“1994 Jennifer Aniston Haircut, 2011 Jennifer Aniston Boobies - Saint Petersburg, FL”

After trying to get a reduction since 2005, I finally found the PS and office staff that would advocate for me to my insurance company successfully. I was armed with a current MRI that shows an arthritic spine and neck, documentation of 3 months of physical therapy, a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis and of course all the other stuff (like shoulder grooving) that comes along with having 38DDD (or larger) breasts.

The approval came approx 2.5 weeks following my initial visit to the PS office and we moved in on surgery plans right away. My choice of plastic surgeon stemmed from a few factors. 1. I found my PS on my insurance plan. 2. She is a seasoned PS with a degree from Harvard as well as lots of experience. 3. She is VERY meticulous! Every little detail matters and she takes her time.

Since I live alone, it was very important to prep my apartment for post op. Although I have an awesome friend who stayed with me the night of the surgery (12/29), she could not be here forever. I prepared some dishes and bought some nice foods to sort of pick at with lots of fiber and placed everything on the counter that I might need since you cannot put your arms over head level. Also, put clothes that I might be able to wear opening in the front, on a lower level in the closet. Baby wipes, plenty to drink, stuff to read, ect were also part of the prep.

Pre-op visit, I got my prescriptions so I could pre-fill, instructions on how to measure/document the fluid that comes from the tubes, and this is also the day she marked me up. This took at least 40 mins to an hour because she triple checks her measurements and the math involved in getting the perksters as identical as possible.

Day of surgery, I wasn't nervous too bad until everyone was discussing wheeling me back for surgery. BUT that's the last thing I remember until waking up with smaller boobies. :) My surgery was 8 hours due to my fantastic perfectionist PS. I asked for breasts that do not hang or bulge out on the sides. I also didn't want to be considered busty and told her that I wanted to be a full B or small C. Ask, and ye shall receive! I love them!!! The night of, I did need help with getting things and helping me up but I believe that may have more to do with the anesthesia. VERY WOBBLY! As soon as it wore off, I found that I could do most anything on my own. The following day, Lauren drove me to the PS office so the EXTREME post surgery dressings could get removed and I got to take a peek.

My back/neck pain is already relieved. I have full sensation in the left nipple but nothing in the right. I'm not concerned at all about this just yet though. I was sent home in a comfortable bra that they provided. This is day two. I am caring for myself and doing so with no problem. I am "over" the tubes and wish they could come out. (It doesn't help that my cat keeps trying to play with them) I can really feel the discomfort when my Vicodin wears off but it's not too terrible. Still no bowel movement and I DO have lots of bloating from the surgery but again, not concerned. One thing really cool that I noticed but did not expect is the skin between the breasts that seems to get wrinkly over time after sun damage and sleeping on your side with big boobs is SMOOTH AGAIN!!

I really do feel that I am 40 and now have a chest of a 20 year old again. So. Very. Happy! The only pic I have at the moment is a "before" but I will post some "afters" once I have healed more and feel comfortable taking the sports bra off.

Updated on 1 Jan 2012:
Happy New Year! I spent NYE marveling at my new breasts and smooth chest! Wishing you all health, wealth and happiness in 2012!

Updated on 5 Jan 2012:
Yesterday was a day of pure bliss because I got those damn drains out. Due to reading various experiences, my expectation was a brief stint of bad pain. I had some problems with the one on my right side so I asked Rosemary the nurse to take that one out first. She snipped the stitch, asked me to take a few deep breaths and swiftly removed it upon exhale. Hmmm no pain. Repeating the same actions on the other side, snip, breath, exhale, pull. OUCH!!! This time it hurt but I believe it was because that sucker was firmly planted with a clot in it. Oh well, it was quick and most important, it was OUT. Whew! She cleaned me up, took some pix for me and applied fresh strips on me. Dr Singer was very pleased with the healing progress. And she, in her "baby voice" told my boobs that directly. Especially telling the left one, which had the most removed and she re sculpted 3 times, how much it had been through. lol That was definitely funny. :) It was also cool to see someone who was proud of her creations. THAT is a sign of a surgeon who takes a genuine pride in their work for the right reasons.

I had worn a tube top with a shelf bra in it so that the entire dynamic of the drains were held firmly in place while I drove to the office. Rosemary is from the north so she asked me to get my "brar" so she could help me get it on. She put some gauze in it on each side to absorb anything from the drain sites which she said would close within 24 hours and she was right.

Following the appointment, I decided to go and try on a few bras so I could better get an idea of my size. I realize I am swollen still but who wouldn't be curious? Especially with a drastic change like the one I've had. It's official. I'm a B cup, no question. I bought two beautiful bras (9.99 ea) right off the sale rack at Steinmart. YAY!!!!

PROS:
MAJOR improvement in back pain
I no longer look heavy even though I'm not
I can button shirts and they look great on me
The skin between my breasts is smooth vs. wrinkled
I feel beautiful
I look normal

CONS:
I don't qualify to work at Hooters

Today's pain is pretty bad but I am thrilled to have it knowing one day it will go away unlike having the deformity of huge knockers that the human body was not meant to carry.

I will update more so stay tuned.... :)

Updated on 8 Jan 2012:
After several days and recycled bags of frozen peas later, the swelling and pain (particularly on the right side) was not subsiding. I had always heard that ice vs. heat helps best in inflammation but it was time to give the underdog a chance so I brought out the heating pad. Against my PS's wishes, I took that damn bra off and put on a snug fitting tank to give my underboobie incisions a break. I'm still sleeping on the sofa because when I lay semi-flat in bed, I feel my nipples will rip out of their sutures and into the boobie abyss. Last night I fluffed and propped all my surrounding pillows "just so" and curved the heating pad (on high) around my right breast and armpit. SO. much. BETTER! I repeated on the left side once I woke up so it wouldn't feel left out.

A warning to those who have not yet had the procedure: Don't be a fool like me and think because those horrifying drains are out that you are "free to move about the cabin". I totally did too much walking/cleaning/playing dress up with my new "B's" that I was EXTRA swollen and nauseated the next day. Just rest up like your told and don't rebel against authority like I often do.

THE CUP SIZE FACTOR: There has been some questions both here and from personal friends on my size choice. My original plan was to go with a C since that was the obvious choice for my body type. I obsessed over this, pictures of boobies and what the long term result would be. One factor to consider is future sagging so B cup it was! Post op, I realized that my large breasts were the sole contributor to my always looking overweight no matter what. Sure I have other problem areas but as my friend Jay put it: Barb, you walk into a room and all you see is boobs. Disclaimer: He was only trying to support my redux decision in a way that only a dude knows how.
Stacy and Clinton are ALWAYS pointing out that the smallest part of a woman's body is underneath the bustline. No bra could have shown me how true that was until the perksters came along (See operation tank top below). This plus smooth skin on my Florida sun damaged chest, being able to take or leave the bra specific to certain garments, and being overjoyed that I NO LONGER have to live in a constant state of pain is a solidification that I made the right choice for ME. I have never felt lighter or skinnier and those DDD/E's never made me feel as sexy as my new B cups.

I am certainly not campaigning for TEAM B CUP but wanted to offer the extended version of my decision making process. Everyone has to go with what factors are important to them with no doubts before surgery.

Today, day 10 post op, I'm gonna go find a friend to help me at the market since I've inhaled every morsel of food in the house.

Until next update, take care of yourselves whether you are pre or post op!

Updated on 13 Jan 2012:
Due to my RA meds, I am a slow healer. Today is day 15 and I am feeling the pain like whoa! I really don't like to complain about pain but standing up makes me feel like there's not enough skin to go around here. It feel sooo tight under and to the sides of my breasts. I've read about others feeling this. How long does this shiz last??
All my stitches came out today and Singer says she is thrilled with my healing progress. I do take this as a positive sign but can't help to whine to you poor people right now because my cat is being way too selfish to listen.

I notice there is some bounce going on when I walk now so I hold 'em because the bounce at this point isn't pleasant. Why can't I just be Elizabeth Montgomery and wiggle my nose here? This would all be healed up if I could.

I have no regrets still. As I posted on the forums, going in, I knew this wouldn't be all unicorns and rainbows but as far as the surgery and size, WINNING!! (Sorry, Charlie Sheen)

Victories of today's visit: I was cleared to shower, sleep on my side and go braless this week. YAY!!! (I know the braless thing is questionable to some but since I have RA and cannot take meds yet for it (or the 2 weeks prior), all I can do is lay because of THAT pain)

Hope you ladies are doing well! I am sleeping about 16 hours a day due to my RA fatigue so please forgive me if you've written and I don't respond in a timely manner. Take care of yourselves and have a great weekend!!

Updated on 18 Jan 2012:
Here we are 20 days post op and I'm feeling all jolty. Had I not read several reviews prior to surgery, I would think I was getting mildly tazed (sp?) from the inside out. Though the most disturbing happens to the nipple, it does happen in several areas of the breast. One might think a jolt to the nipple sounds like it feels good. It does NOT. Thankfully, pain is not how I would describe the feeling. Annoying fits better. My right breast is hogging most of this experience which is great because it was totally numb in places, including the nipple.

Like many others, I feel like my boobies are sunburned. Having gotten the OK to go braless this week, I have lightly applied Aquaphor to my nipples and covered them in gauze as to not irritate them further. I was turned onto Aquaphor by a tattoo artist. He called it Jesus Juice and told me it would help my tat heal faster than anything else. It was the only sincere and passionate thing he said in my presence so I got some and it worked. I applied it to ALL my suture lines the same day I started to go braless and within hours, that HORRIBLE tight skin feeling recovery "milestone" had subsided.

Though I feel that my breasts are still reshaping themselves, I don't notice any swelling EXCEPT where those damn drains came out of my sides. I know, I know....swelling lasts longer than the energizer bunny BUT part of me is anxious to ensure that crap goes away because it is seriously crazy looking. The concern about it being all fat was squashed when I could see that on the other side of where the drains were is waaaaaaaaaay flatter. It only puffs starting at the drains. Patience is not a quality I possess.

Other than that, I got nothin'. In the near future, I do plan to compose something to bring awareness to the emotional damage that having large breasts can bring. Damage from comments, inappropriate experiences, jokes, and having people assume we're sluts when we aren't. If anyone wants to share an experience with me via PM as a contribution, it would be highly appreciated and confidential.

Until next time.....

Updated on 22 Jan 2012:
Decided to post some pix here at the 3.5 week stage. I am dealing with an infection so that is covered in it's dressing. Kinda par for the course for someone with a lower immune system like my rheumatic self. It's Tricky to take pix that only include certain parts of yourself I think! So far, scars don't look too bad, getting more comfort in my chest everyday and the lovely sunburn feeling has passed at last! (Poet!)

Once the infection has healed, it's on to my scar treatment. My PS is using hybrisil on me. Anyone have any experience or knowledge of this? She says it's new and I'll get her free samples so she can see how it works.

Although the numbness and jolting is fading, the right nipple still does not seem to connect in that "special way" the left one does. Maybe it's reaction will resurface eventually. With touch, it does LOOK like it's reacting but I can't feel it. Any experience with this situation you wanna share is appreciated. Right now, just clinging to hope!