Traci's Story

My name is Traci and I had breast implants 5 years ago. I am 30 years old, 5'4" and weigh approximately 135 pounds. I was a 34B before surgery and am currently a 36 full C. I had 325cc moderate profile smooth round Mentor implants placed sub-muscular with my incision underneath the breast. I considered surgery ever since I was in high school but got scared and decided not to go through with it back then due to the silicone implant problems. I continued to think about having the surgery all through college but never could get my nerve up to go through with it. My decision finally came when I was at a friend's wedding and every bridesmaid there had breast implants and I was " flat chested" and looked like an outcast in my dress compared to everyone else. I went two months later and had breast augmentation done.

I did not do much research into the surgery process or look at a lot of pre-operative photos because I was a nurse and felt like I knew what to expect. I used a surgeon who had rice placed into knee high stockings and used them as implant sizers. After trying on the sizers, I was happy with 325 and knew it should give me 1-1/2 cup sizes bigger. If I had to do the surgery again tomorrow, I would choose the same size again and I believe this is strictly related to trying on the sizers before surgery and was happy with my decision.

On the day of surgery, I showed up at the physician's office and was told he was running two hours late. Of course, my blood pressure shot straight up and I became a nervous wreck. Two hours later, I was sent to an exam room and was consulted by the CRNA who would put me to sleep. This was the most terrifying thing for me because I had never been put to sleep before. I was not worried about the procedure but was nervous that I would not react well to the anesthesia and that I might have chosen the wrong size implant and would wake up and think I was too big.

Despite my worries, the surgery went well and my fears were confirmed. I woke up from the surgery and could not stay awake or fall asleep and was freezing from the effects of the anesthesia. Once I was home, I had been given a prescription for Ambien to help me sleep but would not take it because I had already had so much anesthesia. ( I would not do that again and would take the medication) My first look into the mirror also confirmed my fear. I was HUGE! My husband even said that I was going to have to have them removed if they did not get smaller. They felt like they were in my throat and felt like I had a ton of bricks on my chest. It was hard to take a deep breath, cough, or even laugh. It was hard to open my prescription bottles, open doors, open a coke bottle, and even sit up from a lying position. I had to have my husband help me for the first 2-3 days then it got much better.

I went back to work at the hospital working a 12 hour shift on my 4th day post surgery. I had stopped my pain medication and started taking Extra Strength Tylenol and did fine. I was not able to lift anything heavy or reach up to a tall shelf or raise an IV pole but otherwise I felt fine. I had to shuffle the steering wheel to drive and take things much slower but it was not a bad experience. I did have a hematoma develop approximately 5 days after surgery and was bruised from my armpit down to my hip on one side and that breast was much more swollen and tender than the other side. This resolved on its own over a few weeks and remained tender for a few months but it was well worth it in the end. Like I said previously, I would do this surgery again tomorrow and would not change anything about my experience.