Amazing bedside manner and technique. Breast reduction from a very asymmetrical 36 DDD to a solid 36 B. She listened to me and gave me exactly what I was looking for. From my consult to my final follow up appointment this process was smooth and efficient. I followed her post op instructions to a t, and trusted the process. I had no real complications - a few spitting stitches but that’s it. Dr. Sandholm was quick to respond to my emails with specific care instructions. I couldn’t have asked for a better surgeon or experience. A++

Tomorrow is my surgery! I am 38 years old and have a 4 year old and 18 month old. First pregnancy I had not one stretch mark but my second pregnancy made up for it with stretch marks from my upper thighs to above my belly button. I now have very low hanging skin that I can feel bounce every time I try to run, smack against my knee every time I bike, and ruin my self-esteem every time I try to woo my husband. Plus of course breasts that started as 34G before babies and are now crazy uneven with a G for my left breast and I for my right. For reference, I'm 5'10", 205lb, BMI 29. I always wanted a breast reduction and thought, why not just have it all done at the same time?! I work in the OR, often with plastic surgeons, and I have seen hundreds of breast reductions, from start to finish. I have been lucky to pick my surgeon from a fantastic plastic surgery group, all of whom have had gorgeous results and thrilled patients. For me, the breast reduction has been my primary excitement and the tummy tuck, an added bonus. (Insurance is covering the reduction, I'm paying out of pocket for the abdominoplasty.) I am so excited for the reduction but definitely more nervous about the recovery for the tummy tuck. I have an umbilical hernia and will need full muscle repair. However I know that I would never seek out just a tummy tuck, so I'm thrilled to just do it all now. My surgeon, doesn't think that I will need any lipo but will possibly consider it on my flanks. I guess that I'll find out tomorrow! I'm also super lucky to know every single person that will be in the OR with me and was able to choose my anesthesia team, whom I love and trust completely. I know that I am in great hands. Thankfully! Otherwise I'd probably be a nervous wreck right now! I'm sad about not being able to cuddle or pick up my girls for awhile and guilty that my supportive husband will be pretty much solo parenting for a month. But again, this month is for me and I'm ready to reclaim my strength and self-confidence! Updated on 21 Jan 2020: Surgery went great! I had so many friends stop in to support me before and after my surgery. I felt very well cared for. The nurse anesthetist hooked me up with all the good stuff- Propofol, Precedex and ketamine drips, no inhalation gas (which makes you feel pretty crappy afterward.) My surgeon did rib blocks on me to numb my breasts and an anesthesiologist did a TAP (Trans Abdominal Plane) Block under ultrasound to numb up my abdomen. I felt AMAZING after surgery- very little pain except with position changes. My TAP block lasted about 24 hours, which is awesome. The incoming pain, not so much. But it has been easily controlled with 1 oxycodone every 4 hours or so. My surgeon did a little lipo on my flanks. I have 2 drains in my stomach but none in my breasts. I get to unwrap them 48 hours post-op and will update with pics tomorrow! A couple weird things to note-- I had placed my scopolomine patch the night before I went in and felt pretty gross the morning of- kind of like a big dose of Benadryl, which I'm really sensitive. By that night (post-op) my vision was so blurry that I couldn't even read the texts on my phone. Blurry vision is a somewhat common side effect but it hit me hard enough to take it off after 24 hours, since I was nausea free. Another weird thing is that my left hand was pretty numb for a bit with pins and needles (like when your foot is asleep.) The pattern exactly matched the median nerve so I think my wrist probably folded over a bit in surgery and compressed that nerve. It already feels better though with just a slightly decreased sensation-- pins and needles and motor weakness are gone. I didn't have a sore throat at all from the intubation but my voice sounds like a 100 year old smoker! Hopefully it comes back soon! My 4yo was sweet and supportive when she came home from preschool and was very interested in my drains and abd binder. My 18 month old reallllly wanted me to hold her but luckily she accepted daddy's arms instead after a couple minutes. Updated on 22 Jan 2020: The stomach pain came in full force today! I tried to walk every couple hours and even though it was the most painful during the first couple minutes, it felt pretty good after awhile. My neighbor gave me a walker and that has made it SO much easier!!! It totally takes the pressure off your low back. I'm so thankful to have that and my recliner. I unwrapped my breast bandages after 48 hours post op as instructed. I have a LOT of bruising on top of my left nipple (almost looks like a big areola). I texted my surgeon a pic of it, afraid that it was a hematoma but she said just typical bruising. So alternating heat and ice it is. After being so big my whole life, I'm quite shocked at the size of my itty bitty breasts! I originally asked for a D but then said I'd rather go smaller like a C than larger. I'm not expert on little cup sizes but don't these look like B's? Not a full complaint, just something I'm still trying to wrap my head around. When was I last a B? 6th grade?!?! Drains are putting out 30-40ml per day. Hopefully that will drop below the 30ml mark on day 7 when I have my post-op appt, so that I can get them removed. Although honestly they're not bothering me too much. Like everyone has said, the low back stiffness from bending over has been worse. Overall and despite the obvious swelling (in my stomach and thighs), I'm loving the streamlined silhouette. BuhBye saggy skin!! Updated on 25 Jan 2020: Feeling better and better! Pain is quite tolerable with just tylenol and ibuprofen now. My breasts and side of ribs are becoming increasingly tender, but I think I'm only now noticing it more since my abdominal pain has really improved. I can now clear my throat without pain, light coughs are only slightly uncomfortable (instead of feeling like my stomach was splitting open) and I even sneezed AND pooped today without too much thought. Yay. My back muscles are definitely sore from bending over all the time but I really can't say that my back has been painful, probably thanks to the walker that I'm still using most of the time. I spent a lot of time outside today (sunshine is a bit rare for this time of year in the Pacific Northwest) and really, that felt as good as any pain medication. I haven't taken my abd binder off in 24+ hours, so the photo with it off is from yd. My breasts continue to be super bruised but it looks like much of it is starting to fade. I can finally see a more precise nipple outline! I love how small the areolas are compared to my prior dinner-plate sized ones. Updated on 25 Jan 2020: Oops, forgot these. Taken today, and binder is still on. (Probably not worth taking off since I'll still be swollen.) My left breast is definitely more bruised. not surprising since my surgeon said that they were nearly done with my breasts and sat me up one last time to check symmetry and everyone in the OR agreed that the left was a little more full than the right. So she opened it back up to remove more and make them match. Updated on 27 Jan 2020: I'm officially 1 week out! Had my drains out today and am happy to be rid of them, although my belly is so swollen still, it's bound to get worse before it gets better. I took my first shower on a week which was amazing. I borrowed my friend's shower seat which was awesome. Standing for more than a minute is really exhausting for my sore back muscles from arching over. So it was nice to sit and let the warm water hit my back for awhile. Pain has been managed with just tylenol, occasional ibuprofen and one oxycodone at night. Icing my whole torso feels great and I try to do it 3-4x a day. She used a silver impregnated dressing on my abdominal incision to decrease infection. That came off today so all I have are steri-strips, which need to stay on until they peel off on their own. But my skin around the abdominal incision is really discolored from the silver dressing. It will wear off eventually, but warning, it looks terrible! Updated on 4 Feb 2020: ...and a day (15 days out). I'm feeling better and better! I was really active over the weekend, attending a couple day parties. Was on my feet a lot and I'm finally feeling a bit more endurance. I'm still hunched but a little less so. My back feels ok. Pretty much only taking tylenol at this point. I had some pretty impressive bruising covering my entire lower abd and even hip flexors below my incision. A few times a day I alternated ice and heat and today the bruising and associated swelling look a lot better. My belly button is still oozing a little bit of old, dark and bloody drainage but the skin looks pretty good and it's not infected. I texted my surgeon pics and she said it looks fine, to keep doing xeroform dressing changes every day. My first new bra arrived today! Spanx bra-allelujia wireless! It's a 36D and fits perfectly (right now, yay!) Ots so much more comfy than the compression bras that I've been wearing, which start to roll and bunch at the band and get pretty uncomfortable when I'm wearing them 24hours per day. So I'm giving myself an hour in this beauty. I still have 2 more weeks off work which I'm grateful for since it's pretty physical. but I can see how someone that works a desk job would be able to return after two weeks. Also I've been able to snuggle my 18 month old and 4 year old on my lap pretty comfortably, as long as they don't accidentally jab me with those dagger elbows!

I'm scheduled, I'm ready, my insurance is covering this, but I just can't shake the feeling that I'm undeserving. My breasts have caused me trouble physically and socially for as long as I've had them, but I also don't know anything different! I've been enjoying reading others' stories and hearing my sentiments echoed in them. I hope that a breast reduction brings me the relief I seek. Anyway, maybe someone will find help in hearing about where I'm at so far: - Scheduled for August 11th; Covered by insurance - Bought a second-hand reclining chair to sleep in because sleeping on my back is uncomfortable. (It was a pain to move up a spiral staircase to a 3rd floor bedroom) - Currently in the midst of antiseptic showering - Doctor has prescribed me with before and after anti-nausea medication to combat severe queasiness, pain meds, and laxatives (to handle pain med side effects). I plan to transition to advil and marijuana somewhat early (I live in Oregon) with the intent of leaving the opioids behind early-ish. - Told my doctor that Mom has severe allergic reaction to medical tape (discovered during her breast reduction at my age). Doctor handed me some tester strips to find out for myself. I'm in the clear, but I'd recommend the same if you have sensitive skin. - Doctor told me not to work out for about a month, and then only very lightly. I'm sure I'll find this frustrating (but working out with my breasts is also frustrating). She suggested safety-pinning my shirt sleeves down as a reminder. Too bad it's summer! Maybe I could wear bracelets and tie them to my belt loops? - Set my work Out of Office message. It was probably the hardest part of this process so far. I'm giving myself 6 days (Fri - Wed) of no work obligations, maybe emailing intermittently if needed. Beyond that, I'm going to try to physically get into the office as my body allows and work from home to supplement. Updated on 12 Aug 2017: Surgery was a breeze. It took about 2 hours and a pound was removed from each breast. I was cogent about 20 minutes afterwards, which was (according to the nurses) very unusual. I used the restroom, was helped into clothing, and generally preparing to leave within the hour. I nearly fainted while getting into the wheelchair and was loaded by a bunch of nurses back into bed. My mom was getting the car and they let her know. She suggested feeding me (duh) since it had been about 20 hours. That did the trick and we headed home. Mom and Partner collaborated to get me dinner and made a Miralax tea. Lead with the laxatives is what the doctor said. I've been in and out of sleep since and feel pretty great. I set alarms through the night to take amounts of Tylenol and Oxy. It's the morning after now, my pain is maybe a 2 or 3, and everything is locked in place with a huge amount of ace bandage. Opioids don't make me too foggy (I'm taking very low doses) but they usually make me super nausea. I'm still wearing an anti-nausea patch behind my ear (it'll last me until the first show) and then I'll switch to consumables. I attribute my high spirits to it. Yay anti-nausea! My shoulders and lower back already feel amazing.

After wanting a breast reduction for a few years, my procedure is finally scheduled! In just over two months, I'm hoping to be a full C cup. I was a C cup through my teenage years, then when I was 19, I blew up, and have been an F cup ever since. I'm in extremely horrible pain daily, I even had a back surgery to correct some bulging discs three years ago that came from excessive weight on my back. Updated on 19 Sep 2017: Surgery is in 9 days! I've been living with horrible pain the past few weeks. I'm extremely nervous for the surgery, but so excited at the same time.!! I went out and bought some compression bras for post-op. Glad to have gotten that out of the way. I feel like I am most nervous for the anesthesia. Updated on 1 Oct 2017: 3 days PO. Finally took a shower today. I tried to take one yesterday, but looking at my new breasts made me faint! I still struggled with it today, but I managed to get through it. I'm shocked at just how bruised I am, but I do bruise really easy. Pain is not as bad today as it has been the past few days. Managed to take some pictures.

A little background, sorry if this is long. I have always had large breasts. I currently wear a 40G. I am 48 years old. I have had back pain, neck pain, migraines, etc seems like forever. I ruptured a disc in 2007 and had cervical fusion surgery. I recently ruptured another disc and the Dr indicated my large breast size could definitely be a factor in my neck issues, etc. I I also suffer from migraines. I discovered after doing some research that a reduction may also help with migraines! After a few bumps in the road, I was able to meet with the PS today. My insurance requires a BMI of 34 or under. The PS said I would need to lose 15 lbs and once that is done we can schedule surgery! I am so excited and nervous! I hope to lose the 15lbs by the end of June and have surgery in July. I wanted to thank everyone on here for sharing their stories, advice and support. I am sure I will have many questions along the way but for how I am wondering, were there any questions you wished you would have asked? I'm putting together a list of questions for my PS and want to be sure I cover all the bases. I thought some of you, in hindsight, might have some good questions to share that you wished you had asked. Thanks again!!!!!