Nerissa's Story
by Nerissa
February Contest Winner

My Name is Nerissa and I have just recently had breast augmentation. I did not discover this web site until after I had my surgery but have still found it very helpful. As a "Newby" to BA I still have lots of questions about what to expect next and have found a lot of answers here.

But for my story... I am a 36 year old mother of two. I am 5'11", weigh 155lbs and wore a 36a before the surgery. To say the least, I was not happy with what God had given me. I had thought for many years about having my breasts augmented, but never really put a lot of time into researching it. It was more of an unobtainable dream. I never thought that Icould afford something so extravagant, I did not want to explain things to my children, the excuses are many.

Finally a television commercial about Mentor implants motivated me to search for a plastic surgeon. I used the internet and found my doctor. I was scheduled for surgery in just 2 weeks from the time I began my research, "out of curiosity."

I have a wide circle of friends who have had the procedure and have heard so many horror stories that I was very nervous going in. My surgery was scheduled for 1:00pm on March 30. I arrived at the doctor’s office and was told that the surgery before me was running a little behind.

I had not eaten or drank anything since the night before, so that was a little uncomfortable. I was about 2 hours late for my surgery, but everyone there was so nice. I did not mind a bit. They took me back to a consultation room and gave me an IV. That did not go well. I was a little dehydrated and the first vein blew and they had to find another. I am more than a little scared of needles and thought for sure that I would be sick or pass out.

They gave me a cold, wet cloth and time to get a grip and all was well. My husband was sure that I would not make it through this if a little needle caused such drama! Men!

Once I survived the IV it was smooth sailing from there. I went into the surgical ward with my gown, socks, and pants. (I thought that was strange, but comfort is the name of the game with Dr. Kahler). They covered my arms with warm towels, and my legs with a heated blanket, put the drape up and told me to enjoy my nap.

I woke up in the recovery room feeling wonderful. I had no pain whatsoever, just heaviness in my chest. They wheeled me to the car in a chair and told me to be back in the morning. I was prescribed two pain medications, one for severe pain and one for moderate to severe pain.

My sweet husband set the alarm clock for every 4 hours and administered the meds so that I would not have to hurt. I only took 3 pain pills for severe pain and maybe that many for moderate pain. It just is not that bad. I am active physically. I go to the gym and workout several times a week, and that, I believe, is the key. If you have ever experienced sore muscles from an intense workout, that is pretty much how my pain was.

As someone who does workout, I have been conditioned to "work through the pain." If moving a certain way pulls on my incision then I don't move that way, if possible. But if all I feel is soreness in my muscle, then I go ahead and keep moving, gently and slowly.

As I said, I had surgery on March 30 and went back to work on April 4th. I have very little soreness, just a feeling of fullness. I recommend to any one considering this surgery to get in shape first. Not only will you feel better, but you will look better too.

I went back to Dr. Kahler's office the next morning to have the bandages removed. I was kind of shocked at my appearance. I looked kind of square because the implants were so high up on my chest. They gave me a bandeau to wear under my bra to help them settle.

I keep a check on the progress and can see them settling in nicely. I am a little ashamed to say that I take breaks at work and lock my self in the bathroom to stare at them in the mirror. I giggle like a little boy with a new truck! It is so much fun! I can hardly wait to be able to buy swim suits and bras. I have a confidence in myself that I have never had, and it has only been 8 days! Well, that is my story, so far. I can’t wait to let you all know how it ends.