Monday, November 21, 2011

Stats on Dr. Loomis

Here is the breakdown of what would happen if I go with Dr. Loomis:

The implants themselves are saline, he doesn't recommend silicone. They have a warrentee for life that will replace them for free, but if I pay $100 extra I can also get a 10-year plan that covers up to $2500 of any fees associated with a burst or other fixes. Dr. Loomis says that industry-wise the rate of bursting is about 3% and his rate is about 1.5%.

He performs an average of 2 BA's a week, and has been certified for 20 years now. He does them in a local hospital, so I'd also have an anesthesiologist, and the nurses to assist.

The surgery is done with general anesthesia. While in, they give an IV of antibiotics and then prescribe them afterwards along with heavy pain medication. I'm allowed to continue taking my current medications. The incision is under the armpit and he places them under the muscle. I believe it's called trans-auxillary. If there is a problem the same incision can be used again. They use dissolvable stitches and no surgical tape. The nurse told me they haven't had any complications but that they would be covered in his fee.

After care: He doesn't believe in massage, as in his opinion it causes them to move out of place. He gives an exercise that he has you do to help them settle properly. The after-care and post op visits are included in his fee, and they see you right after the surgery, while they are dropping and then in 3 months, 6 months, etc. They can't recommend Arnica or Bromelain because they are not FDA approved but she told me to do my research and decide for myself. They do not recommend a bra to use before, or after. In fact, once the surgery is done they don't want you to wear a bra at all, just a camisole during the day and a piece of tape across the upper part of the breast while sleeping. Sleeping can be done laying down, they don't ask you to sleep upright even the first week.

I can resume work in a week, but best if two weeks are available. I will be able to shower the next day as there are no drainage areas. Driving is possible once you are off the pain Rx and feel you have complete control of arms and neck movement. Light exercise is ok after a week, but a month or more is necessary before I work out heavily. She advised I wear an underwire bra while running after and not sports bras because they compress too much while the wire holds them together so they don't move.

Exact fee breakdown:

Dr. Fee: $4800
Implants: $1000
Anesthesia: $960
Hospital: $1150 or $1250 ($1250 includes labs)

TOTAL: $7910 or $8010

My first consultation

I woke up this morning excited and a little nervous. That "little" turned into a LOT by the time I was pulling up to the doctor's office. The stress of it all was making my head pound and the pain is still there a few hours later. I realize this is a big decision but my body is making it a bigger deal internally that I thought it would. However, I promised a overview of the experience so here I am.

The ladies at the front desk were super sweet, which is good because if they were bitches I would have turned and ran away. I'm in sales, so I know how important first impressions are and they can make or break it when it comes to the close.

I didn't sit long (I was late as usual) and was lead into an office where a nurse(?) or assistant or something like that had me sit and we went over my health and stats and whatnot. She was very sweet, but I knew that once again this was the part that helps with the "sale" so I didn't read too much into it.

Once that was over, she lead me into the doctor's office and had me sit to wait for him. He was in to see me about 2 minutes after, and because of this I right away felt rushed. He didn't offer to shake my hand, which is not a big deal, but then he sat down and started talking right away. It was as if he thought I'd heard it all before and was just recalling the important details so I didn't forget. Basically I got what would happen in a nutshell, no questions from me, just this is what I do, take it or leave it. I was on board with everything he said but it still felt odd. Then he told me to go next door, take of my shirt and put on a pink paper gown/top.

I honestly have no idea why they do that. I mean, I'm about to be completely naked in front of both of you, is being covered 2 more minutes really necessary? Sure enough, as soon as they were in the room it was off.

I went to stand in front of a big black sheet with a camera and flash staring at me from across the room. I could see the image being projected on a computer screen nearby. Honestly the embarrassment I suddenly felt wasn't from being naked in front of two strangers, it was from seeing myself on a computer screen. To lighten the mood I told them that this was unusual because "I'm naked on a computer screen and I'm not even getting paid". They both laughed, so it had it's desired effect. I, however, was still very much embarrassed.

Once Dr. Loomis played around with my "area" and they both took a million pictures this way and that, they had me put on a sports bra that clasped in front and the "nurse" lady began taking silicone implants and "filling me up". It was the weirdest sensation, having them on me. They felt like breasts when I put my hands to my chest and for the first time I could imagine the after effects.

I want them now!

I understand that the process is going to take time, but it felt so normal wearing that bra. I felt like it looked perfectly natural and there I realized that I want bigger than I had guessed. The implant size that I finally (and I say finally because I took my sweet time trying to decide!) landed on was 420cc. It came to a full C, perhaps a small D if I wore a VS bra. (Nurse-lady says they run small. I wouldn't know since at the present moment they don't have my damn size!) Weird, but I was actually thinking maybe to go bigger than that, even though it was bigger than I was already planning. One side will need to be filled a little less because I'm slightly uneven, but over all it looked really good. I jokingly told her that now my boobs will finally match my ass and she laughed and told me that people pay a lot of money to have my ass. All I know is that it's what keeps my boys coming back, because it definitely isn't my boobs!!

Once I decided, long after the doctor excused himself, I met her back in the office to discuss the payment. I had a list of questions, and she answered them all to my satisfaction. Basically, if she were the one doing my surgery I'd have signed up in a heartbeat, she was fabulous. But she's not, so I'm left feeling a little want as far as he's concerned.

All in all, it went well. I'm going to be scheduling at least one more consultation, most likely two, to get a rounded (no pun intended!) experience. I'm glad the first one is over though, as I have an idea of what to ask and where to go from here much more than before today. On to the next one!!! (And off now to take some pain killers, OUCH!)

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Not very helpful

I had dinner with the friend of my friend last night. She was sweet, but I really didn't get much from her like I had hoped I would.

She is in her late 50's and looks normal, you'd never know she had plastic surgery. She was covered up so it was hard for me to make anything out, but at one point she showed me her cleavage and it looked natural.

Basically in a nutshell the only thing I discovered was that she loves Dr. Loomis and is positive I'll like him as well. She thought everything went really well, was happy with the care and the after results. Her gyno supposedly told her they felt real and couldn't believe they weren't (At her breast exam/yearly). Two other people who saw her naked for some reason (I forget) also thought they were supposedly incredible. In front of me she asked her boyfriend who was also there if they felt real and he said yes.

Of course he did, men know better!

She was super happy with them, it's been almost 6 years and you can tell she has no regrets. I guess that was a good thing, but I wanted to know more. Her total cost was $8900, but it also included a breast lift. It was nice to get an idea of what he may charge though.

I don't feel like I know any more than before. I'm almost done compiling my list of questions for the doctor and need to finish it tonight. Tomorrow is my first consult and I'm nervous/excited! I want this done so bad, but I also want it done well and I'm hoping my excitement won't cloud my judgment and I'll be able to decipher whether or not he's the right fit for me or not.

My good friend asked me what my plans are for tomorrow. I told her, "I'm taking my shirt off in front of a random stranger and showing him my tits".

Ready or not!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Preparations

I've decided my homework for this weekend is a detailed list of all the questions I'm going to ask each doctor I see. My first consultation is this coming Monday so it's cutting it close but I need them before I'll feel confident in the meeting. I'm sure that after I see him I'll come up with even more questions, but I need a starting point.

I got in touch with a friend's friend who works at a surgeons office. She has not only had a BA but also spoke with my friend about possibility getting a friends and family discount. I'm not holding my breath but that would be incredible. I keep getting quotes from different websites that people paid and it's closer to the $10,000 than the $5,000 which has always been stuck in my head. I'm positive I'll have to do some financing but I'm hoping that it will be as little as possible. We're going to have a chat on Monday and if I'm lucky it will be before my consultation.

Tomorrow I'm going to dinner with some other friends and one of them had her BA done by Dr. Loomis. I'm hoping she has craploads of information for me so that I can walk in on Monday with guns blazing. Pretty excited, and also nervous :/

Wish me luck!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Video Queen


I made a video for YouTube. The idea was to generate an audience for my blog, but I'm not so sure it will work that well. We'll see. If you come to read my posts because of the video, you should let me know (:

Saturday, November 12, 2011

A helpful image

Found this doing some Google-ing. (You'd be amazed at what you'll find when you type in "boobs"! WOW)


Thought you might find it helpful like I did. I was trying hard to imagine how it all "went inside there" and now I have a better idea!

she says " i wanna feel beautiful"

I've been watching Youtube videos, mostly of girls that posted their own BA experiences. They have been super helpful and very informative. But one of them caught my attention, and not in a good way.

It's of a very young, super skinny girl sitting on her bed, talking to the internet world. She's pretty, and her voice is soft, and sounds sad. She spends about ten minutes explaining her viewpoint and her pre op experience. As it rolls to an end she says something that almost makes me cry:

"I just wanna feel beautiful".

Here's the deal: I DO feel beautiful. Honestly, I have never questioned that. I've been blessed with a very loving family, who never stopped believing in me and showering me with affection even during our rough patches. I learned early on that confidence comes from within, and I also have a personal faith that has shown me that there is something more than what we find to be our ups and downs. Even my relationships, failed and successful, have done their part to make me confident in myself in one way or another.

Yes, I have my days where I look in the mirror and I want to scream, or when I try to put on my "skinny jeans" and I can't get them past my ass. I have felt the depression of comparing myself to the magazines and realizing that no matter how airbrushed they are I still reaaaaallly want to look like that. Even when I'm fully made-up I still deal with hormones and mood swings that tend to tell your senses that you're a hot mess and you deserve to crawl under your covers and never come out of bed you ugly-ass-hoe!

But I know that beauty is not skin deep. I know that feeling beautiful is not based on what you see with your eyes. When you truly feel beautiful it's a state of mind, not a state of hair-makeup-body-tits-ass.

I don't want to be thought of as the girl that I saw on that video. I am not doing this to make myself complete. The sad part is, no matter how she felt then, her BA wasn't ultimately going to make her feel that way either.

My heart was almost breaking for her. I understand to a point, but part of me wants to find and punch the person/thing/whatever that made her feel so worthless. It's not fair that the women of our generation are forced to believe that their image makes or breaks them.

I am doing this because I want to, but not because I need to. And there is a big difference.

I only hope she can find what she's looking for...

Friday, November 11, 2011

To tell or not to tell, that is the question!

I've been mentally struggling about the idea of telling people in my life what's going to be taking place.

My girlfriends know, at least my close ones. I've been freakin talking about it ever since they met me and they have been giving me "advice" of course, whether I ask for it or not. Funny part is, I'm super good at creating a "boob illusion", padded bras, underwire, all that good stuff, and because none of them have had the pleasure (ha!) of seeing me naked, they are convinced my chest is fine as it is. To this I say, wait until you find out how magical I am. I am positive if they only saw me for real I'd get a pat on the back and a "why didn't you decided to do something sooner?". At least regardless they are supportive.

My biggest concern is my coworkers. Most of them aren't nosy enough to really ask or give a damn in the first place. But my boss? The ladies in the office? First of all, to all you females out there, you KNOW how women get with physical appearance. You know that the second I stepped foot in that office I was getting the stare down and a compete inventory of all my body parts and which ones were acceptable. And regardless of how they feel about nonexistent chesticles, they know they are small. They will know when they are no longer the same size. Trust me.

So, I haven't decided yet what to do. I may just wing it. Lord knows I don't usually wing anything though, and by the time the surgery comes I'm sure I'll have a plan.

But for now my mind is spinning with what that plan is...

Research

I've been spending every second of my spare time reading as much information as I can. My consult is in less than two weeks, and I'd like to have an idea of what to ask and what the doctor is referring to when he speaks with me. I hate looking like an idiot. I mean, come on, its not like I haven't been working towards this for over ten years!

A close friend has another good friend who had a BA a couple years back and was super happy with her doctor. His name is Dr. Mario Loomis, and he is in Middletown, NY which only about 30 minutes from where I live. Because I am still fairly new to the area I don't know many people who have received any sort of plastic surgery, nor have I been told about any other good doctors. Is it safe to simply go with the only recommendation you've received? Not sure. But at least I am going to go to him and see what he has to say. It's the first step, and I'm ready to get this taken care of!

I'm looking at pictures of previous work. Of course, I'm keeping in mind that as all artists, your portfolio is usually of your best work so my mind is trying to stay open when it comes to what I see. It's looking good thus far, and now I'm trying to pin point what exactly I want.

Long ago I decided that I want the implants placed submuscular, which basically means beneath the muscle. All of my reading tells me that this helps them to stay in place better, and not sag as easily. Also, it helps prevent the "bulging" look on the top of the breast that usually is a dead give-away that someone has had a BA. I hate that look! I'm trying to go as natural as possible.

Which is why I think I'm leaning towards the lower end of a C. Based on my body type and what I see on his website, it looks like somewhere between 325 and 375c will work well. What the hell do I know though, I'm just guessing. The doctor will have a better idea, although I hear that they always try to get you to go bigger. In this case, I'm not convinced bigger is really better. If I had to pick, a bigger disappointment would be if they were too large and fake looking than if they were a little too small. Trust me, I'm pretty much flat as a pancake now so having something PERIOD is going to make me a very happy camper regardless!

I wish I had someone to talk to that's gone through this...

A list of tips

Recently I've been doing a lot of researching when I have down time. I'm huge on knowing as much information about something as mentally possible, especially when it's about something that impacts me personally. So today I found something I thought was helpful and wanted to share. It comes from the website  http://www.breastaugmentation.com/julia/. Hope you find it informative!


TIPS for breast augmentation surgery recovery

  • Hydrate several days in advance... drink lots of water and have a lot of healthy liquids on hand for after surgery (I drank Vitamin Water & Izze).  I am almost positive that being well-hydrated helped cut the post-anesthesia nausea for me.
  • Use deep breathing and positive attitude to help recovery from anesthesia and after surgery.  It really does help!
  • Get help... especially if you have little kids!!!  Have someone that can help YOU (wait on you hand and foot) for the first 3-5 days or so and totally care for the kids.  Do not plan on taking care of small children for at least a week.  You will not be able to pick up anything over 5-10 lbs. for the first two weeks.  It is hard if you have kids and they are so used to having Mom accessible all the time.  Older kids can help out to some extent.  
  • Take is SLOW.  Some days you will feel great and feel like you are ready to face the world like normal, but then you realize the next day that you have overdone it.  Force yourself to take everything slowly.  Do get out and about when you are ready, but don't do too much too soon.
  • Fill your prescriptions and make sure your caregiver is familiar with them and how often you need to take them.  TAKE THE MEDS ON TIME!  It helps if you don't let your pain meds wear off.  There is nothing fun about pain that hits you like a ton of bricks.  The meds will help you be pain free and comfortable.  That is what they are for, and it actually helps you heal better to not have pain.
  • Follow your Doctor's orders, and call if you have any questions or concerns.  They are always more than happy to help!
  • Have everything ready to go ahead of time.  It will be at least a couple of weeks before you feel like cleaning the house, doing laundry or anything else for that matter.  Buy lots of food, stock up on healthy snacks (high fiber to help with regularity!), and make and freeze meals. 
  • Speaking of having everything ready... get your bed/chair/couch ready to go BEFORE you leave for your surgery (with LOTS of pillows.  I had a memory foam wedge pillow that I LOVE!!!  It helped out a ton!   I can't imagine sleeping without it.... still using is actually).  The first couple of days you won't be able to move well at all and can't use any upper body strength.  Think about this and set everything you need on your nightstand or table within a close reach (reading material, remotes, phone, drinks, snacks, trashcan, tissue, chapstick, etc.)
  • Invest in some loose-fitting zip-up hoodies or comfy button-up shirts for the first few days.  For the following 4-6 weeks while you are in the compression bra/surgical bra you will only be able to wear shirts that come up to your neck to hide everything underneath so think about what you will be able to wear afterwards.  Wearing the same few shirts for several weeks gets really old, boring and depressing.  I love shirts that I can button up over my bra but still look girly and a lot cuter than a huge t-shirt.
  • My last tip is something I haven't read anywhere else, but I have found this to help out a lot.  Getting used to bigger boobs is definitely part of the whole process.  I have found that they get much sweatier (especially being squeezed together and cooped up in the bra), and it helps to put some powder in the middle of them.  I use lotion on the bottom where I have found I am getting stretch marks and kama sutra honey dust actually in between and on top of them.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

This is exciting

I'm ready. I'm about to embark on a fantastic journey and I get to record every funny, horrific, scary, wonderful, amazing detail as I go along. And the world gets to join in.

I've always been good at starting a "diary" and never finishing it. I think this is simply because life goes on forever and eventually it takes over. But I am going to make it a point to keep this one going this time. I have no excuse, because this story has a beginning, middle and end. Simple right?

We'll see. Needless to say, I'm ready. Let's go!