I had a hernia repair fail due to diastis and really my only option was abdominoplasty to repair everything. Still have 20% risk of hernia coming back which is terrifying... and the insurance company only paid for part of it! It is considered cosmetic even though they would continually pay for hernia repairs after the next one failed, which it would have! So crazy. Updated on 6 Jul 2019: I had a TT with ventral hernia repair, that part was done by an abdominal reconstructive surgeon and my insurance paid for it but the diastis repair and TT was not. First few days I was nauseated and tired but pain was not the issue I thought it would be and only took tramadol for 3 days. My back hurts from hunching over so much so I am taking flexiril at night and take Tylenol (PM at night) and Celebrex. They managed to save my belly button which had been an issue due to so many prior surgeries (appendectomy and failed hernia repair). I’m now post op day 5 and will keep my drains for another 6 days at least. I think I’m quite swollen but can’t tell. I look thick waisted but maybe I am just thick waisted. It had been so long since I have seen myself or looked normal due to Diastasis and hernia! The recovery so far as been good apart from my sore back! Am trying to stand upright and failing. Still can’t make it those last 10 degrees. I think once it is all said and done I will be sad with my breasts and want a lift but we will see. The hernia had made this surgery go so much more beyond vanity for me that any cosmetic benefits are a bonus. Updated on 8 Jul 2019: I had a slight fever yesterday 100.3 (bordering on when you go to ER) and terrible diarrhea for three days. This far outside of surgery it is odd. It resolved both the temp and diarrhea, the PS resident thought it might have even been GI virus! Today has been one of the only days pain has been an issue and I haven’t even tried to stand up straight today. I just sort of felt crummy and had broth and white rice and actually took a tramadol. Drains still putting out serous fluid. I think tomorrow will be better. Almost 1 week out now. Updated on 14 Jul 2019: Updated on 14 Jul 2019: I still have output and couldn’t have my drains removed. Boo. I’m down to about 30-40 out of one but still 45-60 out of the other. I go in to see the PS in three days so hopefully they can come out! I feel taught but no real substantial pain, I sometimes take a Tylenol. I can’t get comfortable to sleep tho. I have been able to go for some walks. I’m still a little hunched. My belly button is a wound, it requires light packing and I’m using medihoney on it (or in it). My stereo strips are all gone and the main wound is all closed apart from some crusted areas it is all healed. I can’t imagine going back to work at the 2 week mark. I guess everyone’s journey is different. I do have a fairly physical job, nonetheless it would be scary to return to work at this point!
Hello everyone! I have a consultation scheduled for a month from now. My motivation for getting a reduction mostly stems from being in pain and discomfort every day. I'm not %100 sure it's from the weight of my breasts but after going from doctor to doctor and specialist to specialist and getting zero answers or relief. Muscle relaxers do not touch it, pain killers up to loratab/percoset/ultracet do not touch it, IBprofin is a joke. Massage feels nice but doesn't help. I am active! My intuition tells me this is what it is and what needs to be done. I would love to know if any of you can relate to these symptoms that would really help me make my final decision! Here they are: 1. Shoulder pain/both sides - the feeling is tightness that never loosens, entire trapezius muscle seems affected. 2. Large knots in the space between my shoulder blade and spine that will not work out with massage (again part of the Trapezius). 3. Snapping and popping and crackling of my shoulder joints. 4. Consistent headaches- tension? 5. Sometimes numbness in my pinky and ring finger as well as tingling down my arm. 6. Lower back pain. 7. Muscle under Collar bone pain. 8. The pain makes it difficult to fall asleep. 9. I feel like I slept in a medieval torture device when I wake up. 10. Wearing a bra exacerbates the pain 10 fold! Please tell me some of you can relate to this?? I'm getting some push back from co-workers/friends who say things like "you're not even that big". Which makes me want to second guess myself.... Updated on 24 Jun 2015: I went to my Krav Maga class today and over exerted myself. Got light headed and couldn't breathe. I have to wonder if things would have turned out differently if I wasn't carrying giant breasts on my chest with a tight sports bra, so my lungs could actually inflate more easily. I wonder if my recovery time would have been quicker. :'( hate these stupid things. Updated on 20 Jul 2015: Had my consult today. It went well. Had to talk to the surgeon's resident first before the surgeon. But both were very nice and answered all my questions. Found out that it might wind up being cheaper to pay for it myself rather than going through insurance. What good is insurance?? Apparently they inflate the charges to nearly double and pay their percentage from that. So a 6k surgery magically turns into 15k.... It barely makes any sense to me... Here I thought they would pay their percentage of 6k. Nope. Anyway surgery is scheduled for November 3rd regardless. Wish I didn't have to wait so long but the surgeon is booked up. :( Updated on 4 Aug 2015: Still waiting on my insurance to give me their blessing or not. If it's still cheaper to pay out of pocket then I'm prepared to get a loan from the bank. On a side note... Does anyone else out there with big breasts or who had big breasts have popping,crackling shoulders? Updated on 18 Aug 2015: After reading many reviews here I'm seeing many people talking about a pre-op appointment.... As far as I know I do not and will not have one. Is this okay? I had a consult and picked the surgery date....what do you do in a pre-op? The assistant to the PS said the next time I see the PS will be in the room waiting for surgery. Should I be concerned or ask for a pre-op??? Updated on 7 Oct 2015: My surgery is paid for and now I wait. The closer it gets the more nervous I think I'll become. Can't wait to get it over with. I've never been anesthetized before, never had anything more than a tooth pulled.... Yikes! Updated on 19 Oct 2015: Does anyone know if someone were to get a cold before surgery, will the doctor postpone the surgery? Or will or can they still operate? I have a feeling I'm getting sick with a cold... I'm 16 days from surgery... If I get sick I'm sure I'll be better by surgery but just in case... Does anyone know the answer? Updated on 21 Oct 2015: so i'm two weeks pre-op and I am not to take any more excedrine which is the only thing that helps with my headaches. Has anyone had any luck with any thing that is allowed to be taken before surgery? I've heard IBprofin but that doesn't do anything for me. I already drink a lot of water and rarely does sleeping it off work. I knew this would happen... headaches coming when I can't fix them. Updated on 2 Nov 2015: I'm curious, do any of you or have any of you suffered painful mornings? You wake up stiff and the joints of your neck and shoulders ache? Then you have to pop and crack yourself back together and after a few hours you get back to feeling your normal level of discomfort? I'm curious if it might be a big breast issue or something unrelated. Thanks everyone! My surgery is in 3 days I can't believe it! I hope they give me that relaxation medicine because I will definitely be needing it that day. I've never done anything like this before. It will be my first surgery ever. Updated on 4 Nov 2015: So I called and got my surgery time for tomorrow...it's later than I was expecting/hoping for. It's at noon. I wanted to just wake up and have it so early I didn't have time to be nervous. :( Also I will be very hungry by the end of it all.... 12am to 12pm. I've also got worries such as... the doctor by that time will not be fresh anymore... She'll have done many surgeries before me... what if her hands and eyes are tired?! Has anyone else had to wait till the middle of the day for their surgery? : / Updated on 5 Nov 2015: Well I just got home from surgery. I'm still groggy. Ass far as pain goes it's like a 2 or3 and a dull ache. Like I over did it on chest flys. No nausia . 24 hours since I last ate! No pics yet but soon Updated on 6 Nov 2015: Well last night I had a few tunes where I got such and through up. So far none of that today. Very sore! By back hurts I think because I have to sleep sitting up. My surgeon told my husband that when all was said and done she could actually see everything that ess being pulled down, snap back up better posture and and all that. I've got drains in, they come out today not looking forward to what that will feel like. Updated on 10 Nov 2015: Here are photos 6 days after surgery. I stopped taking pain killers yesterday. Very little soreness, some itching but no reason for heavy pain killers. The biggest pain is having to sleep on my back, Uhg I hate it. Id kill to just roll over on my side or stomach. As far as the old symptoms that lead me to this reduction. I don't know that I feel lighter but my old shoulder pain seems gone. The cracking joints are still there but I think when I'm able to fully stretch and work out it will be better. I feel pretty good though and so far do not regret anything. If nothing else I know working out ands many other things will be easier. Updated on 10 Nov 2015: Updated on 12 Nov 2015: I'm not in a lot of pain, my chest feels SUPER tight which is uncomfortable. I still can't feel the sides of my breasts under my arms. Has anyone else ever experienced that? Is it normal?? I can feel everything else even my nipples. The fact that it's both sides makes me feel like it's normal... Also as far as I know I'm supposed to be in a sports bra or surgical bra 24/7 unless showering.... Is this correct? I admit i've had to take breaks from wearing a bra from time to time. Their appearance hasn't changed much so no picture. Updated on 14 Nov 2015: I feel like things are healing well. Still right and swollen not as many zingers today but my nips are so sensitive I can hardly stand it!!!!! Even The surgeon was surprised how sensitive they were when she was removing the tape. I really hope the sensitivity dies down eventually or I will go out of my mind . Updated on 18 Nov 2015: Has anyone here experienced there skin of their breasts becoming hyper sensitive post reduction while healing? First it was my nips and now it's nips and the skin above. Updated on 20 Dec 2015: Things are going good. I'm able to sleep on my stomach now. Itches once in a while. Not much pain. Still a little dull pain when touched or pushed on. Updated on 11 Jul 2016: Hello ladies! Wanted to give you an update on things. It's been 8 months! Wow! I still can't feel anything on my side boobs, I think it will likely stay that way. With the introduction of yoga my pain stays nearly at zero most days. It starts coming back if I don't keep up on the yoga daily or at least every other day. Also stress brings it back. But when it does come back it's no where near what it was. Sometimes when I sleep on my stomach, and then turn over my scars feel like they are going to rip open, it hurts. Probably just stretching and pulling them in that position. I'm still very happy with my decision. Updated on 6 Oct 2016: A few of my scars still hurt but otherwise I'm still very happy with the decision. Does anyone know how long it takes for scars to stop hurting? This was my first and only surgery.
I have read about a million other reviews on here before making my decision to do this and I am 100% ready. I suppose I should share some things about myself! I am 19 and, like most other people that have gotten this procedure, I developed very early in the breast area. I was in 4th grade I had already grown to a B from absolutely nothing the year before, by 6th grade I was a D and throughout middle school I was a DD. By sophomore year in high school I was a DDD and now I am a 36G, I am hoping to ge down to a C/D. My PS says that will be about half of my right breast and 1/3 of my left, as my right is considerably bigger than my left. I am 5'6 and about 190 lbs, ugh, it's extremely hard to lose weight when anytime you work out you're confined to the bed for the next few days due to back pain. I had previously tried to get BR done when I was about 15/16, I went to a PS and they told me to lose weight even though I only weighed 160 lbs! So I forgot about it for awhile but recently pain has gotten to be too much.I met with my new PS on Oct. 24th and she took pictures and took notes so now I'm just waiting on approval from my Insurance! My PS thinks I am a great candidate for this and is positive I will be approved, I'm crossing my fingers that she's right! Updated on 7 Nov 2014: I am super excited! I just got the call from my PS office saying I've been approved for the surgery!! I was worried I wouldn't be approved because I was declined in the past, but I am just drowing in relief because all I have to worry about is the surgery now! Updated on 11 Nov 2014: So I had a little trouble with scheduling. The PS office had to move my surgery to the 19th, which does not work for me as I will not have a ride if it's done the 19th :( So I had to call and make them change it back to the 18th. Luckily everything is set again for the 18th, I just feel bad for inconviencing the PS. I am a week away from surgery though so I'm not going to stress about it! I also got a call from somebody I don't know from the PS office saying they needed my insurance info again, I was worried they had messed up and I wasn't approved anymore but luckily they just needed it for the payment part, not the approval part! I am not nervous at all for the surgery for some reason? I feel more excited about the long term rather than worrying about the actual surgery and recovery, so i suppose that's a good thing I'm not freaking out! I am going to go shopping Friday for some button up shirts and comfy socks to wear during recovery! Any other ideas of what to buy before the surgery? I will take some before pictures soon to upload here as well :) I'm so excited to be actually doing this after thinking about it for years! Updated on 13 Nov 2014: I am 5 days away from my surgery and starting to get a little anxious. Still not nervous, just a little impatient. I bought a couple cute button-up shirts last night to wear during recovery. My boyfriend has been great about helping me get ready for this, hopefully he is just as helpful after the surgery! I will be staying at my grandma's the first couple days so luckily he won't have to help with the drains :( My PS says she always uses drains, which sucks because I was hoping I would have to have them, hopefully they aren't as bad as I think they are. I recieved my booklet of all the info regarding my surgery yesterday from the PS office, there's so many prescriptions I have to fill! Still working up the confidence to upload before pictures here, I know it's anonymous but it's still putting my biggest insecurity out there. Maybe I'll find a couple shirts to compare before and after in. Updated on 14 Nov 2014: Finally got up the courage to post pictures! Updated on 17 Nov 2014: So I go in tomorrow at 6 am and surgery starts at 7:30. Less than 24 hours and years of wanting becomes reality! I'm super nervous, mostly because I've never had surgery before, but I know this is exactly what's right for me! I finally got around to taking some pictures in shirts to compare to afterwards Updated on 18 Nov 2014: It's kind of freaking me out that in just a couple hours my boobs will be normal size! I won't be known as "the chick with the big [RS bleep]" anymore! I was tossing and turning all night but now I just feel confident and excited! I took some pictures of my button up recovery shirt.. Hopefully it buttons correctly after the surgery! I'll see you on the other side (: Updated on 25 Nov 2014: I almost have no idea what it is, let alone how many days I am out from my surgery! I've been sleeping.. A lot! The day of the surgery went great, I got there right at 6 and went into the admitting. The lady went through all of my info to make sure it was correct and, unfortunately, I had to pay $200 down which I was not prepared for but luckily I had savings to fall back on. So I was taken up to my room and they had me go to the bathroom and pee in a cup, to make sure I was not pregnant, then they had me get dressed in a gown and the comfy socks. My mom and my boyfriend went with me and we hung out for awhile.. A long while.. Doctors run on their own time haha anyways suddenly I had visitor after visitor to put in my IV, go through my information, and put my ID bands on. Then finally my PS came in and made sure I was ready and marked me up. I feel bad I didn't get any pictures of the markings :( I was just too excited. Then I said goodbye to my mom and boyfriend and they started my IV and rolled me to the surgery room. They had me roll from the bed to the surgery table then they put the oxygen mask on and off to sleep I went! A few hours later I woke up and felt great, actually the first thing I said was "my hand is numb and I need to pee" lol for some reason my left hand was numb for the next few days but feeling eventually came back probably 2 days later. So I went pee and they sat me in another room while they got me crackers and water. I was so thirsty I drank 3 cups before I even asked for my family to come in. I felt great! No nausea, no pain (: I was actually more worried about my numb hand than anything! On Friday I had my drains taken out, my boyfriend has been so much help especially with these, and I feel much better with them out now! I took my first shower on Friday and oh goodness I STANK! I didn't have another bra so I had to put my surgical bra back on after the surgery. I've been so sleepy I haven't been awake for more than to eat and go potty since the surgery. Today I am feeling good, slowly weening off my pain meds and I'm still feeling really good, not nearly as bad as I prepared myself for. The only thing is I have an irrational fear that if I am not in my bra that my breasts will open up and fall all over so it makes me lightheaded to shower, luckily my boyfriend has been my rock through this. My PS actually said she thinks they look very symmetrical and perky! I get too sick looking at them until they heal a bit so I haven't really taken a good look. Here's some pictures in my surgical bra and my new sports bra from walmart. The bra is a size D!! And I am still swollen so it may go down!! (: overall I am so excited I had this done and I am feeling great! Updated on 1 Dec 2014: So I am 2 weeks post-op and it's my first day back at work since the surgery. I have been feeling so good lately, even without the pain pills, that I figured work wouldn't be a big deal but I am only half way through my first day back and I am exhausted. I want to go home and nap! I also have a huge headache from looking at my computer here at work for so long, what a difference 2 weeks makes! My pain has been so minimal that I barely need to take Ibuprofen now. The only place it hurts is on the sides by my armpits, other than that I am just SOOOO ITCHY! the surgical tape is starting to come off and the bruising is almost completely gone. I feel so great, everyone I see can't believe I had surgery 2 weeks ago because I am feeling so good! I still am taking it easy and not doing any housework or anything except relaxing :) My boyfriend has been SO much help, I couldn't have done this without him, he helped me clean my drains and empty them when i had them, he kept track of my pill schedule for me, and he's continued to make me every single meal so I can just relax. I will be putting up pictures a little later of my new boobies :) I love them and my clothes fit so much better! To anyone considering it: it's completely worth it! especially if you have a great PS! Updated on 2 Dec 2014: My second follow up appointment is tomorrow morning so I don't have much to say, so here's some pictures! I stayed at my moms while I was recovering so I had her cute pug keep me company while the boyfriend was at work (: I keep getting these "zingers" throughout my breasts which I think are just the nerves returning. I also was naughty and helped set up the little Christmas tree in our apartment when I'm supposed to be resting, I still feel great though! Updated on 3 Dec 2014: I had my two week follow-up appointment today and my PS says they look great! She actually seems pretty impressed with herself, which is a huge plus for me! She says there's a little scabbing along the bottom and up to the nipple so she needs me to just put some ointment or neosporen (not sure if that's how that is spelled) along the scabs until my next appointment in 3 weeks. I told her the only part that hurts at all is the sides by my armpits but she told me that's the part that is healing the best! How weird! She took the surgical tape off so when I get home I'll have to upload some new pictures. I am feeling so fantastic and I am so happy I got this done. I'm only 2 weeks post-op but I could instantly feel all my back pain vanish and all of my clothes fit SO much better! The only thing that I would say bothers me, and it doesn't even bother me that much, is that I feel like my nipples are more oval than round now. I don't really care too much about that though, just the way my self esteem has boosted is enough for me to reccomend it to anyone who is living with too large of breasts! Updated on 5 Dec 2014: At my appointment on Wednesday they took the tape off my incisions so I thought I'd post some new pictures! It's interesting to me that my boobs look like they were done my different people, my left one looks so neat and a lot more healed than my right. The right one's incision lines look very bumpy compared to the left, don't get me wrong I am still loving them! Just kind of interesting to me! Is it pretty common for one breast to be a little less 'beat' than the other? Updated on 8 Dec 2014: I am close to 3 weeks post-op and I am still feeling good. I have stopped taking Ibuprofen and have just been dealing with any pain I get, this pain isn't anything compared to the back and shoulder pain I used to have. I am worried about my right breast though, it seems to be getting worse. The incision line from the nipple to the bottom of my breast looks like it's just split open! It bleeds and puss comes out so anytime I put gauze on it sticks, so then when I pull the gauze off to shower or change the dressings it bleeds and bleeds. I don't think it will be getting better if anytime I put gauze on it sticks and pulls the scab right off again. Last night I used my little compact mirror to take a closer look at it and it looks so much worse than I thought, I will probably be calling my PS in the next few days if I can't get it to stop bleeding anytime I take the gauze off. My left breast on the other hand is healing beautifully, I know it's weird to say but I am basically in love with it! Most of the incisions don't even have scabs anymore and my nipples is a perfect circle! It's just so weird to me that one breast turns out to perfect and the other looks like someone used a chainsaw for the surgery (as my boyfriend so eloquently put it). Even with my right breast looking like frankenstein I am still so happy I got this done and I have hope that my right one will catch up with the healing! I can't wait until i can start buying cute Victoria's Secret bras! I've never had a cute matching bra and panty set so I have something to look forward to through all of these worries! Updated on 16 Dec 2014: I can't believe how fast time is flying by, I'm already a month post! My breasts have given me trouble, my right breast opened up so much that I called and made and appointment to see my PS. She says it's nothing to be worried about and gave me a prescription for some ointment to keep on it. I have to take it easy again and avoid pulling or it might open up some more, she thinks a stitch may have popped and that's why it's opened up. Hopefully this gets better soon! I am still so happy I got this done even with the problems I am facing! Being able to have my picture taken so that my face is the focus and not my huge boobs is the best feeling!! Not to mention my back/neck pain has vanished since the surgery! Updated on 22 Dec 2014: I am 5 weeks post op tomorrow! The time has flown by, it seems like just yesterday I made my consult appointment and here I am in a size D!! My right breast is still having trouble but I am using the ointment twice daily as prescribed. I think the opening is getting smaller but it's hard to tell from a mirror point of view. I didn't take a picture of when it was at its worst because it was pretty scary so here's a picture from this morning. My left breast is doing amazing! It's completely closed up and I think I'll be able to start scar treatment on it soon! (: Updated on 29 Dec 2014: I'm lucky I made it through the holidays with all the hugs! Some people don't realize how hard they hug especially when Im still pretty sore! My right breast is healing slowly but surely, I don't have an updated picture of it but it seems like the cream is helping! I d, however, have a picture of this cute new sports bra my grandma got me for Christmas! I also got a $100 gift card to Victorias secret from my aunt so when I'm healed I can get my first ever matching. Bra and panty set!!! I had an appointment with my Ps today but I had to reschedule because Utah finally decided it was winter and the roads were way too bad for my little car, at least until I get new tires! Updated on 2 Jan 2015: Happy New Year everyone! I partied hard bringing in the new year and I can feel it in my boobs! If I do too much and don't rest enough they get pretty sore and swollen still, but it's not too bad :) I am still using the cream and my opening on the right breast gets smaller and smaller everyday! It already looks like there's going to be a huge scar, especially compared to my beautiful left breast, but I don't care that much since my boyfriend and I will be the only ones seeing it. I've been going crazy looking at all these swim suits I can now fit into and not being able to order them yet! I want to lose some weight to go with my new boobies before I buy any new clothes or swimming suits! I hope you all had a happy new year! Updated on 2 Feb 2015: Tomorrow will be 11 weeks post-op! Time is flying by! I remember being on here everyday for weeks reading reviews trying to prepare myself for my own surgery. I can't remember if I said it already before but I was cleared to begin working out finally! My opening has completely closed and there's just flaky dead skin now (YAY!) I can start scar treatment as well, using lotion/Vitamin E oil :) Like I suspected there is a much bigger scar on my right breast than my left but it may fade more with the scar treatment so we will just see how it goes :) I went to see some ladies I used to work with and they couldn't even tell a difference from before the surgery, I told them they were crazy! Just the litteral weight off my shoulders is such a difference, I don't care that they still look pretty big because, well, they are still pretty big, especially compared to most women. Right now I am in a 38D sports bra (I cant wear regular bras yet :( BOO!) and I am very happy with the size! once I lose some weight I'm sure it will go down a little, well the band size at least hopefully! With my clothes off they look just so much smaller, it amazes me! I'll have to post pictures when I get home from work :) Updated on 2 Feb 2015: I found some pictures I took last week and they don't look any different than they do now! I also am putting up a before picture so you can see side by side (: my boobs don't reach my belly button anymore, yay!! Updated on 13 Mar 2015: So I just realized I am 4 months post surgery this week! My breasts don't look any different but for some reason i keep getting zingers in my right breast, like the zingers I got right after the surgery, I'm not sure what that means? My left nipple is also getting feeling back, YAY! The rest of the breast is still numb but my nipple is actually incredibly sensitive, so sensitive that it actually hurts when water hits it in the shower. I am still in a D sports bra, but I need to make sure I can wear regular bras again before I buy one :) I, being the lazy girl I am, haven't started working out yet (don't tell my doc ;) )but I plan to once it gets a little warmer, I don't like waking up in the cold. I am still so happy I got this surgery, I think if I could do it again I'd go just a touch smaller. Everyone kept telling me I wouldn't want to go from huge knockers to so small but I wish I would have listened to myself instead because even thoug I'm only a D I still feel like they look big. I don't have chronic back pain anymore and I don't get headaches, I'm even more confident despite wanting them smaller still :) As always, I definitely recommend the surgery for anyone wanting it or on the fence about it.
