|
Barbara's Breast Augmentation Journal
55 Years Young
My
Story
Two
years ago, I started to actively research breast augmentation
and discovered your wonderful site. The information posted on
it was a tremendous help in my decision process, including the
discovery of my doctorand learning what to expect post-surgery. I’m writing to
share my experience since most of your postings are from younger
women.
I
am a reasonably fit, attractive and healthy (5’4”
and 123 lbs) 57 year-old who is relatively young looking / young
at heart. In 2000, I retired to Arizona from a terrific, but
a long, enjoyable, and hectic high-tech executive career in
Silicon Valley. In 2002 at age 55, I finally had a breast augmentation!
Most
of my adult life I had thought about undertaking this step,
but my busy career (as well as concerns about both the operation’s
safety and recovery process not to mention the potential reactions
I would get from my co-workers / employees / customers) precluded
my acting on my desire to adequately fill out a bathing suit
top without tons of padding… While vacationing in the Caribbean
over the Millennium, I purchased a wonderful lemon yellow bikini
on the island of Virgin Gorda (BVI) as a “carrot”
and promised myself I would finally have a breast augmentation
to be able to look and feel good in such a cute suit!
Selecting
a Plastic Surgeon
After
doing some thorough research on breast augmentation and consulting
with several well-regarded doctors, I underwent breast augmentation
surgery on February 21, 2002. I went from a puny 36A to a full
36C thanks to the skillful work of Dr. John
Corey of Scottsdale, AZ! In addition to ensuring that the
size of my new breasts would be suited to my figure (“natural
looking” for my height and frame), Dr. Corey also addressed
and beautifully corrected the fact that my small breasts had
been both uneven (1 higher than the other) and widely spaced.
My under the muscle surgery was done using the less-invasive
Brazilian method. My saline implants are by Mentor (each was
a size 425; Left was filled to 475cc and Right to 450cc).
Brazilian
Method (no nipple cutting, loss of sensation or scarring!)
In
addition to the time commitment required to have and recover
from implant surgery, my main concern was for a natural look
for my frame. I was also concerned about having little or no
loss of sensation due to scars in my nipples, the common route
for implant insertion. Thanks to your site and the wonderful
women who posted their experiences, I learned of the Brazilian
method and about a highly respected doctor in the Phoenix area
who was skilled in this non-invasive method. While the cost
for my surgery was slightly higher than other reports on your
site (the total cost for my procedure was just under $4600,
including all associated expenses beyond the doctor’s surgical
fees), it was truly worth it: I have beautifully balanced and
soft breasts, no visible scars (they are in lower of the 2 crease
lines in each armpit), and no loss of sensation (due to the
method used). In short, I love my new figure!
Recovery
Another
key value of your site was obtained through reading the stories
posted by women about what they experienced / recommended regarding
recovery. This prepared me for the need to set aside plenty
of time to recover properly as well as prepare my husband and
myself for pain of the immediate aftermath. My wonderful husband
provided excellent pampering which allowed me to essentially
remain in bed for 3 days. He regularly gave me my pain pills
and those critical bags of frozen peas to reduce swelling. He
also prepared all meals and pampered me wonderfully.
My
recovery experience was as follows: the first afternoon / evening
I was blissfully “out of it” after arriving home from
the surgery (my husband knew to drive especially carefully when
making turns on the 1 ½ hour drive home; thankfully,
my drugs were great). The next day, I experienced what I would
politely describe as extremely unpleasant (excruciating?) pain
whenever I moved. I then promptly experienced the “what
have I done?” reaction described by many women on your
site! The high and swollen nature of my breasts coupled with
the associated pain certainly mirrored the experience of others
I had read about, but nonetheless caused me to think “oh
my God!” I truly hoped my breasts were just horribly swollen
and that the swelling would be fleeting since I looked comically
huge…
Fortunately
the following day was slightly less painful and the 3rd day
after my surgery had me feeling almost human. From then on,
my recovery became relatively swift and more pain free with
each passing day. The swelling started to subside (I quickly
switched to Motrin which helped with both the pain and swelling
and got me off of the heavy drugs). It was quite amazing how
quickly I went from lots of pain to hardly any (I switched to
Motrin by the 3rd day). From my research on your site and discussions
with my physician, I understood that the pain experienced each
time I moved was due to the fact that, in laymen’s terms,
the doctor essentially “filets” your breast muscle
away from your chest wall, carves a new pocket for the implant
to eventually settle into, and inserts a “foreign object”
into that fresh, raw pocket. Naturally, your body rebels at
this assault and lets you know it in no uncertain terms, too!
However, by the 6th day, I was quite human and actually out
shopping and having the time of my life: clothes actually fit
me in the bust and looked hot (without a heavily padded bra)
for the first time. I was thrilled!
Three
weeks after my surgery (with my doctor’s approval), my
husband and I flew to Hawaii for 3 weeks to celebrate our 25th
anniversary and play golf on 3 different islands – which
I was able to do fairly well starting in the 4th week after
my surgery. The sports bras that the doctor’s office had
recommended I purchase from Walgreens Superstore helped keep
my breasts from moving around too much and were quite comfortable
(no underwire bras allowed for several months). Getting used
to a new swing was fun, too (bigger boobs…).
Within
8-12 weeks after my surgery (my memory is a bit vague on the
actual date now), both implants dropped completely and properly
into their pockets thanks to my doctor’s expertise and
the 3x daily “massage” routine he required I start
the week following my surgery. This “massage” routine
was extremely important to the swift success of my augmentation.
While I admit it was a bit uncomfortable to do in the beginning,
it became significantly less painful and easier to do as time
went by. The doctor had me reduce this massage routine eventually
to twice and then once a day over a period of 2-3 months, and
thereafter recommended that I simply squeeze each breast each
day while showering to keep them supple in the future. As a
result, I suffered absolutely no hard spots / lumps around my
implants nor any unevenness, unlike many of the women’s
stories I’ve read about. Due to the massage routine, my
implants dropped neatly into their pockets and my breasts looked
terrific and natural extremely quickly.
I
would say full recovery from my operation occurred without a
hitch over the course of 4-6 months in 2002 while the complete
fading of my underarm scars occurred over the course of about
a year (the scars’ redness faded until they completely
disappeared into the natural crease under each arm – you
simply can’t see any scarring!). Having my nipples in tact
and my breasts looking so beautiful as a result is amazing…
Thank
you – your site is wonderful!
I
meant to share this summary of my experience 18 months ago and
I apologize to your readers for not doing so sooner, especially
since the experiences and advice of other women that were shared
on your site were instrumental to my decision to have this operation,
selecting a doctor, and understanding what to expect during
my recovery. Being well informed, choosing the Brazilian method
and following the doctor’s advice religiously made this
experience both successful and very satisfying. I certainly
feel great, look great and am very comfortable and delighted
with my new figure.
Getting
a “chest lift” at 55 fits the “better late than
never” adage for me! I think it’s important to not
think of having breast augmentation as a way to improve your
life - you are what you are inside. Simply said, breast augmentation
won’t change your life, but it will hopefully improve your
satisfaction / comfort with your figure (I’ve discovered
that swimsuit and bra shopping are actually fun – and I
don’t even need to wear a bra now)!
Today,
2 years later, I remain completely thrilled with the results
of my surgery. My husband is, too, though the idea and decision
to have this surgery were completely my own. While he wasn’t
for or against my having this operation, he supported my decision
(he’s always been a butt-man more than a tit-man…)
and is as pleased as I am with the outcome. For those of you
who wonder what took me so long to take this step, suffice it
to say I believe in waiting for the right moment and that everything
works out for the best / happens when it should anyway. After
all, the day I met my husband in 1976 was the day I knew I had
met my soul mate – it was “magic” as they say.
He asked me to marry him 5 days later and we are still enjoying
a wonderful marriage (happily with great sex, too) after more
than 27 years of being together. While neither of us is perfect
(surprise - yes, we do argue…), we are best friends, lovers
and partners who share goals, usually enjoying an 80-90% happiness
quotient. And no, having this surgery did not affect our marriage
(positively or negatively) nor alter my outlook on life or myself
except in a fun way. I am still the same person.
For
me, this operation was simply a long overdue correction of an
oversight by Mother Nature! |
Deborah's Breast Augmentation Story 
