So Worth It! 44DD Plus...to a 44B...So Happy! - Bensalem, PA

This is my story… I am 40 years old, mother of two ages 10 and 5. I have wanted a breast reduction for about 15 years now. In college, I was thin and size 36c…perfect perky breasts. I started to gain weight after college and into marriage and after having two children, found myself spilling out of a 44DD. Ugh. I hated them…nothing fit right, wearing a bathing suit was mortifying. I would not make love to my husband without a shirt on. Sleeping was getting difficult as I am a stomach sleeper and they always seemed to be in the way. My self esteem was so low I couldn’t take it anymore.

A friend of mine had her br last year and I was so jealous. I had often thought about it but thought I had to lose lots of weight before I could do it. I even called a ps once but was told I was too overweight to qualify. So…I forgot about it. Well, my friend is not thin, not fat but not thin so I thought if she can do it, why not me?

I went to see the ps and he said I should qualify…turns out he wasn’t’ the ps for me…his office was so slow, not friendly and he ended up being a jerk. After 2 months of me thinking my claim had been submitted, I called for a status only to find out that he didn’t submit it yet, he wanted to see me again.

At this second meeting, he said he didn’t think he could meet my insurance company’s requirement of 750cc per breast. He never explained to me why, what size that would leave me, etc. He just said I wouldn’t be happy. Whatever…see ya.
So I went to a second ps and I am so glad I did. He was awesome. I loved him immediately, loved his staff and just felt so confident and comfortable there. I told him about my first experience and he said it was unfortunate but that he would take care of me.

He measured me, (first ps didn’t do that) and we talked about insurance requirements, scarring, the procedure, etc. he showed me before and after pictures, and then he said he’d submit it and see what insurance said.
I received my approval 3 days later! Holy cow! I was so excited…so I set my date for June 1st and off I went!
I went for my pre-op and he examined me again. We talked cup size. I said I’d like to be a C. Not a C spilling over into a D but a C. He said he uses shoulders as a guide to get the proportion right.

So now it is June 11…I am 10 days post-op and could not be happier.
Here’s my surgery story:

Friday: I went to the hospital around 6:30am for a 7:45 surgery. They took me right back, got me into a gown and started my iv. Anesthesia came to visit and then my ps came in to mark me up. I thought I’d be embarrassed but at this point, I was full of adrenaline.

I walked back to the OR and laid down on the table. I laughed and said the last time I did this, I ended up with a baby…(c/section). They put something in my iv and I remember saying that I feel it working already. The next thing I remember was waking up in recovery. The first thing I asked was how much did they take off…1050 cc from left and 850cc from right. Average of 2.5 lb each I think. So…the first ps was full of it!

My pain level at this point was a 7 out of 10…not too bad. My throat was scratchy and my lip hurt like hell. I either bit it or they scraped the tube in my lip because I had two cuts, a fat lip and numbness (which I still have today).

I was given something in my iv and was more comfortable. I felt like a mummy all wrapped up in the surgical bra. My husband came in and then I started drinking water. I was so thirsty.

Once my pain was under control and I ate a graham cracker, they let me go. I was home by 1:30…live about 15 minutes away from the hospital.

My pain was never too bad…I took Percocet every 4 hours religiously. I had no drains and was pretty comfortable sitting up with lots of pillows surrounding me. Especially the beanbag type pillows under each arm like a recliner…those were great.
I drank lots of water with lemon and ate raisin toast with margarine. Nothing else appealed to me but I knew I had to eat.
Saturday was kind of the same…I iced with the big reusable 3m ice bags…took Percocet and switched from the bed to the couch every few hours for a change of scenery.

On Sunday, I was bored…so I spent most of the day on the couch…I slept much better there and napped most of the day. The Percocet was giving me terrible headaches so I just took Tylenol for pain and Ambien to help me sleep Sunday night.
Monday (3days out) was awesome. I sat on the couch all day, only took Tylenol for pain. My mom washed my hair in the kitchen sink which made me feel so much better. She took me to my post-op appointment in the afternoon. The Dr. took off the bandages and said all looked fine. He told me to wear whatever I felt comfortable in…sports bra, surgical bra, cami, etc. He said to try to wear the bra most of the time but if I needed a break, don’t’ sweat it.

I looked down as he took off the bandages and felt so flat. Lol…it was surreal. I was told that since I was no longer taking paid meds, I could drive if I felt comfortable and had full range of motion. I appreciated that but was not ready yet.
That night I took a shower for the first time…it was so weird. I felt so flat and childlike. The incisions make me squeamish so I didn’t touch or look at them. I was able to wash my hair but couldn’t bend over to shave my legs. I just let the warm water fall over me and it felt really good.

I needed my husband to help me dry off my lower half because I couldn’t bend.

Tuesday: day 4…again, much better. I spent the day on the couch…went for a mani/pedi with my mom and 5year old. I even went out to the store with my family in the afternoon…I drove…no pain…just uncomfortable. I couldn’t believe it!
Wednesday: I told my husband to go back to work and my mom to stay home. I took my kids to school and went shopping! I tried on new clothes…down a pants size and shirt size…tried on bras…44B! I know I said I wanted to be a C but this is great! I cried in the store…the saleslady hugged me when I told her my story…lol.

I even bought a negligee…first time since my honeymoon!

Shaving legs was difficult as I still couldn’t bend. I got a Tupperware bowl of water and used my intuition razor while sitting on toilet. It was much easier!

Thursday: and Friday: more of the same…Tylenol for pain if needed…taking it easy but functioning. Loving life. I went to my 10 year old’s school picnic…loved the reaction from the other moms!

I get tired earlier in the night but other than that…sleeping well with Ambien and lots of side pillows.

So today is my first day back to work…10 days post-op. I feel great. I still have some discomfort but no Tylenol even needed the past couple of days. My kids were with their grandparents all weekend so hubby and I went out to lunch on Saturday and lunch and shopping all day Sunday. This has definitely sparked our romance…Sunday morning was fun! I was cautious but it was nice to surprise him with the new negligee.

Pre-br I weighed 215…I’m down to 199 today. I can’t believe it. I honestly feel like a different person. My self-esteem is through the roof. I look forward to getting dressed…seeing people, etc. My kids keep telling me how skinny I am…I am eating better, drinking lots of lemon water and just making such an effort. I had no motivation before my surgery. Now the sky is the limit!

Items I was glad I had:
Wireless doorbell: I got it at home depot for $12. I kept the button with me, hubby kept the bell side. He slept on the couch if I was in bed and vice versa to give me room…so it was nice to know he was a bell away. It worked great.

Button up nightgowns : 2 from Avenue.com

Zip up sports bras: 3 from jms.com (just my size.com) I bought my same band size, A/B cup instead of C/D. Fits great and is so comfortable.

My nipples are very sensitive…seatbelt hits it in the wrong spot so a small pillow between my chest and the seatbelt is very helpful!

3M icepacks…large…two. In hindsight, I would have bought 4 so I could have 2 on and two refreezing.

Squishy pillows for under neck and arms.

Heating pad for neck if it gets sore from sleeping elevated.

Resusable plastic water cup with bent straw for drinking in bed…use lots of lemon…diauretic!

Colace: started this day before surgery…no bowel problems whatsoever. I took it when I took pain meds.

Second opinion: if you aren’t 100% sure you love the first ps you see…don’t be afraid to see another!


Cell phone charger and kindle charger right by bed…made it easier to stay connected!

If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know! I get my steri-strips removed tomorrow…I am not sure about the sutures.