Post Op Appointment 06/27/2012 @ 10am

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Written at 4pm on 06/27/2012, 25 hours after my surgery

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First of all, after a pretty decent first night, I was very sore when I got up this morning. My whole body was tense, tender, and achy from head to toe.

Part of the tenderness was from trying to stay propped up all night. Some was from trying to hold still and not jostle myself around. And of course, some of it was from the overall trauma on the body caused by surgery and my body trying to start healing.

My fiancé helped me again this morning get cleaned up (I cannot shower yet) and dressed (I still cannot move about freely without mass discomfort).

I was a little grouchy to him though and I feel bad about this fact. I think it's a combo of not sleeping soundly, the pain meds, and being so uncomfortable.

I can say this as a 100% truth... Words cannot describe how glad I am that I have a pain pump and stayed close to my doctor's office.

I still will not call what I feel constantly as "pain". It is still just a tightness and overall soreness with a little pinching under the arm put near my incisions.

But, again, I have a pain pump and I am taking my pain meds, antibiotics, and muscle relaxers around the clock as prescribed by my doctor. I also follow each pill time with a few whole wheat saltines and have not felt nauseous. I am not really hungry though.

I am also continually drinking fluids (Gatorade, water, Crystal Light, ginger ale) and today I resumed my Once a Day Vitamins plus Immunity Support Gummies (my body seems to tolerate these better than other OTC vitamins) and 2x a day Ester-C 1000mg Vitamin C pills.

I cannot say if the two vitamins are helping more at this point yet but my doctor did suggest taking them prior to and after surgery. And he has been right so far.

After he got my cleaned up and dressed, we checked out of the hotel and got in the car. The walk actually felt decent after I got stretched out some.

The car ride was a different story. I felt every bump, dip, acceleration, brake, sway, curve, slight elevation change, etc. And my fiancé was so careful driving. He couldn't have been any more cautious.

We got to the doctor's office and I was immediately brought into an examination room. The nurse asked me a few questions and after I gave her the good news on my "pain" level and how I was feeling she told me I was about to feel better.

She had me remove my hoodie and she started to remove the bandages. It was instant pressure relief; like the pressure was reduced by 80%. It wasn't painful, but the weight of the breasts unbound was a weird feeling.

After it was all removed I got my first glimpse of them in the mirror. They did not look as bad as what I was expecting.

From reading other people's stories and the "warnings" from people's experiences and doctor's info, I was expecting the worse. But it wasn't too bad.

They were swollen and looked bigger than what I wanted, but I was expecting that already. The implants were not sitting too high though and they already have a good shape. My nipples were not pointing down or tweaked in any way. The nurse was pleased and so was my fiancé.

She gave me the breast band in case the implants start to ride too high with instructions to call the office before I put in on. She said that I don't need it now but just in case, the doctor wanted me to take it.

The nurse also said that the doctor approved me walking for short, 30 min walks starting today if I feel like it and if I feel like it will help.

The doctor had an emergency that he needed to address so I was unable to see him today. I wasn't thrilled with that but what can ya do? I have faith in his staff and I can always call if I need something.

The nurse said to pull the pain pump out Friday and once it's out, I can shower. She said to be gentle because of the sutures under my armpits and the tape covering them. I guess they'll take up to month to dissolve. But on a positive note, I can wear deodorant starting on Monday or Tuesday.

I asked the nurse how long the incision is but she said she didn't know. And it's too sore to lift my arms to look. That and the tape is covering them.

I made my next appointment with the doctor for July 9th (12 days from now).

Man, I am worried about pulling the pain pump tubes out on Friday....

Pre-Op Appointment (2 Weeks Prior to Surgery)

Four days after I had my consultation, I was back in the officer for my pre-op appointment.

The staff had me fill out some more paperwork and copied two forms of  ID and took the rest of my payment.

Soon, the patient coordination took me back into the consultation room.  She sat down with my fiance and I and gave me what she called the "Patient's Bible".  She said that we will cover everything that is in there, but it's a take home guide for me to refer to later.

This nice, professional, and easy to read soft cover bound booklet was very helpful and informative.

And... This booklet was seriously necessary!!

The topics it covered were:

- Preparing for surgery
- Medications to avoid
- Going to the surgery center and directions
- General surgical risks
- Specific surgical risks
- Anesthesia and other information
- Other risks
- Consent for surgery
- Post operative care - outpatient surgery
- Specific post operative instructions
- Longer tern post operative instructions
- As you heal
- Specifics as you heal
- Financial and cancellation polices

The patient coordinator then had me remove my top and put on the ugly looking bra.  She brought in several different sizes of implants.  She, again, had me put too different sizes in the bra without telling me what CC they were and asked me which one I liked best.

I picked my favorite and it was the same one I had picked at the consultation.  It made me feel more confident that I was sure I knew what size I wanted to be post surgery. She noted it down on my chart and had me remove the bra and put on a robe.

We walked into the room where I had the 3d image taken at the consultation.  The doctor met me in there and took a few pre-op photos of my chest. He then took some measurements of my breasts and told me that it would take 339cc implants to make my breasts int the masterpiece he wants them to be.

I was again very firm and said that I want a C cup, not a baby D.  He was very patient and told me not to worry, they will not end up being too big.

Since I had done my research on him and his work, I believed him and had 100% confidence in him.

We again verified that I was going to have silicone implants placed under my pectoral muscles through the transaxillary (armpit) incision with the use of an endoscope, that I would have a pain pump.

The doctor went over all of the medications he was going to prescribe me and how to use them.  I told him that anesthesia makes me throw up and narcotic pain killers also make me nauseous.  He said he would prescribe me things to help with that as well and he'd let the anesthesiologist know about my sensitivity to anesthesia.

I was prescribed:

- Hibiclens​ (an over the counter antiseptic/antimicrobial surgical soap used to wash the skin/body the morning of the surgery)
- Emend (Aprepitant) 40mg capsule (to take 3 hours prior to surgery to help me not be nauseous when I wake up from anesthesia)
- Zofran (Ondansetron) 4mg tabs (to take after surgery to stop nausea if it were to get bad)
- Keflex (Cephalexin) 500mg capsules (antibiotic to take following surgery)
- Vicodin (Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen) 5-325mg tabs (Vicodin with acetaminophen for pain and swelling after surgery)
- Robaxin (Methocarbam) 500mg tabs (muscle relaxer for after surgery)
- Halcion (Triazolam) 0.25mg tabs (sleep aid for the night after surgery and as needed)
- Peri-Colace (a stool softener AND laxative to help with the constipation) 

A hidden cost of getting a BA is the cost of prescription medication.  If you do not have good prescription coverage, this could be expensive.  And ALL of the medications your plastic surgeon prescribes ARE NECESSARY.  

We went back to the consultation room for follow up questions and information.

Post-Op Blues:

The doctor reminded me that the day after surgery when he removes the bandages I need to understand it is not the final product.

He said the worst thing I can do it be expecting the final product and not less than 24 hour post-op swollen breasts.  He also warned of the "post-op blues" where the patient becomes sad, depressed, upset, etc with having undergone surgery, the current result and how they feel.

He said some women feel this in varying degrees and some don't at all.
With all of that being said, all follow up questions answered, and feeling confident, I left the office with my surgery scheduled for June 26 at 3:30pm with an arrival time to the surgery center at 1:30pm.

I was excited and nervous!

BA Consultation 06/14/2012

Now that I was pretty confident, it was time to make that call.

I spoke with a very sweet patient coordinator who set up my consultation date. I was disappointed that I had to wait a few weeks but it is summer and this doctor is HIGHLY sought after. He is very big and very well known in Chicago and it was worth the wait to get in to see him.

Don't be surprised to have to wait to see a doctor for your consultation. So if you NEED to have your surgery by a certain date, plan WAY ahead of time. After your consultation, your pre-op has to be scheduled and your surgery won't occur until two weeks after the pre-op. So plan ahead!!

Also, don't be surprised if the office requires a credit card number to hold your appointment. Good doctors are busy and you pulling a no-show wastes their precious time and also screws another person wanting a consultation that could've had your appointment.

The patient coordinator told me I'd need to fill out a few forms when I arrive and that she'd take care of the rest.

Several weeks later my fiancé and I were sitting in a comfortable, well decorated consultation suite, forms filled out, talking to the patient coordinator.

She was just as wonderful in person and I was instantly at ease. She asked my fiancé to step out of the room and showed me the doctors work yet again. They looked and felt amazing, just like the dancers I had seen before.

We had my fiancé come back in and the patient coordinator asked me what size I'd like to be after my surgery. I told her I want to be a full C cup, no bigger. I do not want to be a full C almost D or a full C/small D. She said ok, gave me a comfy robe to change into and she stepped out while I changed.

When she returned, she had the ugliest grandma bra and several silicon implants for me to look at and "tryout".

After I got the bra on, without telling me a CC or size, she put one in on one side and a larger one in on the other. She asked me which one "felt good" and which one I liked.

I was kind of going back and forth on it do she took the smaller one put and put in one that was bigger than the other I still was wearing. Instantly I knew the new one was too big. So I felt immediately comfortable and happy with the size that was right in the middle.

It turned out to be 330ccs.

My fiancé gave me the thumbs up on my choice and I felt confident I made the right size decision. She reassured me that we will go over sizes again at another point and I can still change my mind.
She took us into another room where they had a 3D body scanner that would take a 3D image of my torso and chest. She said after I talk to the doctor, we would come back in and he will show me using my body scan image what larger breasts will look like on my body. I was SO excited to see this image.

We returned to the consultation room and the patient coordinator sat with us chatting until the doctor came in.

The doctor arrived shortly after and I instantly liked him. He was warm, personable, friendly, funny, and charming. He took his time and answered all of my and my fiancé's many questions.

Most of all, even though I know he is extremely well respected, highly recommended, and a rockstar in his field, he was very humble and down to earth. He gave me info about him, his practice, the procedure, all of the pro's and con's, associated risks (both minor to worst case) and how he handles/fixes all of the risks, etc.

Even though I told him that I physically researched his work, he still offered portfolios of his work to view if I wanted too.

After answering all of my many questions, we went back to the computer 3D room were he digitally enhanced my 3D image. He did explain that it is just a visual tool but it will at least give me an idea.

It was AMAZING. And I knew it was what I wanted.

We returned yet again to the consultation room. The doctor sat back down to answer any other follow up questions.

We decided at this point we would be doing silicon implants under the muscle through an incision through my armpits. That way my scarring will not show on my chest and even though he is confident the scar will fade to where it's almost completely gone, it will still be better hidden.

He took his time with me and by the end, I told him I was ready to sign up!!

Side note: Some people prefer to go to several consultations. That is your choice and right. After all of my legwork, research, and after the feelings I got with him and his staff, I knew I did not need it. If you feel unsure, go to another doctor for a second or third consultation. You NEED to not only like the doctor's work, but also feel comfortable with your doctor and the staff.

Anyway....

The doctor left and the patient coordinator returned with loads of info for me. She handed me a folder with pamphlets, info for financing if you need it, and gave me the rough draft of cost for the procedure. I will not give a breakdown of my costs or my total, but I will tell you this.... Plan on spending $9,000 and be happy if it is less.

Sound like a lot? It is.

But here's the thing: you do NOT want to "Groupon" or "buy 1 get 1 free" something as serious as a BA.

You really do pay for what you get and after looking up surgeons of girls who's BAs were not so great, I was not surprised that the price of their surgery was far less....

For my doctor, he does his surgery out of a world-wide recognized, specialized, fully accredited surgical center in Chicago and there are outside costs associated with being in a state of the art, specialized surgical center.

So your costs might have practice fees and outside fees.

My practice fees include: the BA itself and the breast implants.

My outside fees include: endoscope, the operating room, anesthesia, surgical supplies, and the pain pump (which I'll explain more about later).

I was ready to pay right then in full and secured my pre-op appointment and my surgery date.

Side note: Most surgeons will require a portion down to hold your surgery date and/or set up the pre-op. But mostly likely you have to pay the balance by the pre-op date (or 2 weeks prior).

4 days after my consultation, I was returning for my pre-op appointment.