I am 40 years old, married with 10-year-old twin daughters. Since high school I have always been thin. I have scoliosis and Pectus Excavatum so my small A cup breasts have always seemed flat and concave and I have always been self conscious about the way I look. For the past 20 years I have said that if the time was right and the finances were available I would get breast implants.

About a year ago I met a gal who works with a plastic surgeon near my home in Valencia, CA. I went to see her for a facial and she told me how great her doc was and showed me some of his “before and after” pictures. Over the next few days I started thinking again about having breast enlargement surgery and talked to my husband about it. We had the finances, but the time was not right. I returned in March 2005 and looked at the pictures again and decided that this was really what I wanted to do. I started doing extensive research on the internet about breast enlargement surgery. That’s when I discovered Nicole’s website, ImplantInfo.com. This website was so influential in helping me make my decision. I read every story and looked at all the links. A big concern for me was what my family, friends and co-workers would think or say about having breast enlargement surgery. After reading the Personal Experiences from the website, I understood that this is a common concern and the comments people shared were very helpful.

Due to my pregnancy and C-Section, I had a lot of excess skin on my stomach and the muscles had pulled apart from my abdomen wall. My plastic surgeon recommended that I have a mini-tummy tuck in addition to the breast implants. One surgery – one recovery. I was thrilled! I booked my surgery date for 8/26/05.

Day Before Surgery: It has finally arrived! I am just so happy to finally have my breasts enlarged and my tummy tightened. I am staying overnight at my friend’s house since she lives close to the surgeon’s office. I took a Valium around 9:30 pm and went right to sleep. I don’t feel anxious or nervous – I know everything is going to be fine.

Day of Surgery: I woke up at 5:45 am, took a shower and washed my hair. My friend drove me to my plastic surgeon’s office for my 7 am surgery. Everything moved very quickly from there. I changed into a gown, an IV was inserted and the doctor drew all over my breasts and stomach. I walked into the surgery suite, laid down on the bed and was out. I woke up in recovery hearing someone say that I was doing very well, I looked good, and my vital signs were good. My doc came in and said I did great. The IV was removed and the nursed helped me get dressed. I couldn’t really feel much pain at this point – I was still pretty groggy. I felt slightly nauseous as they wheeled me out to the car, but that passed as soon as I was able to recline in the front seat. My friend woke me up every 30 min. to eat and drink a little bit and take my meds. My husband picked me up later that evening and drove us home - I slept the entire drive. When I walked into the house I started getting nauseous again, but that passed quickly when I got into bed. I slept on my back with a pillow under my knees and two behind by back. My husband woke me up every couple of hours to give me my meds along with a little bit of food and water.

Day 2: I woke up this morning when my plastic surgeon called to check on me and said he was encouraged by how well I was recovering. I stayed in bed all day and woke up occasionally when people called, to eat or go to the bathroom. I have trouble taking deep breaths or talking, so the conversations were short. My stomach doesn’t hurt very much at all. My breasts don’t hurt except for the binding underneath my arms. My plastic surgeon said I could remove it – and once it was off, I put some hydrocortisone cream on and it started feeling a lot better. I had some dry heaves tonight and that made my stomach hurt, but thankfully it passed quickly.

Day 3: Sunday already - wow. I’ve lost track of time just sleeping so much, but I’m feeling better. I’ve been walking a little bit around the house every few hours. Dr. Lussier called and said to take a shower and that would really make me feel better, so I did. It was wonderful to be able to just smell better and clean some of the gunk off of me. I have a drain for my stomach and that will stay in a few more days. I got a first look at my breasts. They’re a bit bigger than I thought they were going to be, but I’m sure it’s just going to take some getting used to. They look absolutely natural and beautiful. Most of the extra skin appears to be gone from my stomach, although the incision looks a little bit longer than I thought it would be. Overall, I’m just totally pleased. My stomach incision doesn’t hurt really at all. A little bit of pain in my left breast if I move a little bit too quickly or reach for something.

Day 4: Rough night last night. Thought I was feeling better so I cut down on my pain meds, but really wasn’t feeling that good yet. So I didn’t sleep very well and ended up kind of pulling part of the muscle in my left breast and it hurt. I got up and took a shower, washed my hair and got cleaned up. I finally had a bowel movement which made me feel much better. I went to my plastic surgeon’s office for my post-op and he said he was so pleased with how well I was recovering and how well I was doing overall. It was very encouraging. I can’t have my stitches out for another five to nine days, maybe as early as Friday for my breasts and later for my stomach. The drain remains in. I still have a little trouble talking because of the pressure on my chest, but otherwise I’m feeling great.

Day 5: Had another bad night - I do not like sleeping on my back. My doc said it was fine to sleep on my side, so I gave it a try. No luck because it just hurt too much. I rolled over on my side during the night and ended up pulling my side and my breasts hurt quite a bit. I woke up later feeling good and actually had quite a bit of energy. I cleaned up around the house and afterwards my breasts and stomach ached for a little while. My sutures look really good and I’ve been doing my breast massage. My stomach is still a little bit tight – but ice helps. I’ve started to bruise in between my breasts and around my nipples now – just some yellowing of the skin. Also a bit of bruising around my stomach incision. Otherwise I’m healing well and coming right along.

Day 6: Again feeling better, but I over did it again on a shopping trip today. Thank goodness my daughters were with me to help me push the cart and put the bags in the car. I was wiped out when I got home! My stomach is feeling very full, even though it’s tightened and the stitches are all in there, I feel very bloated. My breasts are very, very, very tender. I do my massaging, which helps, but it still hurts a lot. I think I’m just feeling it more because I wore myself out and I am tired.

Day 7: Yesterday by far was the hardest day, I think because even though I was feeling like I was better, I did too much stuff and then I had a hard time sleeping and it just really made it hard. Today I’m feeling better. I’ve been massaging my breasts and have been putting lotion on my back to help my backache. Spent the day in bed.

Week 2: I am feeling good, although sleeping is still difficult. My stomach is starting to hurt a bit more and my breasts definitely hurt at night and when I don’t wear my bra. I am making progress every day. My plastic surgeon removed my drain and my breast stitches and some in my stomach – what a relief! I’m feeling really depressed right now, though, because my breasts are too big and I still have a lot of skin on my stomach that I thought was going to go away. Emotionally, I’m really feeling down. I still have a hard time looking at myself in the mirror wishing that it looked a little different.

Week 3: I am still easily worn out. If I go out to do something for a long day, I spend the next day in bed resting. My plastic surgeon removed the remaining stomach sutures and said to keep the scar covered all the time with paper tape (this helps keep the scar flat and make it less red). He showed me how to do a fuller breast massage that pushes the implant up to keep it loose in the pocket (I have to do this 4x a day). It hurts a little, but I’m getting used to it. I still have to wear either my girdle or pantyhose all the time for my stomach. There is still some swelling and I do put an ice pack on it each evening just to make it feel better. I’m recovering well.

Week 4: Four weeks since my surgery - I can’t believe it has gone by so fast! I have been off of work the entire time and am not looking forward to returning on Monday. My breasts have settled into place and there is no more swelling. I did not have very much bruising and all that is left of the incision is a faint scar around my areola. My stomach, however, does still hurt and when I move around or do too much it is sore afterwards. The scar is still red but healing well. I have no feeling between the scar and belly button, but expect that to return over time.

Week 5 & 6: I made it through my first full week of work! The first three days were very difficult, my lower back was very sore and I was wiped out when I got home. No one has noticed or asked me if I had breast enhancements (yet). I only told one of my close co-workers and she says that I look great! I love my new breasts and I even went bra-less and went shopping wearing a tank top and shirt! What a feeling! I still can wear most of my blouses that I had pre-surgery, but I would like to find some new, figure-flattering clothes to wear. My doc said I could stop wearing the tummy support and no more support bra at night – just an underwire during the day. Yeah! The scars on my nipples are almost completely gone. The scar on my stomach remains flat, but is still a pinkish/red. It is also still numb but a little more feeling returns each week. I still can’t believe that I actually have breasts that stand out from my chest! I look in the mirror and just smile! I am so glad I had the surgery.

2 Months: Eight weeks! I am feeling comfortable with my new breasts and have enjoyed shopping for new clothing. I have no pain in my breasts or stomach, although I am still not able to sleep all the way over on my side very well. My breasts have softened and actually move around with me and jiggle! I still do not have feeling in parts of my stomach, but most of the sensation should return over time. As I reflect back over these past few months, I am amazed at how quickly the time has past – and it seems as if my new breasts have always been a part of me. I have had no complications and am so very thankful I had the procedures done. Even if I’m having a bad day, I just remind myself, “Hey, you have got great breasts!”
- Loretta

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