Well, after many years of wanting and needing a BR but being afraid of the cost, I made an appointment with a plastic surgeon for a consult just to get an idea of where I stood. I had no idea I might be covered by insurance so we decided to give the approval process a try.
Everyone in the office was amazing. The Dr. answered all my questions before I had the chance to ask them. The scheduler and billing/insurance lady are on top of their games and I surprisingly had insurance approval just 3 weeks after my initial consult! We scheduled the surgery quickly because my insurance deductible and co-pay amounts double on July 1. It was just a perfect whirlwind of a storm to set this all in motion.
I'm currently a 44G, more overweight than I care to admit, but I believe having this weight off my chest, literally, will enable me to be more active and shed some of the excess weight. My breast size has never changed much at all with weight loss or gain, so I don't have to worry about losing what's left of my new, smaller size.
I'm excited that with how much the insurance is covering that I can also pay for the auxillllary lipo to have the best post-op results possible. I've always been a great healer and have a super high tolerance for pain so I'm just super excited to have this done and finally have the relief I've always wanted!
Updated on 27 May 2015:
I've read though probably hundreds of reviews, not filtering the good from the bad and I'm still just so excited to have this surgery. I've been under anesthesia twice before and I always wake up happy and chatty so I'm not concerned there. And I know I've done my research on the procedure and my chosen surgeon so I have 100% faith that everything will turn out wonderful!
I went out walking the mall last weekend to get out of the house and not into the rain, and I caught myself getting so excited at the thought of being able to buy a normal, cute bra or swimsuit and not have to look for the large, expensive and so not cute ones!
I know that the change will be very obvious, but it's not an easy surgery to tell a lot of people about. Firstly, I work in a mostly male dominated field, so I'm glad I have an HR/Leave lady out of town that I can work with and not have to explain things to my supervisor. Can you say awkward?! And secondly, I seem to know mostly people with smaller breasts and all I hear from them is "Oh, you're so lucky to be so blessed", "why would you give back what god gave you" and "Oh, how I wish I could have half of what you have". Well, schedule yourself for a transplant, cause you can have the half that I'm having taken off in a few weeks! Haha
Updated on 11 Jun 2015:
Well, pre-op is tomorrow and then surgery is 10 days after that. I haven't had a single bit of nervousness yet, so I'm wondering when that will catch up with me.
Other than that though, I feel like I'm nesting haha I've stocked up on the heavy things, dog food, bottled water, etc. I'm sure I'll need to gather some things at the store after my pre-op tomorrow, but other than that and just having the house work and yard work done the weekend before, I'm pretty sure I'm good to go! The countdown can really begin!
Updated on 18 Jun 2015:
Well, I don't think I can be any more prepared for surgery on Monday. I have all my post-surgery supplies and prescriptions, my grocery shopping is done that should tide me and the kids over for at least a week, all the yard work is done, the house is clean, laundry is done including all the bedding being washed...whew! I'm tired! Haha
My pre-op with the doc went great. Had my pre-op call from the surgery center today, and that also went great. I do have to kind of chuckle a little at how surprised everyone is at my outstanding health and stats with being overweight. Oh well, that's something I've been working on and will only be able to more vigorously attack after surgery. The 10 or so people that know what I'm up to are not surprised in the least that I'm so prepared and have such a fantastic attitude going in to surgery. It's just the way I am all around, why would I be any different now?! Anyhow, my next post will be post-op with what I have no doubt will be amazing results, but until then, here's a few pre-op pics in the sports bra the doc had me buy. Kind of feel silly smushing the girls into this thing at this point...to be continued!!
Updated on 22 Jun 2015:
Surgery went fantastically!! Only took about 3 hours, maybe even less. I came to in the same giggly, excited mood I went under in. I can take a short, lukewarm shower tomorrow, so I'm excited to see how I look (even though I've totally prepared myself for the immediate after surgery look). I'll update with all the details later this week, but for now, it's time for a nap!
Updated on 22 Jun 2015:
Well, here's the run down as far as I remember it...
Check in time was set for 11 and surgery at noon. My doc was running ahead of schedule so it was all bumped about 30 min or so. The staff at the surgery center were all super amazing from the moment I checked in.
Once checked in paperwork wise, I didn't even have a chance to sit down before they called me back to a prep room. My vitals were superb like usual, so no issues there. The first nurse came and and hooked all kinds of gadgets up, the leg cuffs, heart monitor stickers, etc. he put my IV in like a champ, I can barely tell where he had it in!
Next my doc came and visited. I think he thought I was crazy for being so excited and not the least bit nervous. We chatted and joked, talked through everything, then he marked me up and said he'd see me in a few.
Within 15 minutes or so I was wheeled down to the OR, moved to the other bed and then was introduced to the anesthesiologist. Things get pretty fuzzy after that and next thing you know I was waking up in recovery making the nurse laugh cause I mentioned how nice of a nap I just had. For a change, I was not shy in asking for some more IV pain meds to make sure I was pain free until I at least got home. Then she also gave me my first dose of the oral pain meds shortly before I went home.
Surgery took somewhere between 3 and 3 1/2 hours. I had lipo done on the axillary area, so I knew going in that I would have drains. They're kind of gross, but not a big deal otherwise.
I was discharged and at home by 5 o'clock, had a good dinner and an even better nap (I'm loving my recliner even more than I did pre-op!) and so here I sit feeling pretty darn good so far! Doc said I can change dressings and take a quick, lukewarm shower tomorrow if I feel up to it, just being careful not to soak the incisions. Cover with bacitracin and new dressings and I'm good to go. I'll try to snap a quick photo or two tomorrow to post, I'm super excited to get a sneak peek myself!
I truly believe my positive energy, happy disposition and faith in my doc are the reason forgive good I feel so far. Attitude is everything sometimes!!
Updated on 23 Jun 2015:
Still feeling pretty fabulous, took a quick shower and am ready a good lunch and another nap :) here's the first peek at Dr. Swelstad's work. I'm thrilled so far!!
Updated on 26 Jun 2015:
Had my first post op appointment this morning and all went well. THANKFULLY, they took the drains out today, they were just such a nuisance. It was uncomfortable, but not too bad coming out at all. Everything is healing well and I'm right where I should be.
Updated on 13 Aug 2015:
Well, I was 7 weeks post-op on Monday and I'm feeling really great! I had a follow up with my surgeon on Tuesday and got a full physical release from him. Everything has healed pretty well with the exception of some minor separation at the T junction which has since healed. I have a little bit extra of scar tissue on the right side so I have another follow up in 6 weeks and if it hasn't broken down significantly in the next 6 weeks with some aggressive incision massage, the doc said he would do the small scar revision in his office free of charge. I have to say, my doc and his staff have been absolutely amazing throughout this whole procedure and I would recommend him to anyone and everyone!
As for my insurance...I had a UnitedHealthcare co-pay insurance plan at the time of surgery. I hadn't met any of my deductible or out-of-pocket expenses at the time, so after insurance I paid approximately $1775 for my surgery. That includes the docs fees, the surgery center fee, the anesthesiologist fee and the pathology fees. I also chipped in an extra $800 for the axillary liposuction which was totally worth it!
I only have one regret with this whole process and that is that I didn't do it 10 years ago!!
Updated on 12 Oct 2015:
16 Weeks out and I feel really good. There's a little retraction on the right side scar, and we'll address that at 6 months out.
Overall I'm 100% happy I finally had this surgery done!