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True Life Stories > Leigh's Story

True Life Stories

Leigh's Story

My name is Leigh and I am 30 years old. Prior to motherhood, I was not overly concerned with my breast size (34 small-B). However, two children later and many pounds lighter, I found that my breasts had virtually disappeared (34 A). Shirts (even extra small) simply hung on me. I spent several years feeling self conscious about my small breasts and simply not feeling good about how I looked. Cute clothes seemed to be catered to those with large breasts. I wanted larger breasts. I wanted to feel more confident about my appearance. I talked to a few plastic surgeons' offices and researched breast augmentation on the web, but I just could not bring myself to have surgery. My husband was extremely supportive. He understood that I was self conscious about my body and wanted me to feel better about myself. He scheduled my first consultation the plastic surgeon. One week before my scheduled visit, I cancelled the appointment, telling myself that I didn't want to have surgery. There were simply too many unknowns ... what if I didn't like the results ... what if I picked the wrong size ... what about the potential complications ... what about the pain!!! Fortunately, my husband didn't give up. A few months after my cancelled appointment, he scheduled another consultation for me. This time, I kept it. The physician and his nurses were extremely nice and patient with me. I had many questions. I spent a great deal of time trying on the sizers in the attempt to try and determine what size would be best for me. (I'm 5'2" and weigh 105 lbs. I did not want to look like Dolly Parton.) I was extremely concerned about choosing the right size and the surgeon was extremely helpful in this matter. Based on my wants and body size, he helped me decide on the perfect size for me. I went from a size 34 A to 34 full C. (My implants are saline and were placed submuscular with the incision under the breast.)

On the day of surgery, I was extremely nervous. I don't tolerate pain very well and was worried about my postoperative course. The day of surgery, I met with the Nurse Anesthetist to discuss anesthesia. I had two requests: 1) I don't want to wake up in the middle of the procedure, but 2) I do want to wake up at the end. He met my expectations to a "T". Upon waking up from surgery, I really wasn't prepared for the type of pain I experienced. Prior to this surgery, I had two abdominal surgeries: appendectomy and C-section. This pain was totally different. While I did have incisional pain, the tightness, swelling, and muscle pain was much more intense. Pain medications helped (so take them), but the muscle relaxer and ice packs were my best friends. I was extremely swollen. (Even my husband agreed.) The top of my breasts (or the swelling) were just below my collar bone. (Don't worry, they settle into place.) Due to the soreness, I found it difficult to do simple things like lifting, washing my hair, twisting open bottles (including my medicine), and sitting up from a lying position. However, one week after surgery, I noticed an improvement on a daily basis. I followed my post-op instructions to the letter and had no complications.

I am now 3 months post-op. My husband and I are extremely pleased with the results. I can now purchase cute shirts and dresses and feel confident that I look good in them. I am glad that I had the surgery and would do it all over again without changing a thing.

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