Finally Feminine: My Story of Breast Augmentation
Print this Page
Email this Page
Shelby Stevenson came to Dr. G.D. Castillo in search of more confidence. After years of having an athletic frame, then having a child and breastfeeding, she wanted to feel feminine for the first time in her life. She and Dr. Castillo decided breast augmentation at his Savoy and Champaign, IL practice was the right step for her. Read on to learn about her journey in her own words.
Although I have been an active and athletic individual thus far in my life, I have always been mildly self-conscious. People would call me "slender" or "skinny," but I never saw it. I wouldn't wear tank tops because I knew that when I did I would get comments about being muscular or how "buff" I was when all I wanted to be and feel was feminine. Getting called "the Hulk" was the furthest thing from that. I remember thinking that maybe if my breasts were just a little bit larger I would feel more feminine, which was easily corrected with a padded bra. But soon enough my padded bra wouldn't suffice.
While becoming a mommy has been a proud and continuously fulfilling part of my life, the aftermath of my body was the complete opposite. Having a daughter, now 3, at the age of 19 enabled me to bounce back to my pre-baby weight pretty quickly, although my body was a whole different story. Needless to say, my level of self-confidence dropped. As my daughter turned 3 months of age and I stopped breast-feeding, I noticed my most significant change in my breasts. They were completely empty — not just empty of milk, but of everything. I was 19, left with non-perky skin for boobs that no push-up bra could cure.
My deflated chest enhanced my already box-like figure. Not only did I not want to go near a tank top, but I wanted nothing to do with a swimsuit top. It was almost as if I was obsessed with how bad I thought I looked. So I set out to find an answer for my obsession. Having studied portfolios and credentials, attended seminars, and received quotes from a variety of surgeons, my search landed in the office of Dr. Castillo. I was impressed not only by his triple board certification, which meant a lot to me having worked in the medical field, but also the information his office gave right off the bat.
I walked into my consultation prepared with questions to which Dr. Castillo had all the answers. He picked up on my pre-mommy desire to have larger breasts and my post-pregnancy desire to be proportional. I never felt pressured to schedule the augmentation. I could have waited if I didn't feel ready, which was positively reassuring. I knew my long search was over and I had found my surgeon. I scheduled with Stephanie, who was super accommodating of my busy schedule of school, work, and being a mommy.
While maybe not everyone was as supportive as I thought they would be, when it all came down to it, I knew why I was going through with it. I wanted to feel like I was 22, wear a bikini or a V-neck shirt, and be proud of it. Just because I am a mom doesn't mean that I do not deserve to feel sexy or owe anybody any explanation about whether what I was doing was right. The people who cared and loved me understood, and that's all that mattered.
I left my pre-op appointment like a giddy child. I knew Dr. Castillo could give me tools to gain my confidence back, and he promised to make my breasts equal in size, as we discovered they weren't during my pre-op measurements. Although I was a little nervous the morning of my augmentation, as anyone would be, I was almost immediately relaxed and reassured by Roxanne and Stephanie. They were excited for me! They let me know how I would feel after surgery and walked me through the morning step by step so there wouldn't be any surprises. Even though they had done this numerous times before, I knew that they were aware I hadn't, which made it really easy for me to ask them to repeat themselves, which is sometimes an intimidating thing to do as a patient.
Shelby after her breast augmentation.
Jerry the anesthetist was fun and outgoing, which was also reassuring that early in the morning. I was concerned about nausea, as I have had trouble with that after past ankle surgeries. He let me know what he would do to help my nausea, which really made me feel like I was getting a 5-star treatment. They were truly catering to my individual needs.
While it took me longer to wake up than the average patient, Roxanne and Dr. Castillo waited patiently. My boyfriend, who was waiting in the lobby, expressed how they were kind and very understanding, saying he never got the vibe that they were ever trying to hurry or rush the process. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have any wraps or bands to deal with as I expected, just a more-than-comfortable and easy-to-deal with bra.
Just when I was starting to feel a little discomfort later that evening, Dr. Castillo called me ... yes, he called me. That was just another thing to add to the list of good qualities above other surgeons. Having worked in the medical field, I knew that wasn't typical of any provider, be it a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, let alone a surgeon! Aside from slight discomfort, the only issue I had was nausea from the oral pain medication that I didn't even really need, once I took off the nausea patch that Jerry gave me.
Now 4 months after my breast augmentation, I feel better than I have in my whole life. I feel like my 22-year-old self. Having a perky, full, and proportional chest allows me to look in the mirror and feel as skinny and slender as everyone told me I was. My daughter, who always preferred to fall asleep in the arms of my mom and sister against their comfortable, womanly chests, finally fell asleep on me! That if nothing else was worth it to me, especially when she made the comment in her 3-year-old voice, "Little children just love to sleep on their mommy's boobies, don't they?" It has been an amazing summer, full of fun in the sun and vacations to the beach with no fear of tank tops or bikini tops.
I am beyond thankful and happy with the "tools" that Dr. Castillo and his staff have given me to enjoy everyday life without obsessing over portraying a feminine appearance. I can truly say that the grass is greener on the post-op side, and I wouldn't change my decision or experience for anything.
To see results from more patients who renewed their confidence through breast augmentation, view our photo gallery. For more information or to start your own journey, request a consultationrequest a consultation or call our office in 217-359-7508217-359-7508 (Savoy) .
