POSTED UNDER Breast Reduction REVIEWS
Breast Reduction - 36G to D - Early 20’s, 1 child.
ORIGINAL POST
Breast Reduction - 36G to D - Early 20’s, 1 child.
dink4321June 23, 2018
$20,000
Hey everyone. I’ve been skeptical about posting but honestly reading everyone’s reviews has helped me so much that I want to share my journey to possibly do the same for someone else. I have had big breasts since puberty, it runs in my family (my mother had a reduction when I was younger). I’ve always thought about having smaller boobs and wished I could wear cute little tops other girls could wear but I was generally always around a DD cup. When I had my child two years ago that’s when it became a problem. I thought that they would go down after breastfeeding but they didn’t. I had trouble find bras. I’ve gotten measured so many times and told I’m a 36G but even some of those sizes still leave me spilling out in some areas. More recently, like within the last year, my neck and shoulder pain has become unbearable. I work a desk job and some days I’m in so much pain at the end of the day.
I finally got serious about a breast reduction probably about three months ago and started doing my research. I called my insurance and found out that they would cover the procedure if a physician deemed it medically necessary. For my weight and height, 5’3 - 165 lbs, I knew it was medically necessary but the difficult part was finding the right surgeon. After talking with some other known Park Av surgeons, I found my doctor and immediately knew she was the one to do the procedure. I’ll do a full review on her after the surgery but I will say that her and her staff are excellent and have made this process as easy as possible. This is my first time having surgery so I’m nervous and scared but I knew it was important to be very knowledgeable of how it all works with insurance and deductibles, etc so there are no surprises, so I did my part but they also helped inform me a lot. They coordinated with the insurance and I got my approval letter about two weeks after my consultation. My surgery is three days away and its all I can think about. I had my pre-op appointment last week and got my prescription, did blood work, and got the full scoop on what the day will be like. Now it’s the waiting game. I still have to run and get some things I’ll need for recovery like button up shirts(pjs), surgical tape, ice packs, etc. But all in all I’m prepared and so blessed to be able to get this surgery. It’s nerve-wrecking but I know what to expect. The only thing that scares me(even more than recovery pain) is going under anesthesia. My doctor reassured me that I have nothing to worry about and so many reviews on here say you won’t even remember anything but I know from the moment I change into the gown my heart is going to be racing. I guess it’s like having a baby. In that, You can read a million reviews and research every detail but you really won’t know until you experience it for yourself.
Anyway, I’m at work right now. Day after tomorrow will be my last day and then the next day I’ll be trading in these big ol’ G’s for some cute perky D’s!! I’ll definitely post and update. Let me know if you’ve recently got the surgery or if you’re getting it and have any questions for me.
I finally got serious about a breast reduction probably about three months ago and started doing my research. I called my insurance and found out that they would cover the procedure if a physician deemed it medically necessary. For my weight and height, 5’3 - 165 lbs, I knew it was medically necessary but the difficult part was finding the right surgeon. After talking with some other known Park Av surgeons, I found my doctor and immediately knew she was the one to do the procedure. I’ll do a full review on her after the surgery but I will say that her and her staff are excellent and have made this process as easy as possible. This is my first time having surgery so I’m nervous and scared but I knew it was important to be very knowledgeable of how it all works with insurance and deductibles, etc so there are no surprises, so I did my part but they also helped inform me a lot. They coordinated with the insurance and I got my approval letter about two weeks after my consultation. My surgery is three days away and its all I can think about. I had my pre-op appointment last week and got my prescription, did blood work, and got the full scoop on what the day will be like. Now it’s the waiting game. I still have to run and get some things I’ll need for recovery like button up shirts(pjs), surgical tape, ice packs, etc. But all in all I’m prepared and so blessed to be able to get this surgery. It’s nerve-wrecking but I know what to expect. The only thing that scares me(even more than recovery pain) is going under anesthesia. My doctor reassured me that I have nothing to worry about and so many reviews on here say you won’t even remember anything but I know from the moment I change into the gown my heart is going to be racing. I guess it’s like having a baby. In that, You can read a million reviews and research every detail but you really won’t know until you experience it for yourself.
Anyway, I’m at work right now. Day after tomorrow will be my last day and then the next day I’ll be trading in these big ol’ G’s for some cute perky D’s!! I’ll definitely post and update. Let me know if you’ve recently got the surgery or if you’re getting it and have any questions for me.
dink4321's provider
UPDATED FROM dink4321
Day of the Surgery!!
dink4321June 27, 2018
Omggg why didn’t I do this five years ago?!! I’m finally on the other side of this journey and it’s amazing. I’ll explain what happened the day of my surgery surgery.
My surgery was scheduled for noon on Tuesday 6/26/18. I was told not to drink or eat anything after midnight so naturally I ate more than I normally would on Monday. This wasn’t a good idea as I ended up going to the bathroom back and forth all night. I actually only got like 2 hours of sleep before the surgery. I was so nervous, anxious and excited. I live in Queens d the surgery was at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital in Midtown, about an hour drive. I woke up my husband and two year old at about 8AM and left at about 9:25. Remember to bring a pillow, that definitely helped me on the way home on bumpy roads. That was something another reviewer on here advised and I’m glad I didn’t forget.
So we get to the hospital at about 9:45. There’s valet parking but we were able to find street parking - rare site in midtown Manhattan on a weekday morning. I paid a $60 copay and got admitted. The hospital staff was really good about confirming the name and DOB on the bracelet matches my identification. Everyone I came in contact to asked my name, DOB, what procedure I was getting and by whom. I thought that was a great. So anyway, at about 10:45, my husband , daughter and I are in the pre-op room. I did a urine pregnancy test, answered some questions from the nurse about any prior and current medical complications, changed into the surgical attire and FaceTimed my mom who lives in Texas for a quick prayer. One more thing to note, the staff was so amazing!! My daughter was the only kid in the pre-op area and every time any one of them passed they engaged with her, gave her apple juice, apple sauce, and my nurse Lori gave her a bunch of toys and things to keep her occupied which my husband and I appreciated so much.
At about 10:30, the anesthesiologist comes in and gives me my IV, while she’s doing that my surgeon comes in. The anesthesiologist asked my husband and daughter to step aside for a second because she doesn’t want my daughter to be traumatized or scared by her sticking me with the needle. I thought that was kind of her to care. I was definitely starting to get anxiety at this point so when I saw my doctor it was perfect timing because she is so soothing, and down to earth - it was like seeing a friend of mine so that helped calm me down so much. My doctor was Dr. Nina Naidu and she is so phenomenal, I’ll do a separate review on her shortly but just know she is absolutely amazing. So after my doctor makes the markings on me, about ten min later a nurse comes to escort me to the operation waiting room floor. Kids were not allowed on this floor so I parted ways with my husband and daughter at that point and went upstairs. It was freezing on this floor. Luckily the gowns were able to be heated so the nurse connected the heater vent to my gown and gave me a warm blanket. So I laid there snuggled up for a few minutes, said a quick prayer and then was taken to the OR. The room was so clean and bright. I was introduced to everyone in the room, I got on the bed, and I remember my doctor talking to me about my daughter. She said “so what is your husband and daughter going to do while you’re in surgery” and I said they’ll probably step out to get something to eat, she’ll be cranky soon. And she said “yea when my son was two....” and that’s the last thing i remember. I don’t even know what the rest of her sentence was. This being my first surgery, the anesthesia part freaked me out the most. I thought I would count backwards from 10 and be all nervous or that I would feel dizzy and pass out. But I literally was in the middle of a convo and then boom, I was out lol.
The hospital sent my Husband text message updates to let him know when I was in surgery, done, etc. I remember waking up in the recovery and the first thing I asked the nurse was “can you please call my husband and daughter?”, not knowing they were already coming. My surgery started late, at about 12:30 and I’m not sure when I actually finished (they texted my husband but I don’t remember what time he said) but I saw my family at around 3:30.
Now this is the only down side of my surgery and it’s not even related to my actual surgery. When I woke up, the nurse was moving me or something and said “oh your underwear is wet” so she checked and I GOT MY PERIOD!! Ugh how annoying. I had gotten it during surgery. She was so sweet, she changed me into a padded hospital panty and put mine in a baggie. I was still kind of out of it at this point so I appreciate her doing that because I wouldn’t even have noticed. I was monitored for about an hour, given water and crackers, told my discharge information and sent on my way by like 5pm. All the nurses were saying goodbye to my daughter lol she was a little hospital celebrity. So the ride home wasn’t too bad. My husband drove cautiously and tried to go around the potholes. Whenever we drove over bumpy road I could feel my drains move which didn’t hurt exactly but was a weird feeling so I held onto the pillow tight. I put the pillow between my breasts and the seat belt. My throat was a little hoarse from the breathing tube and I was so thirsty. I felt like I could drink a gallon of water. I probably have so far tbh.
At about 6pm, I got home ate a ceasar salad, drank tea and toast - still not in any pain really. I was sitting talking with my family about the process. I was walking around slowly, nothing crazy. So at about 8pm, I’m feeling icky because I have my period and I want to wash up. I also had bad period cramps. Just some backstory here, personally I always have terrible terrible cramps accompanied by weakness, dizziness, fatigue etc. I usually take ibuprofen as soon as I see my period and I’m able to get ahead of the pain. I wasn’t able to take ibuprofen. I was prescribed Vicodin. I never took such a heavy drug so I thought to myself let me wash up first and then I’ll take the medicine since I don’t know what it’ll do to me. Wrong move. Once my husband and I get to the bathroom, he’s helping me unhook the drains from my bra and move the gauze and my period pain just caught up to me and hit me at once, I had to stop and go take the Vicodin and lay down for about 30 minutes. Then I felt better and was able to wash up. I washed with my back to the water as advised by my doctor. I felt soooooo good afterward. In all this my breasts weren’t even hurting, my main pain was the period pain. So once that we gone, I was fine. One thing I did wrong was not sleep immediately after I ate. My doctor told me to sleep off the anesthesia but when I got home I was too busy running my mouth about the surgery lol. Plus I wasn’t sleepy, I felt fine. I should’ve still just ate, took the vicoden and taken a nap. I think I over did it by trying to shower without taking medicine or a nap.
Forgot to mention, I love love love my new boobs. My doctor really understood what I wanted. They are so perky and not too small, not too big. My neck and shoulder pain is completely gone. It’s so crazy. I can’t wait for them to heal so I can really get into them. It’s now 3AM on Wednesday morning. I woke up constipated, tried to use the me bathroom with no luck. Tomorrow I’ll try some stool softener tea. Pain level is 3. And it’s not really pain, more discomfort from the drains. They come out Friday. Anyways, let me get some more sleep. I’ll update soon. I know this was long but hopefully some part of it helps someone. Remember, don’t schedule your operation on your menstrual week, especially if you have bad side effects like I do. I was expecting my period to come on Friday and it came early. Definitely avoid if possible. I feel fine right now thankfully. Will update after my post-op appointment.
My surgery was scheduled for noon on Tuesday 6/26/18. I was told not to drink or eat anything after midnight so naturally I ate more than I normally would on Monday. This wasn’t a good idea as I ended up going to the bathroom back and forth all night. I actually only got like 2 hours of sleep before the surgery. I was so nervous, anxious and excited. I live in Queens d the surgery was at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital in Midtown, about an hour drive. I woke up my husband and two year old at about 8AM and left at about 9:25. Remember to bring a pillow, that definitely helped me on the way home on bumpy roads. That was something another reviewer on here advised and I’m glad I didn’t forget.
So we get to the hospital at about 9:45. There’s valet parking but we were able to find street parking - rare site in midtown Manhattan on a weekday morning. I paid a $60 copay and got admitted. The hospital staff was really good about confirming the name and DOB on the bracelet matches my identification. Everyone I came in contact to asked my name, DOB, what procedure I was getting and by whom. I thought that was a great. So anyway, at about 10:45, my husband , daughter and I are in the pre-op room. I did a urine pregnancy test, answered some questions from the nurse about any prior and current medical complications, changed into the surgical attire and FaceTimed my mom who lives in Texas for a quick prayer. One more thing to note, the staff was so amazing!! My daughter was the only kid in the pre-op area and every time any one of them passed they engaged with her, gave her apple juice, apple sauce, and my nurse Lori gave her a bunch of toys and things to keep her occupied which my husband and I appreciated so much.
At about 10:30, the anesthesiologist comes in and gives me my IV, while she’s doing that my surgeon comes in. The anesthesiologist asked my husband and daughter to step aside for a second because she doesn’t want my daughter to be traumatized or scared by her sticking me with the needle. I thought that was kind of her to care. I was definitely starting to get anxiety at this point so when I saw my doctor it was perfect timing because she is so soothing, and down to earth - it was like seeing a friend of mine so that helped calm me down so much. My doctor was Dr. Nina Naidu and she is so phenomenal, I’ll do a separate review on her shortly but just know she is absolutely amazing. So after my doctor makes the markings on me, about ten min later a nurse comes to escort me to the operation waiting room floor. Kids were not allowed on this floor so I parted ways with my husband and daughter at that point and went upstairs. It was freezing on this floor. Luckily the gowns were able to be heated so the nurse connected the heater vent to my gown and gave me a warm blanket. So I laid there snuggled up for a few minutes, said a quick prayer and then was taken to the OR. The room was so clean and bright. I was introduced to everyone in the room, I got on the bed, and I remember my doctor talking to me about my daughter. She said “so what is your husband and daughter going to do while you’re in surgery” and I said they’ll probably step out to get something to eat, she’ll be cranky soon. And she said “yea when my son was two....” and that’s the last thing i remember. I don’t even know what the rest of her sentence was. This being my first surgery, the anesthesia part freaked me out the most. I thought I would count backwards from 10 and be all nervous or that I would feel dizzy and pass out. But I literally was in the middle of a convo and then boom, I was out lol.
The hospital sent my Husband text message updates to let him know when I was in surgery, done, etc. I remember waking up in the recovery and the first thing I asked the nurse was “can you please call my husband and daughter?”, not knowing they were already coming. My surgery started late, at about 12:30 and I’m not sure when I actually finished (they texted my husband but I don’t remember what time he said) but I saw my family at around 3:30.
Now this is the only down side of my surgery and it’s not even related to my actual surgery. When I woke up, the nurse was moving me or something and said “oh your underwear is wet” so she checked and I GOT MY PERIOD!! Ugh how annoying. I had gotten it during surgery. She was so sweet, she changed me into a padded hospital panty and put mine in a baggie. I was still kind of out of it at this point so I appreciate her doing that because I wouldn’t even have noticed. I was monitored for about an hour, given water and crackers, told my discharge information and sent on my way by like 5pm. All the nurses were saying goodbye to my daughter lol she was a little hospital celebrity. So the ride home wasn’t too bad. My husband drove cautiously and tried to go around the potholes. Whenever we drove over bumpy road I could feel my drains move which didn’t hurt exactly but was a weird feeling so I held onto the pillow tight. I put the pillow between my breasts and the seat belt. My throat was a little hoarse from the breathing tube and I was so thirsty. I felt like I could drink a gallon of water. I probably have so far tbh.
At about 6pm, I got home ate a ceasar salad, drank tea and toast - still not in any pain really. I was sitting talking with my family about the process. I was walking around slowly, nothing crazy. So at about 8pm, I’m feeling icky because I have my period and I want to wash up. I also had bad period cramps. Just some backstory here, personally I always have terrible terrible cramps accompanied by weakness, dizziness, fatigue etc. I usually take ibuprofen as soon as I see my period and I’m able to get ahead of the pain. I wasn’t able to take ibuprofen. I was prescribed Vicodin. I never took such a heavy drug so I thought to myself let me wash up first and then I’ll take the medicine since I don’t know what it’ll do to me. Wrong move. Once my husband and I get to the bathroom, he’s helping me unhook the drains from my bra and move the gauze and my period pain just caught up to me and hit me at once, I had to stop and go take the Vicodin and lay down for about 30 minutes. Then I felt better and was able to wash up. I washed with my back to the water as advised by my doctor. I felt soooooo good afterward. In all this my breasts weren’t even hurting, my main pain was the period pain. So once that we gone, I was fine. One thing I did wrong was not sleep immediately after I ate. My doctor told me to sleep off the anesthesia but when I got home I was too busy running my mouth about the surgery lol. Plus I wasn’t sleepy, I felt fine. I should’ve still just ate, took the vicoden and taken a nap. I think I over did it by trying to shower without taking medicine or a nap.
Forgot to mention, I love love love my new boobs. My doctor really understood what I wanted. They are so perky and not too small, not too big. My neck and shoulder pain is completely gone. It’s so crazy. I can’t wait for them to heal so I can really get into them. It’s now 3AM on Wednesday morning. I woke up constipated, tried to use the me bathroom with no luck. Tomorrow I’ll try some stool softener tea. Pain level is 3. And it’s not really pain, more discomfort from the drains. They come out Friday. Anyways, let me get some more sleep. I’ll update soon. I know this was long but hopefully some part of it helps someone. Remember, don’t schedule your operation on your menstrual week, especially if you have bad side effects like I do. I was expecting my period to come on Friday and it came early. Definitely avoid if possible. I feel fine right now thankfully. Will update after my post-op appointment.
Replies (5)
June 27, 2018
It seems like the stress of getting ready for surgery can mess up the timing of your period. I don't have them any more but I have seen quite a few ladies on here have that same experience! It sounds like you are doing great though overall, and yes, just take it super easy...I found I would have bursts of energy but then need a nap...I just set up a bunch of pillows on the couch and napped on and off through the day...definitely stay on top of the pain meds the first couple days and then it should start lessening...and def get going with that tea too, the constipation can be really bad!! But yay for you and congratulations!
June 27, 2018
Yea I think you’re right, my period probably came early because of all my anxiety and stress about the surgery. I set up a nap corner in the sectional couch and I’ve been taking naps on and off as well. Definitely helps a lot!
July 11, 2018
OMG! Thank you soooo much for sharing your experience! I came across this site by accident because I was trying to find pictures of what a B or C cup would actually look like coming from my size F!!!
Anyway I’m having my surgery Monday, July 16, 2018 at 12:30! I live in Las Vegas and my Dr. makes me feel very comfortable but I had my pre-op appointment today and I’m a little (ok a lot!) disappointed that I wasn’t told any of the things you mentioned about the pillow or the products that I’ll need post opp! (I just saw another person post a picture of things she’ll need when she returns home from the hospital, such as bandages, Neosporin, etc.) I’d really like to know whether your Dr. told you to get those items or whether you just had the foresight to get it on your own!? Lol
Anyway I’m glad to hear that your pain wasn’t too severe! I’ve been terrified thinking I’m gonna either be drugged up(I hate taking any kind of strong meds) or balled up in a knot in pain! You REALLY made me feel better knowing that it wasn’t too bad for you!
Also how are you feeling now since it’s been a few weeks? Any discomfort? Do you feel lighter? Can you feel the difference in weight?
I have severe neck and back pain so I’m very excited to hear that your relief was instantaneous!
Please keep updating! It’s so comforting knowing I’m not the only one nervous and excited and anxious all at the same time!
Congrats to you! I hope you’re enjoying your new “boobs”! Lol
July 11, 2018
I felt the exact way! I was so nervous - I thought I would be in pain for weeks. Honestly after the drains came out after three days I felt fine, my breast were just tender like how they sometimes feel if I workout too hard or if I’m on my period (well I was on my period but a little more tender than normal). I actually went to a bridal shower four days post-op and I felt fine!! As soon as I woke up from surgery I felt the weight was gone from my neck and shoulders. She took off 4 lbs of tissue. Yesterday made my two weeks post opp mark and my breasts are feeling back to normal. They’re not swollen, they’re soft and the scar tissue is getting softer as well. I’m so surprised how quickly everything is healing.
My doctor did tell me about buying button up shirts, bringing a pillow to surgery, what kinds of oils to treat the scars with, etc. But also reading reviews on here made me aware of how it was all going to go down. I will say is that you will definitely need someone around to help you out the first three days. I guess I had a good experience with the anesthesia because when I woke up I didn’t feel drowsy or sick or anything. I actually felt fine besides the fact that I woke up with my period so I started having cramps. But anyway yea you definitely need someone for the first three days to help you take a shower, especially if you get drains. And also to help you in and out of bed. I know some people on here said they slept sitting up for the first few days but my doctor said that wasn’t necessary. I did sleep laying down but like on three pillows. Getting back up after I laid down was a little rough because I had to get up with my abs instead of using my upper body so my husband would help lift me and bathe me and reach things that were above shoulder level. I do have a toddler so I was still cooking and cleaning and stuff but just moved a little slower and couldn’t raise my arms that much.
You will do great! All the fears and anxiety will seem so dramatic once it’s all done lol. I was like wow I was stressing out for nothing. If I had known it was going to be like this, I would’ve done this last year. Let me know if you have any questions, I’m still very much in the healing stage but I feel like my normal self again. Not too mention I can wear sooooo many different things now. I hated being limited because of my breasts. Now I feel very liberated and renewed! I’m sure you will feel that way too!
September 17, 2019
Quick question! I have my surgery coming up next month, then a month after my surgery I have a vacation booked! I was wondering, based on your experience, how much pain were you in a month after your surgery? Unfortunately I can't cancel my vacation, and I also do not want to prolong my surgery because I waited a very long time for this and my boobs got to go (lol).
UPDATED FROM dink4321
Drains are Gone!!
dink4321July 2, 2018
My recovery has been amazing. I was expecting to be in so much pain but honestly it’s more of a sore feeling than pain. I got my drains removed four days after my surgery. After they were removed I felt so much better. I’m able to take a shower by myself. The sticky gauze is starting to peel off my nipple so I’m finally able to see the areola, I’m so excited. My surgeon did such an amazing job. My breasts were not symmetrical before so I’m excited to have these new perky breasts that look exactly the same. After I got my drains out I’ve been out and about. I went for a 1.5 mike walk yesterday. I’m an avid jogger, so I can’t wait to get back jogging but doing a normal paced walk was the first step. I’m now wearing a racer back sports bra from New Balance. I still haven’t gone shopping for regular bras so I don’t know my exact bra size yet but I did get a few sports bras from Marshall’s. Over my recovery has been so much easier than I imagined. I was so nervous going into this but it was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I’ve tried on some dresses that I already own and my body looks so different in them. I love my new breasts and my husband does too. I got a lift with my Reduction so my breasts look better than they did before I had a child.
I got the lollipop incision with a little horizontal incision ( not a full anchor). The stitches around my areola will be removed in a few days and the rest are dissolvable. If anyone has any questions about the procedure please feel free to message me. I know how it feels to be on here reading so many reviews and being so nervous but if you’re topheavy like I was, you won’t regret this decision!
I got the lollipop incision with a little horizontal incision ( not a full anchor). The stitches around my areola will be removed in a few days and the rest are dissolvable. If anyone has any questions about the procedure please feel free to message me. I know how it feels to be on here reading so many reviews and being so nervous but if you’re topheavy like I was, you won’t regret this decision!
Replies (3)
July 3, 2018
hi. I just had a breast reduction with a nipple grafting and I'm a little concerned on how my nipples are after surgery. They removed my nipples for the reduction and sowed it back on, however, my nipples are sort of hard like a scab and I'm wondering if this a normal healing procedure. This Wednesday (7/4/18) will be my week 4 post op and my nipples are not healing, did they remove your nipples while doing your breast reduction?
July 3, 2018
Hey, no the doctor didn’t remove my nipples, she just cut around the Areola to make it smaller and then just repositioned my nipple. I don’t have full feeling back yet though. The doctor says it takes some weeks. My right nipple I can feel everything and the left I can’t yet and is still a little swollen. My mother actually got her nipple removed and put back on when she got her Reduction and lost feeling in both nipples. I guess it’s different for each surgery, you should probably call your doctors office to ask them if it’s normal. It probably is part of the healing process.
Replies (8)