I applied for a breast reduction around December 2017 and Dr Strinden was the provider suggested by my caseworker. I am extremely pleased with him so far as well as his office staff. I received the call on Tuesday 8/28 that my surgery will take place on Tuesday 9/4/18 and I am super excited!
I was a size 42F in 5th grade- Yes, 5TH!- and have gotten much bigger since then. The last bra that fit well was a 46K and now I'm spilling out of it so its safe to say that I am bigger than that now. I have 3 children and my breasts are extremely large and heavy and have quite a bit of sag as well. My PS has informed me that due to the size of my breasts, he will be doing the free nipple graft technique, which I am totally fine with. I have been exploring this site for months and there just isn't much info out there regarding the FNG procedure, so I decided to document my own journey in hopes that I can help someone else with similar questions/concerns.
I have been informed by my PS that with FNG, there is some risk of loss of pigmentation in the nipple/areola, especially in women of color. Honestly, this is my biggest concern with the procedure. If I do have hypo-pigmentation, it won't be the end of the world as long as I don't have nipple loss-which apparently is a slight risk as well. I'm not as concerned about nipple sensitivity, because frankly, when they're this big there's not a whole lot of erotic sensitivity anyway. But anywho, I'll include a few before pics and I'll try to keep you guys posted as I complete my journey to join the itty bitty [RS bleep] committee lol!
My goal size is about a DD but hopefully no bigger than a DDD as I do still want to be proportionate and I'm a healthy woman. I am currently wearing 2 and sometimes 3 bras at a time for support so to be honest, anything smaller than I am now will be a blessing to me! I just want to get rid of the constant neck, back, and shoulder pain and grooves!
I added a few BEFORE photos but they don't really do any justice as far as showing my size because as I said before, I have on 2 or 3 bras in those pics
Updated on 4 Sep 2018:
I haven’t slept a wink but today is the day! I’m nervous but ready! I’m headed to the hospital now and I’m pre registered so hopefully things will move pretty quickly. I’m not sure how long the surgery will take either but ignant I get a chance to update after I ask, I’ll let you guys know. I am having the free nipple graft technique. I’ll update as soon as I can!
Updated on 4 Sep 2018:
So my PS said surgery went well. I feel so tiny! Haven’t been able to see them of course but they feel really really small! I’ll have my dressings changed tomorrow morning and drains removed after 48 hours. He doesn’t know the weight removed but says the scale only goes up to 10 lbs in the OR and more than that was removed FROM EACH SIDE! Geesh! I knew they were heavy but man! I’m in a bit of pain as my meds wear off and for some reason I can’t feel my fingers on my left hand but hopefully that will return by morning. I’m admitted for overnight observation so I should get to go home tomorrow. Will update again soon
Updated on 6 Sep 2018:
Got my drains removed today and let me tell ya, it was like INSTANT relief! I was hurting pretty bad this morning almost to the point that I regretted having surgery. Still have some pain but not nearly as much. I can’t feel my nipples at all which was expected with the FNG. Got to see them for the first time and they are surprisingly perky
Updated on 7 Sep 2018:
Well ladies... it’s 3 days after my breast reduction with free nipple graft and I can’t lie-it’s rough! I’m extremely sore and my incisions burn like crazy! I’m ok for the most part if I’m still and resting but when I get up for the bathroom I want to cry. Also, my elbows are EXTREMELY sore and I still don’t have complete feeling back in my fingers. I feel like I fell asleep with both arms hanging off the side of the bed and anytime I move my arms it’s terribly sore. On a positive note, I do feel better today than yesterday but still pretty rough overall. I’m also very bloated and gassy which makes me that much more uncomfortable. Attaching the only photos I can get right now. I’ll update again on Sunday when my bolsters are removed from my nipples unless something changes before then. Oh also worth noting- I have no feeling or pain anywhere except the incision sites. No nipple feeling whatsoever
Updated on 10 Sep 2018:
Hello ladies! Well, I met my surgeon’s nurse at the office yesterday and she removed the bolsters from my nipples. It wasn’t very painful, just s few punches and a little bit of burning.
Another problem I haven’t mentioned before is that I haven’t had a BM since before surgery which makes a week today. I’ve been taking a cheap OTC stool softener and yesterday my surgeon told me to get Milk of Magnesia. Took the max dose last night and nothing so I took another dose this morning and still nothing yet. The bloating and gassiness is the source of a lot of my discomfort. I can feel my fingers on my left hand again, although they are still kinda tingly like when your hand first “wakes up”.
I am extremely satisfied with my new boobies! I thought they would be waaayyy too small at first but now that the bandages have come off, they’re just fine. My PS reduced the size of my areola and also constructed me a nipple out of skin that will stay erect which I thought was a really nice touch.
I don’t get my stitches out until the 17th, and I did have some drainage last night/this morning that cause me to have to tape gauze to cover where my drains came from as it is still a little bit open.
So moral of the story, I’m not nearly 100% yet but I am better each day. Baby steps! Pics included of my new boobage !
Updated on 19 Sep 2018:
I had my stitches removed yesterday-I was supposed to go on the 17th but for some reason I had mentally convinced myself that my appointment was on Tuesday instead of Monday smh. Anywhoooo...stitches removed and it hurt. A lot. Not for very long, but it hurt. Everything looks good per my nurse but there is still a open spot on my left side where the drain was and I’m still having some drainage. Let me tell you about that...
Last week, I woke up to my nightgown soaked under my left breast with a yellowish-reddish liquid. I called my PS and he had me send him a photo of the drainage and then asked me to come in when he saw it. *Insert panic emoji* I went in, he took a look, decided that there was no infection, and sent me on my way telling me to keep gauze on for drainage. I’ll include a pic but view at your own risk.
Also, I’m am still restricted from going back to work-even a sedentary job- until Monday which will be one day shy of 3 weeks. I expected to only be off a week but since my surgery was so extensive, that didn’t go to plan. I still am not able to lift more than 5 lbs either.
My areolas have a couple of spots that are trying to peel, but that’s expected, especially being that I have darker skin. I don’t have much pain anymore, just a little bit of soreness. All in all, I’m happy with my results!
Updated on 29 Sep 2018:
Well...my areolas are peeling. I was warned and research told me that this would likely happen with me having darker skin, but that doesn’t make me feel any better. Including photos. The very dark spots are what’s left of scabbing. Also, I have NO feeling in my areolas or nipples at all