Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tahitia Belle Fille on April 20, 2013 at 2:29am

That's really good advice Melissa, it's always good to know what the financing options are before hand.

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Permalink Reply by Tahitia Belle Fille on April 20, 2013 at 2:28am

Mel I know exactly where you're coming from about wanting new boobs now but not at the price of sacrificing breastfeeding down the road, that's really important to me too.

From what I've read as long as the incision isn't made around the areola itself, and instead through either the armpit or the fold under the breast the chances are pretty good that you'll still be able to breastfeed. That's not 100% guaranteed though.

Your surgeon should be able to give you a better idea of what your chances of still breastfeeding are. Either way which ever way you decide on your BA let us know, and if you ever have any questions or just want to talk about the procedure you know where to reach me.

I think we're in the pretty much the same boat right now.

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Permalink Reply by Kara Rexx on May 8, 2013 at 2:18pm

I explained how my adjustable ones worked out in Vegas, didn't I?! 

I just now noticed YOU started this convo, you didn't seem too inquisitive when I told you about mine just a few weeks ago, lol! 

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Permalink Reply by Tahitia Belle Fille on May 9, 2013 at 7:32am

Hey Kara! Oh wow, I do remember you telling me but I think that I was so overwhelmed by everything going on at Viva that I just totally forgot to ask.

Damn, that would have been the perfect time wouldn't it? :)

If your up for it would you mind if I asked you a few questions now either here or in a PM on Facebook? Right now I'm trying to read up on the recovery process but I'm always interested in hearing about the entire experience ;)

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Permalink Reply by Kara Rexx on May 9, 2013 at 8:00am

Lol. ASK AWAY! here is fine... sounded like you weren't the only person curious about the procedure. 

To be honest, I have a really high tolerance for pain so I didn't find the recovery process to be very intense at all. I was up and walking around the house that evening, it wasn't at all like you see on TV for me. My only real discomfort was feeling the nerves misfiring and trying to reconnect - its a very awkward experience.
But yeah, there is sooooo much the Dr and assistants didn't tell me. They were nice enough - but when you deal with plastic surgeons, sometimes they forget they are DOCTORS and think their glamorous status excuses them from being as through as your primary care provider would be regarding recovery. You've also got to take in to account their, um... general client base ;) I felt very confused and concerned about how to 'get back to normal', like they just sent me home with pills and I had no idea what was going on or what I should be doing. Its been almost exactly a year now, and I've got no regrets at all, but I wish I had this type of forum before hand. Those random discussion boards on the internet can be overwhelming and full of inaccurate information. 

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Permalink Reply by Tahitia Belle Fille on May 9, 2013 at 8:23am

Thank you Kara! I agree the response here on this forum has been better than I ever would have imagined, there's definitely no shortage of women who've undergone the procedure and even more women thinking about it.

I VERY glad to know that you were able to be up and about the evening of your BA. I find that I have a pretty high tolerance for pain too so with any luck I'll be just the same.

That's really too bad that they weren't clearer with you about the medications, I'll remember to get as much clarity as I can with that.

Were you able to talk to any of your doctor's past patients before your BA to see examples of his work and learn from their experiences?

Did you find the massaging part of the recovery process to be difficult or hard in any way? Did you have to wear a special recovery bra for long after the procedure? How long would you say it was until you were finished with your recovery process?

If you don't mind me asking, what size were you originally and what size did you go up to? Did you find that the implants gave you enough support that you didn't need to wear bras as much any more afterwards?

Thank you so much for answering these questions here, you have NO idea how much I wish I'd thought to ask you these in person at Viva!

Take care and hugs :)

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Permalink Reply by Kara Rexx on May 9, 2013 at 10:10am

It seems they aren't so forthcoming with info, and if you don't know what to ask - how are you going to know!!! I honestly flipped out on my surgeons assistant and reported her to her manager, some of those girls think they are on the set of NIP\TUCK. It has a lot to do with their typical clients though, sadly the general BA patient doesn't care about the risks or recovery, they want bigger boobs and they don't really care about the details behind it. I swear my IQ dropped every time I sat in that waiting room, so I kind of understand how my inquisitiveness was unexpected. 

I actually stopped taking all my meds after the 2nd day, I hate pain pills and was able to manage the pain pretty well on my own. I was more concerned about the 'settling' that they never once mentioned. I also bled from one of my incisions a bit more than anticipated that first night... they tell you to keep all of that dressing and such on for 3 days, but mine was saturated by that evening. When I called they just told me to change it myself (LOLWUT?!) I also had to remove the pain pump tubing myself... they really failed at setting expectations. 

My DR is the only one in my town that does adjustable implants (more on that below). His nurses actually let me, um... see and feel theirs?! and his website has photos of before and after. The internet has no shortage of reviews on breast augmentation for just about every surgeon out there. But the doctor I chose is well known world wide, he actually trains other surgeons on adjustable implants so I kind of gave him a little slack on his bedside manner knowing his stellar reputation otherwise. 

The massaging part - I'm going to be really careful advising you here because I think it may have a lot to do with the type of implant you get and placement. You see people do the super hardcore painful squeezing motion, my DR told me absolutely do not do that because you can damage the tissue around the implant and delay healing. It could have also been because I had tubes from my ports to the implant for 3 months afterwards, so I don't know if this type of massaging is proper for all BAs. I did more of a circular motion inwards with both hands, circling the hands around the breast to where you can almost feel the implant rotate with you. This was easiest to do in the shower for me, but I'm not gonna lie and say its a comfortable sensation! I had to wear the recovery bra for 3 weeks, and then sports bras (no under-wire!!!) for 3 months. My timeline is a little off though because of the 'adjustable' part, my recovery was a bit different (again, I'll explain that a little later). After my ports were out, I'd say I was recovered, settled, and pain free with in 6 months. 

I was a C... well, a B.5 on one and a full C on the other. I didn't simply want larger boobs, one was way smaller and the other was a bit misshapen. it just so happened adjustable implants were a good 5k cheaper than reconstructive surgery. I intended on being a full D, ended up as a DD. Implants will not change sag or position. For example, I have a wide chest, thus, a wide space between my breasts, and they are low (not saggy, they physically sit lower on my torso than 'normal', and I have a short torso!!!). Implants didn't make them come closer together or sit higher, its literally ONLY taking what you have and making them bigger unless you get other procedures in conjunction. It does help full out the breast so it fixed my deformity and gravity does the rest ;) my scars aren't on the same 'plane', one is a good inch higher than the other but the implant its self settled in such a way to provide evenness.  

I was really concerned about this 'settling' thing, especially because I got this procedure done specifically to be symmetrical!! My left implant sat a good 4 to 5 inches above the other one for about 4 months, and they never mentioned anything about it. I honestly thought they placed it wrong!!! What they don't explain is this... your dominate side has more developed muscles, it wraps around the implant and literally pulls it up. THIS IS TOTALLY NORMAL, but no one ever mentioned it to me, nor did they say it takes up to 12 months to 'drop' in to place. I also have way more muscle in my chest than we thought, so I actually had to teach myself to use my right hand and allow my left side to relax. 

So, I mentioned the adjustable thing. I have adjustable implants, and here is the process. You and your Dr pick a starting size, we decided on a small D. They do the surgery as normal (mine are under the muscle and my incisions are under the breast) but they attach ports that sit under the skin on top of the ribs. AWKWARD SENSATION!!! I could see and feel them, but it was totally worth it. After 3 months, you can add or remove saline from the implant via this port with a syringe  You have 6 months from the day of your initial implant to add and remove, thus ensuring you end up the size you want. There is no extra cost for adjustments. I had one adjustment and when I was sure I was the size I wanted, they went in through the same initial incision and removed the ports, then tug on on the tubes to detach them from the implant and everything is all sealed up! The point is, something crazy like 70% of women are not exactly satisfied with the size they choose, and the only thing you can do is have the procedure all over again. With adjustable implants, I got to live with it for 3 full months to make sure I was happy. You MUST remove the port with in 6 months or you void the warranty on the implant, but that's more than enough time for a proper test drive! 

Few bits of personal advice here... I went in thinking I wanted them inserted through my armpits because I didn't want scars to give me away. Well... apparently that skin doesn't heal as well, is very prone to infection (due to your sweat glands), and everyone who sees you in a tank top will know you've had work done. You actually have to lift up my breast to see my scars, and they are quickly going away (scar cream has made insane advancements!!! the stuff your DR sells is $75-100 a pop for a tiny bottle but its well worth it). I've heard nothing but horror stories from nipple insertion, and a lot of surgeons in my area refuse to do it. Through the belly button seems to be a TV myth. 

I can of course feel my implants, I'm very aware of them, but apparently no one else knows until I tell them. This is because i went under the muscle. If you go under the muscle, it doesn't matter what material you chose (saline or silicone) but I'd suggest you do saline because the latter is the consistency of honey almost and way heavier causing sagging a lot earlier. 

Someone mentioned care credit. YES. I paid like 2k up front and financed the other 3k, its been less than $85 per month and no interest as long as I pay it with in 3 years. You can also use care credit for other medical and dental expenses so its not a bad line of credit to have. 

HOPE THIS HELPS!!! 

Permalink Reply by Athena Hacker on May 8, 2013 at 2:06pm

For me, I'm looking to have a reduction. But my biggest obstacle [other than not having $8,000] is that on the OFF chance I ever have kids, I want to breastfeed. And, reduction [And the nipple resizing/relocating that comes with it] often severs the milk ducts, causing an inability to feed, or reduced flow [And increased chance of clogged ducts]. ><;

I say if those want to, are able, have at it! :)

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Permalink Reply by Tahitia Belle Fille on May 9, 2013 at 7:35am

Hi Athena! I definitely agree that breastfeeding and the fear of loosing that ability seems to be an obstacle for a lot of women considering the procedure here, and I can certainly understand why.

I guess it will always come down to talking things over in detail with your surgeon and like you said, if those who want to, are able to, can have it! :)

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Permalink Reply by Tahitia Belle Fille on May 10, 2013 at 6:03am

I really don't know where to begin Kara but thank you so much for sharing all of that. I think that we could have spent a whole day at Viva just talking about BA.

I'm going to be re-reading through your post to make sure that I have everything down that you told me, especially what you were saying about adjustable implants, having the incision made under the breast and getting all the right information from the doctors staff as possible even if they're reluctant to share anything.

It doesn't surprise me that you way 70% of women aren't happy with the size that they get, a little while ago a really good friend of mine who had a mastectomy told me that for her reconstruction she would go back to her original cup size, a B. I told her she should go as big as she'd always wanted, which she did, and she told me afterwards that she was so happy that she did it.

I'm a 36D right now, though at times I could swear I feel more like a C. Ideally I think I'd like to end up an E, whether I go with the adjustable route or not. I'll have to see what my doctor says during the consultation.

I'm also going to see if Care Credit's an option, thank you so much for suggestion that. I'd like to pay up front as much as possible but it could come in really handy just the same.

The only other questions are about how the recovery affected your day to day life? After the second day when you stopped taking your pain pills were you still able to reach up to get a cup on a top shelf, or reach to adjust a car mirror? Were you able to hug friends and family members without feeling pain in your chest or endangering the setting of the implants? Did at any point in the recovery did you loose feeling in either nipple? Do you remember how many times you went to visit your doctor in total from the first consultation to the last visit?

I guess this goes without saying but intimate touching in that area during the setting process in recovery is probably a big no no right?

It's funny that your doctor's nurse actually let you see and feel her's, about a month ago I was able to meet with the patient of the doctor I'm considering using who did the exact same thing, let me see and feel hers and I was really impressed with the work. It really does make a difference to feel the implants from the outside since it's your body that they're going to go into right?

Like I said, thank you SO much for sharing so much Kara, if I haven't gotten the BA done by next year's Viva we'll definitely have to talk about it then. Oh heck even if I have gotten it done I'm sure we'll still talk about it too :)

I'll send you a PM on Facebook!

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Permalink Reply by Tahitia Belle Fille on May 11, 2013 at 6:04am

Hi everyone. I just wanted to chime in again here and say from the absolute bottom of my heart that you really all are amazing for opening up and sharing so many personal and intimate details from your lives that lead you to be considering, getting or having gotten a breast augmentation.

The information that you've all shared here, not to mention the honesty that you shared it with has made this decision so much easier than I think it otherwise would have been.

Thank you so much, this is why Pinup Girl Style is my favourite community on the internet.

As for my own decision, most of you have probably guessed by now that I've decided to go through with the procedure. My next step is to have a consultation with the doctor that I've researched and who's former patients I've actually had the chance to meet with.

After that my husband and I just need to save up for the procedure and then we'll set the date with the doctor.

The consultation will probably happen either this month or next, just as soon as I have a lull with work that I can fit the appointment into. Hopefully by then I'll have my wordpress blog up and running and I'll share all the information that I learned, but I'll definitely be sharing it here as well.

I think that this forum's proved that there's a lot of interest in breast augmentation and a lot of women who want to know as much about the procedure as possible. It's a great opportunity to share my experience as it unfolds with any of you who are considering it yourselves, and I hope you find it informative.

Again, thank you to everyone who answered every question and I'll let you all know when my consultation is booked!

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