I am only 5 days post op. I am a little sore. My drains were removed today. When I woke up from surgery, even with anesthesia lingering, I knew right away my chest felt lighter! It is so worth it I would highly recommend this to anyone. Go for it!!! Don’t waste any more of your time suffering with those back pains and marks in your shoulders from your bra! Updated on 26 Oct 2017: Every day I feel more and more confident and I just can’t thank my doctor enough! When I can get out to shop I am having a cake delivered there for her and her team! They are all so awesome! Updated on 2 Nov 2017: Not much pain.. a little scabbing and some hard scar tissue in both breasts around the nipple that feels super weird.. but overall I’m in love. I feel so confident again and I’m excited to get back in the gym. I can finally go in with spandex and a sports bra!
surgery date is around the corner getting anxious can wait till is over. hope all goes well. I'm really active so been in the gym for the past couple weeks trying to get as fit as possible hoping that will help with my recovery. looking forward to run without wearing two bras hold me tight cause the bounce really hurts. any tips?
I have wanted smaller boobs since I was 15 years old. At that age I had no idea there was such a thing as a breast reduction. Time went on and I had children... so I didn't want to risk any damage at all to my breasts since I was breastfeeding... I nursed my 3 children a total of 9 years... 6 months out of those years was tandem nursing. My breasts have served me well. Now it's time to make them look good and finally relieve the back pain I've had since I was 17!! I am currently a 34DD. Bra straps KILL me. I avoid wearing a bra as much as I possibly can. I get horrible headaches that start in my shoulders and the tension runs up into my neck (I have arthritis in my neck and upper spine) and then it turns into the killer headaches I have dealt with most of my life. It's difficult to exercise on a regular basis because they are just so heavy and flop around and make me feel even worse. I was always petite but since I had emergency intestinal surgery I haven't been able to get these 30 lbs off me that just weigh me down and wear me out. I am so ready to have small boobs so I can exercise and have this pain relief and feel good again. I really miss feeling good. It's been so long. At my last pain management appointment, I asked if my breast size could possibly be contributing to the amount of pain I have. He referred me to the PS, and she said DEFINITELY yes. She put in for approval for the surgery, and the insurance company said yes, it's medically necessary! So I schedule the surgery next week and I couldn't be happier. I have been doing some research on my surgeon and have found nothing but good and positive things said about her. She said this is her favourite surgery to do. She said she's had patients who report INSTANT pain relief, even with post operative swelling. I'm hoping that I am a B when all is said and done. I'm so excited. I've waited so long for this. I have awful fear of surgery and anesthesia but knowing what the results are going to be is what is keeping me on this path. I will post more when I take some "before" pictures and when I know more after having my next appointment with my PS. Updated on 23 Jul 2014: The nurse from the PS office called today to confirm I got the information that my insurance company approved the breast reduction. She asked if I'd like to reserve the date for the surgery now, instead of waiting until I see the doctor again, and I said YES! There was ONE day left that was available in September so I grabbed it. My surgery is scheduled for September 18th. I am going to sit tight until then and hope that nothing happens to change that date! I'm still keeping the appointment next week to bring in my questions, along with my boyfriend and his questions. I swear I think he's just as excited as I am about this. :) Updated on 26 Aug 2014: Had my pre-op appointment today with the surgeon. They scheduled my surgery clearance with my primary doctor and told me I'd be getting bloodwork done when the date got closer. The nurse who supervises the surgery stuff came in and gave me the instructions, such as, no shirts that go over the head, use shirts that open up in front for the first few weeks because I won't be able to lift my arms above my head. No eating after midnight the night before the surgery. She told me the doctor advises eating a high protein diet the day before with lots of yogurt. She said to make sure I eat really really well the day before and make sure I'm very hydrated. The hospital will call to let me know what time I should arrive. They said most likely it would be morning. I will be staying overnight. My surgeon has a 23 hour policy. She doesn't like to send patients home right away. I am competely ok with that, since I had a ton of complications from an emergency surgery I had a few years ago... I know, not the same, but still, it will make me feel tons better to be in their care that first night. We talked about the surgery itself. She doesn't want me to watch any videos of the surgery like online or whatever, to avoid freaking myself out. I'm not like that, I can stomach almost anything, but I just haven't had any interest in watching one yet anyway. Perhaps I will, perhaps I won't... I know I will be intubated and have a catheter. I tried to get her to agree to no catheter, but she wouldn't go for it. I am prone to UTIs way too often and having a catheter scares me for that reason... I would really HATE to be recovering from major surgery and have a UTI on top of that. Sigh. Nothing I can do to fight that one, tho. I will just have to see if that happens or maybe I'll be lucky and not have an infection after. I'm so excited about getting this over and done with. I can't wait for the results. The surgery itself makes me pretty anxious, but I've been pretty good at not freaking myself out about it so far. I'll be recovering for the first 2 weeks away from my kids, which will be hard because I will miss them like mad. They'll be with their dad while i recuperate with my boyfriend. I've talked to the kids about my absence, so hopefully they'll be ok. They can come visit if their dad thinks they need to, anyway. It's just difficult to arrange something like that since I'll be 2 hours drive away from them and school schedules, etc. I just know that having this break from them will be better overall for the healing. I also know that it will be awesome when I get to see them again!! So my surgery is less than a month away. Surgeon told me not to get sick. Any upper respiratory infection is an issue. No runny nose or phelgm, she said. I don't want anything to put off the surgery, so I will be washing my hands like mad and staying away from people as much as I can beforehand. lol I know; I still haven't uploaded my "before" pics... I will get around to it, I promise! :) Updated on 3 Oct 2014: I know it's been forever since I updated. I have just been so caught up in life and enjoying myself. I had my surgery on Sept 18th, stayed overnight in the hospital, then went home the next day (right before lunchtime), stayed at home for a solid week recuperating, and I feel great now. I have started walking again and it feels really good to get some exercise. I was walking a little bit here & there right after the surgery, because the nurses at the hospital told me it was good to do to avoid blood clots, but I was still pretty careful with myself and scared to really walk far, and was tired for about a good 5 days after the surgery. So much to say I don't even know where to start, lol. First off, I guess I'll say I had my surgery at Orange Regional Hospital in Middletown, New York. The surgical staff there, the triage nurses, the recovery room nurses, my surgeon, and the nurses on the floor (all except one) were just utterly FANTASTIC. I can't say enough good things about them. And the one I had a problem with had nothing to do with the surgery, and I'll go into it later because it has nothing to do with what I'm talking about here. My surgeon, Dr. Sacks, was WONDERFUL, before, during, and after. She took the time to answer ALL my questions and always tried to make me feel comfortable with what was going on. She has a great bedside manner. I would HIGHLY recommend her for so many reasons. I never heard any negative reports about her work, I heard many really good things about her. Nurses who took care of patients after she did surgery on them said her scars looked awesome, some of the best work they'd ever seen. Seriously, not one person had a bad word about her. I wasn't thrilled about the anesthesia part. Apparently I'd had an awful panic attack while coming out of anesthesia that was so bad they had to knock me out again (I don't remember this at all, this is what I was told) so that I didn't fall off the gurney and hurt myself. I'm really grateful they took really good care of me after the surgery, especially because of how badly I panicked. They got my boyfriend and had him come in as well, I guess they were thinking that me seeing his face as I came out of it would help make me feel better. (My boyfriend was great too, but he's mine, lol.) The nurses on the floor were fantastic with me overnight, putting up with me pulling that cord so many times. I was so surprised at how much pain I was in, and how weak I was for a good day after the surgery. I couldn't even get to the bathroom by myself. The anesthesia made it feel like someone turned up the gravity. I was really really really glad I agreed to stay overnight. I can't imagine going home like that! I got a peek at my breasts the day after, when Dr. Sacks came in to change my dressings and make sure all looked ok... I was just shocked at how small and perky they were! Even with the post surgical swelling, I was thinking how PRETTY they are now!! I went home with two drains, one on each side. Dr. Sacks took the drains out a few days after in an office visit. It didn't hurt at all, not one bit. While I had the drains, she had me keep a log about how often I emptied them, how much was in them, etc. Everything progressed the way it was supposed to, thank goodness. I am now 15 days post-op and am healing very nicely. It does seem like one is healing faster than the other, but everything does look normal. The surgical glue is starting to peel and the skin underneath looks great. The glue is a bit itchy, but nothing that will drive me crazy. Certainly not even as itchy as a mosquito bite. I have a bit of nerve pain now, I guess the nerves are waking up again, and clothing rubbing on my breasts is annoying. I find it's a lot more comfortable to wear a very supportive and tight sports bra right now, rather than a low impact one. I am wearing a bra all the time except for showers (it was great to be able to shower again! I was allowed to the day the drains came out.). I am SO HAPPY I did this, and my ONLY regret is that I didn't do it sooner. I would have loved to have had these breasts throughout my 20s and 30s... but better late than never. My bra strap pain is completely gone. GONE. I used to not be able to wear a bra for more than 8 hours, and that was really pushing it. I would CRY taking it off, it hurt so badly. Now I'm sleeping in one and wearing one 24/7, and no bra strap pain at all. It's marvelous! I got to go sports bra shopping and it was great. I went from being too big for everything in the store, to now being a medium! I have never been a size medium on top my entire life! I found it really hard to believe a medium was going to fit, but when I tried them on, the larges were definitely way too big. Amazing. No underwires for at least 6 months, which I'm fine with. I am just amazed that I can even wear a sports bra, I've never been able to before. I am just so happy!! Updated on 17 Oct 2014: I had a small skin separation under the right breast, which surprised me. One day it had a dry, small scab on it, the next night I noticed it looked raw. Ironically I had a post op appt the very next day so I didn't freak out. The surgeon told me it was skin separation but that it doesn't look bad and she'd like to follow up on that at the next appointment. I'm wearing sports bras exclusively right now. I have only gone braless when showering and immediately after. My breasts feel GREAT. I was cleared to be able to walk the dogs again (YAY!) and lift a little more weight and allow myself more range of motion with my arms. I can't believe that I can sleep in a bra without the bra strap pain... I have never been able to do that... I do mean never... my whole entire life I couldn't wear a bra for more than 8 hours during the day and that was pushing it. I'm able to sleep on my sides now comfortably. The surgical pain is completely gone. I have a BIT of nerve pain on the outsides of my breasts which I find very annoying when clothing brushes against it, but when it's really bothering me, I just wear a more supportive bra and that solves it. Still it appears that the right is healing faster than the left, but oh well. They are both healing and that's the important part! I have been wearing so many tank tops and shirts that I would never wear before and when my boyfriend commented on that (meaning, he liked it), I just said hey, I can finally wear clothes that fit me! haha I was always aware that I was unhappy about clothing choices before, but it's so obvious now about the difference in what I can wear now, and it makes me so happy I get the chills. I did manage to buy a few new shirts too, and they are all tank tops or sleeveless, and I LOVE them. I know winter is coming, but I don't care, ha ha... I will wear them when I can, and if I have to, I'll wait until it gets warm again. At least I have a great amount of choices when summer comes back! And maybe I'll sneak a new shirt in here & there while I'm waiting for summertime to come back. ;) Also, I've been cleared to do abdominal exercises and basically anything low impact that doesn't cause bouncing, lol.... so I am getting determined to lose the belly weight before summer comes too. I want to wear a two piece next year! And.. I tried on a camisole someone had given me so many years ago that I never had the nerve to wear before ... and it looked GREAT. I can't wait to wear lingerie! I can't even guess what size I might be now... and I kinda don't even want to know, since I understand I could still go through more changes over the next few months... after all, it's only been one month! I just know I can now wear a size medium sports bra, something I have never experienced before, and that amazes me. Updated on 17 Oct 2014: I did forget to mention one thing, and it was something that really truly surprised me. First off, I'll tell you that I am a chronic pain patient to begin with. I have arthritis in my spine, which is what motivated me to look into this surgery in the first place, looking for some relief from my daily pain. I had read tons of reviews and kept seeing comments from women about how the pain wasn't bad at all, they felt much better after surgery than they expected, etc. So I took that information and combined it with my own pain experiences, and told myself, I can handle this no problem. I'm no stranger pain and everyone keeps saying it was easier than they expected, so I will have no problems. It'll be a breeze. Boy, was I wrong. I can't believe the amount of pain I was in the first 11 days post op! It was crazy! The morphine drip in the hospital did not TOUCH the pain. I had to sleep sitting up until the 11th day. The whole experience was excruciating. I'm not sure why this was different and more painful for me than it seemed to be for others. Perhaps my old doctor is right when she said because of my daily chronic pain I have developed an over sensitivity to pain? Or maybe my body didn't handle the trauma well? Who knows? I just know I was in a world of hurt for those 11 days. I knew the morning I woke up on Day 12 that things were FINALLY different. Like when you have the flu, and you are sick for several days in a row, but then finally that day comes when you know you're on the mend and it's over and you will start feeling better again... it was like that moment, but obviously not the flu, it was the surgical pain. But WOW, I was so relieved when that moment came! Considering this, and considering how I feel now, only a few weeks later, and how much better I look, and how much happier I am with my WHOLE body now, I would do it all over again, even if I *knew* beforehand just how much pain I would have to endure. There is no way I would not do this. My happiness outweighs ANY negative I experienced with this. And actually, I don't even think of the pain as negative... because it was a stepping stone to being a much improved "me". I am so incredibly happy with my breasts. I am so happy I did this. No regrets at all. Updated on 23 Oct 2014: Just out of curiosity, I tried on my old DDs and some of them still fit. I'm shocked. How could this be? My breasts definitely look so much smaller than they were. I get it that I still might have some swelling at this point, but I totally expected them to be huge. Still, I'm not unhappy. My new boobs look good on me and they are PERKY. I'll gladly take still being in the neighborhood of D if they look how they look now. :) I had a skin separation under the right breast, and it looks like I had another one right next to it. Is a hematoma a pool of blood under the skin? It looks like I have that under the skin separation. I have a surgeon appt coming up in 5 days. Is that too long to wait? It's not really bothering me. It feels kinda pinchy, but that's the skin itself. I feel nothing under the surface. No pain. Updated on 31 Oct 2014: So I saw my surgeon and I do not have a hematoma (I began to suspect I was wrong on that call right after I posted since the spot was very small, there was no pain or swelling). I just have two small skin separations and she says they are healing normally and that I am taking good care of them. Whew! I am still shocked when I pass a mirror and I am no longer following these huge boobs around... now it's me, it's really me! This is the me that I've envisioned for my entire adult life... this is how I always thought I should look. I am so grateful for this surgery. I feel like the real me was finally allowed to show herself. I call myself "flat" now, but I'm really not, not even close, lol... but compared to what I was before the surgery, it is a huge change for me. An ALL POSITIVE change!!! :) I'm still amazed to say "good bye" to the bra strap pain... I am in shock that I can actually wear a sports bra all night long and not wake up in horrible pain. I can't believe I can wear a bra all day long now and not end up with a migraine. I still have arthritis pain in my spine, but it's not anything caused by my breasts anymore. I have more good days now with less pain. It's so exciting. I guess I'll never say "good bye" to ALL my pain, but hey, I'll take the increased amount of good days I have now! :) I'm really trying hard to have patience and wait to be measured to see what size I am now... sports bras are easy to figure out, since they come in "small, medium, large" etc... but with regular bras I have no clue still... I would guess my cup size is probably a small D at this point, but I can't tell if I still have swelling that will go down more over the next few months. It's only been a month and half since the surgery, so it's still very new. My 6 month mark is in March, and you can bet I'll be getting measured and get a couple of really PRETTY new bras at that point!! :) Another issue I had that is now resolved is the ability to wear pretty lingerie! I pulled out a few pieces I had that I've been saving literally for years... I always had hope that one day I'd get this surgery, so I never wanted to give these away (they were never worn). The other day I tried them on... and WOWZA!!! My breasts look so freaking sexy in these things!!! I can't even say how excited I am... my brain just gets all lighted up and happy when I see in the mirror I don't look ridiculous trying to wear these things anymore!! And I posted a picture a few days back on facebook of my head and upper torso... a friend who knew I got the surgery and also had one herself 6 months before I had mine (and has been a giant source of emotional support for me through this whole process) made a comment that I had nice cleavage... it is so great to have the confidence to wear and post pictures even of me with tank tops on! I no longer feel like I'm obscene with these huge knockers bouncing all over the place in tiny little tops. (I have no idea if that's what I actually looked like, but it sure is how I felt!) This is an overwhelmingly positive experience for me and I've absolutely zero regrets. Not only did it reduce my pain levels (the whole reason I looked into the surgery in the first place) but it has had the effect of major improvements on my self-esteem and confidence levels. It is absolutely so exciting to me to be able to wear clothes that actually fit me, instead of hiding in big, baggy tops to try to avoid the negative attention those big boobs always got. It has also improved my posture, which I'm sure will be a good thing in the long run with my arthritic spine! :) Yay for plastic surgery!!! :) Updated on 16 Nov 2014: I had done the "ask a doctor" thing and have no idea how to update it, so I guess I'll talk about it here. How disappointing that there is no easy way to actually respond to doctors who took the time to comment on your question. My rib pain is gone. The one doctor said it was pretty common for this to happen. Sometimes when doing surgery in this area (breasts) you just inadvertently bruise the area around it. I am assuming that's what happened with me. I was pretty sore for quite a while, but I feel completely normal once again. I had been hoping for more pain relief after the surgery (I have arthritis in my spine). The bra strap pain is pretty much gone, but I still have spinal pain. Oh well... at least it's less, and I do have more "good days" now. It's definitely an improvement... plus I got beautiful breasts now, instead of those saggy, flappy, big, heavy things hanging off me. I'm so incredibly happy for my firm, perky, beautiful breasts. I do wonder if I had had the surgery earlier in life if I could have prevented some of the worst of the pain I experience now... just wondering. Healing is progressing wonderfully! I had two skin separations on the right side, underneath the breast, but they were not severe and they are healing so great. One of them you can't even tell anymore... the other one is coming along very nicely. I hadn't taken photos for a while because I wanted to wait a bit for a more dramatic effect as far as how much progress is taking place. The vertical scars are getting lighter already (the ones under the nipple that extend to the horizontal one underneath). I'm really pleased at how quickly the healing is taking place. And now that the scabs and all are finally gone, I will be using my Bio Oil. That stuff helped a LOT after my abdominal surgery, so I am hoping it works well on these too. Again, I want to repeat how wonderful my surgeon has been. Dr Sacks deserves all the positive things that are said about her. I had a really difficult time finding anyone who said ANYTHING negative about her at all.. for months I grilled anyone that knew her in a professional sense... and not one person said anything that could be interpreted as negative. I talked to several nurses who are in the same practice as Dr Sacks, many of them work for other doctors, but see the same patients for different reasons, and these nurses of course have seen these patitents with clothing, and I hear over and over again about how beautiful Dr Sacks' scars are, how small and inconspicuous they are. Other doctors have praised her work as well. I know for sure she took her time with me during and after the surgery. And like I said before, she tends to be very protective of her patients... while I was in the hospital (I stayed overnight) she really made sure I was treated the way I should have been and got the care I should have gotten (not that I can complain about the nurses at Orange Regional... I only had a problem with one of them... the rest of them were just absolutely WONDERFUL). Also, I am amazed at how even my nipples are. That was something that bothered me A LOT before the surgery... I would always take the time to make sure my nipples lined up after I got dressed... my boyfriend would laugh at my process, ha ha... but I didn't want to be that woman that got a nipple hard on and one was pointing in a different direction than the other one, lol. Well, I don't even have to do the straightening out process anymore... and I have tried out the braless thing too, to see how they lined up... they are just perfect! I truly feel like I can wear lingerie now and not feel ridiculous about how my breasts look... now I really think they look SEXY finally! This surgery has done wonders for my self-esteem! And I find that my posture is improving as well. No more slumping over to hide my ridiculous breasts... I feel like I finally look "normal" (whatever normal is... I just mean I feel what I consider to be normal for me) and am no longer self-conscious about someone noticing my breasts. Which brings me to another aspect... I no longer feel like I'm wearing a neon sign pointing to them, that screams, "LOOK AT THESE RIDICULOUS BREASTS!" ... now I feel like they no longer draw that negative attention... whether it's the kind that makes certain men leer at me, or makes people think they just aren't attractive, they were just obscene, they were big and ... yeah, I'm going to say it again... RIDICULOUS. Updated on 16 Nov 2014: I don't know how to edit prior entries so I will state that my last entry (also today) I made a typo that I didn't catch before I posted it. I meant to say the nurses in the practice see people WITHOUT their clothes on. Updated on 5 Feb 2015: I LOVE MY NEW BOOBS. I can't say it enough... I LOVE MY NEW BOOBS!!! That sentence must go through my head at least a thousand times a day. Especially when I'm getting dressed or about to take a shower or while I'm in the shower or when I'm getting intimate with the boyfriend or when I catch a glimpse of my reflection or... yeah, just about anytime, LOL! I am absolutely THRILLED that I went through with this surgery. I am amazed that this surgery exists and that my nipples are now where they should be and I don't have droopy ugly breasts anymore that caused me incredible amounts of pain to wear a bra (I still have bra strap pain but it's much reduced). I am also amazed at the body's ability to heal. Watching this healing process going on for the past few months has been really interesting! I have taken LOADS of photos along the way... I know, I haven't uploaded any here, but it's because I am really unsure if I want to share so publicly... My ONLY regret is that I don't think I stressed enough that I understood what it was that I was asking for when I told my surgeon I wanted to be as small as possible without going into the area of causing complications. I think that she thought maybe I didn't realize what I was asking for? Because at my last follow up I commented "I can't believe how big they still are!" and she looked at me with genuine shock and said, "Did you really want to be smaller?" And there I was thinking she didn't take everything off that I wanted because of circulation issues or something, but it turns out she was afraid to make me "flat" ... I had said before the surgery I wanted to be a B cup... to me that's not "flat". From how it looks right now, I will probably end up a full C or small D, which is definitely bigger than I envisioned. I haven't been professionally measured yet, though, as I was waiting for the 6 month mark to do that. I can't imagine there is much swelling left at this point, tho I know there could be some. I do need to stress here, though, that I am not unhappy at all! I absolutely LOVE my new breasts. I really, truly do! So they are a bit bigger than I wanted... they still look and feel amazing. And I feel so fortunate that I was able to have this done after so many years of suffering. This surgery has done wonders for my self esteem as far as when physical appearance counts (such as when I need to get dressed up, etc). And I can now wear clothing I've never been able to pull off before. I have always loved tank tops but always felt obscene when I tried to wear them before. Now I don't even think twice about how I look in them and worry that it's showing off too much. And pretty lingerie! Oh my goodness, the things I can wear now! Those cute little tops that my breasts now fit IN, instead of falling out of. I've gone to the thrift store and found a bunch of really cute tank tops. I don't care that it's below freezing right now... summer is right around the corner and I'm going to live in tank tops this year! Updated on 15 Feb 2015: Well after some debating inside my own head, I've decided to post before & after shots. The surgery was Sept 18th, 2014. There is one picture from the hospital with the markings from the surgeon, and then I have "after" shots that are recent. I'm now 5 months post-op. Updated on 15 Feb 2015: Here I am "after" the surgery. Updated on 16 Feb 2015: I am still walking on clouds with how happy I am with my new breasts! I love my surgeon, I love the job she did on mine, I love being able to wear clothes I never could before, I love having perky boobs now, I LOVE IT ALL, everything about it!!! I really don't have anything to say as far as an update... just wanted to express how wonderful I feel and how grateful I am that I was able to get this done, and just how full of joy I am that I went through with it! Updated on 15 Mar 2015: In 3 days I'll have hit my 6 month post-op milestone. I was told by several people my new breasts would go through many changes in these 6 months, and boy they weren't kidding. They look so different now than immediately after surgery. They are rounder now and softer and sort of "fell" into place. I still feel like pinching myself sometimes... the reality of having done this really hasn't sunk in completely. I love my new breasts so much. Sometimes when I'm in the bathroom I'll sneak a quick look... again. lol I was SO MISERABLE with large boobs. Not only the physical weight of them, but the emotional weight was just too heavy for me to bear. The way they used to be literally made me cry. There were many nights I would lie awake in bed just trying to imagine what it would be like if they were so much smaller. I never thought I'd actually ever have the opportunity to really get the surgery. Perhaps that's why I'm still a little in shock over it... I really had myself convinced that there would be too many obstacles to try to get past to have it done. In reality it was one of the easiest things to get approval for. I'm guessing it's thanks to my very long history of upper back & neck pain. I am so crazy in love with them now. And I still would have been happy if they were even smaller. The weight of carrying them around was so overwhelming... now they bring me joy. The 3 things I hated about myself (physical traits): 1. my front teeth, 2. my big boobs, and 3. my belly fat. The first two things have been addressed and fixed. I can't imagine how over the top happy I'll be once I finally get my belly done too. I just really hope that happens while I'm still young enough to enjoy it. But even with only the first two things done right now... it has affected me so deeply and in such positive ways. I really am so happy with those 2 first things that I *cry* happy tears now. The burden of carrying those first 2 things around with me a majority of my life really became such a heavy burden. It's hard to describe to someone who doesn't really have anything like this that makes them so DEEPLY unhappy how amazing it is when you finally get it fixed. I am so grateful for the technology and knowledge we have that these things are even possible, and I am definitely grateful I ended up with a talented and skilled doctor such as Dr. Sacks when it was time to have my breasts done. The gift that woman gave me isn't measurable... the happiness I now have in myself, the confidence to wear clothes that fit me now... the self-esteem improvement I experience now... I am just.so.happy. I'll be going for my first official professional fitting sometime in the next few weeks to find out what bra size I am now. I'm guessing I'll be a 34C. I'm excited to find out if my guess is accurate. Just in time for summer, too! I just wish I could have had my belly done at the same time as my boobs... too bad. Sigh... but it is so nice to finally not feel like a prisoner in my own body anymore! Updated on 4 Apr 2018: I've been thinking about leaving a follow up after all healing was done and I was really used to living with my new breasts, so here it is. It is 4 years later now and not once have I regretted the surgery. The ONLY thing I wish I knew before the surgery was that they'd be taking all my milk ducts out. That made me a little sad, because I had planned on lactating and donating the milk to babies in need... I cannot even think about doing that now, my body will not produce milk at all ever again. I just wish I had known. That was important to me, to be able to donate after having been done having all my babies. Plus, milk production is great for weight loss. But I digress... I still have pain when wearing a bra and that was the biggest reason I wanted the reduction... turns out it didn't do all that much for my neck and shoulder pain (I have arthritis in my spine). I am still looking for ways to resolve this issue. Perhaps a bra with a wider band, I'm thinking? I absolutely LOVE that I can wear all sorts of tops and nightgowns that I could never wear before with boobs that were all over the place the way mine used to be. No longer do I roll over in bed and have to MOVE my breast out of the way of being squished underneath me. ha ha ha I can wear tank tops and bathing suits comfortably now. The scars have lightened up considerably, but you can still see them if you know where to look. I'm not bothered by them at all, because one would have to lift up and look under my breast to see them, ha ha ha. That doesn't really happen! All in all my summary is: I would have liked to have gone smaller and wish the surgeon took me seriously when I told her that before the surgery. I still feel like they're bigger than I wanted them to be, but they are still so much better than how they were before the surgery. And I would have liked to have been told my milk ducts would be taken. I am EXTREMELY HAPPY about the clothes I can wear now and that my body looks way more in proportion than it used to. I'm small, only 5'4", with a small frame, so those large boobs of mine just looked so out of place on my body. Looking to the future, I would like to get a tummy tuck, and it has a lot to do with my very positive experience with this surgery. Hopefully I get to do just that in the near future. If I had to do it all over again, YES, I would. No regrets! Updated on 20 Aug 2018: Next month is 4 years since my surgery. I can't believe how much time has passed. I figured I'd do a quick update. Yes, I still think all the pain was worth it. I do have one small problem, though... funny I call it a "small" problem, because it's related to size. I wish so much I had stressed to the surgeon how much smaller I wanted to be. I thought she understood when I outright told her I wanted to be a B cup, but apparently there was a problem with communication because I'm still a D. A word of advice, make sure you strongly stress how much you want taken off before you are wheeled into the surgery... I thought I had, but apparently didn't state it strongly enough. I'm happy with the shape of them and the surgeon herself was very professional. I just wish she'd listened to me when I stated several times my expectations were to be a lot smaller than how it came out. She made a comment after the surgery when I said in a followup I'm a lot bigger than I expected... something about how she heard me but didn't think that was what I actually meant and that she left all she did to keep me "in proportion". Sorry but I thought I was there to change my body the way that would make me happy, not her idea of what I "should" look like. So yeah, there's that. Sidenote: I was warned several times before the surgery you could lose some feeling or patches of feeling in areas as a result of nerve endings not working correctly after being cut. Somehow I never had this problem in my nipples... they are actually MORE sensitive now than before the surgery. The only spot I have decreased sensation is below the breasts, where the scar lines are, but honestly it's not a big deal at all. Everything else is still very normal. All in all, I'd do it all over again. I don't regret the decision. I do regret, however, not making absolutely sure that my surgeon understood I wanted a lot more taken off.
I'm 31 and before kids I was a 32b now I put on a 32a and there is tons of spaces and it looks weird even under clothes so I decided I needed to get some boobs, I've always wanted bigger ones but never thought I would ever really have the opportunity to do but thanks to my lovely husband I can. I'm really excited, 2 more days to go. My surgeons name is Dr. Sacks. Updated on 6 Jun 2013: So tomorrow I go in, big day woohoo, can't wait to see what I look like with boobs. Lol. I have added some photos of mt before Updated on 7 Jun 2013: Got out around two, more pressure than pain, my hubby when to pick up my meds, they are all wrapped up I no real he what they look like but I took some pic. Every single person at the hospital were extremely nice and my doctor was extra awesome. Updated on 8 Jun 2013: so day 2, still feel really right, so far i think they look good, can't wait for the uncomfortable feeling to go away Updated on 11 Jun 2013: so its been 4 days since BA and I'm realizing this tingling sensation in my arm, its like my arm feel asleep , i called my doctor and she said its from my arm being stretched out during surgery, i dunno i'm still worried about it because I am a worrier. breast on the other hand are fine, i get sharp shooting pains but besides for that and morning boob the pain is not so bad. I had to drive two days in a row and its really uncomfortable but I gotta do what I gotta do. I will post pic, i don;t think there is much of a difference since the last time, I go to the doctor tomorrow hopefully i can stop wearing the bra Updated on 20 Jun 2013: So its been 13 days since my BA and I feel good for the most part, my left breast feels like I pulled a muscle and that is the only discomfort I have. Today was my son's graduation and my daughter was complaining about being cold so i jogged a little because I was trying to get back in time to see him walk in his gown and that didn't help the left boob situation. lol I will add pictures, I don't think I have any changes, the doctor said to push them together and down. I really cant wait till they drop.They have gottten a little softer so that is good. Updated on 20 Jun 2013: Updated on 5 Jul 2013: So today is one month yippie lol, I think they rounded out but I honestly don't think there is too much change there but then again I look at them everyday so I might not see the change. I saw my ps she says everything looks good and they are softening up and I go back in two months. The lady at Victoria's Secret sucks told me I was a B, wrong, so I took a B,C and D, the B was too small and so was the C so I guess I'm a D, I don't look like a D but hey.what do you guys think? Updated on 4 Mar 2016: I'm ok with them, I think they are two far apart though.
I am having a breast reduction, panniculectomy and abdominiplasty. I am so excited cant wait. I have so many questions. I have read so many things about this. I am so motivated. I have 5 beautiful kids I am 34 years old I weight 168 and my height is 5/5. I had a gastrobypass on april 2010 and had lost almost 100 pounds. Updated on 18 Mar 2013: I went to my pre op I am having my breast reduction first on april 12 Updated on 19 Mar 2013: I went to see my ps and she told me she will do the breast reduction first on april 12 because it will take her almost 4 hours and that she will do the abdominiplasty n panniculectomy after 3 months Updated on 20 Apr 2013: Hi girls had my breast reduction surgery on April 12. I was at the hospital at 1pm got register. the nurse call me in ask me all the question put the iv on she gave me antibiotic before surgery.The Anastasia guy came in ask me all the question. They call my boyfriend in then my Doctor came in did the marks and then another nurse came in she was really nice she made me feel relax and happy on the way to the surgery room it was #3.I got in the room my Doctor was there and other nurses on of them introduce them self and told I am going to give you something to relax you quick. I look at the clock it was 312pm I move to the bed I look at the clock again it was 315pm. I woke up and saw a nurse saying we are sending you to your room you got here at 6pm is 730 pm. I honestly felt the difference on my back like a weight lift from my back. I was really surprised that I was not in pain. I had a patch in back of my ear. I had a folly in. next morning my Doctor came took a look and said everything was fine I want to see you Wednesday. She said she took out 400 from my left and 250 from my right. Updated on 20 Apr 2013: I got home with the drains they where no problem I just was really nervous my 16 year old did it for me until Wednesday. I got home it was a little difficult because I have 5 children and is really noisy and the running around etc... well it was hard to fall asleep I had the burning, itching hard to grab a cup. hopefully I went to my first visit after surgery I was more nervous than the surgery day thinking I was going to pass out when she took out the drains the Doctor told me relax breath in and out when I looked the drains where out wow it was that easy no pain. She said I was funny and told me I see you next Wednesday and you could take a shower. I got home I had to wait for hubby to get home finally he did. He help me take everything out when I saw my boobs I cry I didn't no what to say my hubby look at me n didn't say nothing. It was shocking to me what a different all this years since I was young I had my big daughter when I was 16 I was 38 size with my 2nd child I went to a size 40 with my twins I went to a size 42 and with my 5th I went to a size 44. I had a gastro bypass in April 2010 and lost 100 pounds and went down to a size 36n38. so imagine how I feel its has been a blessing I am so great full I have been thru some much in my life that when you do something like this its like a miracle thanks to God for everything. Updated on 20 May 2013: hi girls hope you all are healing well and are doing good as for me I am doing pretty good. I went back to work 2 weeks ago still get some swollen n sharp pain. I clean my house but feel very tired after. I am seeing my doctor on the 22 of this month for follow up. I will post pic soon I feel like my left breast its still bigger but lets see what the doctor tells me. Sorry I didn't up dated soon but I have 5 children and working and the hubby I been very busy hope all is well with all of you sister GBUA Updated on 22 May 2013: hi girls just came from seeing my doctor she said everything looking good I explain my concerns about still seeing my left breast bigger than the other she told me it look good that she thought the right one was bigger but its better than before hope all of sister are doing good gbu Updated on 22 May 2013: Updated on 22 May 2013: Updated on 1 Jul 2013: really happy went to see my doctor today I am having my pre op on July 10 and my surgery on July 25 for my abdominiplasty and panniculectummy Updated on 10 Jul 2013: hope all of you sisters are healing well and wish you all a speedy recovery I went to see my Doctor today she said my breast looks great she explain to me everything she is doing I will tell you I have a lot of thoughts but I have a lot of faith that's what has me a little calm and all of you stories helps a lot thank you to all for sharing your story have everyone in my prayers GBU all Updated on 24 Jul 2013: hi everyone hope all of you sister are in good health and wishing you all a speedy recovery my surgery is tomorrow I have to be at the hospital at 12 I will have you posted my daughter is going to be with me. have all of you sister in my prayers gbu all Updated on 27 Jul 2013: hi to all my sisters hope all are healing well. As for me I had my surgery Thursday the 25 I went in at 12 to register went in for surgery at 300pm was out by 640pm at the recovery. I didn't had nausea because they put a patch. My doctor came in yesterday morning told me I did good that she took out 4 pounds and that I will see her Wednesday the 31. As for my pain I had a pump(morphine) they took the pump at 12 noon after that they gave me tramadol but still was feeling pain (sharp) I got discharge last night came home the hardest part for me is when I have to get up it hurts really bad and burns and I thought I was going to pass out when I sneeze omg . well am a little sad because I think or feel the same sorry just going thru all of this has been hard my 5 kids had me crazy yesterday but today they all out except my big daughter going to try my best to sleep I haven't got a nap all day today thanks to all for your advice and experience gbu all Updated on 27 Jul 2013: Updated on 27 Jul 2013: Updated on 27 Jul 2013: Updated on 27 Jul 2013: Updated on 27 Jul 2013: Updated on 31 Jul 2013: I just came from seeing my doctor she took my drains out it was not that painful she said that I was still swollen she will see me in 2 weeks and I could shower today and she gave me ambien so I could sleep hope all of ya si at are doing well wish you all a speedy recovery gbu Updated on 31 Jul 2013: Updated on 1 Aug 2013: Wow I really dont now what to say its my first time seeing my self hope this help Updated on 5 Aug 2013: Hi sister hope everyone is healing well wish you all a speedy recovery well as for me I am having a discharge from my scar can some give feedback my ps is on vacation until next week I been able to walk more and almost straight been sleeping in my bed straight and on my side with no problem I wash dishes I cooked you think I over did it thanks gbua Updated on 8 Aug 2013: Went to see another doctor bc my ps is in vacation he was a really nice he said he was not concerned it was not infected he said I was a little open he push really hard and ask me if I was ok but I am numb so just felt pulling no pain he ask me why I had a sad face so I told him honestly I am not happy I feel the same he said u are still swollen but with liposuction it will fix that I was really happy bc I felt he saw n feel the same way but his not my ps I have a appnt with my ps on the 14 next week lets see what she has to say I am going to post pic can anyone see what I mean hope all of you sister are having a speedy recovery gbu Updated on 14 Aug 2013: Hope all sister are healing well and good luck on the sister that going for surgery have everyone in my prayers as for me went to my doctor and told her I was not happy with my results she told me I was not going to be flat because I had stretch marks and told me it will get little less when be a month and told me to eat healthy Updated on 13 Jun 2014: Hi everyone hope you all are doing good I haven't been in for a while i decide to do a bbl finally I will post all the info later on I am very nervous but this site has the help of all of you and all the info and feedbacks
Seen Dr Sacks for a tummy tuck consultation and she said that she stopped performing tummy tucks on woman that are still able to become with child. She wouldn’t take my word that I absolutely didn’t want more kids. So she was a waste of my time.
I've had large breast basically all my life. Not only are they large but they are saggy! I'm self conscious about them and I've tried working out for results but even at my smallest my boobs were still big. I'm 5'8 160 and at once I was 145.. still big boobs lol so I've opted for surgery. My back hurts! Lol Updated on 8 Dec 2016: Got my surgery today and everything was amazing. My surgeon was wonderful as well as the staff at the hospital. I am feeling no pain at the moment just a little pressure. I was most nervous about the IV and general anesthesia, those two things were super cool and easy. The IV is a little uncomfortable but certainly not unbearable. The anesthesia put me out 1 2 3 , I woke up 3 hrs later feeling like I'd only been asleep for 30 min lol. Waiting for the Doc to come in tomorrow and check out my breast. Super excited to see them! Nervous, but anything is better than my extremely saggy boobs.
From other reviews I'm kind of behind the game...so I'll write a small summary of what has happened so far and update from here. This all kind of snowballed when I talked to 2nd pain doctor about a possible BR. My first one in NYC was very much against it. Not sure why, but I assume it's because of the position of the neck when being intubated for surgery, so we talked about what to say to the anesthisiologist. After having my initial consult with Dr. Sacks, she said it would take about a month to get an answer and I was shocked (like all other women going through insurance, so always TRY!) when they called in two weeks and said I was approved! What an amazing feeling...from there I had an appt with Dr. Sacks about a month from my scheduled surgery date. She measured me, and talked about what size I would be, she stated about a B. I'm a little concerned though from reading other patients here that they assumed they would be smaller so just to be sure I plan on bringing some images with me to the surgery date of what I'm hoping for. So anyway, I had my preop and bloodwork done last week, exactly a week from my surgery. It went well, but I forgot no Advil which I took two of last night. Luckily I have only had the two in the last five days, so they said that would be fine. Just NO MORE. I asked a few more questions today, and tomorrow I wait for the phone call for my surgery time. I'm very excited/nervous! Updated on 20 Feb 2015: The night before, I was prepping because I wasn't sure how I was going to feel afterwards, with so many different reviews on that part. So I prepped my kids, my hubby and my house as much as possible. That left me with little sleep, but that's ok because I was due to arrive at 5:30 AM. I ended up driving myself in because my husband was working until 8AM. No big deal. I arrived at 5:45, no stress on the hospital's part. Orange Regional is a really great hospital. My first time there, and I was really impressed by the compassion and professionalism. Once I arrived I waited three minutes in the waiting room while filling out a paper, and they brought me back to the room to prep me for the OR. I dressed in the gown and Dr. Sacks arrived fairly soon after. She marked me up, I didn't take pics but they're generally the same markings but my personal measurements. She is a lovely person, great conversationalist, and really put me at ease. Actually, just before Dr. Sacks the anesthesiologist came in to speak with me about my history with anesthesia, then Dr. Sacks came in. Right after, they put me on a stretcher and brought me back to the OR. Dr. Sacks was already there. Once she prepped she actually sat by my side while the rest of the crew was prepping and the anesthesiologist was prepping. I was joking and we were all laughing, and he said ok it's time you're going to start feeling something. And I just ok, night everyone! And then black. When I woke up, I barely remember it, I don't remember seeing anything but I remember vomiting slightly, to get the yuck out of my throat from the tubes. I have a spine and neck condition so they needed to use different equipment, it could have been caused by that. Then I started waking slowly and I just felt awful, but it was the anesthesia that needed to wear off. Dr. Sacks had been in the recovery room but I don't remember her there. I was in the room longer than they had said, but no one mentioned any issues so no big deal. I was in my room upstairs by 4:30. At that point I was given a shot in my belly for my blood to thin to prevent blood clots and some protonix in my IV. I can honestly say I didn't have much pain at all. I do take some meds on an every day basis for the spine and nerve damage I have so it could have been alleviated by that, but for the most part it just wasn't bad at all, like most of the breast reduction patients. For the most of the first day, I felt awful because of the anesthesia, it felt like a truck hit me. But I was urinating A LOT, like twelve times, not due to the IV fluid, possibly some water weight I was holding. But each time I got up I felt better and better. I have to stay when you first start moving you feel like you may pass out, so don't make any quick movements after you start walking around. Give yourself at least 18-24 hours of taking it very slowly. I didn't sleep much that night but that was due to the bed and my nerve damage issues. My leg was hurting so bad, I ended up needing a shot of Dilaudid, and I could finally sleep. But they also messed up my normal meds, and I was wrongly waiting for them when I should have said something. Lesson learned. When I finally got some sleep, I woke the next day feeling well, no breast pain at all. I really felt like freshening up, putting on some makeup and my normal clothes to feel better. A shower would have been great but I felt great anyway. The nurse did say I felt better than alot of patients but then again I think my normal meds had something to do with it. So I was discharged on the second day, I"m home now and of course after being away from home for a day I saw my house as a mess! I am not allowed to lift more than two pounds in each hand, or four pounds combined. I cannot lift my arms over my head or bend over. I was able to cook a light dinner for my family (my husband was going to but I couldnt wait for him to get back) I did a little light cleaning, and now I'm in bed. I'm very much hoping that I didn't do too much today, and will feel it tomorrow but we'll see. I'm going to get brave and take a look at her work tomorrow, and take some before and after pics on this review for everyone (have to give back). I remember the nurse saying she does amazing work, and she just said I am going to love them, which made me feel very secure and happy. Thanks everyone for all the information you've given me, I hope this helps anyone! I'll keep this updated as well :) Updated on 20 Feb 2015: Photo Updated on 24 Feb 2015: Checking out the work for the first time with the drains
