I am a 52 year old woman who has thought about getting a breast augmentation for decades. For many different reasons I never went much further than dreaming about it. I did go for a consult in the 90’s but I wasn’t able to take the time off of work and decided against it. Last summer at the age of 51 I decided that if I was ever going to do it, the time had come.
I began looking on the internet and making many phone calls to all sorts of plastic surgeons both near and far from my home. One concept that I stumbled upon was a procedure known as the 24 hour rapid recovery. I was very fortunate because Dr. Epstein who was very close to my home did that type of surgery but I was very skeptical. After all if this type of surgery was available why weren’t more Dr’s practicing it? I even called Texas to speak with the office of Dr. Tebbets who developed the procedure and I spoke at length to Terrye (office manager) who said that she was familiar with Dr. Epstein and I would be very happy with my outcome. Despite my fears I booked an appointment and hoped for the best.
From the minute Dr. Epstein walked into the room, I knew that I was lucky to have found his practice. I stressed to him that I could not have ANY down time and he assured me that it was possible to be up and functioning within 24 hours and I believed him. I do have to say that I continued to do research on the web and was so happy to find a video of a woman who had the 24 hour recovery and she did not look like someone who had just had surgery. I was very nervous but happy to finally make a decision regarding my breast augmentation. I also should mention that Dr. Epstein’s staff was kind and showed an interest in me no matter how many times I called the office with silly questions. They provided me with a complete plan on how to achieve success and I followed it to the letter, starting with taking a multivitamin about two weeks before my surgery.
I have many friends who have had breast augmentation’s and some of their stories were scary. I prayed that my surgery would be different and that I would not have to endure a band, narcotics and overall pain. I was extremely nervous the day of surgery and the staff did all they could to put me at ease. They knew that I wanted to be home before my children got home and sure enough I was. My husband drove me to and from the surgery center (Dr. E’s office) and when I got home I slept for about an hour and a half. Once I woke up there was just no stopping me. My mother lives with me and I did not tell her about my surgery and she never even suspected that I had, had surgery. I was up and running and I have never stopped. I continued to follow the recipe for success and lifted my arms above my head many times throughout the day. I also made it a point to follow the instructions of lying on my chest for at least 15 minutes a day.
The day after surgery I went to work and once again no one was the wiser. When I woke up on the second day post op I was so happy because not only was I feeling great, I thought that I looked pretty darn good as well. I wanted a very natural look and that is just what my doctor gave me. I know that this is my personal story but there really are two main characters to this story: me and Dr. Epstein. He made all my hopes become reality.
I know that not everyone is a candidate for this type of procedure but for those women who are I would strongly suggest looking into the 24 hour dual plane rapid recovery. It is not a gimmick and it is possible to be up and functioning very quickly without drugs, drains or excessive discomfort. I am now three months post op and still on a breast augmentation high. I feel great, think I look better and am delighted to have found a surgeon who made my dreams come true. For all those considering a breast augmentation please take the time to find a doctor who listens, understands and answers all your concerns, believe me you will be happy you did.
- Marie