Breast Reduction: Stories

I decided to share my story as all of you have been so helpful. I really appreciate all the info and photos!

I am 47 and live in the Seattle area. I have always had larger breasts but now they are just huge. Not really sure of the size. But at least a DD. I'm 5'6, a little overweight. I have lost weight in the past but the boobs stayed pretty big. I have all the typical symptoms. Back, neck, shoulder pain. I do suffer from migraines. The final straw for me was last summer I started getting heat rashes. I talked with my hubby and he is being very "supportive" of my decision.

I chose a Plastic Surgeon from the providers on my insurance. I had my first consultation with her 2 days ago. I was very impressed. She and her staff made me feel very comfortable. She explained the whole process from start to finish. Due to this site I was prepared with letters from my Chiropractor and LMP. (My hubby is my Chiro, thought that might be a negative as we have no documentation but Dr assured me it was fine.)

After my exam the Dr said I am a great candidate. Insurance approval should be a breeze and I should be very pleased with the outcome. I do not need the incision under the breasts and she does not use drain tubes. Now we just play the waiting game for the insurance approval. They guess 2-4 weeks. I think I will call ins in a week or so. I would like to have my surgery in Feb or March. I will try and post before and after photos later. Very excited now it;s actually going to happen!

I found out my wait for insurance approval will be longer. Apparently the doc sends the paperwork and photos to the address on my ins card which is not where the approval happens. My ins company then sends it off to another location to be reviewed. As of today it is probably still in the mail room waiting to be sorted and sent. They did advise me to have my doc re-send the info straight to the other address. They resent it today. Looks like no Feb surgery for me. Crossing my fingers for March.
Helpful hint for those of you considering BR...Call your insurance and make sure you have the correct address for documents and photos to be sent. This might help approval process faster for you.

YEAH! They just called! Surgery is Monday Feb 27th! Can't believe it!

Well just had my Pre-Op. Got all the paperwork done. PS got called away for emergency surgery. I have to go back Monday at 3pm now. Didn't learn much new. I don't need the drains which I am excited about. I have to sleep sitting up a little the first night. Got my Prescriptions for painkillers and anti-nausea. President Obamas motorcade went by while we were there. Helicopters were in the sky and police on every corner. I will update on Monday if I learn anything else. Everybody have a great weekend!

Had the 2nd part of my pre-op today. Was quick and informative. PS explained everything. (She thinks I will be a C or D. I stated below that I have measured myself on 3 different sites and got 42DDD, 38G, 38H. I am currently wearing a 42D. The reason that you can't know exactly what size you can go down to is because there is a certain amount of tissue associated with the nipple and areola nerve supply. They don't want to remove that as it can reduce or eliminate the normal sensations of the breast. She will remove as much as she can without compromising that. She said my cleavage will look very nice. My left breast is a tad bigger. She will do a little lipo on each breast as well. She said the first day it will feel similar to the worst period I ever had.(Important not to take any ibuprofen 2 weeks prior to surgery as it makes you bleed more) Didn't realize how much I took for my neck shoulder pain. Insiscions may sting a little. 99.9% of women get nipple sensation back.
1st day/night I must rest, get up once every 4 hours and go to bathroom or get a drink. This is to avoid blood clots. Drink lots of liquids. She recommends getting straws so you drink more. 3rd day I go to post op appt.
She says everything starts feeling normal 4-5 weeks in. They will put me in a sports/surgical bra that I must wear for 6 weeks. ( I will need to get more of these for sure). I am trying to remember everything. I should of wrote it down.
Right after surgery I will notice the weight off my shoulders. ( That will be so awesome) Here is the Pre-Op shopping list they gave me...My prescriptions of course. One for pain, one for nausea.
Ex Strength tylenol.(No aspirin, No ibuprofen) Benadryl(help with itchiness, nausea and sleeping)
Stool Softener(Miralax recommended)
Gentle Foods(Crackers, soups, pudding, applesauce, jello) Clear Fluids (water, 7-up, Sprite)
Straws as they help you drink more.
Ice Packs for pain or swelling 20 min on 20 min off. Arnica(Homeopathic med that helps reduce bruising and swelling.
Wear a zip up hoodie, no bra of course, slip on pants, slip on shoes.
Sleep at a 45 degree angle for 48 hrs after surgery.
Don't lift more then 5lbs for 5 weeks
That is all I can think of for now. Hope it was helpful.
I can't wait for this week to be over! Very excited!

Yeah! I did it! Surgery was a breeze. I woke up, they put my zip up hoodie on me. I had to pee so bad. Walked me to the restroom. Wheel Chaired me to the car. I awoke so good I didn't need to lay in recovery. Surgery started at 8am I was home by 12:30. Pain not bad til anesthesia wore off. Real stinging kind of pain. Took my pain meds. I slept in my recliner for about 3 hours. Ate some creamy soup and jello. Everything going well. You don't realize how much stuff you can't lift. I am really wrpped up but I can definately tell the difference. Doc told ins she probably would need to remove 2lbs. She removed 3! I's really hard to type so more later! Hope you other ladies are recovering well also! (attached a funny photo below)

Day 2. Slept in recliner. Got up every 4 hours to walk, drink and take pain meds and ice. Recliner is killer on the back! Pretty sore today and a lil nausea. I can feel where the lipo was for sure. I havent looked under the bandage. I am definitely flatter. I can also tell my cleavage is higher. Post OP is tomorrow at 11:30. I will look then. Still can't believe it was 3 lbs!

Had my post-op. Got a little woozy when they changed my tape. Feels real good to have the wrap off. Now I just wear my sports bra day and night. Little soreness. Mostly around the lipo area. Bruising more on right side then left. Doc says everything looks great, Just gotta take it easy now. I will post a few pix with the same swimsuit on.

Day 5 and doing pretty good. Didn't sleep well. Tried to turn over a couple times and tried to itch. When will I be able to sleep on my side? Took and shower and fixed the hair a bit. Was going to try and go to lunch but couldn't do it. I think everything looks good. Nipples have sensation. Bruising is pretty ugly. Rubbed some Arnica cream on them. Sports bra seems a lil tight but it's not. Little bit of itching around the tapes. I think all normal stuff. I just gotta keep taking it easy. Hope you all have a nice weekend!

One Week...Best day so far of course. Sleeping still a lil rough. Really no pain at all. Went out to lunch yesterday. (No food crumbs fell on my boobs!) :) Might venture out and try some new shirts on. Will update again after my 2nd Post Op appt on Thursday.

Just measured myself on those 2 different sites and got a 36F! Whatever! Hopefully I am just still to swollen. I wanted to be a C and I'm not even a D! Does anyone else have this issue? I feel smaller but am I. They still look so big to me. They are just higher up. Maybe I am just impatient.

Day 10
2nd post op appt
PS says everything looks great. Getting tape peeled off sucks, especially the nipples. I had a lil bit of sensitivity to the tape so they did not put it back on. I had a lil oozing under each breast. Normal. They put a lil bandage under each breast. I can remove them at next shower. She just stressed to me how important it is to take it EASY! No lifting over 5 lbs, no walks, wear the sports bra 24/7. Sleep only on my back. She says week 5 I will feel close to normal. My bruising is starting to heal. I have lil "zingers" in the nipples sometimes. All normal healing feelings. As far as size, she says they will be just a tad smaller then what they are now. Follow-up in 10 days. All and all, everything I am feeling and seeing is all normal part of the healing process. Yeah!

Day 11-I am calling this phase my" frakenboob" stage. I am not going to lie it is freaky to see the cuts and stitches. When the tape was on it wasn't so hard to look at. Now it's a little scary. I know it is all normal and part of the healing process. My hubby says I am healing nicely and it looks way better than he thought it would. I am quite itchy underneath the boobs. Which is weird cause I didn't get cut underneath. I think it's the end of the lollipop incision. Did anybody else have the itchiness? I have noticed I can go out but I tire quickly. I had a funeral today. Left the house around 1pm and got home at 5. I felt pretty sore mostly around the nipple area by the time I got home. Happy Weekend to you all!

3 Weeks-
Doc appt today. Everything healing normal. I can take the bra off at night when I am sleeping now, (I will still will wear something like a tank, just feels better to me). Still have to sleep on back. I can try a short walk this weekend but can't walk holding the dog leashes. I still have a 5 lb weight limit when lifting. I can switch to normal bra. She said whatever feels comfortable. I think I am going to stick with these sports bras for a while longer. Probably until the scabs and stitches are gone. Right breast is still a little more swollen than the left and the scabs are healed better on the left. I can not put any creams or oils on the scars yet. I have to wait until all the scars and stitches are gone. Little "zingers" will still happen (which they do) that is normal. I go back in 2 weeks for another check up. I am going back to work tomorrow. I expect to be a little tired since I've been sitting around for 3 weeks! But I am anxious to get back to normal life. Hope all todays surgeries went well!

I added another beer photo. Same swimsuit, same beer bottle. BUT I can't hold it without hands anymore! So silly yet exciting!

Went to work for 5 hours today. Went well. I didn't get real tired but I could feel the muscles that I haven't used in a while. I didn't lift anything. I did do some reaching and got a little twinge if I stretched to far. Took a nice nap when I got home. Wearing a tank right now with no bra and the girls are nice and perky! Wow!

28 days
Doing good. Real tired of back sleeping. Tried some bras on. I did fit some C cups and some D. My doc was right on when she said I would b a Large C Small D. I do not feel comfortable wearing a normal bra though. I like the sports bra. I think because I still have some scabs and stitches. I bought a swimsuit today. I am a size 14 in clothes but never in a swimsuit top. I got a size 14 swim top. Nice to buy off a normal rack. I am having trouble sleeping without a bra on. Funny I use to whip the bra off now I want something on them. Again I think it is because I am not healed yet. My energy level feels back to normal. I will see after 8 hours of work tomorrow. Good Luck to all tomorrows surgeries!

FYI
I got the statement from insurance today.
Surgery was $12,000. They have to write off $9666 . That leaves $2334 my surgeon gets for the surgery. Crazy! I have to pay a $500 deductible on this so far. I had 2 office visits insurance covered. I also got a statement for $312 for diagnostics that insurance covered. I have not received the anesthesiologist bill yet. I will owe 15% on that one I think. So far that is it.

I lucked out today! I went to my local Rite Aid to buy Bio Oil. Rite Aid had a store brand (same ingredients). Bio was 12.99 store brand was discontinued and 75% off. I got the last 2 bottles for $2.27 a piece! If anybody has a Rite aid you might want to check it out.

5 Week Check Up...
Had my doc appt yesterday. She released me from all restrictions. Hooray! She said I will feel it if I overdo. Be careful, listen to my body. She said I look great. My underneath scars are still a little tender. She said that is normal. All my scabs are gone. She said just to rub regular lotion on them. I prefer the Bio Oil though. I'm not sure she meant the breast itself or the scars. I go back in one month and I will ask again. I think my left nipple is centered better then the right. I don't know if my right breast is just a little fuller and that is what is causing it. I still get pain from the lipo. Especially after a busy day at work. Seat belt still bothersome. I haven't wore the real bra yet as I am still sore underneath. Maybe I will try this weekend. I took a nap on my side today. Felt good. I go back and forth being really happy with them and then thinking they are to big. I think I need to lose weight and it is so hard. I am scared to do sit ups. My belly is just to big now. It doesn't match my breasts. I do feel better though and glad I did it. One other thing. I owed $500 from what my insurance claim stated. The receptionist has my balance at over $1000. I will need to check into that arrggh! My hubby is still excited about them, even with the scars.

Well I broke down and went bra shopping yesterday. I bought 3 colors of the Bali Comfort Revolution bra. It has been mentioned by a few gals on here. It has no underwires which I love! I wore Bali before surgery. I am very happy to report I am a "C" cup! Hooray! Haven't been a C since high school! Doing well. Scars are healing more everyday. Still a little tenderness underneath and where lipo was but not bad at all.

9 week update
Had final post op appt today. I do not have to go back anymore. Yeah! She said I look great. Scars will continue to heal and fade. I have some hard spots underneath that will soften and fade also. Just takes time. She said my breasts will eventually sag again. I asked her how long I will have these perky ones. She said probably 10-15 years! Wow! Nice surprise. I thought it would be a year or two at the most. She also recommends that I wear a bra and not go braless too much. I have a little pain on the sides when I wake up in the mornings. It is still from the lipo and will continue fade also. All in all I am very happy with my decision. I am now trying to decide how to lose some weight on the rest of me. Good luck to everybody who has had or is having a BR. Hope you all are doing well and are happy!

So its' been a year and I thought I should update what my overall feeling is now.
I absolutely hate the scars. Hopefully they keep healing but I am not optimistic.
Scar under the breast looks sloppy to me. (Like skin was sewn overlapping)
I think they are still to big. They look odd to me. To far apart. Left side where lipo was has more overlap of skin then the right.
They just don't look normal.
Even the nipples look weird. They point to the sides.
I do however feel better, look and fit better in clothes.
I am thinking about going back to Dr for a follow-up so she can see her work and let her know my concerns.
Knowing what I know now...
If I was in my 20's I probably would not do this surgery.
Would look for surgery with less scarring.
Not 100% I would do it again.
I guess I am 50/50 now.
My husband does not like them . He loves me and supports my decision but has honestly told me they don't look normal or feel normal.
I don't want to be to negative (as I know it is exciting) but I think it's important to get all the info you can before you make this decision.
I will post again what my Dr has to say.