Breast Lift with Fat Graft/Transfer and Seri/Strattice Sling Internal Bra - Twin Falls, ID

Hello everyone! So this is my story/journey to this point with my breasts and a couple other things. This is my 5th surgery on my breasts and I will be having a couple extra things done but are all included and my current doctor is a perfectionist and I think it is something that I have needed for some time now :-D First surgery was implants back in 2004 came out a 36D (before I was an empty 34B)  when my first son was 9 with no plans on having any more. They looked perfect! But then in 2006 I had another child with my new husband and things certainly didn't look the same after that. We lived in Arizona and after an unplanned crudely done c-section since my son was just too large after 8 or more hours of labor, he ended up being 10 pounds! I had a tummy tuck done. We moved to Utah after that and that is when I addressed my breasts and extended my tummy tuck so it ended up being a full lower body lift and got rid of the muffin top problem that just the tummy tuck didn't address. So while in Utah I had an implant exchange and lift, my breasts were a 40DDD at this point and I just needed something alot smaller. And I felt that my inframammary fold was too low since having the tummy tuck but was told before the implant exchange that it was impossible for that to happen and I didn't have that problem. Then the assistant at the doctors office said that my breasts would look like pancakes if  I didn't go with the ones that she had suggested which looked huge to me but thought they knew what was up and trusted her judgement. Voiced my concerns and what I was wanting to achieve but nothing changed. So after the exchange and lift they went down to a 40DD. So a cup size down but certainly not as small as I was looking for at all! I went in an asked for smaller, I didn't insist on another implant. But after them still not being as small as I wanted I had them removed completely. But after the doctor had first made sure that I hadn't just gained weight that had to be verified first since revisions to something you didn't want is usually cost less. Well it didn't change and so they were removed and another lift was done.  After removal they were a 38DD, so slightly smaller but not by much so something else should have happened from the get go. But we moved again to Idaho and I felt defeated about my breasts and just thought that is what I had to live with. But they were still too big for me and exercising was still painful for me and having to practically bind them to do any sort of running or jumping I went the reduction route which insurance did cover. Got them down to a 38C or VS 36D which was great and I could finally crossfit without pain! But now they were flat. No cleavage or anything without a bra and was left with alot of sideboob. But reduction isn't much about aesthetic's but fuctionality so when I went for revisions from the doctor that did my reduction it was going to cost alot more than I had expected.. So I decided to have a consultation with yet another doctor here in Idaho about all of it.... And guess what? As soon as he saw them he said that my inframammary fold was too low and my breasts had essentially bottomed out and my tissue was just too thin and not strong enough anymore and he wouldn't have done a reduction at all but fixed what was going on first. Granted insurance covered most of the reduction cost but not all so that was dissapointing to say the least. And then thinking to myself, I told my doctor back in Utah that I thought they were low and was completely ignored. So I felt vindicated that what I had said actually was, and at the same time I cried at all the money, time and pain that I had endured during those surgeries that this doctor saw it right away. He told me that I should never get implants again and probably shouldn't have done the exchange when I did because my tissue didn't hold it right. So I have some picture before the reduction that I had then after the reduction then some new ones from the surgery I just had 2 weeks ago today. My doctor now I have to say is a blessing and he is an absolute perfectionist! His words since we didn't do all of what he wants to do at one time is instead of getting a "C" and doing it all at once separating out the procedures and getting an "A". It was music to my ears even if I do have to wait awhile to see the final result. Plus he did my chin for free since it is typically not a fat harvest site!

So he did a lift at the inframammary fold but didn't have to release the nipples because he said that when they are lifted up I had a nice breast :-) He pulled up my abdominal skin and attached it to my chest wall and the strattice/seri sling that he put in place to hold my breast tissue in place so that I shouldn't have a problem with bottoming out anymore and fat grafted some to my upper pole to give it some fullness that it hasn't had in a very very very long time! First day home I had a catheter in which was the first time I have had one with a plastic surgery but I think in the long run it was a blessing because I could just rest until my appointment the next day which was today so yay the pics didn't have that!!! Ended up with 2 drains on each side so that was a first for me but easy to manage since my husband is a rockstar and has seen me through all my procedures plus my dark couple years with cancer. He is amazing :-D Everything is alot more sore than I thought it would be but the nurse did say to expect pain much like when I had my tummy tuck that he did alot of attaching to my chest muscles and ab muscles that it felt like I had pulled a muscle all through there. And when I had had my tummy tuck I was one of the lucky ones that had a pain pump in those few days after so I didn't feel much. He harvested fat from my knees, abs and flanks and then did my chin as a bonus is why I have such glamorous head gear on!! He harvested 1600cc from all those harvest and then 100cc's from my chin and he fat grafted a little over 200cc's on my left side since when I was a teenager I had a lump removed that was half the size of a tennis ball and from here on out has always had less tissue and then 200cc's to the right side.

So things are going as well as to expected after surgery. Lots of swelling and bruising but not completely unbearable with the pain meds and the blessing of a doting husband! The tape on the top of my breasts is where the doctor went in for the fat grafting. The rippling in the center below my breast is where he had to pull up my abdominal skin and put in sutures to hold things in place but should flatten over time as the sutures dissolve. The taped areas are where he harvested fat from my abs, sides, flanks and knees. And the tape under my ears and right under my chin is the sites from my chin lipo. I had to wear my head gear 24/7 and had my knees wrapped in ace bandages from mid thigh to mid calf but nothing for my stomach or sides. So all and all things are going well and I am looking forward to when I get my drains out.