Dr. Randolph asked me if I felt comfortable blogging about my experience post-surgery for breast augmentation, and of course I said yes as I know how much a personal account can help a person feel more comfortable about what to expect when approaching a surgery such as this. So, I thought I would detail a few things that I feel that all women in my same position need to know as they prepare for surgery.
First off, you need a very supportive spouse, friend, or family member to be there for you when you wake up from surgery and through at least your first 24-hours post-surgery; if possible, even for your first 48-hours. For me, I also have a small child in the house, and although it was very difficult to have to rely on someone to care for both me and my baby those first few days, it went a long way to have my husband and my mom there to take care of things and just allow me to recover. I believe that is how I was able to pretty much get back on my feet fairly quickly and really turn the corner after that 72-hour mark.
Second, make sure you have a quiet place to rest with plenty of pillows to support your back, arms, and knees. I believe I had every pillow from every part of my house supporting one part of my body or the other as I spent the hours recovering. You will find that it is especially crucial to support your back and throw a pillow under your knees as you have to sleep at a 45-degree angle for the first few nights at least, and with the need to support your arms, it can really wreak havoc on your back after doing so for nights on end. And, although it feels like you will have to sleep propped up on your back forever, I was so happy by about day six to start sleeping in my normal side-lying position with just a pillow propped under one side as to support my back.
Third, it is important that you wear the post-surgical bra pretty much at all times through those first couple of days. For me, up until at least day five, I just felt more comfortable with the support and compression that the bra provided. Now, I have found some very good bras (BALI Comfort Revolution, Cooling Wirefree bra – these run small, so order accordingly) that are extremely comfortable and supportive, and I am no longer wearing any bra at night which is wonderful.
Lastly, and probably the most important, even if you do not normally take pills at all, KEEP IN FRONT OF THE PAIN! I really cannot express this enough as it makes all of the difference on how you are able to recover, and being in constant pain is not the way to go. Honestly, I was able to stop taking the pain pills during the day by about day three (and just taking a single dose before bedtime) and switched over to extra strength Tylenol without issues; and by day six, I was able to stop taking all medications with the exception of a dose of Tylenol every now and then as my physical activity started to increase. Do know that I have had some issues with heartburn and stomach upset from what I believe is not only the pain medication, but also the antibiotics and Celebrex taken post-surgery, so Tums is something that I relied on starting about day three as well as Prilosec; as of day eight, I am finally not having belly aches or heartburn at night like I was suffering from early on, for which I am grateful. On a side note, I also dealt with some constipation issues post-surgery, but that was relieved with a stool softener – but, something to be aware of.
I do hope that this helps someone contemplating or preparing for breast augmentation surgery as I do feel these are a few key things that will help post-surgery.
