Looking Forward to the New Me! :) - New York, NY

Alright ladies, it’s time I come out of the shadows that I’ve been hiding in (quietly reading as many reviews as humanly possible on this site) and share my own story :)…especially since I’ve already had my Pre-Op! It’ll be a long first post, as I have to re-cap (sorry).

I’m a mother of three in my early thirties who’s been in need of a breast reduction/lift for YEARS. I had my first child when I was very young, so I can’t say I remember my breasts being small and perky because it’s been so long since they were that way. See, every time I’ve had a child, my breasts have ballooned to the size of milk-filled watermelons right after birth…they get huge and then basically deflate, lol. With my first child, I went from a large B to a C. With the next one, I went from a large C to a D, and so on…and each time they’ve sagged more. I’m currently a 34DD on one side and DDD on the other…I have disproportionate breasts to boot! I’m 5’6” and 145lbs, so they look pretty big on me. I life a very healthy lifestyle and workout regularly, but it's obvious that none of that will improve the condition of my breasts. I’ve learned to hide them pretty well with REALLY good bras that pick them up and tuck them in, but that means under wire digging into my ribs, straps that dig into my shoulders and the ride up in the back because of the weight they inflict on the bra. I have frequent back pain.
I never wear anything strapless because I feel like strapless bras just don’t hold them up and it’s always been a hassle to buy bathing suits. Even when I go out to buy regular tops or blouses, I have to go a size up so that there’s room for my breasts.

This has been a long time coming for me, as I’ve known that I could use a lift since my second child, but my ex-husband always said I didn’t need it, and you know how that goes. When I knew I was done having kids and became single, I started seriously thinking about it. Now, I’ve been single a while now, so this is in no way an ‘emotional’ decision after a break up or anything like that, lol.

I finally decided to have it done this year. I found this AMAZING site and it really was what sealed the deal for me. It took only about a couple of months for me to schedule and see the doctors that I had narrowed it down to. I saw Dr. Yager first and went to see a couple other doctors as well, which quoted the same price…they also had very good reviews, but I didn’t feel like they connected with me the way Dr. Yager did. Look, I get it, you know the questions we’re going to ask, so you have a script that you go over 20 times a day, but if you don’t even try to make eye contact with me as you’re going thru your spiel and seem uninterested on whether I choose you as a surgeon or not…it’s going to put me off. As a matter of fact, I’m still waiting for a reference from one of those other surgeons and it’s been over a month since I saw them, lol Dr. Yager and his staff have been amazing…I posted my review of him/his staff in the appropriate section.

So, after making my decision to go with Dr. Yager (shout out to the realself member who had the same procedure with him a while back and graciously answered my questions via PM…you know who you are :) …it was simply a matter of when do I do this? I put in my time off at work and decided on March 13th. I want to be all healed by the summer :)

I just had my Pre-Op this week and am all good to go. The Dr. and I agreed that I'll go down to a C cup because a B cup would be too small for me, and I'm perfectly happy with that. I need to go get a mammogram and blood work, which I’ll be taking care of within the next couple of weeks. So, now it’s time for the real countdown ladies...less than a month to go! I’ve honestly been SO busy with work and the kids that I haven’t really had time to get nervous. I suppose that as the day draws near it’ll become more ‘real’. I have my instructions for before, during and after the surgery, and have started putting together a list of things I need to purchase.

I want to thank all RealSelf members for taking the time and sharing their stories and photos; remember that photos are always a HUGE help…not just immediately post-op but 3, 6 and 9 month post-op photos, in my opinion, as they truly show the finished product.

Well, I have now gotten all the tests done and it's just a matter of getting the phone call from the Dr.'s office saying that all is good and we're right on schedule. Fingers crossed! :)

The doctor's office called and said that all my tests came in fine and I am now officially on the schedule for the 13th! You know when you realize you've been holding your breath? lol...I felt relieved (not that I thought anything bad would happen, but still). Now, the REAL countdown begins :)
I have already been having a bit of difficulty sleeping and feeling some anxiety (add to that a huge workload and dealing with the kids)...so I just hope these 13 days go by quickly.