Tomorrow is the Big Day. I have wanted this for so long. Like all you ladies who are reading this, I've hated my boobs & the unwanted attention they bring, the lousy posture, the ugly big bras (no matter how pretty they're meant to be), the limitations on exercise (I run a lot - with 2 very tight sports bras), and the limited choice of clothes /bras/bikinis, etc. Well NO MORE - YAAAAY! In 24 hours I will be sans bathukolpian breasts &, once healed, will hopefully be a perky pretty youthful 34c. I've had 2 beautiful children, been through a nasty divorce, & after making sure everyone is ok, I'm finally in a position to go through with this. Nervous - yes. Excited - yes. Scared - no. Second thoughts - not for a moment . I'm a 34FF. When I gain weight it goes to my boobs. When I lose weight it stays on my boobs. Aching back, aching neck, bra strap indentations, stooping - hopefully will all be a thing of the past! I was a 34D before I had children but they have ballooned over the years. I can't wait for tomorrow.
Updated on 19 Jan 2018:
3am & awake due to the fact I'm not good at sleeping on my neck & tget I have oh my God, small boobs!! I have been so positive about this procedure; I have virtually no pain with the exception some discomfort where the drains are. The drains, at present , are virtually empty - maybe 20ml of fluid.
The staff have been wonderful.Mr Ghattaura has been efficient, respectful, & kind, as has Dr Vijaykumar, consultant anaesthetist. The nursing staff have been lovely.
Not sleeping doesn't bother me as I'll have ample opportunity to sleep when I'm home. I am really tired but excited because when I look down I see boobs,albeit in a sports bra, but they're in proportion to my body!! Im excited at the pretty bikinis & bras i will be able to wear that I can buy at sensible prices. And the sports bra I have on in my initial post is now zipped up!!! The bra is a 34D to take account of swelling but I'm hoping that when the swelling reduces, I'll be a 34D.
Updated on 19 Jan 2018:
Sorry - it should've
' not good at sleeping on my BACK'.
And I'm hoping to be a 34C when the swelling reduces, not 34D.
Apologies for that. Blame predictive text, tiredness, & excitement.
I'll do my next updates from my laptop when I get home .
Updated on 20 Jan 2018:
I'm feeling very good this morning & Mr Ghattaura has said i can go home. A friend is picking me up later & I have a pillow for the journey home - a tip read on Real Self. (To place between my boobs & the seatbelt).
Until then, I'm waiting to have my drains removed - not looking forward to that but it's a small price to pay for my new dinky boobs! And until going home, I'm enjoying relaxing & waiting for the whoozy feeling to go every time I walk to the bathroom & back.
I'm glad I've had this surgery at this time of year too as there is plenty of time to heal before the summer ( although this lasts for about four days in Wales. And we're optiistic that we get a summer even if it does only last four days, even less some years!) so by the time it's bikini & t-shirt & floaty dress season - AKA 'pretty clothes that big boobs have always ruined/prevented me from wearing season', my boobs may have settled completely & I can enjoying wearing all those pretty summer clothes that I've always envied and adored on other women.
Updated on 20 Jan 2018:
I really didn't expect this bra to fit so soon. I am delighted with the whole process so far. And again, all of the staff here are lovely
Updated on 20 Jan 2018:
Right side - ouch!
Left side - didn't feel a thing!
As for general pain - I'm still virtually pain free.
Also managed to take a pictureof the girls - I am sooooo happy!
Updated on 23 Jan 2018:
Hello. How have other women coped with sleeping on their backs when they prefer to sleep on their side or their stomachs. I'm a stomach sleeper. Sleeping in bed has been dreadful and yesterday I woke so shattered, I spent most of the day on the sofa dozing. Last night I slept on my sofa. It has high arm rests so it was great to prop up a couple of pillows and scatter cushions behind me, I then put more scatter cushions by my sides, under my arms, and under my knees. It's been the best sleep I've had so far. I still woke a couple of times, but the quality of sleep I had in between waking was much better. I've woken this morning, had a stand up wash in my bath to wash my lower body, washed my upper body over the sink, and put on a clean sports bra and fresh clothes. I feel like a woman today and not a zombie. Before my surgery my plastic surgeon provided me with HIBscrub, an antibacterial soap, so I'm continuing to use that until I have the all clear that everything is healing as it should be and looking healthy.
A couple of times yesterday I noticed a 'tugging' and 'popping' in my boob if I overstretched - which I'm trying to avoid (but simply stretching to reach a cup can produce the feeling). I was worried that I'd damaged some stitches. I rang the hospital and the nurse I spoke to told me that as long as I'm not bleeding and not in extra pain, then I should be fine, but if I had any concerns I could go to the hospital immediately. Everything seems ok so I'll wait to see my plastic surgeon at my appointment later this week.
I can't believe I'm wearing a 34d sports bra - it's so small. When I used to run with the 34ff boobs I had to wear 2 really tight bras and I was conscious of running with a really stiff upper body to reduce bounce. In a few weeks I'll be able to start running again. I may still wear 2 bras but 1 will be to support my boobs, the other will be like a bandeau top to protect them from all the jiggling. From now on, 2 bras will be for protection purposes. I'm going to look after these boobs.
I did some shopping last night too for some work clothes when I return to work in a couple of weeks. I'll be able to wear blouses that don't gape, turtle necks that won't make my boobs look like they're half way down my stomach, and v-neck sweaters without looking like a sex worker. Roll on the bikinis!!!
Before I had this op, a few people told me that I shouldn't go too small or, even worse, 'there's nothing wrong with your boobs' or, 'I love big boobs'. Well, until you've lived with big boobs (for bloody years) you'll never understand what it is to look at pretty diaphanous underwear, clothes you'd like to wear, sports you'd like to do but are limited (I've always wanted to try surfing but I've been too embarrassed to squeeze myself into a wet suit), because of big boobs. When I was pregnant my boobs ballooned to a ridiculous 34H - I hated them so much. I'd planned to breast feed for as long as possible just so they'd go really small but breast feeding didn't work for me and I ended up eventually with 34ff boobs. One man even said to me 'you'll have no trouble breast feeding with those!' What a jerk. But now that I finally, at long last, been lucky enough to go ahead with this, it has changed my outlook on life all for the better. Before I got divorced a couple of years ago, I had a savings account for a breast reduction, but unfortunately all of the money I'd saved was spent on the divorce (and then some). Apart from my beautiful children, this is the best thing I have ever done for me. If this is your dream too - go for it. Put yourself at the top of your own list. I'm 50 this year and I have a bucket list of things I'd like to do. It seems daft, but having perky small youthful boobs has galvanised my enthusiasm to do everything I'm hoping to do, and more. Life is so so short.
Updated on 26 Jan 2018:
I'm now wearing a 34C sports bra.
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!! For the first time in a long time, my smile is now bigger than my boobs.
Have my first post surgery appointment with Mr Ghattaura today so I'm hoping he's going to tell all is healing well. I've been taking things easy & have not been lifting anything heavy. I am just really looking forward to getting on with the rest of my life out of the shadow of huge boobs. This website has been a huge support - thank you to all the women who have been posting their BR surgery stories on here - every single one has been so helpful.
Updated on 26 Jan 2018:
Hello
The appointment today went very well. I saw the (lovely and very funny) nurse who removed my dressings and replaced them with steri strips - this is it - my [RS bleep] have lost the protection of all those soft but firm protective cotton wool type dressings and they're out there on their own, supported by a non wired, NON WIRED sports bra!!! They're confused, anxious, not sure what's going on - since 1981 they've been used to wire, supportive boning, and basically ugly as crap bras with minging wide shoulder and back straps, but they're now on their way to liberation from ugly bras to pretty, dainty, delicate bras.
Everything is healing well. I'm to see the nurse again on Tuesday when I should be able to start taking showers, letting the water just run over my boobs, no sponging. She also advised me to take arnica tablets but reckoned that ideally, these should be taken before an operation so the body has time to absorb the whatever it is that's in the tablet - I'm guessing this would be the 'arnica' :-). I'm taking another medication (for the rest of my life) having suffered with cancer 10 years ago. I'm not sure if arnica and my prescription medication can be taken together safely so I'll speak to a pharmacist tomorrow morning. I've googled this but I'm not trusting the internet on medication safety. I won't ever have the all clear so I just want to be careful. I've bought Bio-oil, and I'll use that as soon as I can.
My boobs are becoming softer, sensation has returned to the left nipple, right is still numb. Overall, they feel great. Only small downside is itchiness around the incision sites and where the band of the bra sits on the sites. It can drive you mad but I'd rather have this itching then boobs that double as armrests in the summer when sunbathing on your back.
Oh my lord, I am soooo excited for the summer - t-shirts that fit well, floaty maxi dresses that fit my actual size instead of buying a size or two bigger just to hold in my boobs and looking pregnant with it, and bikinis that will fit. I hope we get more than 4 days' hot weather this year.
Updated on 2 Feb 2018:
Just a short update to say that recovery is going well. I saw the nurse again last Friday & she's very happy with my progress. I've been given supplies of steristrips so I can change my dressings myself after having a shower. I had a shower the following day - only letting water run over my chest, no scrubbing, pat dry. I was so nervous at replacing the steristrips that it took about 40 minutes as I wanted to make sure I did a proper job & exactly as the nurse told me.
I went out for lunch with my sister last week & met up with her friends. As they said hello they were looking at my boobs - but that was great because they were looking at how much smaller they are now. God it is good having boobs that fit into nice tops, dresses, etc & that no longer ruin clothes. I cant wait to start running again. And I'm looking forward to going back to work on 12 Feb. But until then I'm still taking it easy & will do so until I'm told otherwise. I'll be having a shower later so I'll post some pictures. It'll be nice when I'm told I no longer need to use the steristrips.
Updated on 3 Feb 2018:
Updated on 18 Feb 2018:
I saw Mr Ghattaura last Friday who is very pleased with how things are healing. I can now shower, just letting the water run over my boobs, no scrubbing. I'm changing my dressings myself & the steristrips have been replaced with a long strip of 'bandaid' type plaster. It's much easier than the steristrips. In 3 weeks I can start using CiCa care sillicone scar sheets. I've paid £40 for 2 sheets measuring 15cm x 12cm. Expensive but money well spent if they live up to the claim that they're excellent for healing new ( & old) scars. They're also used in hospitals I've been told so fingers crossed. I have to wear these new shhets during the day, remove at night, & then massage vitamin E cream or another cream to help with the scars. I've bought Bio oil given the hype so I'm hoping that will live up to its promise too.
The pics above were taken 16/02/18 & I've got the bandaid-type dressing on.
I'm starting to be able to sleep on my side more now which is a bloody relief. Sleeping on my back has been the only downside to BR surgery. i cant wait to sleep on my stomach again.
The only other thing worth mentioning is the tingling/stinging sensation in both boobs. It started in the upper area of my boobs , then a few days later felt as if it was half way down. I wonder if it's the nerves repairing? It doesn't hurt, no pain at all, just feels very strange. Sometimes even a cold blast of wind (& being in the UK that can mean all year round) can set the tingling off but it happens less & less now.
In work last week I was asked if I had lost 'loads of weight'. I weigh 9st & I've worked with him for 3 years & nearly said 'are your eyes ok? ' but i said 'thank you & no, haven't lost any weight. But you should have an eye test'. Can't believe he hadnt noticed my huge boobs were no longer there!! I was happy any way????
This is the best thing that I've ever done for myself. To any women who are thinking of going ahead with this surgery - it's been absolutely life changing for me. I feel 10 years younger, more confident, & much much happier in myself. I live a very quiet life & this has given me so much confidence to get out there more & start living.
Updated on 4 Mar 2018:
Hello all you lovely ladies
I thought I would post a short update. It's now about 6 or 7 weeks post op & healing is going very well. Absolutely no problems. I'm finally in a normal bra which feels like a luxury after all this time in sports bras 24/7. I'm wearing a 34D at the moment but my plastic surgeon assures me I'll be in a 34C in about 3 months - i can't wait. I'm still wearing a dressing that looks like a roll of plaster. On Friday next week I'll be replacing the plaster with the sillicone scar sheets. I wear these during the day only & have to massage oil or cream into the scarring at night.
Today I also started running again. It was great to be out again. I wore a good sports bra & I wore another sports bra on top with more coverage to ensure minimal jiggling around. As soon as I started running my shoulders & back felt 'looser' with new small boobs. When I had 34F boobs I used to be so concious of their size I used to wear 2 super tight sports bras. This was really uncomfortable & affected my breathing. I'd run with such a rigid back & shoulders, also to minimise bounce, that my upper back & neck used to be really stiff, especially after a 6 or 7 mile run. A hot shower used to be such a relief to ease the aching, but today there was at last no aching, for the first time in 30 years. I had a hot shower just to clean myself - I had no aching at all. I am so grateful to the person who made this surgery possible for me, & my brilliant plastic surgeon who's done a wonderful job. I can't recommend this surgery highly enough.