20 Days Until My Surgery! - Brookline, MA

hi! i also tried losing weight - unfortunately even when i got down to like 115 (which is not really sustainable for me) my breasts did not shrink much at all...I am so happy i had the reduction. I felt really comfortable with dr halperin and she had great credentials - also her office staff was wonderful to me and made me feel really comfortable. and her office is close to my house which was really convenient. i have BCBS and they just approved it...i had also seen a chiropractor for years so i am sure that will help.. thank you for your comments! i have to say i am very happy i did this - the only regret is waiting as long as i did...and i highly recommend dr halperin - i have nothing at all bad to say about her, her work or the practice! good luck and keep us posted!

It really didn't take me much time at all to be able to get around my house, maybe a day or so...as long as I didn't have to accomplish anything major...taking the train after 6 days was very tiring..i would basically take one little excursion per day after the first few days and then go back to bed for the rest of the day. If you have food prepared ahead of time that should help a lot. Just don't overdo it.. The anesthesia was really what wore me out - it made me feel really tired and nauseous for about a week... I underestimated how much that would affect me. For me it wasn't breast pain that laid me up, it was the after effects of being knocked out. Best of luck to you and keep us updated on your progress! Remember to be easy on yourself during recovery (I am also reminding myself of this :) ) xo

This is definitely possible.. maybe i need to switch back to fast walking for a bit..thanks for thinking of this!

thank you so much!

i know - i can't believe I dealt with that for so many years! And good thinking about the checkup. Even if you are feeling fine, it's prob a good idea to go.. although that is coming from me and I go to the doctor everytime the littlest thing is wrong ;) better safe than sorry! xo

It's so weird that i can actually see my stomach! i was doing crunches today at my exercise class and when i crunched up - i could see my belly, legs, etc! that was a first. i also wore my new sports bra (just one bra!) so that was nice. takes some getting used to.... My doctor said no underwires for 6 weeks but after that it's ok to put gentle pressure on the skin pouches that still need to absorb...

Thank you so much! Yeah, three weeks sounds a little early to be bra shopping but i totally get how it's impossible to wait! I bought a bikini top before i even had my surgery because i couldnt resist. Be gentle with yourself and i hope your healing continues to go well!

Thank you so much. My surgeon gave me the bra - i just woke up and i was wearing it! There's not a lot to it - i think the general idea is to just hold everything in place while you are first healing.. Mine honestly looks like it cost $5 - but it does the trick.

OK - now this is getting really weird! We seriously lead parallel lives ! :) Here is my regimen for S/I joint: 1) Rest - not bed rest, but don't go running, be very careful about bending, lifting, etc. Baby it. Light walking is ok, actually good for it, but nothing too strenuous. I got to the point where I would sneeze or cough and it hurt! Cutting back on activities helped this. 2) Anti-inflammatories - i am taking an Aleve every morning and night. Ibuprofen is fine too but you have to take it so often i just stick with the Aleve. See if this helps with the pain/inflammation. 3) Heating Pad alternating with Ice Pack - this is awesome! I thought that I would hate icing my back because it sounds unpleasant, but whenever i sit for a while, I put an ice pack on the S/I area. When I get in bed at night i turn on my heating pad, and basically just try to work one or the other in as much as I can, especially if i have had a more strenuous day (being with the kids, doing laundry, etc.) 4) Stretch and strengthen - My chiropractor has helped me identify muscles that get tight and pull me out of alignment and some stretches to loosen them up. I do them in the morning and at night. Also, I am trying to work on increasing my core strength - i haven't really DONE anything about this yet, but i know it is part of the long term equation. 5) Orthopedic Specialist - I went to see one last week. I was improving at that point but he said if things get bad again and dont respond to the above, they can give you a cortisone shot to help with the inflammation. I didnt need one this time around but it's always there as a treatment. I also got some muscle relaxants for when i get spasms - i can only take them at night because I can't stay conscious long after I take one! But they do help. Back problems are the worst! I wish you luck with this and also encourage you to try some or all of the things above. I was in serious pain and by resting and protecting the joint I am doing a lot better... let me know how things go!

Hi! Thanks so much for these tips. I will save your tips and refer to them I find that the day after a long walk my S/I pain is much better. I need to take ibuprofen the week of my period to reduce heavy bleeding (it blocks the production of prostaglandins) and I find that it helps my S/I joint pain too. Hmmm - haven't tried the icing/heat alternation treatment but will hold that in reserve and try it if the pain ever gets unbearable. Sometimes its just a niggling, low key pain that's always there - and its worse if I lie on my left side in bed (I've stopped doing that - I used to lie in bed and read like that, now I lie on my back). I've had cortisone shots before for sciatica caused by slipped disc pain which cured me almost overnight so I'd definitley go back and get my S/I joint treated - I didn't realize that they could treat that way at the S/I joint site. Good to know. Thanks again - its much appreciated. Btw - you have a fantastic body for your age! Its obvious you take care of yourself.

Thank you - that is so sweet of you. I am always critical of my body and part of getting this surgery for me was so work on accepting the way i look - it's definitely easier now that i am more in proportion.. but still a battle. So thank you for your kind words. Yes the cortisone shots are supposed to work wonders! It's good to have that as a last resort in case all the other stuff doesnt work. And I really thought that I would hate icing but i love it :) I hope you are feeling better! Take good care of yourself...

I think we women are so hard on ourselves. I think most women would kill to look like you do - and you've had kids too!! Impressive. You should be proud that you've done it all. I sometimes feel that way - ie good about myself - when I'm not torturing myself about my imperfections. It really does depend on the day. You are obviously a perfectionist. I personally feel that there is always room for improvement - in every area of my life. It is what drives me forward - improvement and change. At this point I am surveying the clothes I feel self conscious in and wondering how I'll feel once my boobs are smaller. I think I'm going to feel good and like you've said, I'm going to wonder why I didn't do this sooner. You take care too! Thank you for all the inspiration.