Okay, so it’s been a lot more than a hot minute, and I totally left you all hanging with no real updates since my pre-op post!
If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know some of my recovery as I did pop in here and there.
There were some bumps during recovery, and I did end up in emergency, but you’ll have to keep reading to find out why!
This is part 4 in my breast augmentation journey series. If you are new to the series, catch up by reading part 1, part 2, and part 3.
In this update post I will be sharing all about the day of surgery, as well as my initial recovery.
I am apologizing in advance for the crappy quality of photos. I used my iPhone and in poor lighting, so no amount of editing helped these suckers!!!
If you’ve been following my journey you will know I got very lucky with an earlier consultation date, and I also got an earlier surgery due to another patient needing to switch their surgery date.
My original surgery date was booked for April 26th, but because I switched with another patient I got their April 9th slot!
Breast Augmentation Surgery Day
Surprisingly I slept very well the night before surgery. I wasn’t nervous at all, and was actually quite antsy to get there.
I took a shower and washed my hair as I knew I wouldn’t be able to for a few days after surgery due to arm movement restrictions.
The hardest part was not being able to have any makeup or deodorant on, or moisturize my skin. Although I totally get why, I am just really self-conscious about the acne scars on my face.
Because I do not drive, I went into work that morning with Steve at 5:30am. Watching the clock tick waiting to head over to the surgery clinic was like watching paint dry.
I had to bring the post-op bra I was given by Dr. Jindal, as well as have comfy clothing and a zippered sweater to put on after surgery.
I arrived at the surgical clinic at 10 am and my surgery was at 11 am.
Waking Up From Surgery
Now my recollection from waking up to the next day is a bit spotty, I was pretty groggy after surgery.
I do however remember making Steve wait a really long time outside before I was ready to go home.
When I woke up I did get sick to my stomach (a few times).
Now I have been put under a handful of times for various surgeries and never got sick before. But for whatever reason, all I could taste when I woke up was an awful anesthesia taste in my mouth, which was what made me sick.
My nurse administered Gravol via my IV, and I went back to sleep.
A while later my nurse woke me up and asked if I was ready for her to call Steve to pick me up, I was really tired so I said no and fell back asleep.
While I was sleeping Steve had arrived and had been sitting in the van outside for who knows how long.
Eventually after a few wake ups and naps, I woke up and felt less groggy and ready to bust out and go home.
Steve came up and the nurse helped me get dressed and into a wheelchair. She also gave me a little travel sick catcher just in case.
We were probably driving for a whole 5 minutes before I told Steve to pull over, I whipped open my door, turned my head, and got sick on the side of the road.
I arrived home around 4:00pm, and thankfully the awful taste in my mouth was gone and I didn’t feel sick anymore.
That evening my chest felt tight and had a bit of a heavy feeling, but zero pain.
I pretty much took my medication and went to bed.
Breast Augmentation Surgery Recovery
My recovery went really well for the most part.
I say for the most part because there was a little hiccup due to a side effect from one of the medications I took post-op, and some pet issues.
Other than those, my surgery and recovery went smoothly and as expected.
Recovery Week 1
Other than the Tylenol, I stayed on track with my post-op medications until they were done.
If you have a breast augmentation and opt to take the Oxycodone, I do suggest stocking up on Peek Frean Bran Crunch cookies.
I didn’t really have much of an appetite and taking the pain-killer would sometimes make me feel nauseous. So each time I took it I would eat 2-4 of the cookies to help settle my stomach.
Breast Augmentation Surgery Post-Op Day 1
The day after surgery, day 1 post-op, I had zero bruising, and my pain level was 1-2 out of 10. The tightness and heavy feeling was a bit more than right after surgery, but I chalk that up to the swelling setting in.
Sleeping was extremely hard for me. I am a belly sleeper and having to sleep on my back was next to impossible. It definitely caused me to wake up every couple of hours throughout the night.
Breast Augmentation Surgery Post-Op Day 2
On post-op day 2 I was definitely more swollen and Frakenboob was in full effect! My pain level was still around a 2, and I still had no bruising.
I was allowed to shower on post-op day 2, however I didn’t feel up to it.
My appetite came back and I started eating my regular foods, still snacking on those bran cookies!
Breast Augmentation Surgery Post-Op Day 3
On post-op day 3 was when the maximum swelling kicked in. My chest was very hight, tight, and swollen.
I am right-handed and my right breast was much sore than my left, it also had a dull burning sensation every so often.
Nipple sensitivity also started, and of course my right was more sensitive than the left.
The best way I can describe the feeling of my chest during the maximum swelling time, was the feeling I had after giving birth to the girls and my milk came in. It honestly wasn’t painful at all, just tight.
Day 3 was pretty eventful, my belly was pretty bloated and I had gained 6 pounds from my pre-surgery weight.
Both bloating and weight gain are totally post-surgery. It’s from the fluids given during surgery and will return to normal, well kind of, you won’t lose the weight of the implants.
Last but not least, my incision area was a tad itchy in the evening.
Breast Augmentation Surgery Post-Op Day 4
I was extremely tired on day 4 as I barely slept the night before.
My chest was still swollen, tight, and implants sitting high, all of which is normal.
The weirdest part in the first week of recovery was the noises. If I pushed on my skin above or in the middle of my implants there would be a crackling noise.
This is also completely normal. It is caused by air/fluids and it goes away in a few days.
Breast Augmentation Surgery Post-Op Day 5
Hallelujah, I finally got a full night sleep!
I used some pillows to prop me up on my side which helped so much!
My chest was still tight and heavy but no pain whatsoever.
On day 5 post-op I switched out of my surgical bra into my supportive sports bras. The surgical bra was cutting off my circulation as it was getting tight from my swelling. It also made me super itchy.
I also got back into my office, posting a sponsored blog post for a brand I was working with.
Breast Augmentation Surgery Post-Op Days 6-7
I was finally sleeping through the nights, thanks to my pillows propping me up, so I was feeling more like myself.
The swelling started to subside more and the tightness/heavy feeling was gone.
While I was recovering well, this is where shit was about to hit the fan with our pets.
There is nothing worse than when your children or pets are sick or hurt. Well, it is even worse when you are recovering from surgery and a little loopy on pain medication.
April 16, 2018 – Reggie
In the evening we had to call our 24 hour vet as Reggie was having an episode much like previous episodes.
If you don’t follow me on Instagram you might not know what I am talking about. Long story short there have been a handful of times Reggie will start heavily breathing, laying in the litter box, and gouging himself with his claws.
We took him in and the vet gave him a shot. He told us we needed to get the specialist in for an ultrasound to see if he indeed had liver disease, heart disease, and any tumours in his lungs.
We took Reggie home and the next morning I called to make the appointment. We lucked out and got an appointment for 3:30pm that day.
Just after dinner we got the call that we could go in for the results.
Are you ready for this? I will also note we have probably spent nearly $2500 on Reggie during these episodes.
Turns out Reggie has no liver or heart disease and no cancer or tumours.
Reggie, our special little money pit, has asthma on top of food allergies.
The vet gave him a shot that would last 4 weeks for his asthma, and he was put on a strict rabbit allergy food.
I’m happy to say that (knock on wood) there has been no more episodes with Reggie since!
Breast Augmentation Surgery 2 Week Post-Op Appointment
April 24th was my 2 week breast augmentation surgery post-op appointment with Dr. Jindal at Edelstein Cosmetic.
Dr. Jindal said I was healing perfectly, my swelling had gone down significantly, and I needed to start doing my “boob exercises” 5x on each breast twice a day.
Boob exercises are basically cupping the bottom of the breast, gently rolling your hand against the breast to move the implant upwards, then gently releasing.
It helps to keep the pocket open, and lessens the risk of capsular contracture.
At the appointment he put on new steri-strips which I was to remove the following week.
Once the steri-strips were removed, I had to start to firmly massage my scars with scar gel.
As you can see in my PG-13 photos, my incisions are hidden nicely in the breast fold as my implants settled.
There are other incision areas you can choose from, such as the areola or the armpit. You and your plastic surgeon will decide what is best for you during your consultation!
April 24, 2018 – Kiki
They say when it rains it pours, well they ain’t lying!
Just when we finally got to the bottom of Reggie’s issues, it was Kiki’s turn to give me a scare.
When I got home from my breast augmentation surgery post-op appointment, Kiki was throwing up blood and not herself. We called the vet and rushed her in.
The vet said he would need to take x-rays and if it’s a foreign object, something she’s swallowed, she’d need surgery. If not, she might have an infection and would need medication.
They put an IV in, she was dehydrated from vomiting all day and they couldn’t get blood from her at first. After 10 mins of IV they were able to draw blood to test for any other problems.
The radiologist who reviewed her X-rays saw no foreign objects. She did however have some inflammation in her stomach and small intestine. We were sent home with medicine and special food to clear it up.
The vet said if she didn’t improve in 24 hours to call and he will send her blood off to be tested.
Can you guess where this is going? I woke up the next morning and tried to feed her the food and medicine the vet gave us, she wouldn’t touch it.
She also wasn’t drinking water, was drooling from the mouth profusely and cowering in the corner. I also noticed diarrhea with blood in it in her litter box.
So I called the vet and back in we went.
When I arrived at the vets he said he was going to administer fluids via IV to hydrate her. He also gave her the medicine she wouldn’t take orally via injection. I had to leave her there again and he was sending off her blood for testing.
She ended up staying the night and the next day we got a call from the vet. Kiki had gastroenteritis, inflammation of the stomach and intestines, and had been severely dehydrated.
After a lot of money and vet visits, our Kiki was coming home and on the mend.
April 27, 2018 – 2.5 Weeks Post-Op
The say it comes in 3’s right?
Well, a few days after Kiki was home and on the mend, the universe must have thought I hadn’t dealt with enough yet.
On Thursday, April 26th I was feeling a bit off. I took a nap and when I woke up I was a bit dizzy.
Thinking I was just hungry or dehydrated I made something to eat and started drinking lots of water. Still not feeling well I went to lay down and ended up sleeping until the next morning.
When I woke up early Friday morning I knew something was wrong. The moment I opened my eyes the whole room was spinning and it wouldn’t stop. I had cold sweats and was nauseous.
It was like those spins you might get at the end of a night of drinking a bit too much, but 1000x worse, and constant.
I got myself dressed and asked my mom if she could get the girls ready for school as I needed to go to the hospital.
Once I arrived at the hospital I told the nurse that I had recently had breast augmentation surgery. I also told her the medications I had taken during my recovery, even though I was no longer taking them.
While at the hospital they did a variety of tests from blood work to an ECG, CT-Scan and more. Everything came back normal.
When the doctor came back to go over all the test results he said I had Vertigo.
The doctor explained that it is a known side-effect of Celebrex, one of the medications I was taking post-op.
While I was no longer taking the medication, the way Celebrex works is it builds up in your system, and that build up was likely still lingering.
He told me to lay low, keep hydrated, and take Gravol only if it helps. The doctor said I should start to get better each day, and it could last for a few weeks.
So taking his advice I did just that. I morphed into a couch potato, and binged 7 seasons of Scandal while recovering from the Vertigo.
It took about 3 weeks for the Vertigo symptoms to fully go away, although every day there was improvement.
Breast Augmentation Surgery 1 Month – 2 Months Post-Op
The only real change during this time since my breast augmentation surgery was more settling of my implants.
My left implant settled quicker than my right, which is completely normal to have your breasts settle at different speeds. After all they are two separate body parts.
Once the swelling was gone I did start to shop for new tops. Most of my pre-surgery tops no longer fit so it was top priority.
To make the task of buying an all new upper wardrobe less painful on my wallet, I did a lot of second hand shopping, with a few splurges on new items.
A few of the new items I splurged on were from Dynamite. I needed some new dressy tops for my TV appearances, and also found this awesome bodysuit!
I also got this bodysuit, something I never would have never worn before due to the low-cut front mesh.
PS: that is a photo from our trip to NYC in June, and no that is not Steve behind me. We made some great friends during our short trip to NYC and had an amazing time.
One thing I can tell you, my confidence is visible and I no longer struggle with clothing. I feel so great and womanly in everything I wear now!
Stay tuned as I will be sharing my next update at my one year post-op with before/after photos (don’t worry, no nudes LOL).
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Ainsley says
You look stunning! Your breast augmentation looks like a work of art. I had breast implants in Allure plastic surgery in Singapore and I didn`t regret it for a second. Of course, the recovery time was … well, like a recovery time but when it ended I was the happiest person on the Earth. I`ve waited for bigger breasts since high school and when I finally have all the money needed I didn`t hesitate. I am so proud when I see a blog like yours where the woman do exactly what she wants without paying attention to social norms and prejudices.