Breast Reduction: Stories

I'm 41 years old and i'm 190 lbs. mi bra size is 38 F but I'm not sure because i didn't bought a bra for the last 5 years! I been hating my boobs since i can remember, I always asked myself why me? my 2 sisters have normal boobs, my mom have normal boobs, my aunts have normal boobs, MY GRANDMA have big boobs (aha!) maybe that's why!!
and i been begging my husband to help me to get the money for my surgery, i showed him how heavy are my breasts, i told him every day about my neck and back pain, I showed him the marks all around my rib cage and my shoulders and how unhappy i am every time i want to buy clothes, all my blouses are this brand MATERNITY and finally he decided to give me the money (i know this is all the savings we have) but he said he is tired of see me unhappy, that's why i adore him!

My surgery its been schedule for September 6 2012, i already paid my deposit $500
this Monday 8/20 its my appointment to do my analysis and my mammography.

I been reading realsef reviews every single day for the past 3 months and i feel i little bit confident that everything is going to be fine (GOD HELP ME), but i have terror or the general anesthesia sometimes i feel like my lips are numb because of the stress of thinking that my surgery day is coming!!!! 19 more days

i bought some things that i read in some reviews that im going to need
1- antibacterial soap
2-milk of magnesia
3- vitamin E skin therapy oil
4- i bought 2 sports comfort bra front-close at walmart $10 each
5-2 sets of pajamas that have buttons in the front
6- hand shower for the days im not going to be able to shower
7- a lot of mini pads for the boobs
8- a new towel to use it only me

I'm also worried of this really hot days that we have in California, we don't have air conditioner and i don't know what i'm going to do to keep my sutures dry, all i can think is to be in front of the fan all day long!

today i went to get my mammogram $100 and my analysis $65, I was so scare of the mammogram because i thought it was going to be very painful, but thank god it wasn't, maybe a little pain when they squeeze my boobs 2 times each side but nothing that i can not tolerated, just to let you know i saw on facebook that when we go for a mammogram we have to ask them for the thyroid guard to cover the throat so we don't expose the thyroid to the radiation, i asked for one and the lady ask me if i have problems with my thyroid and i told her no but can i still use it? she give me one but she didn't give me nothing extra to cover the rest of my body is this normal?? when i went to tijuana to do my mammogram 2 years ago they protect the rest of my body with an special apron.
well i'm going to get the results by mail in 2 weeks but my PS is going to get them in 2 days... i hope everything is ok

im not feeling good =(
i have a lot of stress waiting for my surgery, im feeling a lot of weird things all around my body
yesterday my lips feel numb and my left leg had a burning sensation , and today i dont feel nothing!!
I have my pre op appointment this coming 8/27 and i wish that i will be able to talk to the anesthetist before the surgery
( i hope with all my hearth that nothing bad that happens to me) i dont have insurance, im spending all our savings in this surgery so if i have any problem that is going to be a HUGE problem for us so i will be a GOD GIRL and follow my PS instruction

omg!! i can not stop thinking and thinking how big or how small my boobs are going to be!!!..... i HATE HATE HATE sizes with the letter D but i don't want to be smaller than C
i think i don't ever know what i want!!!!!!! its frustate i'm in a panic mode today 0,0
i'm hoping that as soon as i can talk to my PS all my worries get to a lower level
i was hoping to loose weigh before the surgery but i'm a emotional eater and its been very hard to do it!! i lost 5 pounds but its not enough (shame on me)
my 2 main concerns about the surgery
1-to wake up from the anesthesia (i meant waking up after surgery is done not during the surgery)
2- The size my boobs are going to be: what if they still too big what if they are too small ........ i think i need to relax because im getting myself a headache with all this thinking!!!!!

today was my pre-op appointment and my doctor told me that my mammogram results are not normal, he said that i have to go back tomorrow to the clinic for a second mammogram 0,0
i wanted to cry!!!!!!!!!
i have a 10mm "questionable nodule" on my left breast and additional imaging evaluation is needed
the doctor told me that because i have large breast sometimes the low radiation they use for the mammogram is not enough to see clearly what is inside of the breasts, he was really nice explaining to me that this is common in people with large breast and he said that maybe is a cyst, DOES ANYBODY HERE WITH BREAST REDUCTION SURGERY HAD THE SAME MAMMOGRAM RESULTS AS ME????? please i need to know.
he told me this at the very beggining of the appt so when he asked me if i have questions my mind was totally gone even that i have like 20 questions that i write in a small notebook
i dont know what to think , i don't want to be more stressed because i already am with this whole surgery waiting and now this!!!!!
i have an appt tomorrow for the second mammogram so my doctor will have the results in 2 days
i wonder why in the world he never checked my results before today????? i went for the mammogram on august 20 a week ago and i dont know when he had the results on his hands, IM PRAYING WITH ALL MY SOUL THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE GOING TO BE OK

today i went to take the mammogram again
the lady was very nice but she squish my left breast soooo hard that she make cry, but i know that was necessary
she took 5 x-rays until she was satisfied with the image, then she told me to wait outside because she was going to show the pictures to the x-rays specialist , i waited for like 10 minutes but for me it was like 5 hours!!!!
she call my name and told me to go home i asked her if everything was ok and she said yes..... i was hoping that she can explain me what was the thing that they saw on my breast , but i guess i have to wait until tomorrow when my PS have the final results, im going to call him tomorrow......
and guess what?????? TODAY i got in the mail a certificate letter from the hospital telling me that "the recent breast study showed a finding that requires additional imaging studies, most such findings are benign (not cancer)
so that is the letter that i was supossed to get but they didnt send me until my PS called them yesterday to ask them about my results, they send him the results but didnt send them to me, well i think it was best for me to heard this from DR. WALI instead of just reading the letter by mysef. he make it sounded like it was not big deal.
hank you to all the beautiful ladies that showed me a lot of support and thank you for the prayers and the blessing it sure help me a lot during this moments of panic, GOD BLESS YOU ALL and im so lucky to be on this beautiful group =)

I DONT EVEN KNOW HOW I FEEL TONIGHT i am stressed and worried and scared and excited and happy and sad and ...........well to tell you the true....i want this to happen very fast because i dont want to feel this way no more, i can not think of nothing else but my surgery. im scared to death of the general anesthesia, and i dont even know yet if i want my boobs to be still big or if i rather want them small !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i really hate my big boobs and i dont want the doctor to leave them big but im scared to discover that my breasts are too small after the surgery, iam soo stressed about this that my left eye its been twitchin a lot for the last week and i know that this is because i have lot of stress.=(
i dont know if im going to be able to sleep tomorrow night
my surgery its on thursday september 6th at 7:30 am

HERES A FEW MORE PICTURES OF MY BREASTS, i don't want to forget how i looked before the surgery
i want to remember that i'm doing this because of my health not just to look better, i don't have many pictures of me because i always hated to be in the pictures because all i saw it was my breasts.
i want to tell to all the ladies who write me any comment here that THANKS TO EVERY SINGLE COMMENT I RECEIVE, IT HELP ME TO GET THE CONFIDENT THAT EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE OK
IN A FEW HOURS ILL BE IN THE OPERATING ROOM AND IM NOT VERY AFRAID JUST A LITTLE, BUT I'M MOST EXCITED BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MY LIFE IS GOING TO CHANGE FOR THE BETTER!!!!!
THE ONLY THING THAT I REALLY HATE IS THAT I WONT BE ABLE TO DRINK Y COFFEE IN THE MORNING =(
WELL I HOPE THAT ILL BE ABLE TO WRITE SOMETHING TOMORROW AFTER SURGERY
i'm going to try to sleep, DEAR GOOD PLEASE HELP ME AND I NEED YOU BY MI SIDE IN THE OPERATING ROOM HOLDING MY HAND I BEG YOU.

I WILL POST ALL THE SURGERY INF, LATER
IM OK BUT STILL DIZZY
I HAVE A BIG QUESTION I BEEN TROWING UP EVERYTHING I TRIED TO EAT!!! I HAVENT BE ABLE TO KEEP ANY FOOD IN MY STOMACH, I TRIED GREEN SALAD, CRACKERS, SWEET BREAD, JELLY SADWICH, BUT NOTHING WORKS WHAT CAN I DO???? I HAVE AN APPT TOMORROW WITH MY PS
ANY SUGGESTIONS PLEASE???

DAY OF THE SURGERY
my surgery was done at the FOUR SEASONS SURGERY CENTER in ONTARIO CA
all the people there are excellent!!!!! great care im so lucky
my and my husband arrive at 6:30 am and the doctor arrive around 8:00 i think
as soon as i get there the nurses began with all the questions about my history health, then the anesthesiologist came to talk to me he asked me questions and then he put some liquid in my nostrils he said that will help me to breath better after the surgery.
my PS arrive and inmediately he began with the marks all around my breasts. i can tell that my PS is a perfectionist because he spend a lot of time doing this marks and then measurements and he looked and looked and he was moving my breasts like he was doing the surgery in his mind, GOOD JOB i really loved that he took his time to think about the better way to shape my breasts!!!! =)
the anesthesiologist put something in my IV and told me that i was going to feel dizzy, then they took me to the operating room and put a mask on my face and i started to smell something weird and then ..........i dont remember nothing else.
when i wake up the first think i noticed is that i didnt have any sore throat =) y told the nurse that i wanted to pee and she asked me if i wanted to go to the restroom and i said no, then she put something under my butt and i pee a lot, when my husband arrived to pick me up i wanted to go pee again and the nurse took me to the restroom in a wheelchair and i was vomiting in the sink and peeing at the same time =( it was so embarrasing but i can not hold it!!
yesterday i wasnt feeling good i got no pain but every time i tried to eat something i had to trow up, today i went to see my PS and he just told me that i can take a shower tomorrow and wednesday he is going to take out the drains he took a peek on my breasts but im too chicken to look i dont know yet how my new boobs look, tomorrow i will when i change my bra and i will take a picture to show you.
it its true what all the other ladies say, THE WORST THING ABOUT THE SURGERY .... IS THE WAITING ... i swear i know it is very hard to believe it but is TRUE i havent see my boobs but deep inside me i know that im not the same, i can feel it!!!!
heres 2 pictures that i took this morning before going to see the PS, i will post more tomorrow. sorry if i dont give too much details but i still dont feel 100% good and it takes me more time to write in english because i have to look on google all the words that i dont know
i was able to eat today but my stomach is growling all the time like i have a lot of gas!!!! what can i do ??

i dont know if my breasts are going to stay this big? or if they will go smaller ????
im not unhappy with this size but i will be happier with a little more smaller
the antibiotics are killing my stomach!!!!
and the drains are the most part that it hurts!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hopefully the doctor will remove them on wednesday
im getting excited with my new breasts but because i been having really bad stomachaches i been down a little bit
yesterday i had my first shower and my husband helped me, because i was afraid to pass out because i dont know why when i take out my bra i feel very dizzy
im now taking once a day my pain killers.
and my shoulders and back are sore from being on my back all the time
i really miss hugging my husband at night =(
im sleeping in the couch and he is sleeping in the floor next to me in the only room that we have AC (not our bedroom)

YESTERDAY i went to see my PS and he removed the drains .. i was so scared because i though it was going to be painful but..... i almost didn't feel it!!!
i had a lot of questions for my PS.... but he was in a hurry!! =(
i had to asked him to wait because he had one foot inside the room and one foot outside already }=(
i had like 15 questions but i only feel comfortable asking him a few
1- HE DID THE ANCHOR TECHNIQUE FOR MY REDUCTION
2- IM NOT SUPPOSED TO TAKE OUT THE TAPE I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL IT FALLS LITTLE BY LITTLE
3- HE TOOK 700 GRM OF BREATS TISSUE....... ON....BOTH...BREASTS...????...????? LIKE 1 1/2 POUND TOTAL BOTH BREASTS??????? I WAS 38 F WILL THIS AMOUNT OF BREAST TISSUE REMOVED WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE?????
OF COURSE THAT I'M MORE HAPPY TODAY WITH MY BREASTS THAN I WAS BEFORE..... THEY ARE A LITTLE MORE SMALLER..... THEY ARE WAY MORE LIFTED.... AND MY NIPPLES ARE THE SIZE OF A QUARTER COIN.... BUT WHEN I LOOKED AT THE MIRROR I CAN STILL SEE BIG BOOBS :,(
my PS told me that my breasts are swollen ... but im still seeing me as a lady with big breasts
i told him that i hate any size with letter D and i almost feel a stomachache thinking that i'm going to have to keep buying bras with the purple hanger (all bras with letter D have purple hanger)
a'm I panicking??????, i know that my PS did a great job because i love the shape of my breasts and everything has been ok but .... i almost feel depressed with this feeling. it is too soon to tell about my final size??? help me please!!!!
i been reading a lot of histories here and it looks like 1 1/2 pound removed its nothing compared to almost 2 1/2 pounds removed of some girls here =( my fear is that with time my breasts will be as big as they were before

4- I ASKED HIM WHEN CAN I START USING THE PALMER'S OIL ON MY BREASTS AND HE TOLD ME... DO.. NOT.. PUT.. OIL AND DO NOT MASSAGE YOUR BREASTS... YOU WILL CAUSE YOU A INFECTION IF YOU PUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT ON YOUR BREASTS, AND HE REALLY MEAN IT... OK.. I WILL NOT =) I KNOW THAT IM JUST ONE WEEK AFTER SURGERY AND THAT IS TOO SOON .. I WILL WAIT UNTIL HE GIVES ME THE OK

im feeling really good, only sore on both sides of my breasts, im dying to be able sleep on my stomach , im still feel like that my breasts are big, but in excellent shape!! =)
heres a few pictures of my breasts at 3 weeks from surgery
the vertical incision is numb, my nipples are super sensible if i touch them it hurts.
i think that im very swollen on the sides
i don't know what size im right now and i don't want to know all i know is that i can still wear my old bra but it fits me perfect nothing spilling
i will post more pics. if something new happens (i hope not) or when i notice a big change.

ITS BEEN 3 days since i started developing this ugly rash under my breasts near the vertical incision, i don't know why and is very itchi and it feels hot to the touch, and its spreading up to my nipples, im scared that it can get worse, i called my ps, but he is "busy" doing surgeries and i have my appt until thursday, does anybody here had the same problem? what can i do??
help me please !!!

a week ago i went to wa-lmart to buy me a new support bra and.......... I DIDN'T WASHED BEFORE WEARING IT!!!! shame on me !! my husband told me to do it but i never thought that it was going to be any problem :(
so the next day i wear it i started to developing a rash and it spread to my nipples real quick
yesterday i wet to see my PS and he told me to buy CORTIZONE CREAM and CLOTRIMAZOLE CREAM the first one to use it near the incisions and the second one to use it on the areas away from the incisions.
i know that the cortizone is to help with the rash but the clotrimazole is to treat athlete's foot symptoms??? i don't know why but if my ps told me to use it i will.
thank you to all the kind ladies that gave me me advise about the rash , THANK YOU THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
I WILL BE MORE CAREFUL ON WHAT I WEAR ON MY BREASTS SPECIALLY IT HAS TO BE CLEAN
PLEASE LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE BECAUSE THIS RASH SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME!!!!