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Darlene and Sgt. Bill’s Boobie Recon Mission

Stats:
Height 5’1 ½”
Weight 135ish
Pre-BA Bra size 36A/B
Post-BA 36DDD/34F

This is my story and it all started with my husbands’ birthday present. My Hubby turned 49 this year and as a gift, I wanted to give him some “Special” pictures. One day while he was at work, I got dressed up and went out to the garage to take some pictures of me on his bike. I set up the tripod and posed a few times in my sexy black dress and then decided to go bare on the bike. I thought I was doing really well until I saw the pictures (digital camera, instant results). I was horrified at the way my breasts looked. I had lost about 50 pounds in the last year and thought I looked good, but the boobies were gone. I had some pretty severe (in my mind) asymmetry and after breastfeeding our youngest, there was some sag too. I made a decision that day and I was on a mission. I was going to fix my boobs!

Immediately I started researching breast augmentation, because I am an Internet Queen (junkie LOL) and found a few site about augmentation. Some of them are very rarely updated and some had outright WRONG information. I found Marianne’s site and immediately realized that there were other women out there like me! LOL How gratifying to know that it wasn’t just my world that was revolving around the quest for breasts! Even though I hadn’t even discussed it with Bill yet, I started reading, posting and getting answers. I then brought it up to my husband and explained the picture fiasco and he thought I was nuts. He kept saying that he never thought of me as having a self esteem issue and I told him “It’s not about self-esteem for me, I am great and I know it (little full of myself I know LOL), it is because my body does not match my personality and I can do something about it”. He finally realized that it wasn’t just a passing fancy and it wasn’t going to go away.

I set up a consult with a surgeon in SF and was so nervous that I was sick! LOL Bill went with me and although I had pretty much knew everything he was telling me, it was a real eye-opener for Bill. The surgeon was the nicest guy and I felt very comfortable with him but the price was out of reach. We have two kids and there was no way that we could afford $8600 any time soon. I went home even more determined to make this work and although I knew that it would not be with that surgeon, I also knew that I was going to get this done!

I went back to the board and lamented to everyone that with a price tag like that, I wasn’t going to be able to afford it anytime soon. One of the women on the board told me about her surgeon in Lake Tahoe and so I started researching him. He does breast augmentation up to 775cc for $3600 inclusive. I thought this was way to good to be true so I started asking questions and calling his office. The girls at his office were great and I asked them how it was possible that he could do this for so much cheaper and was basically told that due to the volume (no pun intended) of the business that he does, and that he owns the surgery center, he can afford to give this rate. I set up a consult with him on April 4th (my birthday) and drove with Bill up to see him. Lake Tahoe is about three hours away from our house and we discussed the possibility of having him do it even though it was not local. Bill didn’t see a problem but we were still having the financial issue because I had reduced my work hours due to hating my job. LOL I finally decided to quit altogether even though I knew that this would put my BA on hold. Needless to say, we went a month or so on one income and got a little too dependent on the credit cards. I still wanted to have the surgery this year and Sgt. Bill and I tentatively planned for August.

I went on a job interview in May and really nailed it! I was offered the position that day. The funny thing was, that my manager had said during the interview that vacation time is paid immediately and therefore if I needed time off in August then it would be paid time off. This was before she offered me the position and I hadn’t even mentioned the possibility of an August vacation. I figured it was fate! I came home and told Sgt. Bill that I wanted to do it in August and he scheduled the time off for his vacation and I scheduled my BA!

Now for the waiting!!! ACK I am so impatient! It seemed like I was on the board all the time! Marianne and Marc have put so much information on the boards, that I knew I would be prepared. On my first day at work, I was talking to the girl who was training me and mentioned that I was going to need to ask our boss for time off in August for a surgery and she asked what for so I told her and she told me that she had hers done four years previously and our boss was really great about it. What a relief. I then found out later that my boss has them too and two other co-workers were on the way to getting them! I shared this site with everyone at my job and they love it too!

To paraphrase Tom Petty, the waiting was the hardest part. I was on the site constantly. If I wasn’t posting questions, I was reading absolutely everything in the FAQ’s and printing out my lists. My family was supportive although my sister kept warning me that all of her friends who had big breasts were constantly complaining about back pain and not finding clothes to fit. Here I was on the other end of the spectrum and it seemed like only the girls on the board understood how I felt. I had decided to go with HP 650cc under the muscle and I knew that would bring me to a DD/DDD. I was fine with that. I wanted to have big breasts!

The week before my pre-op was the Napa Booba and I was so excited to meet all of the other women that had this done and had given me support on-line. Meeting Marianne was wonderful and she made me and Bill feel like old friends. If you have a chance to go to a Booba or local get together either before or after your surgery, I highly recommend it!

Pre-op time! I was having my pre-op three weeks before my surgery since that was the day that Dr. Foster was having his Sacramento office hours. The pre-op was really easy. The nurse checked my bleeding time and gave me a lot of questionnaires to fill out and took my pre-op pictures. Dr. Foster came in and gave me the once over. I had gotten a little nervous about the size (due to listening to other people) and did a re-sizing and still decided on the 650’s. I really shouldn’t have even worried about it but I had let other people get to me even though I knew what I wanted. Sgt. Bill told me that he knew that I would look great and I knew I would look great so what others thought shouldn’t bother me. He also reminded me that I had researched this from end to end and knew everything there was to know about size, complications, and recovery. He was right. The following Monday I went in for my first Mammogram and it wasn’t at all as bad as I thought it would be and it was clear. That was a relief since I had lost two of my great-aunts to breast cancer on my Mother’s side.

The week before my surgery was filled with activity! I was working until Wednesday and then we were driving to Tahoe that evening. Well, the best laid plans…..

Monday before the surgery, my sister decided that she couldn’t watch our two boys. I scrambled for a sitter and there was just no way to find one who could keep both boys. My oldest was able to stay with his friend down the street but my little guy was too young for that. The only option we had was to take him with us and I wasn’t too keen on that idea. I didn’t want him to see me in pain. Unfortunately there was no way around it. I posted on the board and saw that a few of the other girls had the same problems and their kids were fine with it. Well, one disaster averted.

Tuesday before the surgery, my dentist called to say that the insurance company had agreed to cover my veneers for my two front teeth and could I come in the next day to get started since it was a two-week process. I immediately called Dr. Foster who said that it wouldn’t be a problem and he would pre-medicate me with antibiotics beforehand. Wow! I felt like I was going to be a whole new person.

Wednesday I went to the dentist and had my temporary veneers put on and then went home and packed for the trip. I got everything ready and sent my oldest son to his friends’ house and waited for Sgt. Bill to get home from work. Then off we went! I was cranky on the entire trip to Tahoe! I mean a real B*tch! Bill was getting very tired and asked if I could drive the rest of the way once we were about three quarters of the way and I was so busy being wrapped up in my own nervousness, that I just complained and huffed and puffed silently. Well, sort of. He definitely knew I was irritated and I was just being childish. Like I said, I was nervous and anxious and wanted to just veg out. We got to the hotel and unpacked everything and then I took a sleeping pill and tried to relax. I kept asking Bill if I was going to be ok and finally I fell asleep.

My surgery was scheduled for 8:30 and I woke up about 7:30. I took my shower and put on my comfy sweatpants and zip-up shirt and then waited for Sgt. Bill and Riley to get ready. I barely remember the ½ mile drive to the clinic I was so pre-occupied with what I was going to look like. We got in the office and the nurse took us back to a recovery room and had me change into a gown and nice blue hat. I sat there for a few minutes and then Riley needed to go to the restroom so Sgt. Bill took him and the nurse brought me a valium and a very small cup of water. Sgt. Bill and Riley came back and I gave them both kisses and walked down the hall with the nurse. She told Bill it would be about an hour so he and Riley headed off to have breakfast. They sat me on the chair/surgery table and I looked over to my right side and saw my pictures hanging on the wall that I had picked out and the numbers 650cc right next to them. I don’t remember anything after that! LOL The nurse told me to hold my arm still so she could give me my IV and I didn’t feel a thing!

The next thing I knew, the nurse was telling me to wake up and she was going to bring in my husband and my son. I was like “Wait, aren’t I going to have my surgery??” and she lifted the sheet and said “Is there something else you wanted done?” Holy Cow! They were big and surprisingly I wasn’t in any pain. I was waiting for the “elephant” to camp out on my chest and he wasn’t there. I wasn’t having any real pain to speak of and was able to get up and walk out to my car with just a little assistance from the nurse. I don’t remember the drive back to the hotel and it was only a mile. LOL I do remember Sgt. Bill and Riley opening the hotel door and getting me set up in the nest.

Sgt. Bill was taking great care of me and keeping Riley entertained all while placing calls to my sister and my boss and Marianne to let everyone know that I was doing fine and was resting. While I was sleeping he would take him out to go swimming and then they would come back inside to check on me. One of the best things ever made was Campbell’s Soup at Hand! I pretty much lived on this since it was easy to drink while being propped up I highly recommend that anyone get some of this when preparing for surgery. Dr. Foster came by that night to check on me and give Sgt. Bill the run down on how it all went and to let him know that the video would be ready on my post-op appointment in one week. Dr. Foster also came by the next morning before we left.

The ride home was easier than I expected but then again, this whole thing was easier than I expected. Riley behaved like an angel and Sgt. Bill was taking such good care of me that I almost felt guilty and told Sgt. Bill that I felt like I should be hurting more or something like that and he just laughed at me. We had a three-hour drive home and Riley and I both slept almost the whole time.

We got home and I camped out in the recliner with my remote and my soup and crackers.

I felt really good and was able to sleep pretty well also. I made sure that I took my meds on time and WITH food. I wasn’t having any pain but I wasn’t going to take any chances. On my third day post-op I was told I could shower and I did that while wearing a bra because these things were HUGE. LOL That first shower was a very short because standing upright was a little difficult and I was tired.

Everyone is right when they say that the first 3-5 days are the hardest and it got quite a bit easier after that. I was supposed to go back to work on Monday, 10 days past my BA but when I woke up and showered that morning, I noticed some discharge from my incision site. I called Dr. Foster and he said that he wanted to look at it so I called my boss and Bill and I drove back to Tahoe. I had developed a small infection in my right incision and was given Keflex for 10 days. Other than that, things were going smoothly. Three days later, my other incision popped open. I felt like anything that could go wrong, would go wrong. LOL Thankfully they both healed very well and I am so happy that I got this done. I think on the whole, I had a pretty easy recovery. Sgt. Bill had taken the week off to be with me and I could not have made it through without him. I slept on the recliner and he slept on the couch and was awake at the slightest noise that I made. Our boys were surprisingly easy to deal with and even Riley was easy when it came to explaining that Mommy couldn’t pick him up or hold him.

I am now almost three months post-op and I feel great! I look better in clothes and I walk a little taller because I am not ashamed of my body anymore. Although I do have larger implants, even my very conservative aunt has said that they look great because I look “evened out”!

I can never say thanks enough to Marianne and Marc for making all of the information available in a straight-forward and honest way, or to all the girls who have become my best buddies online and the sounding board for any of my questions. One little side note, my PS had videotaped my surgery for Sgt. Bill and so he and I watched it when I was just one week post-op and let me tell you that was a seriously surreal moment! LOL

My advice to anyone who wants to do this is to research your PS, all of your options, and make an informed choice. I know how hard it is to want it RIGHT NOW, but it truly is worth the time to do the homework so that you know what to expect.

Good Luck and I will see all of you on the boards!!

~Darlene!