I thought about this decision for some time as I wasn't sure whether to go through with this or not.  I had many issues with my body image and felt that if I had implants, those issues would diminish.

I found a local surgeon to perform the surgery.  He was well known and I was told by a friend that he had a procedure that would make the pocket larger to insert the implants into under the muscle.  This would not only make them more natural looking but would also make them feel like a normal breast.  

I had several appointments with this surgeon to discuss the surgery.  He told me that they were safe and that the only risk was that they could rupture.  He told me that this was very uncommon and even if it did happen, the surgery to replace the ruptured implants was so minor that he could do it in his office.  

He also said that he felt that silicone implants were much more natural looking and would rather implant me with silicone but since they had been taken off of the market, he was unable to.

He said that he felt that there were no problems associated with silicone implants.  The saddest thing is that I believed him!  I found out later,  a much different story.  MUCH different.

On May 3, 1996 I had breast augmentation surgery.  I was very excited and couldn't wait to see the new me.

The surgery took several hours and when I woke up, I was in so much pain that it felt as though someone had set my breasts on fire.  This was the worst pain I've ever encountered.  

I've recently spoken to a woman that has saline implants.  She told me that her child was delivered by C-section.  She also told me that the pain from the C-section was nothing compared to that of the breast augmentation.  I was in shock as many woman just don't talk about the pain involved with their breast augmentation.  

I stayed overnight in the hospital and was put on a morphine pump.  What a godsend that was. 

I recovered nicely and was able to return to work within a week.  I was absolutely thrilled with my new look.  I felt that all of my clothes looked better on me and I had a better body image.  I also gained 15 pounds within the first few months after surgery.  I was thrilled!  This was already the first complication of the implants but I had no idea as my surgeon never mentioned this.

Little did I know what lay ahead of me.......

"There is a very real struggle going on in our world today - the age old struggle between good and evil. Maybe it sounds simplistic but it is true nevertheless. We must stand up and fight for what is right, even though we know we could very well lose. I find my sharpest sword to be the truth and I use it whenever I can."                       -Nancy Grace

At age 34 with friends at our beach house.  This was taken just one year prior to breast augmentation..  I was so thin and hated it.  I did everything to try and gain weight but nothing seemed to help.  I look back at this picture and think that I must have been nuts!

This was taken a few years after surgery.  I went from a 34A to a 36D.  My breasts felt and looked so natural that I started to feel as though I had been born with them. 

 "I was told that they would last a lifetime.  I  believed my  Plastic Surgeon"

"The pain was so  intense that it felt  as though someone had lit my breasts on fire"