Breast Reduction: Stories

After having kids I went from a 34C to a 36DD/DDD. They hurt my back, cause indentations in my shoulders and generally make it hard to wear the types of clothes I want to wear. I finally got up the courage to ask for a consult and the process was much easier than I expected. Basically they have to remove 400cc and it is covered. The problem is that 400cc could possibly make me extremely small. I'm afraid of being left with an A cup. I have been pouring over before and after images and finding cc's removed where that info is listed. I swear as soon as he showed me how much he would be taking out, my boobs instantly became smaller to me even though they are the same size. I go back and forth between, "Oh they are not that big, just lose some weight and they will be fine." to "Just go for it, anything is better than what they are now!" I could definitely use some opinions on whether I should go through with it or not.

Just added a photo of 4 days post op. They are bruised and hopefully still a little swollen but at least look smaller than before.

It looks like I was worried about being too small for nothing. My ps said he only took a couple hundred grams out. Now I'm worried I'm not going to be small enough! I'm hoping some swelling will go down and I have 20 pounds to lose and that will leave me the c I wanted. He asked if I wanted him to error on the too big or too small side and I said too big because I thought he had to take 400 grams out and there would be no way I would be left a d. I have to keep reminding myself to wait and see and not worry for a couple of months.

Bummer, my appetite is back! I took full advantage of the loss of appetite I experienced the first 4 days after surgery and ate very light and healthy and I've lost almost 8 pounds this week. I don't know how that happened but I'll take it. I tooky measurements today and I'm actually measuring a 38C, almost a 38B with my sports bra on and the abd pads in. I'm feeling better about my size but I am so motivated to lose weight and have a nice body to go with my new perky boobs.

I have never had the best luck with blind faith. I tend to have the attitude of how bad can it be, it will be fine. Just go for it. Often times that attitude leaves me disappointed or worse. With Kaiser you are limited to the doctors they offer and I could find no reviews or information about the dr. I was referred to other than the generic info provided by Kaisers website. I had no option but to have blind faith in Dr. Vento and hope that my gut feeling was right and the fact that he was head of the department was a good sign. It is now day 12 post op and the healing is going really well. I did overdo it a few days ago and noticed a big increase in the swelling under my arms. They are still very hard but I think they may be softening a little. I'm over my little freak-out that they might have been left too big. They fit me beautifully and I am so excited to see them completely healed. I know they will only get better and if I am this happy with them now, I can only imagine how I will feel three months from now. I am so glad that I was referred to Dr. Vento, he did an amazing job and seemed to know what would look best on me and did that while keeping in mind all of our previous conversations. I am so happy, now I just can't wait to be completely healed so that I can resume my normal activities!

It's been three weeks and things are going great. I have to admit that I have been obsessing over what size I am going to end up. I really didn't want to be any bigger than a 36C but was so freaked out about the required 400 grams that I told him to error on the side of too large. After surgery they seemed so wide and were still fitting into D's, I freaked out a little. Now they are starting to soften and drop and I am really close to fitting into that 36C, I actually measure at a 38B! I think if I can get rid of the 20 pounds I need to lose I may end up even smaller which is just fine with me. I'm starting to feel relieved that it seems my PS "got it" and knew that I did want to be small even with all my worries about being too small. Although I was right, if 200 grams leaves me at a C, 400 would have left me flat!

It's been three weeks and things are healing nicely. They are starting to drop and soften up and have gotten a bit smaller which is a good thing for me. I still go back and forth between loving them and wondering if they are still bigger than I wanted but overall I am very happy. They are still tender, especially where the drains were and I think I still have a little swelling in those areas. I'm trying to be patient and just wait and see.

I haven't had a chance to do my 6 week update yet. I took pics and will try to get those up soon. Things are going great! I've spent the last couple of weeks away from bras and cup sizes and have just been wearing my sports bras and the Bali comfort bra that everyone was talking about. (love that bra) I've started back at the gym and have been doing the elliptical machine with the arms. My left breast tends to swell a bit more after a workout but it feels so good to workout again. I've notice that if I lift my arms up I can see an indentation where it looks like my breast ends and then the side swelling near my drain holes were starts. So hopefully when that swelling goes away completely I will have my C's but honestly either way I am happy with them. They look small on my tall frame and I can totally go without a bra an they are lifted up off my torso completely! I have to say that I love them :)

It's been about 3 1/2 months now. I am back to life as usual. Working out a lot and running is sooooo much more comfortable than before. I actually enjoy it now. I have purchased a few underwire bras. I never realized how much variation there is between manufacturers! I fit some C's and some D's. I bought the C's. Funny thing though, I still prefer a minimizer. Maybe I really did want to be a B? I bought the same style minimizer I had before (it was a DD and too small) but in a C cup this time (the D was too big). I just prefer the shape it gives me. I don't think I'll ever want a push up bra. Still have a little over 15 pounds to lose so I still hope they will be smaller. The one thing that bothers me a little is the shape they seem to have settled in. There is a lot more fullness in the bottom outside giving them a slanted appearance. I have been using Mederma on my scars. They are softening and flattening. They have also faded a bit. Hopefully over time they will fade much more. I know dark skin tends to pigment more and that is okay with me. I never was worried about the scarring. Overall, I am satisfied with the way they turned out. I know that I am so much smaller than before, two cup sizes smaller, and they fit my proportionally. I am still so glad I had it done.