Breast Reduction - 35 year old mother of 2

Today is one week post surgery! I am feeling so good and light!

I took my dressings off at home today (on my surgeon’s advice). I took a shower in the morning, and, when I got out, noticed a small hole in the dressing and condensation inside. I didn’t want it to get infected with any shampoo residue, soI phoned my doctor and she said it was totally fine for me to remove the waterproof dressing at this point in my recovery.

I was very nervous to take the dressing off myself and scared to see what the scars would look like, but I’m pleasantly surprised! I think everything looks great so far! I have some dents in my skin from the bandages I was wearing, but I hope those smooth out soon.

My follow-up appointment is on Monday, so I’m looking forward to what the surgeon has to say.

My movement is also really good! I hardly feel any pain when reaching for things and lifting objects (of course, I’m being very cautious and not overdoing it, but it’s nice to know it’s not difficult). I even washed my hair in the shower today! I just bent my head down so I didn’t have to lift up my arms too far.

I’m so happy the surgery is behind me, and that I’m on the road to recovery!!

I took my binder off for the first time three days post-op and looked at my inner dressings. My doctor put a waterproof dressing on me so that I could take a shower, which felt really nice. I didn't feel comfortable washing my hair yet because I didn't want to lift my arms overheard, but it felt great to have a shower, nonetheless. My mom washed my hair in the sink for me separately.

I'm feeling really good post-surgery! I stopped taking any Tylenol on this day and was on my last day of antibiotics. Sleeping is challenging because I don't like sleeping on my back all the time. I so wish I could just roll over and sleep on my side, but I guess I'll get there soon enough.

So far, I'm very happy with getting my surgery! One of the biggest mental changes has been looking down and seeing me waist! I never used to be able to see it from that angle. Another big change is not feeling my breasts touch each other while wearing the binder. Anytime I would wear a sports bra or tight-fitting shirt in the past, I'd feel my breasts run against each other in one uni-boob, and I would hate it. It's so nice not to have that anymore and to look down and see two separate breasts.

I'm starting to regain some feeling as well. I've got some tingling going on in my right nipple and my left incision scars, which I think means my nerves are healing. I'm taking it as a good sign! I can't wait to start shopping for new bras and clothes, but I'm trying to be patient and wait until my swelling comes down and my size settles.

Here are some photos - with the binder and taking it off for the first time.

The day of my surgery was a little daunting, and the closer the it got, the more I was second guessing myself. I was extremely nervous to be put to sleep and kept almost telling myself that my breasts were fine ... maybe I didn't need to do something this extreme. I'm glad I pushed through, though, because the difference already is life-changing.

I arrived at the hospital early in the morning. I was one of the first surgeries of the day, which was pretty nice. All of the nurses were in a great mood -- everyone was very friendly and reassuring. I had my mom with me, and she stayed with me the entire day. I was prepped for surgery (it took 2 attempts to insert my IV, which was not very fun), and led to the OR.

My surgeon came by to say good morning. I reiterated that I wanted to be a full C, and she made her markings on me. She was gone in a flash, which wasn't super reassuring because I wanted to spend more time with her, but she was very to-the-point.

I managed to keep my anxiety in check all day, but I could feel myself getting very nervous once I brought to the OR. The were about 5 people in there, and, all of a sudden, I couldn't get the nerves to go away. My surgeon knew I was nervous and was making some nice conversation with me and asking about my kids, but I could feel my throat starting to close up like I might cry. The anesthesiologist told me that they would give me some oxygen to help me relax. I was given a breathing mask with the oxygen, told to take some deep breaths, and that's the last thing I remember!

I woke up in post-op feeling very groggy and a bit nauseous. I remember falling in and out of sleep, and the post-op nurse kept telling me to take deep breaths, which would help with the nausea (it did!). I really didn't want to throw up (which is a common side effect of the anesthetic), so I kept taking deep breath after deep breath. The anesthesiologist came to check on me and gave me some T3s for any pain and some anti-nausea meds. Within an hour and a half, I was feeling pretty good with minor pain.

All in all, my surgery was a little under 2 hours. And then 2 hours in the post-op room. I was then brought to my mom, and we went home right away. I was given a 3-day dose of antibiotics to take and T3s for the pain. It was about noon when we got home. I'm staying with her for the week while my husband has the kids.

I put a clean pair of pyjamas on, had some broth to eat, and turned on some movies. My pain was very minor! Around 6pm, I took one T3 and promptly threw it up. Ugh. So much for not wanting to get sick! As soon as I threw it up, though, I felt instantly better, and took a regular Tylenol for the pain instead. It did the trick!

The antibiotics proved to be awful too, and I had to take them 4 times day for 3 days. I had to be sure to eat them with food or else I might feel nauseous again, so I put a lot of effort into planning my meals around the pills. Antibiotics always put me in a bad head space, and I was definitely feeling groggy when I woke up the next morning.

More images to come soon.

(I know this review is long, but I hope it's helpful -- I always like to read long reviews, so maybe someone else out there does too.)