My boobs doubled in size from 8th grade to my junior year of high school. I was in constant pain and my fingers would go numb from nerves pinching in my back. I had to stop doing any sports because the discomfort was so awful. I was incredibly insecure being a high school girl with very large boobs and nothing would fit. It hurt me both physically and mentally. I decided in October 2016 to have this procedure done, and went to a consultation with my doctor. He was very kind and professional as well as comforting. We scheduled the surgery and the next 5 months flew by. It was well worth it. I only had to ay $800 out of pocket and insurance paid for the rest of it.
Most insurance companies are looking for symptoms such as shoulder/back pain, painful bra strap grooving and rash/sores/skin breakdown under and between the breasts. In addition, they want to see that you have done some conservative therapy for the symptoms (medication, different bras, powder and routine hygiene, physical therapy, etc). Finally, most insurance companies have some type of requirement on the anticipated amount of breast tissue removed. A few insurance companies even have a body weight requirement. Looking at the photos, it looks like you should be a very good candidate for the procedure. Just make sure your surgeon is board certified. Good luck.
Breast size after reduction is difficulty to predict. However, the distance from the nipple to the inframammary fold can often give a hint to the final size. The longer that distance is, the more tissue will need to be left behind to support the nipple, resulting in a larger size. It would be very difficulty to reduce a very large breast to below a D cup. Though, it is hard to predict without an actually examination as breasts come in all configurations.
Congrats on getting a reduction! It's a great surgery for symptom relief. I typically tell my patients that the majority of the swelling will resolve by 6-8 weeks. But it takes 4-6 months for all the swelling to be gone and for the breasts to settle completely. Having said that, given your preoperative size and the amount of reduction, you probably will end up closer to a DD than a C.
It typically take 2-3 weeks for an authorization to come through. If you do not hear back from your surgeon in a another week, I would recommend calling your surgeon to make sure that the authorization has been submitted...sometimes things slip through the cracks. Given your height, weight, bra cup size and symptoms, I also think that you have a great chance of getting approved.
Most insurance companies I come across do not have any weight requirement. Though, there is a large insurance company in the area that will not approve breast reduction for patients over 150% "ideal body weight." For patients who are considering losing a significant amount of weight, I typically recommend that the weight loss be achieved before, rather then after the surgery. Significant weight loss after the surgery can cause the cosmetic outcome to degrade.
