Breast Reduction 35+ Years Overdue

OMG, I wrote a whole review and then lost it when I tried to add pictures! I'm 51 and have hated my large breasts since forever. I have wanted a reduction ever since I even knew it existed, but after decades of postponing due to lack of funds, being self-employed with no insurance or paid vacation time, I find myself in a position where I can finally do this! Have been a DD+ cup since age 13. Currently wearing a 34-36 DDD or G depending on brand. All the women in my family have had large pendulous breasts. I am the first one to do anything about it! My poor mother has gained weight in her old age and hers are so big and heavy she can't even stand up straight. I already have arthritis and disc degeneration in my neck and have issues with nerve compression in my neck and shoulders. I want to remain active into my old age! I enjoy running, swimming, hiking, biking etc. but am limited by having to cram all this saggy flesh into tight compression bras that pull on my neck and shoulders and make it hard to breathe fully. Tired of ending up with a headache after running! And wearing a repurposed sports bra for swimming because I can't find ANYTHING that fits and supports.
I was able to get on Apple Health (Medicaid) about a year ago and have taken the opportunity to get a number of nagging health issues addressed. I decided this year that I was going to get this BR one way or another so I found out what I needed to do (3 months minimum of conservative care and a referral from my primary) and set the wheels in motion. I was able to find a chiropractor who would give me discount (Apple doesn't cover Chp) and do the documentation of my symptoms, and my lovely PCP didn't hesitate to give me a referral once I told her how long all this had been going on. I saw Dr. James for my consultation on July 17th and then there was a bit of a delay getting everything submitted but once they did, I got approved in 2 days! I was told it could take up to 14 days for the insurance company to make a decision so I was really surprised when she called me yesterday and said when do you want to schedule your surgery?! She said she had an opening this Friday and my first thought was oh my god that's really soon but then I thought why not? I've been waiting for this practically my whole life, and I've been mentally and physically preparing for months, so I might as well just go for it!
At the consultation she said she will probably have to do a full anchor incision because I have so much extra skin to remove, and that we might have to "go kind of small" to satisfy the insurance requirements. I don't care about the scarring, and I WANT to be on the small side!! I can't wait to be able to go braless or wear a little sports bra without these monsters flapping around like dead fish. She explained that I have very thin skin that doesn't have a lot of elasticity and that because my breasts grew really fast it just blew out the skin. And then my weight has fluctuated over the years so that hasn't helped. I've been as heavy as 200 pounds and as thin as 135 in my adult life; right now I'm about 167 so right smack in the middle. I'm in good health, I don't smoke or drink, try to eat healthy, exercise regularly, and I had a normal mammogram last fall and my bloodwork is good so I'm ready to rock n roll! Thanks to all the information I've gleaned off of this site the last few years I already have pretty much everything I need. I just have to finish up errands and shopping for the house so I won't have to go out for a while. A good friend is going to transport me to and from surgery Friday afternoon and then my husband will be home all weekend to take care of me. He JUST started a new job-I was hoping I could do this before he started working but it didn't work out that way. After the weekend I'll be on my own during the day but I have friends and neighbors I can call on if I need to. Other than that I plan on vegging and watching Netflix.

Just finished my phone interview with the outpatient surgical center. Surgery is scheduled for 1:30-4:15 on Friday. I have to check in at the surgical center no later than noon. My instructions are no food after 4 am and only 12 ounces of clear liquid between 4 am and 9 am and then nothing by mouth after that. That will be black coffee for me, so I don't end up with a caffeine withdrawal headache. I have to shower the night before and morning of with antibacterial soap. Wear comfortable clothes (duh). I'm waiting for the surgical bras the doctor recommended, to arrive. Just checked on that and they are supposed to arrive tomorrow - they'd better, because I'll be gone before the mail comes on Friday, and I payed the rush fee to get 2-3 day delivery. I would have ordered them sooner but I didn't think I was going to surgery this soon!
Well I'm off to finish the rest of my shopping. I've already stocked up on water, stool softener, milk of magnesia, tylenol, cleansing wipes, and easy food I can eat next week while my husband is at work (cottage cheese, yogurt cups, fruit, baby carrots, bread, coffee, protein bars, etc.) I also stopped by the library and checked out a few books in case I feel like reading (nothing too challenging, just some summer-novel type books). I just need to buy some antibacterial soap, and finish stocking up on household stuff (TP, kitty litter, laundry soap!) so we can just chill at home this weekend. Also have to do a few odds and ends like trim my cat's nails, that I don't expect to be able to do for a while(my cats are huge so I won't be picking them up, and hubby doesn't do kitty grooming!) and make sure my garden is thoroughly watered.
OK I will try not to spend all my time at the store drooling over tiny bras and tops I want to buy. I decided I'm not buying anything ahead of time because I really have no idea what size I'll be wearing. Yesterday I went to TJ Maxx to look for some kind of button or zip up jammy top and spent an hour in the bathing suits and tank tops. I haven't worn a dress or top without thick straps and a support bra underneath since I was 12!

It still hasn't quite sunk in that this is REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN!!!! I'm so busy making lists in my head and rehearsing how everything is going to come together! This morning I'm washing sheets, towels, clothes. Did kitty nail trims and brushings. Still have a few things to attend to around the house but getting there. Went shopping yesterday and stocked up on supplies. Found this really cute pajama top and shorts (in my fave color!)...on sale + extra 15% off coupon at Fred Meyers-that's my kind of deal! I'll wear a pair of stretchy cotton capri pants and the pajama top tomorrow. The pajamas are a lightweight stretchy cotton knit so they can get the top on me afterwards without me having to raise my arms. (Yes I tried it in the store, what a weirdo!) It seems like a silly thing, but I almost exclusively wear things that have to go on over my head. The only button or zip tops I own are winter weight with long sleeves and it has been super hot and muggy so I didn't want to wear a fleece home! I AM going to take a fleece with me though just in case because I have never had a general anesthesia before and I know it can do funny things to your body temperature when you're coming out of it. So I have that on my list of stuff to take for after-barf bag, pillow, fleece, cough drops, sunglasses, frozen bottle of something to drink. I've been walking through the whole day in my head and trying to think of anything I will need along the way! My thought about the clothes was to be able to come home and go straight to the couch without having to change anything. We have an electric recliner couch so I plan to stay parked there unless I have to go to the bathroom!
I also cleaned my bathrooms yesterday and the shower and the tub have been scrubbed. I inherited a bath bench from a relative that passed away so I scrubbed it down the other day and it is waiting in the tub for my first shower. I will be coming home with drains and the doctor said she will take them out early next week and then I can shower. In the meantime I have a large stack of baby wipes! We have a detachable hand shower in the tub so I can have my husband help me with that once I get the OK. I used to work as a home care assistant so I know how to do an assisted shower with bath bench!
The biggest thing I'm struggling with right now is whether to tell my Mom about this. I'm going out to her house for a little bit this afternoon and I so far I have not mentioned anything about trying to get this done. Even though she has suffered because of her large breasts(she's had terrible problems with her neck and back almost as long as I can remember), she seems to have an emotional attachment to them. She has said things in the past about how, because she had 3 children and breastfed all of us and how special that was (remember this was in the early 60's when bottle feeding was the gold standard, before breast feeding came back in style), that she feels a lot of women don't have the right attitude towards their breasts and that might even account for why women's breasts turn against them and get cancer! Or something to that effect...anyway I just remember thinking after that, that if she knew how much I have always hated my breasts she would be horrified! Granted, one of the contributing factors to me not trying to get this done when I was a lot younger was that I DID think if I ended up having babies I would want to be able to breast feed, but I never ended up having any so it's a moot point! And at 51 and post menopausal, as my wonderful PCP said "who needs em?!" But I'm vacillating between telling her (and my stepdad), because I have that thought of, what if something terrible happened and they didn't even know I was going in for surgery?! And then on the other hand, I think well if she's going to just say something crappy about it and question my decision, then I don't want to talk to her about it the day before I'm going in! It's not like anything anyone says is going to change my mind at this point, cause I'm all in. I just don't want to have a negative exchange with her today. She has a way of saying things sometimes that really gets to me. My other option is to take my stepdad aside and tell him, and not tell her til after the fact. I'm quite certain given the problems he's watched her go through (they've been married over 30 years), that he will support my decision, knowing that it will help me avoid having the same kinds of issues as I age.