My Breast Reduction Journey: One Year Later - Scottsdale, AZ

Hi ladies, I decided to make a review and share my story, since reading all of yours has been so helpful. I am 27 years old, 4'11" and currently 125 pounds. I am a 34H, which looks ridiculous on me. I have a small frame and have always been a very petite girl with huge boobs. Over the last few years I have put on a bit of weight, getting up to 140 pounds from being inactive and eating poorly. Over the last two months, I have lost 15 pounds by eating healthy and exercising. I still want to lose another 15 pounds or so to get to what I think is the most healthy weight for my height and body type. Since "taking charge" of my body and getting myself back on track, I decided that I would finally set up an appointment and see what I needed to do to have a breast reduction. I have wanted a reduction since high school, but always thought it would be difficult to get insurance to approve it and just never really tried.

Anyway, like so many of you, I have always had large breasts that are not proportionate to my body. I developed early, when I was in about 4th grade. It seems like I went straight from a training bra to needing a B/C cup right away. Of course this made me extremely self-conscious since I was the only one of all of my friends that had boobs already, much less such large ones. I developed poor posture and always wore clothes to try to hide my chest. By the time I entered high school, I was a little more comfortable with my body and less self conscious about it, but my large breasts continued to bother me. I didn't really have pain issues back then, it was more the fact that clothes didn't fit me and all of the comments that I received. It seemed my breasts were always the subject of jokes or comments, usually from people that weren't intentionally trying to hurt my feelings, but of course it did. I was active in high school and only weighed probably 100 pounds, but was still a D/DD. I thought I was huge then!

After high school, I continuously grew to my current size of 34H. I now have neck and shoulder pain, as well as almost daily headaches. My back hurts when I wake up in the mornings, likely because I am a stomach sleeper, and with my huge boobs underneath me, my back is arched all night. I can't find clothes that fit me. Either shirts are super tight across my boobs and back, or I wear a larger shirt and look pregnant from my boobs holding the material out. The worst experience was shopping for a wedding dress. The shop didn't have a long-line bra big enough for me, which was embarrassing and it made it difficult to see how the dresses would actually look on me. (I did find a dress though and can't wait to wear it on my wedding day in March! I know I will be much happier in my dress with smaller boobies!)

So, this brings me to where I am at now. After a particularly frustrating experience of shopping for a dress to wear to a friend's wedding, I finally decided to set up a consultation to find out what I needed to do to get the process started. I researched plastic surgeons in my area and decided on one based on his years of experience and his before/after pictures. I called the office on a Monday morning and went in for my consultation that Thursday, 9/26/13. The doctor and staff were extremely nice and knowledgeable. They assured me that I would have no problem getting approved by insurance. They sent everything in and I had my approval letter about a week later! Super easy! I called right away and scheduled the surgery. I have my pre-op appointment on 11/4/13 and surgery is scheduled for 11/11/13. I can't wait! I am so excited to get this done!

I don't know if it's just knowing that I won't have to deal with this pain anymore or what, but my back and neck have been killing me the last few days. I am so looking forward to this surgery! I haven't gotten nervous yet, just still really excited. The only thing that I am worried about is that I will go through all of this and still won't be small enough. I really want to end up a C cup. At my consultation, I told my doctor I wanted to be a full B or small C. He asked what that meant to me, and I told him that I just want to be proportionate to my body. He said he would take me to a C/D. He explained that he can only safely remove so much tissue to ensure the blood supply is still good. I trust that he will take as much as safely possible, I just really hope that leaves me at a C.

Exactly two weeks from now I will have smaller boobies! I seriously can't wait. Today starts the countdown! No more alcohol for a while. :( I'm really going to miss my wine, lol. I'm taking a multi-vitamin and 1000 mg of Vitamin C daily. I still need to go shopping for the things I'll need after surgery. I have my pre-op next Monday Nov. 4th and am working on my list of questions. I'm trying to get things sorted out at work so that I don't stress about it when I am out. I've got a lot going on right now, so I'm a little nervous about this. I'm a social worker and have to visit with each of my families every month. I'll be out for two weeks and then the week I go back is Thanksgiving week, which leaves me only about a week and a half to get all of my visits done for the month. I'm really not sure how I'm going to do it. I still haven't really gotten nervous about the surgery itself. I'm just anxious.