32AA, 325 cc HP, 30 yrs old, 5'3", 110 lbs, Petite, Active

After 3 consultations with different surgeons, I chose Dr. Singh based on many factors. He is board certified, a clinical professor at John's Hopkins, has years of experience, and (bonus!) even performs surgery for charity internationally (yay, altruistic!); his staff is outstanding and organized; he had power point presentations ready for the consult (the entire office just has their act together); he answered all of my questions and was very professional; and most importantly for me, his recommendation balanced the reality of the limitations of my anatomy (small breast width) with the kind of results I had in mind (i.e., not just a 195 cc implant). After deliberating for all of one night, I called the office to book my surgery the very next day. The big day is in less than a month! I'm equally excited and a flipping nervous wreck!

This should have been my first post, but better late than never. I actually have never been sized for a bra because I am very self-conscious of my flatness. By guess-timation, I'm probably a 32AA. I've been the same size since freshman year of high school. It wasn't until 2007-ish (after college) that my ob-gyn diagnosed me with polycystic ovarian syndrome, which affects my natural hormone cycles. This finally explained why my breasts never developed. During all these years, I've just worn super padded, push-up bras, not to push up anything per se (nothing there), but to basically serve as prosthetic boobs. Don't get me started on swim suits. Every time I would get out of the water, it was like wringing out a beach towel's worth of water from my super padded bikini top (which btw had to fit just right so it didn't look like it was 100% padding (no easy task)). Finding fashionable clothes that covered me up in the right places has always been difficult. I hated my reflection in the mirror because I looked like a pre-pubescent girl on top. Never mind being topless in front of someone else.

I'm excited to finally be able to do this for myself, be happy with how I look, and be comfortable in my own skin.

I'm now down to 17 days before my surgery, and it feels like eternity and too little time all at once. Gah! I am prepping by obtaining a few items in advance (listed below). What else should I consider? Suggestions are welcome and appreciated!

- bendy straws
- extra pillows
- arnica Montana 30x
- scar cream
- frozen peas (aka ice packs)
- liquified foods (apple sauce, yogurt, smoothie ingredients) (I react badly to anesthesia and will likely be nauseated and vomiting for several days post-op if the past is any indicator)
- juicer (I'm a firm believer that food heals. Bring on the green juices!)
- baby wipes
- magazines, books, other life projects to do in bed
- zip lock bags for the ride home in case I puke
- antibacterial soap

My advice: bring someone with you who has a sharp eye and can give you reliable, honest opinions. I brought my mom -- the most scrutinizing, critical person I know (in a loving way, of course). =) We met with Nicole, one of my fantastic nurses, and tried on sizers. After all of the research I had done online, I knew I wanted something around 300 ccs. My goal was to end up in the C cup range. I tried on 275 ccs, 300ccs, and 325 ccs. I really liked how 300 ccs looked on me; however, Nicole explained that implants that are placed subpectorally tend to seem smaller since the muscle on top decreases the projection of the implant. She recommended going with a 325 cc implant in order to end up with the look of 300 ccs. Being my normal, over-analytical self, I couldn't decide, and to appease me, Nicole ordered both 300 and 325 ccs so that I could decide on the day of. We went over pre-op instructions: no blood thinners, birth control, food after midnight, what to wear on the day of surgery (dark, loose clothing, button-up top, flip flops), where to park, etc. I met with Dr. Singh to go over photos I had gathered -- wish boobs (every angle possible, with and without clothes) )and boobs I didn't like (googly boobs, boobs that look like half grapefruits stuck on a person, super pointy boobs). He found this very helpful, and I would recommend everyone doing this. I later emailed those photos to him at his request and CC'd my nurse Nicole. Nicole then gave me my prescriptions to fill in advance and some complementary ice packs and off I went. 1 week 'til the big day.

I'm an obsessive planner. For vacations, I usually start packing at least one week in advance. I start purchasing stuff on Amazon a month prior. So prepping for this surgery was no exception. I ordered Arnica Montana (a natural remedy to help with bruising) and Biocorneum (silicone-based scar gel) on Amazon a few weeks ago. I figured I'd also save some money that way too. I also stocked up on fluids (sparkling water, pineapple juice (see discussion below re. pineapples), coconut water, ginger ale, and green juice). I also purchased a whole pineapple. Pineapples contain bromelain, which is believed to have anti-inflammatory effects and helps with swelling. I'm all about natural remedies. Anything I can do to avoid taking drugs that have a myriad of bad side effects, I'm all over it. On those same lines, I bought a huge bag of prunes to help with constipation due to the medications I will have to take. Again, I'm trying to stick with natural solutions instead of buying laxatives and stool softeners.

I am fortunate enough to have my mom be my caretaker while I recover. Since my nurse recommended not eating anything heavy the night before the surgery, my mom made a beef, cabbage, and carrot soup to eat that night. I couldn't get to bed early even though I had to be at the dr.'s office bright and early at 6:30 am (First operation of the day. Best time in my opinion. I wouldn't be starving, and the medical team would be fresh). I was still agonizing over which size to chose -- 300 or 325 ccs. I went to bed still undecided.

So as you can tell, I am writing this retrospectively. However, I wanted to blog in a way that would be thorough and helpful for others reading this chronologically. Hence, why it says X days post-op above for the date, but I'm still talking about days leading up to the surgery.

That said, let's get to preparations for the big day. I cannot stress enough how important it is to plan ahead. Even with my mom around to help during recovery, my preparations made a great difference. I'll try to tackle this in categories:

1) Physical prep: for months leading up to the surgery (my usual physical fitness routine), I did yoga (vinyasa, hot vinyasa) 2-3 times a week, dance (ballet, hip hop, or lyrical jazz) once a week, jogged and/or walked with the dog daily, brisk walked a mile (part of my commute to work) 5 days a week, and hiked or stand up paddleboard-ed on the weekends. I am in decent shape. But in hindsight, I still feel like I could have done more to prepare physically, particularly with strengthening my back muscles and gaining more flexibility in my back and arms. So if you're wondering about exercises/a focus area that would benefit recovery, I'd suggest the back. After all, my back wasn't used to supporting an extra, combined 650 cc's in front.

2) Food prep: Stock the fridge and pantry so that you and/or your caretaker will not have to worry about groceries. I'm a big Costco fan -- so I bought everything from coconut water and quinoa to baby cucumbers and prunes. Also, pre-bag your smoothie mixes and freeze them.

3) Home prep: Get all your chores done, and I really mean ALL. Clean/dust/disinfect your home from roof to basement, laundrify everything, give your dog a bath, drop off and pick up dry cleaning, wash your car, fill up the tank, pay all your bills, etc. This will make life post-op much less stressful and orderly.

4) Being handicapped: Even with all this, I wasn't prepared for just how physically limited I would be. I didn't think I'd need a rolling bag to commute to work (because carrying my tote bag on the subway and walking a mile was causing my chest muscles to spasm); as many button-up work top options (with loose sweaters thrown over to try and conceal the new girls for a while) (because I couldn't raise my arms to get into and out of other types of tops or couldn't zip up the back); a step stool (because I couldn't reach for things in closets or cabinets that I used to be able to grab with ease); or even that I couldn't really scoop my dog up to give him a squeeze. I over-estimated how slowly I would recover and all of these things (rolling bag, button-up tops, step stool, etc.) helped me function more normally.

To summarize in the interest of time, I got 325 cc's, high profile, Mentor silicones via an inframammary incision and submuscular placement. I'm attaching profile-ish photos from before and after (6 days post-op). I'll have to save the detailed day-of post for another night.