No Longer Have to Cross my Arms to Hide the Girls! - Halifax, Nova Scotia

I am 43 years old, 5'7" and 166 lbs. I was flat chested all through high school, but in my early twenties they started growing....and growing....and growing. It is a family curse! By my late 30s I was a 36E/F depending on the bra. I finally asked my Dr about a reduction and she put in a referral. In my province in Canada it can be covered by insurance if you meet the criteria, but there is a long waiting list. After almost 3 years, I finally saw a plastic surgeon in Dec 2013, and 6 weeks later. I had the surgery!! It's been a whirlwind, but a good one. Since I love seeing what everyone else is going through at my stage of post op - I thought I would share too. So here it is:
January 16th, Surgery Day:
A friend dropped me off in the morning. I am very independent and didn't see the point of anyone hanging around waiting all day. I sat in pre-op for hours, and was petrified that someone was going to come say, "There's been a mistake, you're not approved after all." Or that it would get postponed. But finally my surgeon came and did the markings, and soon after I was taken to the OR. Next thing you know, they are waking me up. For a brief minute I thought, "Oh no, they couldn't it" but then I was snoozing again. I snoozed the entire two hours I was in recovery, and then I was wheeled to my room. That was around supper time. My parents came to visit for a bit. I started throwing up from the anesthesia, and I had increasing pain in one breast. By later in the evening it was so bad I could hardly move my arm. The painkillers weren't working, and I was alarmed because I wasn't expecting this much pain. By morning it was decided that I had a haematoma, and within an hour I was again in the operating room! I had been warned that this was a possible but rare complication...luck me :( However, after I awoke from that surgery, the pain was 90% better. And feeling better, I finally got a good look at myself in the mirror. Even with the swelling and the bandage wraps, I was floored by the difference!

After two nights in the hospital I went home. As I live alone, I stayed with my parents the first night. Slept a lot. The next day I had them take me to my place, where it was basically lots of the same - sleep. I was really surprised by how much it all took out of me, as I am a very active person. The pain wasn't too bad. Mostly just random, sharp, shooting pains that lasted seconds, not really any constant aching or anything. By the third day I was able to zip up the compression bra I had bought before the surgery, though it was VERY uncomfortable. Not so much in the breasts, but across my ribs. The ribs actually hurt a lot more than the breasts did. In fact, now at almost 4 weeks that is still the case. I had no feeling at all on the skin from the nipple down to the middle of my ribcage on the left side, but I knew that was a possibility, so I wasn't worried.

I ended up taking a couple more days off than planned, so a full week of work plus 2 days. I figure having had to be under anesthesia twice probably wiped me out more than just the one surgery would have. Honestly, that first week, other than being uncomfortable all the time, and having to sleep on my back, wasn't so bad other than the fatigue.

I went back to work during the 2nd week post-op. The first day I left an hour early, but I made it through the full 8 hours the rest of the week. As far as changes to the breast, the bruising was pretty much gone except one area on the breast that had the haematoma. The swelling also decreased significantly, and by the end of that week I gave up on the compression bra and switched to a couple of wireless Bali ones I had picked up.

I got my external stitches out on day 13, and they also snipped some internal ones that had broken the surface. The surgeon thought everything looked great and said he didn't need to see me for 4 months, which kind of surprised me. When I got home that night I was finally able to get a good look at the incisions, now that the steri-strips were off. Wasn't as bad as I was imagining, but not pretty either :) I saw someone else mention this in a post, and it was so true for me too - for the first few days after the strips and stiches came out, I was afraid of falling apart - physically. Like it would all just open up. It was a strange feeling, but is gone now.

Now I am at almost 4 weeks. I am now wearing regular, wire-free bras during the day, and the Bali ones at night. I can sleep on my side comfortably, but not on my stomach yet. The incision lines look pretty good to me. I keep non-adhesive padding on the lines under the breast, as no matter what bra I have on it seems to irritate. I have regained some sensation in my left breast, though some areas still feel a bit numb, sort of like you've had freezing by the dentist.

All in all, I have had a pretty great experience, other than the haematoma. I am still amazed when I see myself in the mirror. It is like it is someone else's body some times. I have to remind myself that they are mine to keep :) I can't wait to get back to the gym and see how it feels to workout without being embarrassed by my bouncing boobs!!

If anyone is planning to have the surgery and has any questions, please feel free to ask. I found this site incredibly helpful - stayed up late the night before the surgery still reading stories! And it is still helpful to read and see what others at the same post-op point are feeling.

I officially passed the one month mark on February 13th (and one month from the haematoma surgery on Feb 14th) and I must say, I feel 90% back to normal. I have been sleeping on my side for the last week, and this weekend I slept on my stomach! I couldn't stay that way long as it started to pain a little after about 30 minutes, but it was a great change!

My incision lines took great. You can barely notice them at all around the areaola, and the other lines are a light pink color. No redness, no scabs anymore. Nice and flat. I have not done anything with them, as in oil or tape or any of the things I have seen mentioned, since they are doing so well on their own. If anything changes, maybe I will try something.

I still have pain in my rib cage area. It was started to get better, but then I had a bad flu with a bad cough, and that seemed to irritate all over again. It is sore to the touch, but nothing I can't handle. Still, I really wish it would get better. I am nervous to work out for fear that I will irritate it more.

I still have some random, shooting pains now then, and I still have a fairly large area of numbness on my left breast from the nipple right down to just below the horizontal incision line.

One areola is larger than the other, and the smaller one has a slight pucker at the top, but those things don't really bother me - small price to pay, completely out-weighed by the benefits this surgery has provided me with!

Still amazed every day by the change, and love being able to wear any style top I want. I can honestly say I haven't had a single moment of regret since the surgery, and I hope those waiting to have it will feel the same joy soon :)

I just realized in the past day or so that my right breast is a bit larger than my left. I was expecting them to be different, but the funny thing is that before surgery, my left breast was much bigger, and the surgeon thought it would still be bigger afterward. In fact, I think he said he removed more than double the amount from the left side than the right. I have always been used to the lefty being bigger, so it is funny to have them switched! That is my random thought for today :)

Last night I bought 5 bras for $80 in total! That is less than the cost of one of my old bras, which I either had to order online or buy at an expensive boutique. I couldn't believe what I have been missing out on all these years - Calvin Klein bra for $10!!! The big bras never go on sale!! Can you tell I had fun shopping?

At 5 weeks today and all is well, expect my ribs. The darned rib pain is, pardon the pun, a real pain in my side. It is still very tender to the touch in one are of the rib cage and is a tiny bit swollen, and it is preventing me from getting back to the gym. I don't see my surgeon again until the end of May (apparently when you don't go to a private clinic, they don't follow up much - one appointment at 2 weeks to have stitches removed, then no more check-ups for 4 months!) so I am not sure if it something I should call about, or just wait a bit longer and see if it gets better. I know the rib pain is common, but anyone still that tender at 5 weeks?

I decided to call my surgeon's office and see if I could get the rib pain checked out. It seems to be getting worse, and the area of discomfort larger, so I guess it can't hurt to see what he says. Am able to see him on Tuesday. I am so anxious to get back to the gym, so I'd like to see what I can do about this problem.

Last night I tried on one of my old bras. Hard to tell in the picture, but there was a LOT of extra space, lol. The blue bra is my favorite of the new ones I bought the other day. Simple but comfy, and the color is pretty. I love being able to wear the plunge style!!

Well I have officially passed the 6 week mark! I saw my surgeon earlier this week about the pain over my ribs, and he thinks it is phlebitis - inflammation of a vein. He told me to use warm compresses and ibuprofen, and the compresses actually seem to work. Either that, or it is has finally run its course, because it is getting better for sure.

I finally went to the gym!!! I would have gone earlier if hadn't been for the rib pain. It felt so amazing to get some exercise again. I did a Zumba class, as they are less high-intensity than other classes I like. Other than a couple of twinges, it was like a pre-surgery workout....other than the fact that when it was time to "shake it", the girls didn't shake ;)

I have been very lucky. I love my new size, I wanted a B cup and that's what I got. Other than the haematoma, everything went smoothly and I never had an opening of my incisions, or any drainage. I couldn't be happier, and I hope everyone out there waiting for their "big" day is as happy with their results as I am.