My Breast Reduction Journey: It's Done! - 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.

Hi ladies! I go for my pre-op appointment on Monday, 11/4/13. Getting so close! I have prepared a list of questions/talking points to make sure I don't forget anything. Can you ladies who have already gone through this look at my list and let me know if I should add anything? Also, is it important for the person who will be taking care of you on surgery day to attend the pre-op? Or will they get after-care instructions before leaving the hospital? Thanks!

- FMLA paperwork- how long is recommended for leave?
- When do I start taking prescriptions (antibiotic, nausea, pain)? Morning of? When I get home?
- Do I still take multi-vitamin and Vitamin C morning of surgery?
- Will I have internal dissolvable stitches? Any external stitches that have to be removed?
- Is it likely I will I have drains? For how long?
- If no drains, what happens to fluid?
- Lipo under arms? Do I need it?
- How far will scar reach around?
- SIZE: I want to be a C. Is this a realistic expectation?
- Nipple placement/size
- What if there are problems/issues? Are revisions covered?

- How many days after is my first post-op? Post-op schedule?
- Do I need more than one surgical bra?
- How long do I wear surgical bra?
- Do I wear a sports bra after that? How long until I can wear regular bra?
- When will I start scar treatment? Do you recommend certain product?

- Is there a certain amount of time I should wait before getting pregnant? Like years?
- Will they "grow back" after pregnancy?

I had my pre-op appointment today. My doctor has a really dry sense of humor and when he first came into the exam room, he was like "so...about your implants", lol. It went really well and I got all my questions answered. He said he can probably get me to a C. I told him I would rather be too small than too big. He said we would talk more about it when he is marking me up the morning of surgery. I will likely not have drains. He said he very rarely uses them anymore. I don't need lipo under my arms, so that's two things I won't have to worry about. I will go home completely wrapped up in gauze and tight bandage. I won't wear the surgical bra until I go back two days later for my first post-op. They will change my bandages and put me in the bra. I asked about having to change the bandages and they said I won't have to do that. I am supposed to leave everything alone and they will change them when I go in. I can shower after that first appointment. I will go back the following week twice and once the next two weeks.

After my pre-op, I went across the street to a specialty bra store to be fitted for my surgical bra. My insurance completely covers the bras, so that's awesome! I went home with two surgical bras, size 34D. The doctor said I will need to wear the surgical bra for at least the first three weeks and then I can wear whatever is comfortable.

I just need to get a few things this weekend and I will be all set. I want to get a wedge pillow and I need to get Mylanta, Colace, and baby wipes. I'm so ready for this week to be over with! I can't wait to be on the other side. :-)

I can't believe my surgery is tomorrow! I am so ready, but I'm starting to get a little nervous. I think because I've been so busy getting everything done with work and making sure I have everything ready, I haven't had a chance to be nervous. Well, today I woke up early with the surgery on my mind. My stomach has been a little upset with the nerves all day too. I don't really have anything left to do to keep my mind off it. I was telling my fiancé that I'm getting nervous and he said he is nervous too. He actually said, "It's a major surgery. I mean, you could die." Thanks Babe! That doesn't help my nerves, lol. He decided he is going to take me on a sunset flight around the city to get my mind off it. (He's a flight instructor.)

I don't have to get up super early, since I don't have to be there until 10:30. My surgery isn't until 12:30. It's nice I don't have to get up early, but that also means I can't eat almost all day! Well, wish me luck! I'll update when I can.

It's all over. I'm home trying to rest. I'm in more pain than I expected, but tolerable if I keep up on the pain meds. I woke up in recovery really nauseated and kept getting nauseated every time they gave me pain medicine. I apparently had already thrown up, but I don't remember it. I threw up on the car ride home and again this morning.

I'm all bandaged up, so I haven't seen them yet. I go in tomorrow for my bandages to be changed, so I'll see them then. The doctor told my fiancé and mom that he thinks I'll be very happy with them. He said he took as much as he safely could. I have these little flaps that open to check the nipples. My fiancé checks them every four hours to make sure they are pink and that the color comes back after he presses them. They are doing well and I have feeling in both. As sick as I was last night, the nurse asked me if I would do it over knowing how badly I felt at that time and I said yes!

Well, the last two days have been rough! On Tuesday I was nauseated all day. I threw up in the morning and again in the afternoon. I was also in a lot of pain and my bandage felt really tight. That night I started feeling sick when I went to bed. I woke up about 11:30 and started throwing up. I threw up all night! It was awful. I was throwing up about every thirty minutes. I couldn't keep anything down, including the nausea medicine. By morning I was in so much pain. I hadn't had pain medicine and my muscles were super sore from throwing up. We called my doctor and they said not to give me anything until I went in for my appointment at noon. By the time I went in, I had been twelve hours with no pain medicine. I went in and the nurse took off the bandage. I felt so much better as soon as she cut it off! She just changed the tape around my nipples and left the rest alone. My mom and fiancé were in there with me and they both said they looked so good. They were expecting them to be really bruised, but they weren't. I laid down on the table for the nurse to change the tape and they stayed right where they were, lol. No more boobs under my armpits! She got me into my surgical bra. She said the Percocet was probably just too strong for me since I'm so small. She switched me to Lortab and gave me a prescription for Zofran as well.

I'm doing so much better now. I'm only taking half of the Lortab every four hours. I haven't felt nauseated since yesterday morning. I'm much more comfortable in the bra. My fiancé helped me shower last night. He bathed me where I couldn't reach and washed my hair. He even blow dried it for me! He has been amazing. I love my new boobies! I think they are the perfect size for my body. He says he likes them too. He said I look more normal, lol.

I was able to sleep all night last night. I woke up about 6 am and he helped me move back to the couch before he went to work. My bed is really high, so I can't get in and out of it by myself. His mom is here with me until Sunday, so it's nice to have her help. I'm just laying on the couch today. It's so amazing how much better I feel and what a difference there is in my boobs.

I forgot to update with how much was removed. He removed 574 grams from the right and 470 from the left. That's over a pound each side! So crazy!

My surgery was a week ago today. I have been feeling better each day. My pain has been pretty tolerable the last few days. I started taking Tylenol at about 4 days post-op, mostly because the constipation was getting bad. I did well with just Tylenol until yesterday morning. I had tried to sleep flat on my back the night before and woke up more swollen and in pain. I took half a pain pill in the morning and another half before bedtime last night. I'm doing well with just the Tylenol, but I'm going to continue to take half a pain pill at bedtime for a few more days to help me sleep.

I had my second post-op appointment this morning. PS said everything is looking good and healing like it's supposed to. They took off my original tape and removed the only two outside sutures, which were on my t-junctions on each side. The tape removal hurt a little bit. They replaced the tape with fresh tape and said it didn't need to be changed again until next Monday. PS said my swelling and drainage are both normal. He said my swelling will continue to go up and down for the next few months. As for restrictions, he said to listen to my body and don't do anything that doesn't feel comfortable. If I'm not ready to go back to work next week, they said they would recommend another week off. We'll see how I feel later in the week.

Basically I'm still taking it easy. After my appointment this morning, my fiance and I went to breakfast. It was nice to be out of the house, but I was tired when we got home. I'm still just resting on the couch mostly. I can shower by myself, but it does take me longer than usual. It's so cool to bend over to shave my legs and not have my boobs resting on my thighs! My fiance has been blow-drying my hair for me since it still feels like it pulls too much for me to do it. I'm just being really cautious to try to prevent any complications. Tomorrow will be my first day at home all day by myself. I think I'll be okay. We're going to have stuff out where I can reach it and a little ice chest with ice for my water. (I still can't open the freezer, lol. It's one of those bottom freezers with a drawer-type pullout and is too heavy for me to pull open.) I didn't ask to take a picture between tape changes at the doctor, so I don't have any pictures of that. I'm in my surgical bra again, so I'll have to wait to take more pictures until shower time. It's a two-person job to get in and out of this thing, lol.

Oh, I forgot to add that I was able to fit into a button-down shirt from college that I never thought I would be able to wear again! I think I wore it once and then it shrunk in the wash and wouldn't button. I pulled it out to try for my appointment this morning, not really expecting it to fit, but it did! :-)

Here is an updated picture from this morning. A week and a day post op. I think I'm looking pretty good. There's not much bruising and the swelling isn't too bad. I'm definitely still swollen, but it s not as bad as I thought it would be. Probably because I'm still not doing too much. I've got some leakage from my left T-junction and the left is also the more swollen side.

A couple of weeks before my surgery my mom showed me these little bralettes she had bought for herself, but she didn't feel like they supported her enough. She told me I could have them since they might fit me after surgery. I laughed and said I would probably never be THAT small! I kept them though, because...maybe? I tried one on, and holy crap you guys, it fits! And it looks so cute. I literally had tears in my eyes looking ay myself in this tiny little "bra".

Well, it's been two weeks already! Things are still going pretty good. I'm starting to feel more back to normal, but still not 100%. I haven't been taking pain medication for the last couple of days, not even Tylenol. I had planned on going back to work today, but decided to take another week off. I would have only worked three days this week anyway, due to Thanksgiving, and my doctor said they would not release me back to work until I'm fully comfortable with it. I am able to do more than I could at first, but I still can't reach too far, raise my arms above shoulder level, or lift more than ten pounds. If I had just a desk job, I would probably be fine, but because I am a social worker and also have to go out in the field, I just didn't feel like I was ready for that.

I went to the doctor today for my two-week follow-up and tape change. I'm a little disappointed with how my left side is doing right now. :( I've been having a lot of leakage on my left side and when the nurse removed the tape she said it was really wet. My skin had been constantly wet underneath the tape, so it caused a sort-of diaper rash type irritation. To me it looks like the t-junction is open, but she said it is not open, it's just my skin that is irritated. I had two sutures that had worked their way to the surface that were causing the leakage. She clipped them and said that it would probably look much better in just a couple of days. The doctor came in and looked at me and said that everything else looks good. He wanted to keep the tape off that area so it can dry out. He told me to put Neosporin on the area for two days, and after that put Vaseline on it if it gets too dried out. He said he wanted to see me back in two weeks and we would probably leave the tape off at that point and start scar treatment. Even though I'm not seeing him for another two weeks, I'm going back next Monday for the nurse to change my tape (and for my own piece of mind.) I have gauze on the area now and am all taped back up. So, the left side is a little gross looking right now and the right looks pretty good. I'm happy with the incision lines, so hopefully the problem areas will be better in a couple of days and they both will look good!

So far I am happy with the size. I look so much better in my clothes! I'm not sure what size I am, but somewhere around a C/D. I ordered a couple of Coobie bras for later. I have to wear the surgical bra for another couple of weeks and then I can switch to more "normal" bras. I liked the Coobie bras because they seem to be like the Genie bras, but with thin straps. I don't want to have to wear thick grandma straps anymore! I'm pretty excited for them, so I hope I like them.

It's been three weeks since my surgery. I went back to work today, but I had to leave early for my three week post-op appointment. I was glad I was able to leave early because I was so tired by the afternoon! I'm feeling better physically, like as far as what I'm able to do. I'm able to reach my arms farther and get myself into regular shirts. I'm still being cautious though. Don't want to overdo it. Still not lifting or raising my arms above my head.

The spots on my left breast look worse than they did last week. I went back to the doctor today and they said that the tissue (yellow-greenish areas) is thicker, which means that it is healing. To me it just looks so much worse though. :( They pulled out four more sutures on the left and two on the right. She said that my body just isn't doing well with the internal sutures. It's pushing them to the surface and keeping the area irritated. She said that hopefully now that she got those four big ones out that it will start to heal more. They told me to really increase my protein intake, which will help in the forming/healing of the tissue. I'm supposed to eat 23 grams of protein for each meal and supplement with protein shakes. That's a lot of protein! I'm supposed let the areas breathe more and put vaseline on them if they get too dry. I'm also allowed to sleep without a bra, in a cotton t-shirt to let the area breathe at night. I don't have to, only if I'm comfortable with it. She put tape over the bottom left area, but said to take it off if it starts looking too wet. She also put tape over the right small area, but left the tape off all the other incision areas. I go back this Thursday for her to check it and remove the tape if I haven't already done so.

I had been taping gauze over the gross areas because they were leaking so much, but my skin pulled off under the tape today. She said my breasts are still really swollen, making my skin super tight. I'm not supposed to use any more adhesive on my breasts. So, no taping gauze down or using adhesive gauze strips. I'm just supposed to use one small non-stick gauze pad over the area and let my bra hold it in place.

This whole issue has gotten me kind of down. I expected to be doing so much better by this point! I just really can't wait to be fully healed and not have to worry about leakage and wound care. I want to get out of the surgical bra, but I won't do that until I stop leaking. I know it could be much worse, so I don't want to sound like I'm whining too much.. I am really happy with the size and shape and still soo glad I was able to have this surgery.

I went back to the doctor this morning. He said I am looking good. He isn't too concerned about my problem areas. He said this type of thing is pretty common. I asked about what kind of scar it will leave. He said that we will let it heal up and see how it ends up looking. He said it won't necessarily leave a scar that looks bad, but if it does he will do a scar revision. This will be done in his office with local anesthesia. The nurse (who saw me on Monday) said that it looked better than it did then. She said the tissue is thicker and the places are not sunk-in, which is what we want for it to start healing. They took off a couple of places that had gotten a little hard, like a scab, so it bled a little. I need to continue covering the areas with non-stick gauze, held in place by my bra, and keep the areas moist with vitamin A&D ointment so that they don't form scabs. They said to continue with my increased protein intake, Vitamin C, and multi-vitamin. I can continue sleeping without a bra at night and he said I can wear whatever bra I am comfortable in during the day. Since my surgical bra is comfortable, I am going to continue wearing it until my drainage stops. I don't have tape on at all now. I got scar cream that I will start putting on my incisions, except for the open areas. I start this on Monday, which will be my 4-week mark. I go back on the 19th for my next check.

I feel a lot better today. Monday and Tuesday I was so swollen by the afternoons! My breasts were really hard and my skin was stretched really tight. I think I just did too much my first two days back at work. I decided to stay home on Wednesday to rest and let my swelling go down. It helped because I felt so much better today and didn't get as swollen. I'm really trying to take it easy.

I was 4 weeks post op yesterday. I went back to the doctor yesterday because I had another stitch poking through the vertical incision on the right side. The nurse clipped that stitch and also found two more in my bottom wound area on the left. She got those out and even though I'm not scheduled to go back until the 19th, she said to definitely come back in as many times as I have to if I see or feel anymore stitches coming through.

My right side is almost closed now. The left side is still giving me trouble. The nurse said it is looking better, but I don't see it. It still looks so bad to me. The bottom still drains significantly and I have to wear gauze over it. The left side is also still more swollen than the right. I'm sleeping without a bra at night and still wearing my surgical bra during the day. Overall I am still happy with the results. I just deal with the wounds in the morning and then go about my day. I still have swelling in the afternoons, but other than that I don't really think about it.