A little background about me (and my boobies):
As a 38-year-old woman, I can confidently say that my boobs and I have been through ALL THE SIZES! My collection has bras that range from a 36F minimizer to a 32B with padding and push-up. Trust me, these boobs and I have been through A LOT. But, for the first time in my adult life, I finally feel like I am at the weight that I am supposed to be at, and know that breastfeeding is a long, distant memory. I am also 100% positive that after gaining weight with pregnancy and breastfeeding around the clock for a year, these sad little deflated breasts of mine are never going to return to where they used to sit without a bit of help from a plastic surgeon! So here I am, ready to embark on my surgical journey to restoring what once was and coming out on the other side with lifted, perky breasts that no amount of time in the gym or push-up bras could accomplish!
The Consultation:
The idea of going under anesthesia and having a pretty invasive surgery has never scared me, but the thought of standing in front of multiple people topless, while discussing my flaws, has always brought on a level of anxiety that deterred me from even scheduling a consultation. But I certainly would never get to the surgery part without the consultation, so I finally took that step and made an appointment. As the day got closer, I got more and more nervous, but I kept reminding myself that Dr. Capraro and his staff see countless women in varying levels of undress daily, and I was no different.
When the day came, I nervously checked in for my appointment and was led to a beautiful consultation room. Sandy gave me a robe to change into and said she would return to take photos for the doctor. I envisioned myself sitting in a brightly lit, cold, sterile exam room with one of those thin paper vests that do nothing but crinkle awkwardly. Still, I was sitting in a velvet chair, in a cozy robe, in a softly lit room with a desk, sipping on sparkling water. Okay, this isn’t so bad! Sandy came to grab me for photos, which was a quick and easy process; I didn’t even have a moment to feel embarrassed. I was led back to the consultation room and told Dr. Capraro would be right in.
Two minutes later, Dr. Capraro and his nurse, Alli, entered the room. He has such a calming, non-judgmental presence that I immediately felt at ease. He used a computer program to educate me on my different surgical options and what to expect before, during, and after surgery. I am very much a visual learner, so it was great to see all of the information presented to me in such an organized and thorough way. He went through my photos and what his recommended surgical procedure would be (a bilateral mastopexy with silicone implants) and explained what my expected outcome would be. He then went through all the risks, possible complications, and what my recovery would be like. I appreciated that Dr. Capraro also spent so much time asking me questions about myself, my lifestyle, and my expectations, which made the consultation feel tailored to me.
Next, I followed Dr. Capraro and Alli to an exam room where he did a quick physical exam and showed me in the mirror how lifted I could expect my breasts to be after the surgery. I could also try on some implant sizers to get an idea of what size implant I was considering. Since I didn’t want to be much bigger than my current size, just perkier, we settled on somewhere between 210cc and 295cc implants. Dr. Capraro told me he would order a wide range of different implant sizes and profiles that he could try during the surgery to ensure the final implants were just the correct projection, width, and size for my measurements. After ensuring every question I had was answered and we were on the same page with sizing, he told me I could change back into my clothes and would meet with Jojo, his surgical scheduler, back in the cozy consultation room.
Jojo was a DREAM! She was so enthusiastic and excited for me and made me feel even more comfortable and taken care of. She went through the different facilities and pricing, and we picked my surgical date immediately! Jojo took the time to make sure I understood the pre-operative testing I needed and those timelines. Since I had never had a mammogram before, she called Women’s Imaging Center for me and was able to work her magic to get me in right away, since my surgery was only a month out. I was so excited!
I left the practice more at peace with my decision than ever. I didn’t have a single doubt that I had chosen the best plastic surgeon and support team to help me along this exciting journey!
The Pre-Operative Testing:
Two weeks before my surgery, I went to the Women’s Imaging Center on my lunch break for my first-ever mammogram. The facility was so efficient, and the process was rapid and painless. The next appointment I had was with my PCP for a History and Physical and a letter of surgical clearance that showed that I was healthy enough to go under general anesthesia. Lastly, I headed to LabCorp for my lab appointment. After a quick blood draw and urine sample, I was on my way back to work! My results from all three offices would be sent directly to Dr. Capraro’s office so that I could check off all my pre-surgical testing over one lunch break!
My Consent Appointment:
About 10 days before my surgery, I had an appointment with Livie, one of Dr. Capraro’s nurses, to go through the consent forms in detail and get all my pre and post-op instructions and medications. Livie was thorough and answered every last question I had for her about how to prepare myself for surgery best and optimize my recovery. She explained to me in detail how I needed to take my prescribed medications, which supplements were recommended to take to help me heal better, and which post-surgical bras I required to have on hand after I graduated out of my “surgical bra”. I appreciated that I was sent home with everything written out for me, since it was a lot of information to absorb! Livie electronically sent all my prescriptions to my pharmacy, so I could pick those up the same day and have everything ready.
Also, as soon as I got home, I placed an Amazon order of all my surgery “essentials” that were recommended to me. Here is what I ordered:
Next, I placed an embarrassingly large Skims order of cozy lounge pants and zip-up hoodies so that I not only felt comfortable after surgery, but could feel a little put together for when I left the house.
My IV and Markings Appointment:
Oh my goodness, it is the day before my surgery! Eek! I could not be more excited! I had one last appointment at the office to meet with Dr. Capraro and have my pre-surgical markings done, and then I met with Livie again to receive my pre-surgery IV. I appreciate how GCPS does so many things before surgery to optimize my healing and recovery, especially since my surgery was on a Thursday and I was planning to return to work full time the following Monday. In addition to taking Arnica/Bromelain and Vitamin A, all their patients receive a pre-op IV full of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to prime their system for an easier recovery from the anesthesia and surgery. Livie explained that Glutathione and NAD+ were super important to help my body flush out the remnants of all the anesthesia drugs and lift the “brain-fog” most patients complain of after surgery.
The Evening Before My Surgery:
The evening before my surgery, Dr. Gallen (who would be doing my anesthesia) called me to answer any questions I might have for him and to give me the rundown of what to expect tomorrow morning. He told me to avoid eating and drinking anything after midnight, but to have a protein-filled dinner with lots of fluids to hold me over. I appreciated Dr. Gallen taking the time to call me the night before.
Being the Type A person I am, I wanted to go into this surgery as ready and organized as I possibly could. Since I was sure to be spending a lot of time in bed for the first 24 hours after surgery, I decided to make myself a little “surgery recovery cart” so that I could have everything I needed right by my bedside.
I also made myself/my husband little med tracker sheets in order to stay on top of my medications before and after surgery. This was SUPER helpful since Livie stressed the importance of staying on top of my medication schedule to stay ahead of any pain and/or side effects.
My Surgery Day!:
I woke up early on my surgery day, took a thorough shower, and got into my cozy surgery day outfit, consisting of a Skims zip-up sweatshirt, easy-to-pull-on pants, and Ugg slippers. I put my hair up so I wouldn’t worry about it after surgery. Like instructed, I didn’t use any lotions or deodorant. I also made my bed with my wedges and pillows so that it was ready for me when I got home from surgery.
My husband and I headed to the surgery center and checked in promptly at 7 am. I think my husband had more nerves than I did. I can honestly say that I was not nervous one tiny bit! I changed into a gown and wore compression socks when I checked in. The nurse checked my vitals and had me do a quick pregnancy test to confirm I wasn’t pregnant. After starting my IV to get some fluids going, Dr. Gallen ran through my medical history, and I signed my anesthesia consent. Dr. Capraro came in next to make sure I didn’t have any last-minute questions, and promptly at 8 am, we were ready to go! Dr. Gallen informed me that he was going to give me a little “Vitamin V”, which would likely make me a little loopy, and then I would be wheeled into the operating room. About 10 seconds later, I remember saying, “Whoa, I think I feel something”, and that is the last thing I recall! I don’t even remember making it into the operating room! However, everyone informed me afterwards that I was still alert and talking.
Waking up after Surgery:
The first thing I remember after surgery is opening my eyes and saying, “Have you started my surgery yet?” It felt like I had been asleep for two minutes, when, in reality, 6 hours had passed. I had no pain; I just felt super sleepy. Dr. Capraro and Nicole let me know that everything went perfectly and that my dream of having perky boobs was now my reality! I honestly don’t remember much else from recovery other than the nurse wheeling me down the hallway, into the elevator, and out to my waiting car. Funny enough, I remember thinking that I was on a rollercoaster and that the nurse must have been pushing me at the speed of light in that wheelchair, but my husband confirmed that I was being pushed at a very normal, cautious speed. Haha! I got comfortable in the passenger seat, closed my eyes, and was home the next thing I knew!
The Evening after Surgery:
At this point, it was about 3:30 pm. My husband, daughter, and mom helped me into my waiting bed since my legs felt wobbly. I still wasn’t experiencing any pain whatsoever; I just felt very, very tired. After drinking what felt like 5 gallons of water, I closed my eyes and took a little nap. At about 6:30 pm, my husband woke me up to eat toast and take my medication. I promptly went straight back to sleep. My husband woke me up at 1 am to take another round of drugs, and back to sleep I went! The wedge cushion set I had purchased was a lifesaver! It made sleeping elevated very comfortable, and the cushion below my knees made it so I couldn’t inadvertently roll over.
Post-Op Day 1:
I woke up Friday morning feeling pretty great! My head still felt a little foggy from the anesthesia, but I had absolutely zero pain or discomfort. At this point, I could get myself around the house quite easily. I had my first post-op appointment at the office today, so my husband and I headed to the Rose office. I still hadn’t peeked under my surgical bra, so I couldn’t wait to see how everything looked. When the nurse took my surgical bra off, I was shocked to see how perky my breasts looked! I was also so surprised at the lack of bruising. I tend to bruise very easily, so the fact that there were barely any visible bruises shows how important and beneficial the pre-surgery prep had been, like the NAD+, vitamin IVs, and Arnica. The nurses assured me that it was normal for my breasts to look quite square at this point, but that as the implants settled and the swelling decreased, everything would round out beautifully. All my incisions were covered with special surgical tape that would stay on for two weeks. After ensuring everything looked great, my husband and I returned home. I was ready for a nap! I had a protein shake and toast with my midday medications and returned to bed to rest. That evening, I got up and watched a movie with my daughter. At this point, I was still taking pain medication, so I felt pretty groggy, but had no pain or discomfort.
Post-Op Day 2:
I woke up today feeling clearer-headed and less tired! Since I still wasn’t experiencing any pain whatsoever, I decided to take Tylenol and hold off on the oxycodone and valium unless I felt like I needed it later on. I was also able to take a shower today, which felt incredible! This allowed me to run my surgical bra through a quick wash cycle while I showered. Having my surgical bra off for those 15 minutes felt great at first, but by the end of my shower, I wanted to put it back on since it felt comforting to have the support and compression.
Feeling energized and refreshed, my daughter and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go for a nice walk around our neighborhood. I felt like a whole new woman today! I also noticed that my appetite was back to normal today, so I focused on upping my protein intake. In addition, I alternated my water with pineapple kombucha since I had read that the probiotics would be beneficial, since I was taking antibiotics. The pineapple would help with bruising and swelling.
Even though it’s the weekend and the office is closed, Livie and Dr. Capraro checked in on me, which I appreciated!
Post-Op Day 3:
Good moooooorning coffee!!! Since my appetite was normal and my stomach felt fine, I returned to my usual morning routine of a glorious cup of coffee today. Yummy! I started my day with another walk around my neighborhood and spent most of my day getting vitamin D in our backyard. Since I am not a “lounge around the house” person, it was tough to be still and not overdo it, despite feeling so good! Dr. Capraro was very clear with my husband on my surgery day that he needed to make sure that I didn’t overdo it, and every time I even thought about doing a little housework or not spending enough time resting, my husband was there to stop me. In addition to my husband, my daughter was such a fantastic helper! The more people you can have around you to support you, the better.
My daughter set up a little “spa afternoon” for me to ensure I felt friendly and relaxed. It was literally the cutest treat ever!
Post-Op Day 4:
Today was my first official day back at work! After much lounging around, I was excited and ready to return to my routine. I had read online that blow drying your hair was a tricky task after breast surgery, but I honestly didn’t have any issues with it at all. I was cautious not to overextend my arms or make any jerky movements, but I could do my hair, makeup, and get myself dressed quite easily. One big adjustment I had to make this morning was swapping out my usual big work tote for a smaller, lighter bag. Rather than lugging a huge, heavy tote filled with 1000 things I probably wouldn’t need today, or ever really, I just took the essentials! Since I hadn’t taken any narcotics in over 48 hours and felt that my range of motion was pretty standard, I felt 100% comfortable driving myself today as well. Freedom!!! It felt SO good to be out and about!
At lunchtime, I went to the Denver Tech Center Office for my 4-day Post-Op appointment and post-operative healing IV with Livie. Livie assured me everything looked great and to keep doing what I did.
Around 4 pm, I felt pretty exhausted, so I decided to listen to my body and head home to rest. I didn’t want to overdo it on my first day back and cause any setbacks in my healing and recovery.
Post-Op Day 6:
Since I am hosting a networking-type event at my office for about 60 people tomorrow, I knew today would be my most challenging day so far, not to overdo anything. Even though my to-do list was a mile long, I still prioritized my healing and enlisted as many people as possible to help with all the physical tasks. Before having this surgery and having to be so cognizant of how much everything weighed (I still couldn’t lift anything over 10 pounds), I didn’t realize just how many things I carried around and lifted all day that were way over the 10-pound limit. My advice for anyone thinking of undergoing breast surgery is to be honest with as many people around you as possible and lean on them to help you not only lift/carry things but also to keep you accountable to your limits.
Unfortunately, today, there was a moment when I felt my first twinge of pain. I went to open my car door, and while pulling the door open, I felt a sharp pain under my right breast. It only lasted a second, but I was so surprised! Up until then, I honestly hadn’t felt any distinct pain like that at all. But it was over quickly, and I was back to party prepping!
Post-Op Day 7/1 Week Post-Op:
I cannot believe I am one week post-op today! I have an appointment with Livie today to check everything and fit me for my transition bra. I was so excited to have a couple more bra options to work into my rotation since I was still required to wear a bra day and night. After trying on the transition bra I ordered, Livie ensured that the bottom band and straps were supportive enough. She also made sure that all my tape/dressings were still intact and was happy to report that the one tiny little spot under my left breast that had been oozing slightly the couple of days after surgery had stopped oozing. She said I was still pretty swollen, especially on my lateral sides, but everything was normal and healing as expected.
I am happy to say that my work event went off without a hitch as well! After it ended, I felt utterly exhausted, though! I promised myself that the upcoming weekend would be filled with nothing but extra rest and taking it easy.
2 Weeks Post-Op:
Today I had my two-week post-op appointment with Livie. And it was also tape removal day! Finally, the tape/dressing that Dr. Capraro put over my incisions would be removed, and I could see what my incisions looked like. Removing the tape was super easy, and Livie was so gentle, I barely felt a thing! When I looked down, I was expecting to see visible sutures, something like this:
I was shocked that there were literally no visible sutures! Livie noticed a small opening at the “T-Junction” under my right breast that was leaking a bit of reddish-brown fluid, most likely old blood.
Unfortunately, I had developed quite a bit of bruising on my right breast that wasn’t there at my one-week post op appointment. I explained to Livie that I had felt a sharp pain in that exact area a week ago when opening my car door, and she said that I had probably caused a small hematoma to develop. Since my right breast still felt soft and wasn’t any larger or more swollen than my left breast, she said that my body would most likely just reabsorb the pooled blood. Livie said that she wanted me to check in with her every 2 days to make sure the bruising was getting better and that the small opening was closing.
I was also instructed to start using the Silagen tape over my incisions, apart from over the small opening under my right breast. Silagen is specially shaped, sticky silicone gel sheets that you put over your scars to help your scars heal nice and flat. Livie told me to apply after I was completely clean and dry after my next shower and to wear it for most hours of the day.
Livie reiterated that I needed to take it easy and let my body heal. Seeing that bruising was a major wake up call for me!
As the day went on, I noticed that I was actually missing the tape! Since my incisions weren’t covered anymore, it felt like those areas were more sensitive and noticeable to me. I was excited to get home and get the Silagen tape on. It felt like I needed some sort of barrier between my skin and the material of my bra rather than having the incisions rub directly against the material of my bra.
3 Weeks Post-Op:
After having two relatively easy weeks immediately after surgery, I was surprised that the third week of recovery was actually the most challenging for me. I definitely felt the most sore this week. It also felt like I was regaining feeling in areas that had previously been completely numb, which is a good thing, I just was more aware of every movement and sensation.
I also didn’t love the transition bra I was wearing, so I ordered several others to try and finally found one that felt comfortable to wear all day. I wasn’t a fan of racerback bras because the straps made my shoulders ache by the end of the day. I also needed something long enough that the bottom band laid below my incisions, but didn’t feel too bulky or restrictive. I also didn’t like the “sports bra” types that just compressed my breasts flat from the front. I liked the bras that offered support below and at the sides of my breasts the most. This is the bra that I loved and ordered in every color:
I was still wearing my surgery bra to sleep in because I found it to be the most comfortable, and I liked the extra compression at night.
During this third week, I started having what I would have what I called “zingers”. It almost felt like little electric shocks or quick, sharp pains. The nurses at the office assured me that this was completely normal and was just the sensation of my nerves regenerating and coming back to life after the trauma of surgery. It would only happen 3 or 4 times a day, but it took me by surprise every time it happened!
The small opening that I had at the T-junction under my left breast was getting smaller but would still leak a bit of fluid throughout the day (only a couple of drops here and there). When Dr. Capraro examined me, he said that he didn’t want to stitch up that area because the fluid coming out was most likely just old blood that had pooled in that area, so it was actually good to leave it open to drain. I could still feel a small “nodule” in the area underneath the bruising, so he told me to gently massage and work that area to break up the nodule so my body could process it through my lymph system. I continued to apply Mupirocin over the opening and kept it covered with gauze underneath my bra. I was wearing the Silagen tape all day and night, and noticed that each day my scars were getting flatter and less red/pink.
4 Weeks Post-Op:
After feeling like I had experienced a bit of a setback in week three, I felt like each day of my fourth week, I was heading back in the right direction. The “zingers” only occurred once or twice a day, and the overall soreness was lessening day by day, too. My left breast was rounding out beautifully, and the implant seemed to have settled into the pocket perfectly, so I loved how that side looked! Due to the swelling and accumulation of fluid on my right breast, the implant was still sitting pretty high and hadn’t settled into its pocket yet. Livie had me start breast massages twice a day to encourage the implant to drop and to keep the capsules on both breasts soft. I’m not going to lie, the first couple of days of massages felt REALLY weird, and almost a little scary. My breasts/implants didn’t really feel like a part of me yet, and I was still a little timid to really get in there and massage like I was supposed to.
