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POSTED UNDER Breast Reduction REVIEWS

11 months post op

ORIGINAL POST

I've been heavy since elementary school. I wore a...

natalierw
WORTH IT

I've been heavy since elementary school. I wore a jacket ALL the time to hide them. I was the first girl born after 3 boys and they always teased me in a funny way about being so short and big chested.My brothers would tell me to throw them over my shoulder to tie my shoes and to save my wrists and put my hands behind my back when playing volleyball and all of them told me to give some to their wives!Girls at school used to call me STUFFED. A teacher told me to take off my jacket,nobody was going to steal it. People I babysat for as a teen had husbands that would try to get a peek or feel.GROSS!. Then I got married and all wedding dresses were strapless and i had to wear a bra and kept pulling up the front all through the entire wedding video! When I had my first child my breasts got really enormous so much that I was afraid to breast feed so they could dry up quickly. My second child I chose to nurse since my first born had a lot of trouble with formula. Poor kid I used to fall asleep and cover his face.!. Everyone always looked at my breast first!

I am 4'10" and wear a 36H and sick of special orders and they still aren't big enough cup size but to order bigger cup requires bigger 38-40 which leaves me chafed from being to loose underneath.! Then 5 years ago I quit smoking.GREAT but gained weight and trying yoga and they sag to my knees..I walk a lot and they always make me feel like im suffocating and they just bounce all over the place.! Having asthma isnt helping and taking steroids all the time to help me breathe makes me hold more weight so they are all combining to making me very uncomfortable. I am a home health aide and when I bend down to take care of elderly persons feet or legs it feels like my bobs swell up and go in my throat!They get like huge hard balls. I swear they swell as the day goes on and they get bigger. Recently I was cuddling with my 3 year old granddaughter when she slept over and I couldnt move them away to hold her comfortably, they fell under my armpits and she looked at me confused where to put her head.and when I went to strap her in the car seat I had to lean over her and OH BOY poor kid!. Being this short and all this in front of me doesnt give me much arm space to move around!. Im so tired of it.!I hit them on my counters and draws when im braless which I do first thing when i get home from work.!

This summers humitity was so brutal and first time I had huge rashes I was afraid wouldnt ever go away to the point I thought of changing jobs to work in an office!. ALL over big boobs! how sad is that. My husband or 13 yr old granddaughter help me get the bra on each day and if nobody is here im in trouble because I cannot hook in front and twist it around without burning my skin which will get worse as the day goes on and i start to sweat. I am terrified to have surgery and I wish there was another way but they are only getting bigger and everybody notices and a few girls have brought up reduction telling me how it would be great for me because I wear my straps off my arm as the day goes by because i cant take the pressure on my shoulders anymore.My cousin who was half my size had it done and said it was nothing compared to the tummy tuck thing she had.! So i called my insurance and they said they would pay 100% if my doc says its needed. My doc says its needed so i go for mammogram Sept 7 and meet the surgeon October 23rd and we will go from there. I hope I have the courage to follow it through. I really need this. I have been sleeping on a recliner over a year because its the only way i am comfortable to sleep.I cant remember the last time I laid flat on a bed!

A couple of years ago I had 12 teeth pulled and a lump removed from my tongue that was there for years and I did it all while I was awake and with Novocaine because I couldn't afford to get put to sleep. I grunted through each step but figure if I could survive that and returned home directly with a mouth full of gauze and temporary teeth that I couldn't remove until morning when I had a follow up, and natural birth 2 times , an eptopic pregnancy, appendix removal and hernia repair then I can do this also. I HOPE!!! God help me! I want to be a size C and see my feet and the ground when I walk. I want to cuddle with my grandkids without smothering them .I want to throw on a shirt to run to the store without having to fully engage a bra. Id like to throw a housecoat on if I get unexpected guest without them still protruding down to my belly button. Id like to plug in my coffee pot without having to tip toe the boobs on top of the counter. I want to get the clothes out of the bottom of my washing machine. My list is huge of things I can not do until I get a reduction!. Thanks for this forum to actually out this all in writing I feel better already!. One minute I cant wait and the next minute i shutter the thought!.Thank you everyone for being here!

natalierw's provider

Theodore Calianos, II, MD, FACS

Theodore Calianos, II, MD, FACS

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

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Replies (3)

August 22, 2012

Welcome, Natalie!

The nerves are totally normal! But let me reassure you that the pain for me was really very minimal. If you've had abdominal surgery in the past you will be surprised at how much easier this is. They do not cut through any muscle, so you don't have that harsh pain, especially when you cough or sneeze, because it doesn't hurt to contract your muscles. There is a tightness and discomfort but it is easily managable. The worst thing is sleeping, but if you are already use to sleeping in a recliner it shouldn't be any problem. I was a 34H and am now a 34DD or 36D and do have to say that I don't regret having this procedure done at all!
August 22, 2012
Thank you iowa. Sounds like you did great.I hope I have minimal pain. I'm not big on taking pills but definitely will take if needed. you are right about the belly..when I had eptopic surgery I had to press hard on My belly with a pillow to cough.I think I'm mostly worried I will freak out over the drain tubes and the sewn on nipples.most look gruesome.I will stay with my mom for awhile so she can take care of that part..unless I dont get tubes..I just don't like the sight of blood especially on myself.sounds like everybody gets Valium so I'm thinning its to keep most calm.although I have enough xanax to get me by if it can be taken with pain killers.I figure it can't be worse than the daily pains and sweat and rashes and itching especially in this heat. I spend every minute adjusting them and taking the pressure off...wish the doc had an opening sooner.but I figure for the best so it wont be so hot.
August 22, 2012

It is a little scary when you take that first look. I read where one lady suggested having someone take a picture of you and letting you look at that to start to get an idea of what you will actually look like before you really look at yourself in the mirror. I thought that was a pretty good idea. I stayed in the hospital overnight and my drain tubes were removed before I was discharged, so I never had to take care of them myself. Don't be afraid to take the pain killers, just make sure that you start taking a stool softener right away. The pain meds are constipating and the anesthesia slows down your entire digestive system, so start taking the Docusate Sodium before you need it and hopefully you won't have too much trouble.

Just focus on all of the pain that you have right now and remember all of the girls who wake up from surgery with nearly all of their back and shoulder pain completely gone! This will be you! It is totally worth the nerves and anxiety! It is going to completely change your life!
UPDATED FROM natalierw
6 months pre

Sitting here trying to catch up on posts and...

natalierw
Sitting here trying to catch up on posts and watched a lil youtube. That was a bad idea.now im wide awake and its almost 2am. I will be sorry when i head off to work. Im thinking about if it makes a difference when your in your cycle if it effects surgery/recovery.? Im 52 but still get my periods about every 4-8 weeks and just before and during my breasts swell and are sore so im thinking if surgery should be planned when this is not happening. I dont know.im just very squirmy tonight and i need to knick it off because i have 2 months to go!. I was tired all day and probably shouldnt of had coffee tonight either.i think i better take time off from obsessing over this upcoming event that i am so looking forward to getting done and getting on the recovery side.!

Replies (2)

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August 22, 2012
Good luck with it all , you will do great xx just remember like all the other lady's have said , it's a bit scary when you get to see them ( I wish someone would have told me ) but after 5 weeks I'm starting to love them . Xx
August 23, 2012
Hi Natalie, shame, it sounds like you are having a really difficult time. I am 7 weeks post op today and can honestly say this was the best decission of my life, the pain really was minimal and before you know it it's all forgotten! And as far as how they will look directly after surgery, (i know all surgeon's have different styles) but mine were not bad looking at all, I had all internal stitches, so no "sewn on nipples" or anything. My 5yr old daughter actually saw them after 4days and she asked me why I drew on myself, so it was basically a few red lines here and there. I hope that you will find the strength and reassurance from this forum that I did, and all the best of luck for your journey forward.
UPDATED FROM natalierw
6 months pre

Im putting a call into my dr in the morning and...

natalierw
Im putting a call into my dr in the morning and see if i can get a call if someone cancels. I have to wait until oct 23rd because hes booked until then. Wow. He does alot more than Br but i can at least try. Tonight i was at my 8 year old grandson football scrimmage and spent entire time in discomfort and pulling sides of my bra to get relief from the discomfort. I couldnt wait to get home and take the bra off. Between my size and the humidity mixed with my cycle swelling,im a mess.at least with this constant discomfort its helping me to keep my eye on the prize with less doubt

Replies (2)

August 23, 2012
Thank you so much for your encouraging words. Im sure ypu are right..its a warm feeling to have so many who have been through it and have done so well. My mammagram tech said shes seen plenty who have done it anyway and has yet to find anyone who was sorry they did. So good news all around. Truthfully some stories sound scary but the end results all are looking good.i cant wait until mine are done. I have always hated them amd as each day comes im reminded why i want to do this. As im typing theyre itching and uncomfortable preventing me from getting a good night sleep..thank you again and thank this forum.
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August 23, 2012
good luck... i'm waiting about your good news..