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  • What Breast Augmentation Surgery Recovery is Like
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Christina Arco: I just couldn't sleep much. I sleep else in the beginning of the night and then when I woke up, it's just so uncomfortable to sit up for like nine hours.

This part is so itchy.

I don't think it's a reaction or something, but it was so freak. Then when I go to itch, I can't feel anything on them. I'm like, "Oh my God, this is so weird." I want my nipples to go back to normal.

Female Voice: Good morning.

Christina Arco: Good morning.

Female Voice: Thank you.

Christina Arco: Oh my God. It's so cool.

Female Voice: Oh, I won't touch anything.

Christina Arco: I don't know if it's the pain medication or I'm a bad ass but I'm numb in any kind of pain.

Female Voice: No, but it's usually for great size implants. It's not that bad.

Christina Arco: Well, that's what I was thinking. I'm like, "I'm sure if that would have gone a lot bigger, I would have probably been."

Female Voice: If you put a 350 in there, it would have been a feeling this morning.

Christina Arco: Yeah.

Female Voice: Because your muscle would just be on such stretched and you got more swelling and more tightness.

Christina Arco: Yeah. I think it's a little bit tight and it's weird because the bar was making me kind of itchy. But then when I go to itch, this is all numbed.

Female Voice: Yeah, especially on that side. I'll talk to you about that in a second.

Christina Arco: I had surgery.

Female Voice: People are just kind of in their post anesthesia super and you're taking meds.

Christina Arco: Yeah.

Female Voice: The blocks are still in place.

Christina Arco: Yeah.

Female Voice: The blocks are going to be completely honest at this moment.

Christina Arco: Right. Yeah and I keep forgetting. So I'll go to read something, I'm like, "Oh, oh, I forgot I can't do that."

Female Voice: Yeah. Just loosen your body.

Christina Arco: Yeah, yeah.

Male Voice: One of the blocks was...

Female Voice: The nerve blocks, I put numbing medication along each of the ribs.

Male Voice: So it wore off?

Female Voice: On each side of the ribcage, it's completely worn off already.

Male Voice: Okay.

Female Voice: It only lasts six to eight hours.

Christina Arco: That's probably why yesterday. The only thing was when I breathe in, it was a little bit of pressure.

Female Voice: Yeah, that's all gone.

Right after surgery, it's best to limit lifting and arm movement for the first two weeks. You also want to limit any cardiovascular activity for the first two weeks because anything that will raise your heart rate or blood pressure can increase the risk of bleeding and swelling after surgery.

The best way to recovery is to do what you can to reduce inflammation after surgery. There is a Monique that physicians have long used for strains and sprains called RICE. This is rest, ice, elevation, and compression. Rest means that although you can move your arms within a normal comfortable range and even lift them over your head if you're comfortable, you should avoid overuse of the arms by doing things like emptying the dishwasher and vacuuming.

This should be done for the first two to three weeks after surgery. Ice and cold compresses can be used on top of the breasts to reduce pain and reduce inflammation as well as minimize swelling in the first 24 to 48 hours. A compressive garment is generally worn for two to three weeks after surgery to minimize swelling and to actually help add support and comfort for the breasts.

Most patients find that within a few months after breast augmentation, they're able to get back to all the activities they were able to do before.

What Breast Augmentation Surgery Recovery is Like

Dana Goldberg documents the recovery experience of a breast augmentation patient and what you can go to have the best recovery outcome.