Breast Reduction: Stories

Hi! I am so excited to finally be starting my own review and breast reduction journey on Realself.com. I'm a 21 year old female, I measure 5'2 in height and weigh 115 lbs. For as long as I can remember I've felt the need to wear a bra. I was a B cup in grade 7, quickly advancing to a C and then about a D cup by the 9th grade. I've always been known as the girl with the huge tits, as the guys at my highschool would constantly be reminding me of the 10 lbs sacks hanging off my chest. Like as if I didn't know they were huge? The first time I actually thought about getting a reduction was when I was 18, right after graduating highschool in June 2009. I took a year off to work full time after graduation and that lasted until I went to university in September 2010. During the time that I was working I experienced a drastic weight gain from poor eating habits and pure laziness. I put on about 35-40 lbs and was considered 7 lbs over weight for my height. Throughout highschool I was always surrounded by friends. When I gained my weight I felt so self conscious that I didn't even want to go outside or show my face because I knew what everyone was thinking about me. My breasts grew to about a 36 DDD and I was miserable. I decided to sign up for weight watchers in September 2010 and lost 40 lbs by June 2011 During my weightless my breasts shrunk to a 32 D and I was so happy. I could wear cute bras with padding and low cut spaghetti strap tops. That dream was short lived as by January 2012 my breast size started slowly increasing and my weight increases by about 5 lbs. Throughout 2012 my breasts continued to grow back up to a 34 DD and I gained and lost some more weight. It sucks because now i cant wear any of the cute tops I bought when I shrunk down to a D. Since my weight has been fluctuating so much for the past 2 years, I believe it has resulted in my breasts losing volume and sagging. I feel like an old woman with these boobs and I'm embarrassed to take my shirt off in front of my boyfriend. He doesn't really support me, he doesn't think I need it and that I'm perfect the way I am. But he doesn't understand why I want to do it and why I actually need it. I work at an upscale-casual type restaurant where we are expected to look hot, wear heels, low cut tops and short skirts. Half of the time when I'm serving males I may as well not even be wearing makeup because they only look and TALK to my boobs! I literally feel like a pair of tits with legs. And my short stature doesn't help much either it makes them look even bigger. I would do anything to be able to wear a B cup. To me that is the most ideal size, and I do not Ben want to be a C because I want to be as far away from the D+ cups as possible! I also feel like I would feel less fat. I do believe I have body dismorphic disorder, but it has nothing to do with the breast reduction. I can't excerise without wearing 2 sports bras and I wouldn't have gotten a referral if the doctor didn't agree with me. Some of my friends don't really agree with it, their not against it but I don't think they really believe in plastic surgery as a means of happiness. But nonetheless, I am simply awaiting my consultation date and can't wait to have small boobs. My consultation is on January 21 of 2013!!!

I have decided to become more active and commit to a weightloss challenge that I proposed to myself. My consultation is on January 21st 2013 and so I am challenging myself to lose as many lbs/inches/bodyfat as I can between today and then. I am aiming to lose 5lbs and lose 1.5 inches on my waist and 3 inches on my hips. I hope that if I can tone up and get healthier that my surgeon will be more lenient towards reducing me to a B cup so my results will be in "proportion" to my body/BMI. I have just been making excuses to eat junk food and I end up craving it even worse! I am completely capable of controlling my eating habits and working towards a healthier, happier me. Oh and I just wanted to mention, above I stated that my boyfriend doesnt really support me but I want to clarify. He has told me he supports me but I just know deep down he doesnt want me to go through with it. To him its like ruining a priceless piece of art or something. Its the scarring where the issues truly lie. But I am ready to accept the scars in exchange for peace of mind, body and soul. It makes me sad because he should want whats best for me but he just doesnt understand because he sees my boobs as a sexual stimulant while I see them as the bain of my existence. We have been together for 3.5 years and I think that when my surgery happens he will smarten up and realize that I will be a happier and better girlfriend to him!

So today I had my first consultation with Dr. Sproul yesterday, January 21. It went really well...she is a very to-the-point, thorough and efficient doctor, she told me everything I needed to know and took a look at my girls, figured out what she thought would work, asked me my concerns and desired size all within 15 mins. To some that may not seem like long enough, but she is known for some of the best reductions in Vancouver and I trust that she will make me happy. I expected a long waitlist for my surgery date, and when I saw the receptionist to book it she asked me if I had any dates that did/didn't work. I told her that my University had a reading break (spring break) from Feb. 18-22, and she goes "so, how about the 18th of February?" OMG. My jaw literally dropped and she said she could see the excitement radiating from me. I wasn't sure if I was dreaming so I said "REALLY???" and she said "really". I took the date and now my surgery is in 27 days! I can't believe how short the time period was from getting my initial referral from my GP on Nov. 26 2012 to now... its all coming together. I thought I would've had to wait till summer at least! Dr. Sproul said we'd go into further detail about size and whether or not I will be needing lipo at my pre-op. I honestly wanted to tell every person I knew, but that would've been stupid so I told my closest friends and family. Everyone is so supportive and open about it. Really nice to know my fam is behind me since things like sex and body parts were awkward to talk about growing up. Im praying for a B but I think ill end up about a small C or so.. oh well at least they'll be little boobies :D Sososo happy right now.

Pointless update... but I hate how I cant edit any of my past updates for typos! My writing skills make me seem like such a dim wit.. jeeze

Today is the 2-week countdown to my surgery. I'm having some mixed emotions, wondering if this is really what I want. I know in my heart its the right choice, but another part of me is worried about the outcome. I feel like I have no one to talk to about my fears... I havent been able to see my girlfriends for a while since we're all in school, work or traveling and i'm not really comfortable talking to my boyfriend about it. I feel sort of helpless but I think these emotions are mostly pre-surgery jitters. I've never undergone any type of surgical procedure before and its actually quite a big deal. It takes alot to prepare for such a significant event. Its also hard as many of you can understand because in a way my boobs make me who I am. But I digress.. I'm so pleased that I was able to be booked so quickly and I know I am in good hands with Dr. Sproul. Im kinda looking forward to not have to work for 3 weeks lol! Im planning on buying a zillion magazines, downloading a couple seasons of some new shows I found & movies, and gunna buy some comfy sports bras and new PJ pants. 14 days... the adventure begins!

So tomorrow is the big day at 9am. I still can't believe how quickly time has gone by... and to think 6 months ago I was only dreaming of this whole thing coming true. I am feeling kinda neutral.. not too scared but not too excited. Its this weird calmness.

On Valentines Day and boyfriend and I had an amazing dinner for two at a new local restaurant run by the second place winner of Top Chef Canada. As avid lovers of this show, it was a really super special experience for us to share together. We had phenomenal food, great conversation and it was like we were in the honeymoon stage all over again! I got him Canucks tickets for his Valentines gift which was also special because it was my first game and we have never been to one together before. Anyways, so at dinner we had a couple drinks..okay 4 glasses of wine.. and when we got home I decided to gather to courage to tell him how scared I was. I said I was scared because he's been so distant about it (he hasnt asked me anything about the surgery since I told him it was confirmed) and I said the main reason Im scared is because I dont feel like I have a guarantee that he'll still want to be with a frankenboob. He grabbed me and wiped my tears, looked me straight in the eye and said " no matter how much you feel like you need to change, I think youre perfect the way you are. And I just want you to accept that. I dont care if you didnt have a nose, we havent been together for 3 years just to let some physcial appearance adjustments change the way I feel about you. I love you and I'll be at the hospital for you when you wake up". I am so happy he said that to me, its like this huge weight off my chest (one of two lol).

Now the only thing im worried about is the size ill be reduced to. I'm a DD and when I went in for my first consultation the Dr. said she doesnt think I even look that big, but when I'm not wearing a bra theres not much upper volume and a little more sag. I told her when my breasts are lifted up, its like two balloons inflated on each side. She said she could take me down by half, I asked for a B but she seemed hesitant. So I said I want to be the absolute smallest possible without compromising anything. So im still going to push for a B, or a small C at the absolute most. My biggest fear about this surgery is being left too large.

I bought myself two sports bras yesterday, both nike and size xs, and it was funny to see how much side boob was coming out! I also bought a small bandeau/bralette thing its hard to explain but I'll post pictures of all 3 tonight. It has sequins on it so I thought I would buy it so I could at least feel somewhat pretty during my recovery. Anyways, Im off to work. Posting some last ever before shots later tonight. And so it begins!!!

So day 1 post op has been tough, I'm all bandaged up and it's hard to move around without putting too much stress on my Arms & chest. I went into surgery at 11:40 am and woke up at 1:40 pm. Got home around 5pm. On the way home in the car o fel nausious roght away and needed to throw up but all my mom had was a latge empty starbucks cup. I dry heaved but nothing happened since there was no food in me. Didn't do anything but sit in bed and sleep all day and night and now I'm wide awake at 5 am. Have taken about three T3's since getting home yesterday but wish I had something a little stronger. It's not so much pain I'm feeling but soreness mostly. Yesterday I ate around 6 pm, my dad cut up fresh mango, cantaloupe and strawberries for me and I shared that with my boyfriend. Around 8 I had some more cantaloupe but threw it up almost immediately. Oh and so I get up to use the bathroom about 10 mins ago and what do I do, walk right into a bookshelf in our hallway. Even more sore now. Not really liking this part but hey, it'll be worth it when it's over!

Day 2 post-op, so much more manageable than day 1. I woke up feeling normal around 9am ( took a T3 at 5:30am) and didnt need another pill till 11:30. Went to Walmart with my mom before heading to the surgeon's office to get my gauze removed. We had to get a bra hook extender for my sports bra, just to make it easier to do up since im swollen. Dr. said everything looked good, put my sports bra on me and sent me on my way. Im schedule to return next week to get my strips on the incisions. Also at Walmart we bought some wire free bras, they came in a two pack so we bought 2 different colour combos (white & black, Cheetah & beige). Theyre a 34B, although they dont look too small.. they seriously had no 32 or 34 bands in a C cup anywhere in any style. Im hoping they'll fit because they're really cute.

Can't shower till next Monday, but I'm going to have a waist deep bath tomorrow I think and attempt to wash my hair alone. My chest is significantly smaller from what I can see, although the swelling definitely increased. Still haven't looked at them bare, I'm afraid I might fuck something up if I do. Lastly, I have been planning to ask my boyfriend if I could not show him anything till they're all healed, or at least until there is no bruising or blood (1 month?) just so he doesn't get freaked out. All of a sudden I get a text from him saying "Babe I don't want you to show me until they're all healed". It was like he read my mind! I'm glad he asked because I didn't want to offend him or anything. Phew!!

I thought it was my T3's that were making me nauseous but really it was just my body being in shock, not having any food, and having the anesthesia wear off. I ate soft easy foods today, I had half a mashed avocado with lime juice, s&p, green onion and chili sauce for breakfast and dinner, a banana, orange, green beans, walnuts, Greek yogurt with peanut butter and a few chocolate chips, and 1 cup of steamed unsweetened coconut almond milk with a little squirt of sugar free hazelnut syrup. I also weighed myself this morning before having the gauze removed and I was 111 lbs. When the nurse weighed me yesterday I was 112.5, and when I weighed in at Weight Watchers two weeks ago I was 115 lbs.

I've taken laxatives as directed since I havent done a #2 since yesterday morning, thanks to the pain killers. Hopefully my system will be normal-ish tomorrow. I still can't believe its already happened, now I'm pretty much on Day 3. I'll add some new pics tomorrow. Thanks everyone for the support it means alot to me!

Today is day 4 post op, and for the first time I took off my sports bra and had a peak at whats underneath. THEY ARE TINY!!! If I could I would jump for joy. They're beautiful. The right one has been leaking/bleeding a little around the nipple and the outer fold but nothing major. Since my surgeon doesnt do drain that was expected. Man I am so happy. I was worried that not enough was coming off pre-surgery looking at my markings, but Dr. Sproul knows what she's doing. And I found out that I was 1 of 4 breast reductions she did that day!! Wow.

Yesterday for the majority of the morning I felt pretty sick after taking two T3s around 8am. I tried to eat half a banana, vomitted a tiny bit but finished the rest after. Ate another 1/2 of a mashed avocado (my go-to meal) and still felt sick so I slept till about 1pm. I was really mad because my boyfriend was going to ditch me and go golfing with his friends (takes like 6 hours....) and I was really hoping he would be there for me all week since Its hard to do certain things on my own. Turns out it rained and he couldnt go :D ahaha. So he surprised me, and brought over Pho noodle soup. It was just what I needed. As soon as I had the first bite I immediately felt better. This was technically my first "real" meal since surgery so I ate most of it.

We watched 3 movies and a few shows throughout the day. Later last night I got greedy and ate half a box of crackers with tzatziki. I immediately felt guilty for eating them because I knew I wouldnt be able to hop on my treadmill the next day and burn it off. The no exercising is really taking some getting-used-to because since my initial referral in November I challenged my self to exercise on a regular basis. Ive lost about 7 lbs since November 2012 (weighed 118 back then) with about a 2 inch loss on my waist (28-26 inches). I'm so happy.

Ive been trying to find a way to do some low-impact exercise on my lower body just to get some sort of activity in. I don't think I'm ready to go for walks quite yet since the area I live in is heavily forested, with trails that have hills and stairs etc. My boyfriend's family used to have a recumbent stationary bike, although they sold it just a couple months ago. Of course NOW I would've used it!

I also tried on my new 34B bras from Walmart when I took off my sports bra. They fit like a glove. They are wirefree bras that come in a two pack for $16 at Walmart. Ladies buy these!!! And the best part about them.. the thin straps!! I was so embarrassed to wear spaghetti strap tops before because of my granny thick bra straps. Now there's no need to worry.

I finally feel like I have confidence. I felt confident as soon as I left the hospital. This is the best choice I've ever made for myself. All throughout 2012 I dealt with major self-esteem issues and now they have disappeared. I'm so grateful but also proud because I made this happen. I wanted it for so long, and I did the research, found if it MSP covers surgery, got signed up for a new family doctor, got two referrals at two different times (first one was a 1 year waitlist just for a consultation, second was Sproul), had the consultation, booked surgery and followed through. I did this all myself (with the help of my parents for transportation). Next week I'm back in school since spring break is over on Sunday. Thats my next challenge. Added new pics!!

Post Op Day 12- Hey everyone! sorry its been a while since my last update. I've been back at school since Monday the 25th and feeling pretty much 100%. The only discomfort I'm having with my new boobs is when its cold I can feel the shivers going all through the incisions. No pain, but a little reminder of the change. Also when I drink something hot or cold, I swear I feel it flowing through my boobs! Looking in the mirror is a dream come true. I feel and look thinner, and have gained major confidence - hence my review title!

Im coming up to the two week mark, and yesterday I had an appointment at 10am to have my medical tape removed from my incisions. I was excited for this because the tape was covered in dried blood, and it began to rub against the band of my sports bra and caused a small blister on my side. So they replaced the tape with white paper tape, and then my doc told me to purchase skin coloured paper tape from the pharmacy below her office. I still havent completely seen my bare boobs yet, she suggested I wear the tape for about 3 months. She said I dont always have to cover the vertical incision, she left a part of it uncovered and its pretty much all closed up.

Im really lucky because I didnt have any bruising what so ever as many others have. I tried on a bunch of my clothes this morning, the most breast baring ones and it was like going shopping! It made me realize there was a reason I bought that stuff in the first place lol. I honestly couldnt have asked for a better surgeon or better results... I have such nice cleavage and my boobs dont even touch in the middle! No more lifting and separating for me, time for a new classic move.

When she was taking my tape off, all the little dried blood scabbies were coming off and I guess it was still pretty sensitive because all day I could feel this burning sensation on my horizontal incision line. The doc said I can exercise at 4 weeks, and wear a wirefree bra at 6 weeks. I was almost out of tylenol 3 so my dad gave me some of his. I took 1 and then the burning wouldnt go away and I started to get a headache so I took 2 more. Then after my appointment at 10 I went to costco and got some energy bars and a two pack of lounge pants.

I had class yesterday at 2:30 and boy was I high as hell off those T3's. I was in my entrepreneurship class learning about Financial statements, breakeven point and ratios. I could barely even listen because I was so high. Never taking 3 ever again, dont even know why I thought it was necessary. Seriously all I want to do now is go to Walmart and try on bikinis because they just got in their spring line and its 5$ for bottoms and 7$ for tops. I finally wont have to buy an XL top. Im posting some new pictures, and one is in a hot pink bikini top. I think its an L or XL. But in the summer when I wore it I was still busting out of it. Adding some new pics, so I hope you ladies enjoy. Also to whoever is new to reading my review, please dont be afraid if you are considering this surgery. It only makes life better, I promise. I am so grateful that I was covered by insurance. Tata for now!

Hi ladies, I know most of you have been curious about my healing process. It was going well up until about 1-2 weeks ago. I had an appointment on Feb 27th to have my micropore tape applied, and was supposed to keep it on for 3 weeks. after the first week, my tape kept peeling up from my bra rubbing against it so I dicided to change the right side after 1 week. That was a big mistake. From the first time I change it on the right side, I could feel a small rip and it gotten worse and worse and now my incision line on the right side is open in 3 places.

I think ive also been doing too much with my right arm because sometimes I feel an uncomfortable pull on the end of the incision closer to my arm. I think I tared that are open a bit because it is becoming a problem area. The right side has been leaking fluid and sometimes bleeding, causing me to continue to change the tape every week or two weeks. Im afraid the scars on my right will be bad and the left ones are all healed and look great.

I have an appointment on April 2nd to have my surgeon check out the damage so Im hoping we can find a solution and still allow my right scars to heal nice and pretty like my left. It almost looks like the joint of the vertical and horizontal incisions need to be sewn back together but I wouldnt know. Today I took the pictures because my tape was pretty much falling off, I also pulled out three 2 inch pieces of stitches from the open incision wounds. Theres also a weird smell coming from the wounds so I dont know if they could be infected or if its just my body trying to heal. Oh well.

Other than this ordeal, healing has been great. I started running again last week and its amazing to wear just one sports bra and my boobs dont even bounce. I also bought another wire-free bra, a 34 B. I love my boobs and this is the best decision I`ve ever made.