Reasons for surgery/ Search for my doctor...
Michelle -- Wednesday, 22 June 2005, at 10:07 p.m.

I've wanted to have breast augmentation for as long as I can remember. I was a late bloomer in school and I hated the feeling of being the only "tiny" boobie girl among all of my friends. I guess it didn't help that 2 of my closest friends were already well endowed in the 6th grade and kept on growing...

I remember when I was 17 that i was okay with my size. I was a perky B cup and it matched my frame. I still wanted to have bigger boobs, but figured I would grow some more.

I ended up getting pregnant at age 18,(2001) and that is a whole other story that I won't get into. Needless to say I went from my perky B cup to a D cup! I got stretch marks from it too.

After I had my son, my boobs became engorged to an even bigger D cup. I remember looking in the mirror thinking how gorgeous my boobs were. This is what I wanted.

I breast fed my son for 5 months. After I saw the effects that it had on my boobs I vowed never to do it again. To make it worse my left breast produced more milk than my right and my left boob was now bigger and saggier than my right. My beautiful D's deflated to a B... a much saggier B. I hated them, but my body was out of shape and my goal was to get my body back in shape.

(2002)Within' 3 months of working out and eating healthy (no junk) I was able to get into most of my old clothes and I was in better shape then I had ever been... with the exception of my boobs of course. I started wearing Wonderbra's best bra of all, the one that not only pushes up, but had gel padding. This is still the bra that I wear today, if I don't wear it, my boobs are way too small.

I started working at Hooter's and a few of the girls had breast implants. They referred me to their doctor and one of my friends and I went for a consult. After all, it was free.

I was in tears by the time that I left. The doctor had me arch my shoulders forward while he took the photo, so it made my boobs look way worse. He told me that I would absolutely have to have a breast lift and that would cost $10,000 total. Not only that but he said that 1 in 10 of the lifts (still don't know if it was HIS lift patients, or the statistics) have to have a re-do b/c something ends up not being right. Also there's a lot of scarring with a lift, etc. I left the doctor's office discouraged.

Another girl came to work at Hooters and her boobs were awesome, I had no idea that they were fake until one of my customers, who I happened to go to school with, said that he knew her and that those things weren't real. I was shocked. I casually asked her about it and she told me the story.

She said that she had nice full C's, then after she had her little girl they deflated to an A cup, but with a ton of skin. She said they looked like socks, and it was terrible.She said that the first surgeon that she went to told her that she needed a lift, and she said she wasn't going through that. The second doctor that she went to said that he would do the surgery without a lift. i immediately asked her where he was located. She said somewhere around Charlotte, NC. I made a mental note to remember that. I went home and started looking around on the Internet.

That's when I found Dr. Thomas Roberts III on InmplantInfo.com.  As it turns out they do lots of surgeries where the patient has a little bit of sag. He has a ton of before and after photos, and I even found a few that looked like me. I was very impressed. I called for an information packet and even came close to making a consult appointment. but during this process I was discussing marriage with a guy who is now my wonderful husband, and knew that I would want to have another child. I did not want to have surgery and mess up my boobs by getting pregnant. My boobs got huge with my first pregnancy and I couldn't imagine how huge they would have gotten with implants and milk, ahhh!

My husband and I were married March 1, 2003. I got pregnant soon after and had a beautiul girl Januray 16, 2004.

I did NOT breastfeed, and they don't look as bad as they did look , but still I was not happy with them. To this day I cover myself around my husband, and where a bra in bed, whether we're sleeping or doing something else. They're somewhat deflated, so I can not stand the way that they look when I bend over/ lean over/ lay on my side without a bra on. I also have not lost all of the extra weight from my second pregnancy. I'm not fat, but I'm not my healthiest either. I eat way too much and i don't exercise enough.

With that said, I finally decided that it was time for me to have breast augmentation. I think that it will be great for my self confidence. First of all, my stomach won't stick out farther then my boobs without a bra on (like they do now), and I think I will actually let my husband look at me... -I'll want him to look at me, and therefore I believe we will have a better sexual relationship. I want to feel attractive, and most importantly I want to KNOW that my husband is really attracted to me. Don't get me wrong, he has never said anything about the extra weight, and has even said that he likes my saggy boobies, although they have improved since we met (we first started dating 9 months after I had my first child and my boobs were def. worse then) and he has even said that he likes my butt "larger", but I can look in the mirror and I know how different I look from the first time we met (with the exception of my boobs). I can already tell that this surgery is going to motivate me to eat healthier foods AND stay away from the junk AND exercise, which is long over due. These are all things that I believe will improve my life -mentally, emotionally, and physically. That is important to me.

I looked up Dr.Roberts website and gave them a call, and had another info packet sent out to me. And here I go...

pre-consult
Michelle -- Thursday, 23 June 2005, at 11:19 a.m.

I was able to get a pre-consult appointment. for the next day, which was May 31, 2005. Dr.Roberts offers a free pre-consult with Janice, who heads up his breast augmentations.

We drove the 3 hours down to Spartanburg, SC from my home in NC. The drive was definitely worth it. I was 1/2 an hour early, but they did not make me sit and wait.

I filled out some paper work, then Janice took us (my husband and myself) back into a room to watch a short video on breast augmentation. Afterwards she took us back into another room to talked over some things about the procedure and take photos.

She made me feel great, and very comfortable. I am not the type to take off my clothes around anyone, so I figured it would be very awkward, but it wasn't. She told me that she was going to try to grab Dr.Roberts to see what he thought, over the muscle implants, or unders. She explained though that it would probably be over b/c I have some droop. She also asked my desired size, and a I said Full C to small D.

She went over the risks involved: capsular contracture, leakage, deflation, rippling, all that. She also said that there are higher risk for CC (capsular contracture) when placed over the muscle. I mentioned that I had heard various ways to prevent CC, such as massage, and asked if they recommended it for their patients. She said that they did not, that in Dr.Roberts studies, that he discovered that there is less risk for CC when powdered gloves are not used, therefore they do not use powdered gloves with their breast augmentation patients.

She also told me that Dr.Roberts was a Christian and he goes on Mission trips every year. This also made me feel good b/c I am a Christian.

She also explained some things that I would have to do before and after surgery (or rather what I could not do). She said that I would have to have some labs done. I could have them done at a doctor back home or they could send me to the hospital the day of my consult with Dr.Roberts. She said it would probably be around $100 and they would bill me for it. She said that I could not take any aspirin products or drink any alcohol 3 weeks before surgery, as well as I could not take vitamin A or E. A multi-vitamin was fine, but not JUST a vitamin. A or E tablet.

She said that I would need to buy some button-up shirts b/c I could only wear those type of shirts for 2 weeks after my surgery. She said that for 2 weeks I was to keep my arms at my sides at all times. I would have to have my husband do my hair and I would have to only take sponge baths, due to the risk of raising my arms, or falling in the shower and having to catch myself. I also would not be able to drive for 2 weeks. And I would have to sleep on my back for 6-8 weeks after surgery, and I could not lift anything over 5 pounds (NOTHING to begin with).

In all honestly I had never heard that there was so much involved in the recovery of breast augmentation. I have seem many photos of woman one day post-op, or three days post-op with their arms raised high for the photo. I even met a girl at a club once who had only had her implants done a few days before, and she was dancing and partying like everyone else. This was a bit discouraging since I am a photographer and have 2 small children, but I figured there was a good reason for it.

She then went over the medications that I would need to have filled before surgery.

Janice then had someone bring sizers in and she told me to put the bra on and try out some different sizers. She was going to try to grab Dr.Roberts to see if she could get his opinion.

My husband really liked the 400 cc's on me. He thought they were perfect and I almost thought that they were too big. Janice came back in and said that Dr.Roberts said that I would need to have them placed above the muscle for sure. Janice said that they were going to look great on me and that she thought I would be very happy with my results.

We asked her opinion about the size, and Janice said that I would probably need to stick to the 400cc b/c if I went smaller she didn't know if I would be able to achieve "the look" that I was after.

She told me that the next time that I come to bring a variety of shirts to try on the sizers with.

We then went to make an appointment for the consult with Dr.Roberts and for my surgery date because I was certain that I wanted it done.

They made my consult for June 16th at 11:30 am, and my surgery for July 5, 2005. Deborah (in charge of appointments.) said that there may be a lady canceling on June 28th, and if so would I want to take her place. My husband and I both said yes.

Deborah said that they needed a $500 deposit to hold my surgery date and it all needed to be paid 3 weeks before the surgery($4200 total).

We took care of everything and Deborah reminded me that I would have to pay $55 for the consult with Dr. Roberts the next time that I came...

Meet Janice

Change of surgery date
Michelle -- Thursday, 23 June 2005, at 11:27 a.m.

My husband, 2 children, and myself went down to the beach during June. We were coming back the day before my consult with Dr.Roberts.

One morning at the beach, my call phone rang. It was Deborah from Dr.Roberts office. She said that the date we had talked about on June 28th had opened up and would I like to take it. I of course said yes!, and my surgery date was moved up a week.

I was very happy about this b/c I have a wedding to shoot August 21 and I really need that extra week to recover.

Meet Janice

Consult with Dr.Roberts
Michelle -- Thursday, 23 June 2005, at 12:49 p.m.

The day of the consult with Dr.Roberts I remembered to pack a few extra shirts. The ride down was a bit nerve-racking for me because my husband is a crazy driver ( he probably used his knees to drive 7 times or so {un-needed might I add}, only for a moment while he did something else, but it really makes me uncomfortable, and despite my many attempts to make him stop he does not) and we were in heavy traffic going 80 mph. I would drive myself but I think that would be worse for me, causing me lots of stress. I just pray that God helps us to get to our destination safely, and He does, and we do.

I hate fast paced, heavily trafficked highways!

Back to the subject, a nurse(Lisa) escorted us into a room where she gave us some paperwork to go over about Nurse Anesthesiologist, my warranty for the implants, the medicines, and then she went over sheet with me. I came across a few new surprises... *Cannot take aspirin OR herbal products(I had planned to drink Herbalife shakes as my meals after surgery) or anti-inflammatories 2 weeks prior, and for 6 weeks after surgery. * I was going to have to remove my tongue ring before surgery * I could not even be around cigarette smoke (which was fine with me) And a few of the questions that I had written down were answered... *I could not apply deodorant or any creams and lotions the night before, or the day of surgery *Do not eat anything morning of surgery

Then she told me that I could not wear an underwire bra for 2 months after surgery(ahhh! No underwire?) and I would need to buy a good support bra with no underwire to bring to my one week appt. She then left me with sizers and the bra to use to try them on, and left us to trying on the sizers with my different shirts.

The 400cc sizers that we had decided on were not there. So I tried on the 420's, the 390's, 350's, and the 500's just for fun;)

I did not like the shape, but I was told by Janice, and later Dr.Roberts that they would not be shaped like this, only to consider the volume. The 420's were close to what I wanted and the 500's were definitely way too big, but the 350's were too small. I was afraid of going too small, but also afraid of going too big. If I had to make a decision between the two though, I think I would rather go a little big than a little small. I knew that I was going to have to rely on Dr.Roberts judgement.

Then Dr.Roberts came in. I had the 350's in at the time I think. He asked us what we liked, and we said that we had decided on the 400's the last time we were here, but there were not any there at the time. He said that the 420's were only 2 tablespoons more of saline than the 400's anyway(wow, who knew?).

He had me take my bra off and studied my breast, writing things down. He asked me what I thought. I told him that I thought my left one was a tab bigger and had more droop. He then pointed out that my right breast was lower than my left, something I had never noticed. He said that he only pointed it out b/c it is more noticeable when they are bigger. He also studied my body frame, taking that into consideration and decided on the size, which i forgot to ask how many cc's it was, but he said that I would be a 34-D afterwards. He made me feel good about it.

I then asked Dr.Roberts about Accolate, which I had read can help prevent scar tissue and capsular contracture. He said that it wasn't for sure, and that no one really even knows for sure what causes CC. He said that most of the time CC will only happen to one breast, and he said if you do the same thing to both breast (taking Accolate, massaging, etc.) what causes one to have CC and not the other.

I then asked him his personal percentage rate for capsular contracture (which I knew to ask thanks to this website) and Dr.Roberts said it was "maybe 5%" and that he rarely ever sees it. I was very impressed with this as it is lower for his patients than the average statistics. I realized why he limits activity so much during the healing process, and I was very glad that I had chosen Dr.Roberts. I feel very confident that my surgery is going to be a success in every way, with no complications -that is what I am believing.

Matt.18:19Again, I assure you: If two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven.

Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Lisa gave us directions to the hospital, which was right down the road, and a paper explaining what I needed done. She said that if everything was okay then we would not hear from her.

We waited for probably 20 minutes in the waiting room before being called back. The lady taking my blood made it an enjoyable experience for me (I hate needles) and everyone was laughing at my husbands jokes (besides me b/c I was trying not to look)...

Meet Dr.Roberts

Call from Lisa
Michelle -- Thursday, 23 June 2005, at 1:02 p.m.

Wednesday June 22, 2005 I was at Wal-Mart fixing to pick up my melds for the surgery when my cell phone rang. It was Lisa from Dr.Roberts office.

She said that when looking over my lab work she discovered that I had a urinary track infection and she needed to call in a prescription to be filled.

I was thrilled (b/c I knew I had been peeing much more during the night, it had become normal for me to get up 3-5 times during the night to pee but it never occurred to me anything was wrong b/c I didn't burn/itch/etc.), her timing couldn't have been better, and I walked over to the pharmacy to get their phone number. She called it in for me, and I was able to get it with the rest of my medicines.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Last night I was thinking about how this time next week I was going to have new boobies, and I got butterflies. I can't imagine what I am going to be feeling before they put me to sleep, and then BAM! I'm going to wake up and not remember a thing, and have a new chest. Butterflies, butterflies, butterflies...

Leaving tomorrow
Michelle -- Sunday, 26 June 2005, at 8:40 p.m.

My husband and myself are leaving tomorrow to head down to Spartanburg SC. We are leaving a bit early to relax for awhile while we are down there.

We just got back from a camping trip that my husband and his friend planned. It was fun BUT i am very VERY tired and wish that my husband had not planned this right before my surgery. I feel like i needed the time to get everything cleaned and get plenty of rest before I leave tomorrow b/c I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep tomorrow night.

My surgery is at 7am Tuesday, so this will be my last entry until I come home. I'm not really nervous anymore -maybe I'm just too tired to be.

I'm going to bed and look forward to tomorrow.

more later
Michelle -- Friday, 1 July 2005, at 8:30 p.m.

today is Friday. surgery was Tues. and it went well. Dr.Roberts and staff are great. i am so glad i went to them. My breast look great. i am still dizzy-headed from med's and trying not to move much. i will write more about surgery, when i can type detailed , probably early next week. Thanks for your patience.

Working off the scene
Samuel (Husband) -- Sunday, 3 July 2005, at 1:26 p.m.

It is unusual for the Husband to write something, but as a father of two and husband this was a challenge. Fortunately I own a business, therefore I was able to take off these few weeks without losing much!? Becoming a stay at home mom?/dad, caretaker isn't the easiest thing in the world to do. I give it up to the nurses that are moms and have families too, I understand you!! The kids are not the hardest part, because now you have to be on 24 hour call to your wife also. It is particularly rough for me because, my wife has had a great surgeon, although she is the most meticulous woman on the whole earth to get comfortable at night and I don't know if its the Lortab/whiterobin or just sitting in one spot for to long because she itches all over. If the big wooden spoon can't reach it you know who does!! I know that in the end it will all be worth the extra care. (hint, hint)

I will have to admit at first I wasn't real thrilled about Michelle having plastic surgery. I've had it tough throughout our marriage, dealing with Michelle's insecurities about her breast. (this isn't a lie) When we got married and for as long as I can remember she would hide herself from me, her husband!! I begged and pleated with her that I could care less what she thought of them, because I liked them any ways. come on guys were not that picky.

I wrote this because Michelle asked me to, and I thought it would be a good heads-up for all the men out there with similar situations. Dr. Roberts is a kind and grateful man for your business and is a great choice for the good pricing and great resume.

surgery
Michelle -- Sunday, 3 July 2005, at 1:50 p.m.

I am still a bit dizzied but i need to get caught up...

Last Tuesday (June 28 2005) I arrived at the doctors office at 6am. We had stayed the night at a Comfort Inn not far from the hotel, and we were also staying the night there. I was the first surgery of the day. A nurse escorted my husband and I back to the cosmetic surgery waiting room.

I was starting to get a little nervous, but i was at the no turning back now point.

A nurse finally came and got us. She took me back into a room and gave me a gown and booties to put on. WHen she came back she gave me 2 pills to take, and i also had to take one of the meds. that i had gotten filled for nausea. I said good bye to my husband and she took me back to the bathroom beside the surgery room. Unfortunately i was on my period and i had to put a pad on before my surgery ( and take the tampon out.)

When I got into the surgery room they had me sit on this chair/operating bed type thing. It was nice & comfy. EVeryone in the room made me feel comfortable. The anesthesiologist started an ivy. I asked where Dr. Roberts was and when he was going to draw on me. One of the nurse said they were giving me the feel good medicine, and the next thing i know I'm waking up in a recovery room. My husband was there and i remember looking down at these beautiful breast. I only had a blanket on and i felt a little sick, so i pulled the blanket off my legs and the nurse put some more meds in my IV

They had put the implants in from under the breast and they were over the muscle.

Dr. Roberts came in and said everything looked great and that I wouldn't even have to wear a bra. (for now)

I don't remember much else except feeling very swimmy headed and we went back to the hotel for me to rest.

We came back the next morning for Janice to take a look at me before we went home. She said they looked great, everything looked great, they felt soft and i had to come back in a week. She said i had 400cc's put in each breast and i would probably be a 34 DD or 36 D.

I have been mostly resting, keeping my hands at my side. I sleep on the bed with 5 pillows behind and under me. I can't wait until i am healed up. It is hard to get comfy, i bug my husband constantly to move pillows, move hair out of the way, etc. HE washed my hair in the sink yesterday, i felt so much better, and he gave me a sponge bath. the med's keep me too dizzy to stay up long but i am eating well and healthy and taking vitamins.

My breast look great. I am taking plenty of photos. I will post after next doc. appoint.

July 4th
Michelle -- Monday, 4 July 2005, at 6:38 p.m.

The pain meds are not working as well as they did. With that said the pain is not unbearable -only uncomfortable. once today i let it go 5 hours without meds so that i could read a bit. I can't read well with the meds in me.

i noticed yesterday that the top of my breast were kind of pink. Today my husband gave me another bath and they were a light shade of red and it had spread. It almost felt like they had fever in them. I had him call the doctor. I was surprised at how fast the doctor called my husband back -it was immediately.(& it's a holiday)

Dr. Roberts prescribed a medication BUT all the pharmacies are closed today so my hubby will have to pick it up first thing in the morning.

I look forward to our visit with the Dr on Wednesday.

one week visit
Michelle -- Wednesday, 6 July 2005, at 7:45 p.m.

We ended up having to go to the Doctors yesterday instead of today. The pharmacy lost the prescription Dr. Roberts called in and when we called to inform him, Lesa (I spelled it incorrectly before) said that he wanted us to go ahead and come down.

We got there about 5:30 PM and Lesa took us on back into a room. She always made us feel so welcome. She got us something to drink and took a look at my breast. She thought they looked great and the redness was probably nothing to worry about. She left for a few minutes then came back to take the steri-strips? off my breast. THat really hurt!

I then asked a few questions that i was curious about. She told me that I needed to start touching my breast b/c if i didnt they were going to become hyper-sensitive, and not to be scared to really touch them, that they weren't going to bust. She said if my little girl smacked my boob, it wouldn't hurt so i could start having her in my lap, i just couldn't pick her up.

When Dr. Roberts came in her really pressed/squeezed my breast hard. I was shocked that I could touch them that hard. Dr.Roberts said they were guaranteed not to rust, dust, or...something else. He is a character!

He printed out 2 before photos at my request (so I can post on here) and he said "Wow, I really did a great job" and he patted himself on the back. HE said they were soft and looked great. He really made me feel good.

I mentioned the true life journal and turns out he hasn't received the info yet on how to post on here. I re-sent everything again so hopefully he will be posting very soon.

He talked with us about a few more things before he left. Then Lesa removed the sutures/knots and helped me into my new bra=)Lesa and Dr.Roberts are great, anyone would love them!

We then made an appointment with Deborah for my 2 month check up. I started inquiring about the missions trips Dr. Roberts goes on every year. I thought they just visited people in other countries and gave them clothing/food etc. I had no idea that he actually took a whole crew down to different countries and performed surgeries on people everyday,, all day, for a week, that can't afford the surgeries. Not cosmetic surgery, but well needed surgery, that these people could not afford on their on. They operated on a baby's hand who was crippled, a man who had a 12 pound tumor on his leg, etc. I think Dr.Roberts is amazing and I am so thankful to have sewn my money into his practice. The world needs more people like him in the world.

Anyway, I'll keep you up to date on my progress.

problem
Michelle -- Thursday, 7 July 2005, at 2:12 p.m.

Something that I am having a real problem with is constipation. I know that this is a subject most people don't like to talk about but this is something I feel like I really need to share.

The medicine that I take causes constipation, so I should have been taking Metimucil twice a day since the operation, since I sometimes tend to get 'clogged up' anyway.

Well it is Thursday July 7th, and I have not used the bathroom (pooped) since June 27, last Monday (11 days!). I have taken Milk of Magnesia the last 3 days and it did nothing! My husband bought some Ex-lax extra strength and I am praying that it works.

I know that most people probably never give thought to not pooping as being a problem -until it happens! It is one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever experienced. My rectum is swollen, inflamed, and bleeding! While sitting on the toilet this morning I felt as if i were going through labor again -it was really that bad. The pain even took my mind off the discomfort of my breast.

I look pregnant and I feel full (b/c I am filled up with poop). I know this is probably a gross topic for some people but I really wanted to share this so maybe it will help someone else to prevent this. Believe me when I say you want to do whatever you must to prevent constipation!

My breast are doing well, they are not red anymore. The redness subsided after Lesa took the bandages off. I forgot to mention this yesterday, but Lesa said the bandages may have broken me out.

I am squeezing them & rubbing them whenever I think about it. They feel so real! I have never grabbed breast before (with the exception of mine) but they feel just how I would imagine big beautiful breast to feel.

I am still sore, especially the incisions. I feel it most when I lean over any amount, like when I stand up. I am going to stop taking the pain killers (for obvious reasons) and try to stick to just the Tylenol.

Progression...
Michelle -- Monday, 11 July 2005, at 12:13 p.m.

Well my 2 weeks of keeping my arms at my side are almost over -as of tomorrow! I will get to wash my own hair, etc. but still can't do house work! A nurse told us that a lady caused internal bleeding (breast implants) from vacuuming, so I am still going to be cautious.

My breast are starting to drop into place a bit, it looks and feels sort of weird. It's like there's a bubble where my areola begins.

The support bra starting bugging me last night, the elastic was cutting into the upper part of my breast (never had that problem before) so I loosened it and when that didn't work I just took it off. I might have to go buy another one.

19 days progression...
Michelle -- Sunday, 17 July 2005, at 6:49 p.m.

As of this morning it has been 19 days since surgery -almost 3 full weeks.

They look great and I am extremely happy with them. To me they feel very soft to the touch, including when I squeeze them. The only thing is that they are still pretty sore. I have been doing a lot (driving, washing my hair, etc.) and I think it has added to the soreness.

27 days progression...
Michelle -- Monday, 25 July 2005, at 1:25 p.m.

I am doing very well. I have not had any problems or complications at all (which is what I was believing for so of course I haven't), and they feel so soft and natural. It seems like they keep getting softer and more natural feeling. It really amazes me. I can't believe how I can't tell that I have implants at all by squeezing them! They feel like my old breast pretty much, but bigger and the skin isn't loose.

My breast are still pretty sore though, which I didn't expect to be sore for this long. The feeling is coming back into the right one (the left one never went numb), just as they said it would. They said it could take up to 2 years but I pretty much have all of the feeling back except in my nipple, but it is returning as I mentioned b/c when I touch it I feel the soreness. They look great. The swelling is gone down -completely I hope! I realize that maybe I should've gone just a little bit bigger, like 450CC instead of 400 b/c you really can't tell at all with my clothes on! Which is actually what I said that I was going for, but now that I have it I kind of wish that you could tell. But really all I have to do is loose a few pounds and then you will be able to tell =) But, in a bathing suit or without a bra I look great! Actually I look great in clothes too=) I think they look pretty natural! Overall I am completely happy and thrilled and I would do it again.

We went to Splash Country In Pigeon Forge, TN Saturday and I felt completely confident. I still have to be careful ( i can't lift anything over 5 lbs.), and I couldn't do most of the rides, but I could enjoy the lazy river, and I really enjoyed the self-confidence that I had from how great my breast looked. I even went and bought a new bathing suit that day. It was a bandeau top that I never would have looked good in before & My posture has also improved greatly... Oh, and I don't hide in front of my husband anymore, and he likes that a lot.

They may not be "perfect breast", but they are perfect to me. I don't even want to think of them as being 'implants' b/c they already feel like my own, like they're part of me, and it hasn't even been a whole month!

I will update at 6 months or so. If anyone has any questions or would like to discuss anything, or an email buddy for support to discuss your concerns/for encouragement if you're about to have surgery, please let me know.

Thanks for listening!

- Michelle