Hi! So, I’m getting this out a little later than I had anticipated. Today is 9 days post breast augmentation and breast lift surgery and my second day back to work. The surgery and post surgical process has been very eye opening and a learning experience for me, for sure. I can tell you that I am so excited about what my end result will be and I can’t wait to share the rest of this process with all of you. Thank you to everyone for their kind words and for checking in on me since my surgery, I definitely am a lucky girl to have so many people supporting me through this process.
Surgery Day
My procedure was first thing in the morning at our Kansas City area Plastic Surgery Center. I showered that morning and came with no make up or contacts. I was so excited and didn’t really have an nervous feelings until I was back in the pre-operative surgical area. Everything started to definitely feel real at this point. I changed into my surgical gown, my vital signs were taken and everything was great and Dr. Chhatre came in to do his surgical markings. Everyone was great! I expected nothing less, but experiencing our staff from a patients point of view was an awesome experience. Leslie made sure I was comfortable with a warm blanket and explained everything she was doing as she did it and answered all questions I had. Kim, went over my health history and explained everything I needed to know about anesthesia and what to do after and left me with no questions and made me feel completely at ease and comfortable. Dr. Chhatre came in and did his surgical markings, which I’ve seen done tons of times so I wasn’t surprised with all of the marks, my husband wasn’t too sure what was going on , but he just sat back and took it all in. They then brought me into the OR and I got on the surgical table, Kim started my IV, I remember her and I talking about our weekends, then the next thing I know, I’m in recovery. I remember feeling groggy and feeling a little pressure on my chest, but not much pain. As you can tell by the pictures, I wasn’t the most glamorous looking patient- look at that hair!!! I’m so glad that I had it planned for Jennifer to braid that mess before I went home. I don’t really remember much until later that day in the recliner at my house. Before leaving the office, they gave my husband, Ryan, a sheet of instructions of when and how often to give me my medication and everything he needed to do for my post-op care.
The week following surgery
I split time between the recliner and our spare bed. I quickly learned that I could NOT use my arms. The pain was not what I expected at all. There was a heaviness/tightness in my chest which made it hard to take deep breaths, but the actual pain was on the side of breasts under my arms and the very upper part of my abs. There was no way I could push myself up in anyway. Try laying down or sitting up with out using your abs or arms- not happening. I have to say, I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband, that follows great instruction and did what ever he could to make me as comfortable as possible. He gave me my scheduled medication every time is was due to try to keep the pain to a minimum. I slept more than I was awake the first 3 days, which was perfect and I recommend! I did not see my sweet dogs for a couple of days but they knew where I was and sat right outside the door waiting. I started feeling much better after that and able to move around more on my own. By Friday(surgery was Monday) I was taking no pain medication, just ibuprofen. I left the house a little here and there over the weekend. I wouldn’t say I was in pain, just uncomfortable. I kept ice on when I could, and rested more than not. I was bored, I’m not one to typically sit around, but I was trying to be as cautious as possible and I also knew I needed to let my body heal. I think the hardest thing for me is going from such a regimented daily schedule to nothing. I weigh and measure everything I eat, and I workout a lot. This part was what I was the most concerned with and is definitely what I’m struggling with the most. I haven’t had much of an appetite, so eating has been a little hard for me, but I’m working on getting my meals in and I feel like I’m improving every days. I did go to the gym 1 week after my surgery and I just walked on the treadmill. I walked a mile at a slow pace- it felt good to be in the gym and moving, but hard to only walk. I know that this will all be worth it and I will be back to my normal workouts before I know it!
Yesterday(Tuesday) was my first day back to work here in the MedSpa. I was so ready and excited to a) get out of the house and b) get back on my normal routine. I had a full day scheduled, which I was so excited about, but…it was rough. I didn’t think about all of the moving I do during the day. I can’t tell you how many times I have to pull a heavy door open, or move lasers around or reach for products, by mid afternoon I felt swollen and uncomfortable. I went straight home and sat with ice and tried to recoup. I was pretty sore this morning when I woke up, and today is a little slower for me and I’m sitting more with ice when I can. After talking with Kansas City Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Chhatre, I probably should have started slow with 1/2 days for the first week, which is too late now, but it’s good to know to tell people based on what they do for a living. My muscles aren’t sore, I think most of the tenderness I am still feeling is from the breast lift procedure rather than the implants. I can tell you that while the implants are still sitting pretty high behind my muscle(which is completely normal) and they will for several weeks, I am THRILLED with the way everything looks this far. Once the muscles relax and the implants settle and all of the swelling is down , I really think I will be the perfect size and shape for my frame!
If there are any questions that you have or if you would like to look into scheduling an appointment please don’t hesitate to contact our office and we can help you. I will continue keeping up with the blogs for my continued healing and changes, I’m expecting that I will have one out in about a month, in the meantime make sure you’re following our facebook page for any updates and videos.
