I've been thinking about getting a breast reduction since I was 17 years old. It has taken me 6 years to finally find myself in the right physical and mental place to get the procedure and I'm so excited about it! It was absolutely imperative to me that I be at peak physical health for surgery, and so I reached my goal of losing my excess weight (20kg/44lbs) and maintaining a steady weight through a healthy diet and exercise. It was just as important to me to be in a better mental place for such a serious life decision, which included overcoming and managing my anxiety disorder, and reaching a level of self love, respect and awareness where I no longer believed that a breast reduction was something I needed to meet someone else's beauty standards, but purely a decision made for myself only to improve my quality of life. My mental health goal in regards to this surgery was to reach a point where, should I never be able to have the surgery, I would love myself and my body every bit as much because I would not need it. Now that I have reached that, I am allowing myself the pure privilege of the surgery. I feel it necessary to mention that I did not spend 6 years getting healthier physically and mentally just to get this surgery lol, but rather the surgery is just a wonderful bonus for all my hard work I did for my own health! Anyway! Now that you've read my extensive babble about the history of my decision, let me tell you a bit about myself now! I am 23 years old, I live on the Sunshine Coast in Australia, I am a size 8 (34), 52kg (115lbs) with E cup breasts. I am single and I have no kids. I am vegan and lead an active lifestyle walking my dog and practising yoga daily as well as heavy weight lifting. While I am recovering (once cleared for moderate exercise again) and will not be able to train weight lighting, I will be doing pilates in order to continue to strengthen, condition and tone my body. Much to my delight and convenience, the plastic surgeon I have booked my procedure with is based 10 minutes from my house on the Sunshine Coast. His work was my favourite of all the surgeons I researched from all across Australia. My surgery is booked in for May 15th which, as I write this, is a little over 3 weeks away. I have quit smoking permanently in preparation (which was only an occasional habit), as well as drinking alcohol (which I also did not do often either). I am eating as clean and balanced as possible leading up to my surgery, I am stretching my body out every day, and I am training very hard in order to be as fit as I can be for surgery (and also because I know I'm going to miss it so much while I'm recovering!). I have started using two products on my breasts daily as recommended by my surgeon in order to prepare my skin for surgery. They aim to increase the integrity and strength of the skin and assist in a rapid healing phase post-operatively. In the morning I use an antioxidant rich lotion with active ingredients being Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Vitamin E, White Tea, Ginko Biloba, Melatonin, and Hydrolysed RNA and DNA. In the evening I use a medicated vitamin A cream called Tretinoin which is retinoic acid. I am nervous and excited but bring on this experience because I've been waiting forever! Updates and photos to come! Updated on 15 May 2019: It's currently 2am the morning after my op and I can't sleep at the moment so I thought it would be a good time to update! This one will be all about my preparation and how I was feeling leading up to my surgery and in a following update I will post all about my experience on the day up until now. So one really awesome thing I want to mention because it has truly flawed me is that leading up to my surgery and even on the day before I went under - I felt absolutely no nerves. Just sheer excitement! I was not scared, doubtful or anxious and it really helped keep me completely calm throughout this entire experience. This is HUGE for me, because as (I think) I mentioned previously I have a history with relatively severe anxiety and of all the life situations I thought I would have to work hard to overcome feelings of anxiety again, I assumed it would be surgery. Apparently not! Anyway. In the lead up to surgery I continued the two creams provided by my surgeon to help prepare and condition my skin for surgery, as well as pre-operative vitamins they also provided me with. These included a Vitamin C supplement I took three times per day, a good quality multivitamin I took twice daily, and an anti-inflammatory supplement I took once per day. In addition to this, I continued to take an iron supplement and probiotic every day. In the few days prior to surgery I had to go out and buy some soft, wire-free compression bras that zip up at the front as well as a few comfortable, loose button up shirts because apparently I don't already own any lol. Some other things I did to prepare for my post-op recovery were stock-piling a whole bunch of healthy, balanced meals and freezing them so that I wouldn't have to worry about cooking and it would be easy for me to continue to eat nice and healthy during my recovery, which was very important to me that I do. I also ensured my house was clean, especially my bed sheets, towels and clothes so that a) I wouldn't have to do any of this while recovering and b) a cleaner environment seemed vital when I've got surgical wounds. I continued my weight lifting and yoga up until the day before surgery and I remained consistent and motivated with my training. Honestly this was mostly because I know I'm going to miss them both so much!! I love keeping fit and I have been graced with infallible motivation and inspiration over the last few months so while I am more than grateful for this experience I'm definitely mildly disappointed I won't be able to train or do my yoga course for 6 weeks! Definitely worth it though. And how lucky am I that I now get to try out pilates while I recover :D I think that's about all I can think of in terms of preparation leading up to the big day, so stay tuned for the post-op update! Thanks for listening :) Updated on 15 May 2019: I did it! Yesterday was the big day and its all over! I am beyond pleased and relieved with my entire experience. As I mentioned before I did not feel nervous whatsoever in the lead up to this surgery, which I know is something I created for myself with the power I have over my mind, but I am still a little shocked about it and certainly full of gratitude. Anyway! Lead me lead you guys through my day. Admission was at 6.45am at the Sunshine Coast Day Surgery. This was ideal for me being first up in the morning so it was all over and done with early in the day, and I only had to fast from 2am so pretty much I just had to skip breakfast which was easy! So I woke up at 5.45am, had a shower (I washed my hair the night before so it would already be clean and dry - as well as shaved everything I needed to so I wouldn't have to worry about it for a while after surgery - I very much recommend this if you haven't though about it haha), then double checked I had organised everything for myself and my dog the night before to stay at my Mum's for a couple of days after surgery. Mum picked me and all my stuff up (she went back to pick up my dog later so he would be at her's once I arrived home after surgery) at 6.15am and after loading her car with everything I would need we arrived at the day surgery at 6.35am. When I arrived we finished the last of the paperwork, paid my private health rebate excess and sat down to wait. Mum left at this point and I was taken in not long after. I was greeted by a nurse who got me to change in to a couple of hospital gowns then sat down to wait in another waiting room for about 10 or so minutes. She then came back and took me to another room to take all my vitals, ask all the necessary questions about my health history and fit me for my compression socks. I then went back to the same waiting room for about another 10 minutes before the scrub nurse came to introduce herself and ask me all the same questions as the first nurse. After about another 15 minutes another nurse come to introduce herself and take me to my bed. She asked me all the same questions again and then told me my anaesthetist would be in shortly to speak to me. After another 10 or so minutes passed the anaesthetist came in, introduced himself, went through all the risks or general anaesthetic, inserted the catheter into the back of my hand and then gave me a nerve block. This was actually the only time in which I felt at all nervous, mainly because my immediate thought was that a nerve block was going to be some huge needle going in to my spine - which wasn't the case. I laid on my side and he inserted two syringes of local anaesthetic in either side of my spine which numbed my whole back. He then left, telling me my surgeon, Dr McGovern, would be in shortly to draw alllll over my boobs. The 10 minutes that followed were the only scary part for me as I started to physically feel very strange from the local anaesthetic which I was not expecting at all. My immediate reaction was a small panic which resulted in a little bit of nausea. But I put all my knowledge from managing anxiety in to action and I breathed and logically thought my way out of it. I still felt physically very weird but was content with my situation. Dr McGovern then came in to make all his markings which took about 10 minutes. He then left and a one of the earlier nurses came back to attach some form of monitoring cords to my back and then escort me in to the surgical room. It was interesting and a little daunting that I had to walk in to my surgical room but the nurse warned me what it would be like and made me feel comfortable. I walked in, it was much colder in there and there was about 5 people standing in there waiting for me. I laid down on the surgical bed which was much warmer and the anaesthetist immediately knocked me out. Such an interesting experience that part was! I've never had general anaesthetic before and I thought I would at least begin to feel sleepy before fully going under, but all I remember is being completely conscious and aware one second, and being woken up after surgery the next! I was woken up by one of the original nurses I met who asked me how I felt - which was quite fine actually. I was disoriented obviously and my body felt weak and stiff but I otherwise felt fine. After probably 5-10 minutes of coming to and waking up, she helped me stand up and get dressed. My chest was completely wrapped up in a pressure bandage so I of course didn't get to see my new boobs yet - which I wasn't expecting to. After getting dressed she walked me out to the recovery room where I sat and continued to wake up and eventually had a few cups of water and a few bites of my wrap (that I had to provide myself because they were unable to provide any vegan options whatsoever). I began feeling better and better, I wasn't in any pain at all, barely even discomfort. They called my mum who showed up after about half an hour and one of the nurses gave me a gift bag and some information sheets on post-op care and anaesthetic after care, and of course my prescriptions for an antibiotic (cephalexin), an anti-inflammatory (celebrex), anti-nausea tablets (ondansetron), pain relief (undone) and sleeping pills (temazepam). They provided me with a soft wire free compression bra, but to be honest I'll probably use the ones I bought as they are exactly same just with a zip at the front so are easier to get on. After being in the recovery room for about an hour I was good to go home! I am so pleased and endlessly grateful for the care I received at the Sunshine Coast Day Surgery. I very much appreciated the fact that everyone was kind and gentle, but nobody nurtured feelings of nervousness by indicating this was a big, scary, serious experience. On the way home Mum and stopped at the chemist to fill all my prescriptions, and buy some vomit bags because I had a sudden rush of nausea and almost needed one right there in the chemist. But that passed quickly and I didn't feel nauseas again for a while. We then went home, I took an anti-nausea tablet straight away and a few dry crackers and then parked up in bed. I napped on and off for a couple hours before getting up to go find some more food. My sweet, gorgeous, loving Mum had gone to the effort of making me a big pot of healthy vegetable soup which I was so grateful for. We actually then popped down to the shops quickly as they're just down the road, to buy a few healthy snack things to satiate my sugar cravings. Once we pulled up at the shops I was hit with a pang of nausea and had a quick vomit lol but then I was fine again and haven't felt nauseas since! We got back home, I had some soup followed by my antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and some pain relief at about 6pm. I wasn't actually in any pain yet, but I had started to feel some dull aching and stinging so I decided to pre-emptively stay on top of the pain rather than waiting for it to arrive first. It worked and I haven't been in any pain since. I went back to napping on and off watching tv for the rest of the evening. At about 9pm I took my vitamin C, anti-inflammatory supplement, multibiotic and probiotic so they would absorb before taking another dose of my antibiotic. At 10pm I took another antibiotic, another dose of pain relief and a sleeping tablet, which sent me to sleep quickly and comfortably. I woke up a couple of times but went back to sleep with ease, until now haha. I am not in pain, just some discomfort with soreness and pressure. But overall feel very comfortable considering and I am very pleased with my recovery. I definitely didn't expect it to be this easy! I have to stay strapped up in all my bandages until Friday, when I can take all but the waterproof dressings off and take a shower. So I will be sure to update on my progress and with some photos when Friday comes! Thank you for listening, I know this was long but I found when I was doing my research, I really found a lot of benefit from the people who explained their experiences in detail. Hopefully this has helped someone understand what they are in for a little better, especially if based on the Sunshine Coast as we have next to no reviews posted on here! Thanks for the support, all my love! T Updated on 19 May 2019: I'm actually 4 days post op as I am writing this but couldn't not give you guys a good update of my experience from the first two days after my operation! I also wanted to reflect on how I have since come to notice the many spelling errors in my last update - I'm assuming due to the anaesthetic recovery, endone and lack of sleep lol I was so pleasantly surprised how well the first couple days went for me. I took my endone the night of my operation and I took a couple doses the next day, however come Friday (2 days post op) I had completely stopped taking it and I didn't even need to transition to panadol to get me through - I just wasn't in pain. Which was awesome. I tried to get out of the house once each day which I did with my mum for a quick visit to our local vegan cafe, but up until now (4 days post op), I had been getting very tired very quickly and needed to nap to get through the day. Which I believe is to be expected after surgery! I will post an update soon about how days 3 and 4 post op have gone for me. Friday was also the day I was allowed to take remove my pressure bandage and take my first full shower - and therefore see the new gals for the first time! I am so so happy with the result so far. I am very excited to see what they look like once their have healed some more, the swelling goes down and they drop down a bit in to more of a natural shape, but so far I am absolutely ecstatic and I think they are going to be exactly what I have always wanted! Updated on 19 May 2019: Now 4 days post op and I can say that unfortunately and interestingly enough, the last 2 days have been the most difficult so far. This has purely been due to my inability to sleep. I haven't been in pain at night, however I have been just that little bit too physically uncomfortably with the tightness, tenderness and aching from my healing wounds that I have barely been able to sleep at all. And sleeping on my back is starting to feel like a real struggle, but I think this is also due in part to my irritability. Last night was my worst sleep of all, where I was unable to doze off for more than say 20 minutes between 10pm and 5am! I'm hoping for a much better sleep tonight though. I have been pretty tired all day but have forced myself to stay out of bed keeping myself busy with low energy activities. I went to breakfast with Mum, spent some time with my roommate, he helped me run a few errands, I listened to some podcasts and then spent all afternoon with friends at a local brewery (drinking water of course). It has been a good day for my soul and my discomfort feels like it has eased a bit today. I am hankering for a good, long sleep tonight though! I was able to start driving again today, although it did feel a little weird and I would not do any long distance drives yet. But it feels good to have some independence back again! I have attached some updated photos, which I don't think show much difference from a couple of days ago other than a little bit of bruising, and I think the swelling has gone down just a tad. My next update will be after my follow up appointment with my surgeon on Tuesday (6 days post op) where he will be removing my dressings and sutures! I am very much looking forward to this as I'm hoping it will provide a little bit of relief from the tightness I'm feeling. I could be wrong, but I guess we'll see! I am also looking forward to simply getting some reassurance from my surgeon that everything is healing and looking the way it is supposed to. Will update again on Tuesday! Thanks again for listening in and I really hope I'm providing some helpful information to someone who is contemplating or soon to go through with this decision. Please feel free to ask me any questions if you have any at all! I would be more than happy to help.
The problem is, as you described, is an over-active muscle. Surgery will not fix this problem. Botox is a muscle relaxant, it is the best solution for you. Whilst it is not a permanent solution, the results are extremely good, the procedure is quick and inexpensive (compared to surgery) and there is no resultant scarring, which would be unavoidable if surgery were to be performed.
