She is the best doctor I ever had. She is very kind and caring. Explains everything in detail and considers our opinion as well. She gives options where we can decide with her help. I felt very comfortable with her and had lot trust where I don't have to worry and research outside from what she suggested. I'm very happy that I get her as my surgeon.
My surgery is tomorrow and I'm hoping this is the right decision for my health. I want to be implant free because I'm a mom and want to be a good role model for my daughter. I want to show her how to be comfortable with what you are given. I'm also athletic and these globes cramp my style!;-) I'm also over worrying about rupture, needing surgery when I haven't planned for it, etc. plus I'm getting mammograms now. I want to be done with these things! Ready to move on into self acceptance! Updated on 23 Sep 2015: Had surgery today, and I'm tired, but feeling good. I can't wait to focus on healing, and learning to be patient with the process. Dr. Murphy said it can take 6 months to a year before I really see what my breasts will look like. Too tired and sore to take a peek yet. I had general anesthesia and have drains for about a week. Updated on 24 Sep 2015: I'm still feeling groggy( probably the pain meds). I'm not in too much pain, but feel the need to take it easy. If you have drains, I'd recommend wearing a button down shirt, so you have easier access;-) Thanks to everyone who has provided support. I will do the same . I'll proved pictures once I'm Barack enough to look! Updated on 25 Sep 2015: Well, they look just awful. I have to remind myself that my implants were in for 11 years. I'm hoping my skin will retract. The silver lining is that they are out. Updated on 26 Sep 2015: Rash and hives all over my abdomen, chest, and neck. Nurse thinks I'm allergic to pain meds! Updated on 26 Sep 2015: They still aren't pretty, but much better than yesterday! This gives me hope! Updated on 28 Sep 2015: Not much improvement Updated on 30 Sep 2015: Got my drains out today, and have to go back in three weeks. The doctor and nurses were amazing today. I can't say enough about how wonderful everyone was to me today. It turns out my rash was from the IV antibiotic they gave me during surgery, which is a new allergy for me. Weird. I think that's part of the reason I'm uncomfortable still. I get so itchy sometimes, it's horrible. I can't wait for another week to pass, as I'm sure I'll be feeling great by then. I'm not seeing too much of a change in my breasts yet, but that's ok. I'll see how they look after the drains have been out for a bit. Happy healing to all! Updated on 3 Oct 2015: I'm really not liking the appearance of my breasts at all. I have virtually no breast tissue, and lots of excess, sagging skin. At this point, I have not let my husband see my breasts, nor do I have any plans for him to see them in the future. The sad thing is, I know I don't want implants ever again. I don't want fake breasts. I want my breasts not to look deformed. I'm so angry that I ever did this to myself. I tried to cheer myself up by getting some cute, small, bras. I have NO breast tissue. I don't even fill up an A cup. My daughter is also working through my surgery. She's been having major tantrums, and won't let my husband pick her up. She wants her strong, capable mommy. She's been putting band aids on the chests of her stuffed animals and dolls. It breaks my heart. Sorry. I just needed to vent. Not feeling so great about myself today. Updated on 18 Oct 2015: I finally showed my husband today, and he said, "They aren't that bad at all! I was expecting a complete disaster!" He meant well, but.... He did come back and tell me that I'm more beautiful than ever, now that I'm natural. I told him I would never be fully natural...I won't stop dying my hair!;-) So here was what he saw... Updated on 21 Oct 2015: My activity restrictions are lifted! Yay! I was told to massage my scars for 5 minutes 4 times a day, and to wear Scar Away silicone strips to help fade. She also recommended that I use bras that will compress the scar tissue (like a sports bra style) to help with scar tissue. Oh the healing never ends! Hope all you lovely, strong, and supportive ladies out there are happily healing! I couldn't have made it this far without everyone's support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Updated on 1 Nov 2015: I think the fluff fairy has visited me on the right- now please visit lefty a few more times;-) I'm very pleased, and love running and working out without the plastic bags! Updated on 4 Dec 2015: I've had some setbacks with my health (horrible cold, shingles, and now a mystery swollen lymph node) but I'm rocking my fitness and loving my new figure. Thanks to all the ladies for sharing their stories- you helped me find the courage to explant and love my new/ old body. Cheers! Updated on 31 Dec 2015: No regrets! I feel better about my decision every day. I look back at my pics with implants, and I looked ridiculous. I'm so happy with my natural breasts. Thank you to all who have been brave enough to share your stories and pictures. I couldn't have done it without your support! Have a happy, healthy, 2016!
My TT is scheduled for 11/6. I found a surgeon I trust through Kaiser Permanente Northwest. SHr has been great so far and I am confident in her ability to get be the best results. I saw 4 other surgeons before selecting Dr. Murphy. I lost 70 lbs and am really unhappy with the sagging skin and fat that just won't go. The PS may need to do a vertical scar in order to get a goo shape for me. I'd love to avoid this but am willing to accept the extra scar in exchange for a real hourglass figure. I am really excited for my procedure and appreciate all the support here on RealSelf! I will come back and leave an update after the surgery . Updated on 6 Nov 2014: I'm waiting at the hospital now! Updated on 9 Nov 2014: today is my third day post TT. Still producing a lot of fluid in one of my drains, the other side is very minimal. Anyone know why they are so different? I look forward to having them both removed but realize that may take a while. I also have the pain pump hanging around. I believe it is helping. I have a vertical scar and can say there is more discomfort there than at the lower incision where the pain pump is. I was taking 650 Tylenol every 4 hrs yesterday but today I think I will try taking it only as needed. I used an ice pack yesterday and that felt good. Today I will change my dressings and get a good look at whats under this binder. I'll try and take some photos then. Updated on 20 Nov 2014: 2 weeks post op and still sporting my least favorite accessory- the drain! Really hoping to get it out tomorrow but I am have been producing a bit of fluid still. I am pretty swollen now and can only imagine it would he worse if I didn't have the drain in. I took some pics to provide a visual update. Updated on 30 Nov 2014: My last Drain was removed at 3 weeks out, yay! I was still producing 25ish CCs / day, I hope it wasn't removed too soon. So glad to have that gone. All the steristrips are intact on my veryical incision. About 1/2 are gone on the horizontal line. The binder rubbed them off I think. The strips are off my navel and I'm pretty happy wirh how it looks! There is aome dark scabby matter in there that I'll be keeping an eye on. I put bacitracin on it after my shower today. Last night I had the sensation of someone snapping a rubberband against my internal abdominal wall. It was scary! It left a burning feeling amd soreness for about 5 min after I felt the pop. I imagine this has to have been an internal suture popping. There is no discomfort or physical evidence of trouble today. Nonetheless, I plan to call the PS tomorrow to run it by her. Updated on 11 Dec 2014: I feel much more like my old self this week. I socialized all weekend, started back to work on Monday, had sex on Tuesday (!), went for a nice long walk today and just feel great! I am still swollen but at least I can fit into regular clothes again. Its been fun to try on the items hidden in the backoif the closet ("does not fit pile"). All of my steri strips are off now. I rub my scar with cocobutter at nught and pure coconut oil in the morning. I have been wear spanx type garments to work and them my velcro binder at night. I have been sleeping in my own bed for a full week now. I sometimes scoot a pillow under my knees, but am laying pretty flat. I see my PS in a fee days and am excited to hear how she thinks I'm progressing. I hope to get the OK to do spinning at the gym and resume light weight lifting. I also want to hear her recommendations for treating my scar. I have included the mist recent pics to show my progress :) Updated on 19 Feb 2015: I just came back from a beach vacation where I wore the most revealing swimsuit I have ever worn! Yay me! It was a monokini, not a bikini, but Im happy with that. I am by no means perfect, but when I look at how far I've come I am overjoyed. I have a follow up appt in 2 weeks. I will address a couple of concerns with my Dr at that time. I have very minor dog-ears on both sides of my horizontal scar. The vertical scar is a little lump right at the top. I wonder if something can be done about that. I seem a lot looser and softer now that I was in the past couple of months. It's as if when the swelling went down the firmness went with it. I get a roll above my navel when seated now, I am not very happy about that. I was overweight going into the surgery and thought I was at a weight I could live with. Now I regret not trying to lose the last 10 lbs, maybe it would have given me a better result. Overall, I am pleased as punch! I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I cause problems for myself by comparing myself to others, which is really a waste of time and energy! Updated on 30 Mar 2015: I'm close to 5 months post op now and am feeling very good. My energy level is back up and I'm now working on increasing my strenght and endurance through some nee, higher intensity work outs. I am still very happy with my reault but am having to have some revision work done 2 months from now. I have some small dog ears at the tips of my incisions that I would like removed. My PS will also do a little lipo on one side of my abdomen, since there seems to be a puffy spot of fatty there. I am still massaging my scar with coconut oil daily and am pretty happy with it overall. It is much less red than it was and seems to be fading well in some spots. I'll update more after the revision.
I had a breast reduction in 1990 when I was 26. I was slim at the time but had nipples that were even with my belly button and wore a 34E. It probably wasn’t the correct size because I didn’t realize that bras came in bigger cup sizes! I only consulted one doctor, but made sure he was a board-certified plastic surgeon. I even asked for references and spoke to a prior patient. I remember she told me that he left her breasts too large. I guess I was naive in thinking that it wouldn’t happen to me because I was clear that I wanted to be a B cup (I had been a ballet dancer and very much wanted small boobs). Wellll, he left them too big. The surgery and recovery went well, but ultimately left me a D cup. I brought up the “still too big” problem at my follow up visit. He said to me “well, you can always have another surgery”. Who the heck wants to go through all of this again, not to mention the cost! He said that they were proportionate for my body and if he took too much away then there is nothing you can do. Hmmmm, ever heard of push up/padded bras or even implants??? I was sooo bummed out. I’m guessing that this male surgeon preferred larger breasts on women. He should have been open about his concerns of proportionality BEFORE the surgery when I asked for a B cup. Okay, so lots of ranting. I just want to warn you all to be VERY cautious and make sure you are on the same page as your surgeon beforehand so that you will know what to expect. My next post will be about my new journey and my upcoming second breast reduction. Cheers. Updated on 3 Aug 2018: Over the years since 1990, when I had my first breast reduction, I had giant weight swings (50-70 pounds—gained and lost twice). I also took birth control pills for at least 20 of those years. And more recently, hormone replacement due to menopause. These factors made my breasts “grow back” even bigger than they were the first time! I’ve seen a few others mention this possibility on here. This absolutely CAN happen. I’m now a 36FF/G and my biggest was 36GG, which is a 36J in American-sized bras. I’ve been wanting to get this weight off my chest for many years now and wasn’t sure it would be possible due to the scar tissue from the first surgery and whether my insurance would pay for it this time. Luckily, Dr. Jennifer Murphy—who this app says is “retired”?—will be doing my surgery. We discussed a plan of how to reduce them taking into consideration my scar tissue. If you read my earlier post, then you know my previous surgeon was less than ideal. Well, he actually did my reduction in a scar pattern that nobody else has seen before! I have no idea how he came up with it. Dr. Murphy was kind of horrified that he gave me more visible/worse scars than the usual anchor pattern. He did not cut under my breasts. There are scars on either side of my nipples extending toward the middle and to the armpit. My scars are faded after all these years, but I think you can see them in the before photos I’ll post. Getting excited but also a little scared as my surgery date approaches. Only 5.5 weeks to go!
