. I really do not like pain and why suffer when you don't have to. My favourite time of the day was a little while after I took the painkiller and I had a reprieve and felt kind of normal again for a while. I took that opportunity to walk around and sit outside to get some fresh air.
Sleep was very difficult for me because I'm a side sleeper and I hate sleeping on my back. I stayed with my parents for a couple of days after the surgery so that I had my mom's help getting out of bed and with meals etc. I brought a lot of pillows but I still could never get comfortable and woke up a lot through the night. I was pretty swollen and the D size bra they gave me was practically busting at the seams and so tight. I left the bottom few hooks open and the top as well and that helped a lot. I used Arnica gel for the soreness and that helped a lot as well, along with taking off my bra for a few minutes when I would get too sore.
First few days
The swelling, tightness and pressure were hard during the first 2 weeks. I read that it takes about 2 weeks for the swelling to go down, and that was pretty accurate for me. I honestly felt like I might burst from the pressure. I did however like the upper pole fullness that the swelling gave. Looked great from the front, but not so much from the side. I couldn’t get out of bed very easily on my own for the first few days, so I was glad I was staying with my parents. If you’re not married or living with someone, it’s a good idea to stay with family or a friend, or have someone stay with you.
I woke up a lot during the night sore and tight and I would sit up propped against pillows, undo my bra and surf online a bit, looking up things such as when I would be able to sleep more comfortably! Ice packs are a huge help as well. The great thing about taking the time off work is you can make up for sleep during the day.
I only had to wear a tensor and I wasn’t supposed to wear it tightly. My surgeon doesn’t usually use the compression bands unless he sees that it’s needed. The tensor was itchy but that’s about it.
Day 4
I got to have a shower and it was heaven! It felt like a turning point and I felt so much more like myself. I overdid it though between the shower, packing up my things at my parents to go home, and stopping to get groceries. It really set me back and by 11pm I was in a lot of pain, had a lot of achiness and couldn’t sleep. Felt pretty miserable. My advice would be to keep taking it easy, even when things feel like they are starting to improve. Overdoing it set me back a couple of days and I was very sore and tired for a while. I attached pics of my incisions.
Day 5
A few photos to show the progress.
Day 6
This was a very special day for me... the day I slept on my side for the first time since the surgery! I was not getting much sleep at all lying on my back or propped up, and my surgeon is fine with side sleeping so I thought I'd give it a try. I used a good body pillow and kind of wedged it between my boobs so that one was under and one was over the pillow. This really helped to support them. I couldn't have slept on my side without the body pillow and highly recommend it. I still sleep with it every night and will continue to do it. I still had soreness and had to flip from one side to the other every couple hours - but much better than back sleeping! Another thing to note is that I kept taking my pain pills and didn't try to tough it out since I was in a lot of discomfort. After the first week I only took them at night.
Day 7
Side profile update. I like the slope of the right side, but the left still has a wonky looking slope. Much better than day 2s side view shots though.
Day 8
Drove for the first time, kept it a short distance. I felt every bump and held my boobs whenever I noticed a bump coming. Hard to look over my shoulder, but I managed okay.
Day 11
Went back to work for the first time. It took me forever to get dressed, partly because I was trying to cover up my surgical bra and tensor bandage, and partly because I wanted to wear something where my new boobs weren't obvious. I was still sore, and so tired, but I made it through okay. No one noticed or suspected which was exactly what I wanted. I look mostly the same, but now it's me and not a padded bra.
I was struggling with being sore, achy and tired and decided I needed a pick me up. I went through my bikinis thinking that most would fit but I’d just fill them out more. Not a chance! Lol. Most barely covered a section of my boobs, and I could only find 2 that I could fit into. It definitely did encourage me that this was all worthwhile, and it was pretty exciting filling out a bikini again for the first time in over 20 years :) :)
6 Weeks
This brings me up to date to where I am now. It's funny how after your surgery you feel like it's going to stay that way for what feels like forever. The achiness, hardness, lack of sleep, etc. Then you start noticing things one by one, like how you can now look over your shoulder when you're driving without your incisions hurting. Or go over a bump without having to hold onto your boobs. Sleep a whole blessed night without your boobs aching and waking up with no morning boob. It all happens one by one and you smile with each thing.
I have 2 more weeks until I can start bra shopping - can't wait! I have already been buying bikinis which has been super fun. The only thing I wasn't prepared for is that it's not easy to find bikini tops that fit where I'm not spilling out. I didn't go super huge (D cup) so I didn't expect that. I have found sexy bikinis that I feel good in, but I would like to find one or two that are a bit more modest for wearing around family and other situations where I don't want to be quite as booby. A much better "problem" to have than not being able to fill out the cups :)
I have attached some updated photos of how I look right now. From the front I think things look pretty good, and you can't tell too much that they are different. From the side you can see my right is perkier. With my left being bigger before the surgery there was more room there. A larger implant was put on the right to try to make it catch up in size to the left. It ended up being fuller. So the left is more squeezable and squishy than the right. I think the asymmetry is much less noticeable from the front though than before the surgery which I'm happy about. Since I'm over the muscle I'm not sure if I have much more changing and settling to do, or if this is how I'll stay. I guess time will tell :)
6 Weeks
Finally sat down and put together some progress pics and a before and after (well, before and 6 weeks). It really does make a difference when you look at the photos side by side. It's neat for me to see the changes myself.
9 weeks
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31 Jul 2016
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2 months post
I went to Victoria's Secret for the exciting 8 week bra fitting time. Found out I'm a 30DDD or 32DD. Since they don't carry 30 band widths I bought a 32DD with underwire. I love seeing them supported and shaped well, but I have to say I'm not used to the discomfort of underwire. I've been wearing the surgical bra and other wireless bras for two months now. But I do love having thin bra straps and a sexy bra again :-)
I had my 2 month post op and was told that my scars are healing really well and that they shouldn't be very visible. I'll try to take some update pics of the incisions.
Update at 9 weeks
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31 Jul 2016
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2 months post
Thought I'd post some update pics for the 9 week mark. Totally love my right side and wouldn't change a thing about it. My left side has more of a droopy look to it because it was bigger to begin with and probably could have used a small lift. If I had to do it over again I would probably look into lifting that side a little and maybe making the nipple a bit smaller because the nipple is larger than the right side as well. Probably not worth another surgery though. Overall I'm still really happy with everything and don't regret the surgery for a second.
