I am small framed. My rib cage is 26 inches and my waist is 23 inches. I was a 30FF. I got looks from older men because of my large breasts. When I was 11, an 18 year old thought I was his age. My back hurt all the time which made my head hurt. I was in pain. They were quite big but saggy. Without a bra, they hung around the bottom of my rib cage. I was tiny but with huge boobs and they put me in so much pain. I was in a training bra in 3rd grade. My boobs started growing when I was 9 years old. I started puberty at 11. It was hard to have a fifth grade pervert I didn't even know ask if he could hug me with a creepy smile on his face. I was never an overweight child. I was always the one who got the hand-me-downs because I was so small. As my breasts grew, my body stayed the same. I had to quit the swim team in 6th grade because my breasts couldn't fit into the swimsuit and would fall out in to water. Without the daily rigorous exercise, I gained weight. 140 lbs in 7th grade, I was 5 feet tall. They got larger and eventually ballooned up to 36FF. I didn't notice this rapid change until I held on to my fat rolls and huge breasts and asked myself, "When did this happen?" So I lost 35 pounds, gained stretch marks all over my body, including my breasts. Have you ever seen those believe-it-or-not people that can pull their face skin far out? That's what my breasts were like. When I bent over, my breasts were like a sack with one orange in it just hanging. Laying down they would go into my armpits. I lost most of the fatty tissue in my breasts. The skin and other organs stayed. Usually women notice a shrink in their breasts with diet and exercise and weight loss. I only shrunk down to a 30F. Plus, my left breast was at least 2 sizes bigger than my right breast. Very hard to find bras. At 15 years old, I researched a ton and asked my mom if I could get a breast reduction. I thought she would say no. She said yes and took me to my pediatrician. My doctor was incredibly helpful. She set up a consultation at Children's Memorial Hospital with Pediatric Plastic Surgeon Dr. Julia Corcoran. She showed me before and after pictures of other patients and was very impressed when I seemed to know my facts about this surgery. I tend to research a ton. Anyway, we took before pictures and scheduled the surgery for June 23rd, the summer before Junior year of high school. I had just turned 16. I was nervous. I was scared. I was too scared to be having major surgery at a young age. I told the doctor I didn't want to do the surgery 3 days before it's date. Sometimes I regret that I psyched myself out. If I had known what my personal experience would be, I would have never canceled it. I had just broken up with a guy I had "dated" (if you could call it dating, he never took me out and psychologically abused me) for 1 year and 9 months. He was incredibly narcissistic and would never hold my hand or have any kind of public displays of affection whatsoever. He made me depressed. He is at least 60 pounds overweight and started liking me when I was overweight. When I lost the 35 pounds, got diagnosed with ADD, started to take Focalin XR for it, stopped failing and started getting straight A's, he said, "I liked you better when you were chubby and dumb." And he never thought that saying that would make me even more depressed. I guess he forgot that my dad died when I was 12 from brain cancer and that I was depressed as it is. I was so happy to be out of the stressful relationship but my judgement was clouded. I didn't think I was worth fixing and didn't want anymore pain. 1.5 months later, I friend requested a guy I knew from the morning announcements that was also my brothers friend. He had graduated in 2010. 3 days later, he messaged me asking, "Are you Jim's sister?" Now I know he was just trying to strike up a conversation with me because he had liked me all throughout my relationship with my ex. I gave him my number, we hung out, talked a lot and two days later he asked me to be his girlfriend. He is the best thing that ever happened to me. He's hilarious, sweet, silly, kind, attractive and supportive. He calls me beautiful everyday and even kisses my stretchmarks. My life was unstable but I didn't realize that I wasn't unstable. I asked him what he thought about a breast reduction and he said that he loves me the way I am, but if my boobs give me as much physical and mental pain as what I describe, go for it. So I went back to the surgeon and scheduled again. And actually went through with it. By the way, the Children's Memorial Hospital moved and was bought out. It is now Lurie's Children's Hospital and it is REALLY nice. Sure, he wasn't too thrilled that he wouldn't get to see my boobs for a while. I told him that the time we have to spend our life together far surpasses the 6 months it will take for my breasts to heal. Yes, I am 17 and in love. My surgery was scheduled for 8 o'clock AM June 19, 2012. I had a countdown on my iPhone so I could know exactly how much time it was until the surgery. I was nervous like the previous time but my surgeon also motivated me by telling me that if I bail again, she won't reschedule another one and I would have to go some place else. Don't take that as a bad thing. It helped me immensely knowing that I couldn't opt out. No sleeping on my stomach after surgery. I can't sleep on my back. I am definitely a stomach sleeper. I fall asleep within 5 seconds when I'm tired and laying on my stomach. The week before surgery, I cherished that deep, long sleep. The 2 days before surgery I researched in every second of my free time. Research helps me calm down. I read stories on this site, trying to look for people who are about my height, frame and breast size to get a good feel on how much pain, what to do after and other things. The day of surgery. Oh gosh was I freaking out. I was so scared. I had only had one surgery before this. My tonsils and adenoids were taken out when I was two years old but that wasn't invasive and I don't remember it at all. My mother and I arrived at the registration area. I got my wrist band. I realized that I forgot the stuffed animal penguin (Eric the Penguin, named after my boyfriend) that my boyfriend gave me and was disappointed for a while but the panic of surgery overclouded that. We were escorted to my hospital room and sat there for 15 minutes. I was about to explode with nervousness but you couldn't tell. I get quiet and seemingly calm when I'm nervous. The nurse came in to take down my medical history. He was friendly. When he was done, he left and my mom and I were sitting in there again, just waiting. It was like a countdown. The anesthesiologist came in and explained what was going to happen. She explained the pain blocks that go into my back and the IV meds they use to calm the patient down before surgery. Again, she was very calming and very nice. About 15 minutes later, my surgeon came in to mark me up. She said it will take 2 hours because of the type of incision she planned on. Because my breasts are in the proper place on my chest and it was just that they sagged, she would do a "lollipop" or "racket" incision. No incisions underneath my breasts so the healing time would be faster. She left, got ready for surgery and the anesthesiologist came in to insert my IV. She said that the medication is like temporary amnesia. It wouldn't put me under like the anesthesia would but I probably won't remember anything. As the fluids entered my system I remember saying, "Well, this works fast," and saying bye to my mom. I vaguely remember being wheeled out of the room to the OR, zoned out, and then very faintly remember being switched from the bed to the operating table. I woke up in Recovery at 1:30 PM. I was groggy and my throat hurt and I was thirsty. The nurse gave me 7 up to sooth it. My throat was really the only thing that was mildly in pain. Unlike the BR stories I read prior to surgery, I didn't feel any pain in my breasts. None at all. I really psyched myself out for nothing. My pain level after surgery was a 2, only because of my throat. My mom came in an put a white stuffed animal kitten by my side and told me that because I forgot the bring the Penguin, she got me this as a souvenir. I wanted to name it fluffy, she wanted to name it something else I don't remember. We jokingly argued about the name for a minute and settled on the name, Cory. Named after my wonderful surgeon. The recovery nurse, my mom and I talked about cats for 5 minutes before sending me back to my room to get dressed and wait for Dr. Corcoran. I texted my boyfriend right away to assure him that I am okay. He was worried for me. She came in as I was wheeled in and opened my surgical bra to let my mother see the work. Obviously, they were swollen and bruised but that is to be expected. It has been a long time since my boobs were perky. I was so happy and definitely not freaked out that my nipples had stitches in them. She talked about it for a while. The surgery ended up being 3 hours because the pain block had to set into my system. All the dressing she did was the bra (a little too big on me, the smallest they had was a 32 band) and gauze taped to the underside of my breast to catch any leakage. No drains, she doesn't believe in them. Since my left breast was significantly larger, I will have some folds/creases until the underside of my breasts drop down to normal. The Dr. explained to me that my breasts will be sisters, not twins. My left breast is wider but that's not really a big deal. My nipples are symmetrical. I was told not to raise my arms above my head but I could shower when I arrived home. I was too spacey to shower and planned on doing it after my post op appointment the next day. I was given Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen in liquid form for any pain. I can swallow pills fine but I guess because it's a Children's Hospital, capsules or pills aren't common. Given 10 mls by mouth every 4 hours as needed for moderate pain. It says it is tropical punch flavored. It is disgusting and I was happy to be done with it. Another nurse came in to check on me. She wanted me to get something in my stomach so I didn't get nauseous from the anesthesia. I wasn't nauseated but I accepted the Goldfish crackers. Not that I hadn't had them before, but I was reintroduced. I love Goldfish. At 2:30, it was time for me to go home. I was very wobbly so I got wheeled out to the car. I got home at 4:30 and had enough time to invite my boyfriend over. I cuddled up with him on the couch and watched TV, being careful of my boobs. After the pain block wore off the next day, the only pain I had was the bruising on my breasts. On a pain scale, it was only a 4 out of 10. It was just like muscle ache after a workout but on my boobs. The post op appointment was scheduled at 10 AM. From what I've seen of my surgeon, she is normally a calm, slightly serious person but she was so excited to see that my breasts were awesome. Bruising was normal. I did switch my surgical bra to a Bali sports bra because the swelling was going down and it wasn't fitting me anymore. I do get zingers. Zingers are the tiny little electrical shock type things in your breasts. It is okay. Zingers are your nerves in your breasts reattaching. My 2 week post op appointment was last Tuesday and I got some new information. 12 ounces were taken off of my left breast and 4 ounces from my right. I don't have to wear bandages under my breasts anymore and they are scabbing over well. About 3 weeks after surgery, they are dropping well. I have only a little bit of bruising but that's mostly the yellow ones that tell me that they will be gone soon. Scabs are starting to peel off which is a good sign. My left breast is a little more scabbed than the right one but they worked on it longer so it's normal. No more muscle-like bruise pain anymore. The underside of my breasts are numb and feel really odd when touched but I will gain feeling back eventually. Stitches are to be taken out in a week and a half. I can go running after that! I am so excited to start exercising again. I miss it. Sports bras finally fit me. This is a huge deal for me. I do not regret one second of this amazing transformation. If you have this problem and thinking of getting a breast reduction, do it. It will change your life for the better. I feel so much more confident than before.
