THANK GOD!!!! CHANGED MY LIFE! - Seattle, WA

I just discovered this forum because I am researching methods to correct undereye skin...but given how nervous I was before my breast reduction ten years ago, and how much I wish I had a forum like this, I just wanted to share my experience in the hope that it will help someone. I was twenty one years old, five feet tall and one hundred pounds. My breasts were a thirty two DOUBLE D. I had received this unwanted "gift" at the age of 13. I was an avid scuba diver, softball player, drummer, and guitarist. All this went by the wayside as these ridiculous udders got in the way of EVERY ONE of my loved activities. I was miserable--my back hurt every second when I tried to do what I loved. I couldn't find clothes that fit. In essence, my INSIDE did not match my OUTSIDE. To me, they felt like udders. Some women want huge, huge breasts...that is their decision, just like some men enjoy being prettyboys and others want to be hairy macho men. My preference is for prettyboys; analogously, my preference is to be athletic and androgynous in figure, not a short version of a [RS bleep] Bunny. Again, let me stress that aesthetics--and plastic surgery is purely about one's own aesthetics and how they want to change THEIR body to fit THEIR own need of what is beautiful--is key here. I am not saying that small breasts are better than big or vice versa. It is all a matter of taste. However, if you are considering changing your body because Mommy or Boyfriend or Best Female Friend or Hollywood [RS bleep] is leading you to it, DON'T DO IT. Go with what YOU find beautiful...not anyone else. Well, I didn't find these things on me beautiful. The nipple size was ridiculous...I got no pleasure from being touched there, and to me pleasure is key, and I was in pain. So it was a short decision to get them taken "down to size". I got a recommendation from a friend in a new city I had moved to, and off I went. She was great! Super sympathetic, addressed my concerns, and--even better--suggested I try to get my health insurance to pay given my size relative to my breasts and back pain and shoulder scrapes (due to the massive bra) because of them. I was overjoyed when health insurance approved it and I didn't have to pay a cent! The only problem was that my parents were aghast. My mother (who is about ninety-five pounds and four foot ten who also had double D cup breasts) was enraged and said I was "mutilating myself". She has never wore a shirt that wasn't a Women's Large because she believes her breasts are "slutty" if she wears clothes that fit, and that her size was "God's will", so I didn't expect her to understand. My father didn't understand either, but given that he is grossly unattractive and yet demands the ultimate standards of "attractiveness" from my mother (for all I know, HE kept her from being more comfortable with her breasts--she can't even exercise because of the pain when she bounces up and down) I didn't expect them to...although I didn't expect them to be so angry about my surgery. I went in the early morning. My partner was with me. I was worried about nausea with anesthesia. My anesthesiologist told me that for some reason, breast surgery tends to cause a lot of nausea so he gave me extra anti-emetics in my IV. Everyone was very comforting and told me my partner would be there after the surgery and they would make sure I was comfortable. Next thing I knew I woke up in the recovery room. My partner was there. I was cold from the anesthesia but not nauseous at all. I was a bit stiff and told them, and they asked me to rate my pain from one to ten. I told them honestly it was a two and a half. They said "let's get it down to zero" and gave me more painkillers, which was great. They actually cared about how I felt rather than just ignoring me as long as I wasn't screaming. Once I was with it a couple of nurses helped me see my new chest. Though there were drains attached to the nipples, it looked so wonderful and I was so happy. I requested to be nearly flat...so I would look proportional with my tiny frame and never need to wear a stupid bra again...and, also, early breast cancer runs rampant in my family. Taking out all that fat decreased the risk to nearly that of a male (not total comfort, as some males in my family have actually died of breast cancer). Within a couple of hours I was ready to go home. They wheeled me down and my partner drove me home. I had a prescription which they did not hesitate to tell me that if it didn't take away the pain, there was a number I could call for something stronger. It was Oxycontin because I feel sick from both Ibuprofin and Tylenol. It did the trick and I slept fine that night. I was so OK late the next day that I went out to dinner! A day or so after that I had my drains removed. That was the most painful part of it all (but a quick procedure)! The doctor said I had an unusually fast recovery. I think it was because I did not feel much pain. I have found that pain inhibits recovery...it makes you anxious and scared and stops your body from doing what it needs to do, from sleep to healing. I am so glad that my doctor and everyone at the surgery center put my needs first, rather than seeing me as some piece of machinery that was one size fits all. A month later, I was super happy wearing all the tight T-shirts, tank tops, and bathing suits I wanted, without looking like I was going to topple over, or I was a twelve year old with beach balls in my chest. Ten years later, I still count this breast reduction as one of the best decisions of my life. I only hope my subsequent procedures go as well (Oh yeah, and now I actually feel pleasure from my partner touching me there). To this day, women who long for breast enlargements look at me incredulously when I tell them what I did...while I try to not look at them incredulously for what they want to do. Pros: pretty much everything Cons: explaining to random women who ask nosy questions that I got a breast reduction because I didn't want to have big boobs, that I like being near flat...but they look just as perplexed when I tell them about my partner's plastic surgery...because to them, men's hotness is not even considered, even when they rip apart other women.