34E to C
My surgery is 3 days away and I so excited that I...
My surgery is 3 days away and I so excited that I have been sporadically bursting into tears :) I am so grateful for all the women who have shared their stories!
I am a 30 year old mother of two and around age of 23-24 I decided I wanted a breast reduction. I knew I wanted a family and I wanted to breastfeed so I waited until I was done having children... Boy am I glad I did. Although they were big, I was a pretty nicely shaped 34DD before hand but after two back to back pregnancies, weight gain, weight loss and breastfeeding I was a very low sagging insecure 34E.
I have tried pain killers, physical therapy, loosing weight and wearing 3 sports bras to work out but everything I do from bending over to load the dish washer to hold babies is uncomfortable. I love running, I've ran 6 half marathons with these ridiculous things and enough is enough. Zumba, step aerobics and working out but trying to control my bouncing boobs has sucked the fun out of every athletic activity.
Dr. Barbra K Siwy will be performing my surgery. I spoke with 4 other surgeons in the Indianapolis area. I chose her because not only had my family doctor and gynecologist seen her work and recommended her but I also had four other real live acquaintances who were willing to share the experiences. Some of the other doctors that I considered had wonderful surgical results but their after care reviews were not as impressive. Another factor that helped me make my decision was the fact that she only does plastic surgery... not make up, laser hair removal, botox, facials etc.
Dr.Siwy's office did all the foot work for getting my procedure approved by my insurance (Anthem). Every time I had gone to my gynecologist the past 4 years, I mentioned that I wanted to get a breast reduction and she documented it, along with my weight and bras size so she gladly wrote a letter of recommendation to Dr.Siwy (PS). The letter was submitted with my insurance paperwork. My family doctor had also prescribed Naproxen for back pain and referred me to physical therapy. I only ended up going to 5 thirty minute physical therapy sessions. All of this documentation plus the complaints about shoulder groves, rashes from under garments, and headaches were enough to prove that this would be medically beneficial.
Here are some of the preparations I have done:
* made sure my husband would be able to get family medical leave of absence (4 weeks) so he could help me
*arranged for my children to stay with grandparents for the first week of my surgery
*pet sitter (my puppy is a little to hyper and lovable, scared he may hop on my lap or crawl on me)
* bought a cheap recliner because I wont be able to sleep lying flat
* because I wont be able to lift my arms about my head I gathered up/bought a few button up pajamas, zip up sweat shirts, camisole tank tops that I can step into and pull up
* got a supply of ice packs, neosporin, surgical dressing pads, paper tape, an extra ace bandage, Arnica gel for bruising,
* Hibiclins cleanser - I am supped to was my chest with it for two days prior to the surgery
* set up my lap top, phone charger, magazines, on a little table next to my recovery recliner :)
I feel so ready! Is there anything I should do to help prepare?
30IN's provider
Night before surgery!
I took my children up to my parents house and they will be staying with them for the whole first week of my recovery. My mother had me run out to the store real quick by myself to pick up a few last minute things the kids might need for their stay. While I was in the middle of Meijer I got a little emotional. I have two preschoolers and this will be the longest they have ever been away from mommy. I ended up going to the toy section and picking up a few goodies for them so they would have something fun from mommy to play with while I was recovering. I made sure to get some extra big hugs before I left knowing that after tomorrow they wont be able to squeeze me until I am healed.
I took a shower and used the hibiclens wash all over my chest, abdomen, and under my arms. I will use is again tomorrow morning before I head to the surgery center. It is supposed to help clean your skin and continue to prevent bacterial growth from up to 24 hours.
My husband was making fun of me because I was practicing getting dressed so I could plan what to wear home after the surgery. I have settled on a zip up sweat shirt and a pair of comfy matching sweat pants. I also have a camisole tank top that is loose enough for me to step in and have help pulling it up.
speaking of my husband he has been amazingly supportive in this whole process. It really helps me feel confident knowing that he is okay with my decision.
I packed a bag for my over night stay at the surgery center. Here are a few things I added to the bag after reading some other post on here
*glasses and contacts
*tooth brush
*hair brush
*It is -5 degrees with a ridiculous wind chill so I packed a fleece throw blanket...I am not sure how sore my under arms are going to be or how hard it will be to get a coat on so I figured I could wrap up in it if I have to when I leave
* an extra pillow for the far ride home to put between my breast and the seat belt
*My camera! Yes I will be sharing pictures of how they mark me and some more before shots
*CHAPSTiCK! from not being able to swallow or close your mouth during a long surgery you usually get dry lips
*phone charger
My surgery is at 10 am but I need to arrive between 8:30 and 9. I plan on getting up early to shower with the hibiclens again and to also blow dry and straighten my hair... not necessarily for the surgery but more for the fact that I will not be able to shower for a few days
Well, here goes nothing! Next time you hear from me I will hopefully be a smaller, much perkier and relieved lady! Wish me luck :)
G'night
Replies (4)
Surgery yesterday- first morning post op
I am very proud of myself for remaining so calm, I just kept taking long deep breaths and reminding myself that my doctor has been doing this for 20 years.
The nurses helped me scootch over to the operating table which was surprisingly very narrow. I felt like I could roll right off. They had a warm pad underneath me which helped me feel more relaxed. Then the nurses attached two arm rest to the table. At about that time I looked over and saw some of the surgical instruments and decided I was just going to close my eyes so I didn't freak out. I remember telling the anesthesiologist that I was still awake and that I just did not want to look around. Then he put a a mask over my mouth and told me that I would start to feel kind of funny. The next thing I remember was waking up in the recovery room!
I did not wake up in any pain at all. The anesthesiologist gave me something for pain through my IV before I was really alert enough to know. I also had asked for zofran before the surgery because in the past I have woke up from a knee surgery pretty nauseous. My mouth was super dry when I woke up so I kept sucking on ice chips.
I was never put in surgical bra. My doctor just had me wrapped up in an ace bandage. I actually thing I prefer that anyways as I have read on here that sometimes the band from the surgical bra in uncomfortable on the incisions under your breast. I also do not have any drains.
I kept waking up and dosing off. Every time I felt like I had slept for hours but when I asked my husband how long it had been he just kept laughing at me because I would only sleep a few minutes at a time.
The first time getting up to use the restroom was pretty rough. They did not want me to use my arms to pull my self up and I felt pretty woozy still from the anesthesia. My husband stood facing in front of me and i leaned onto his hands kind of like I was using a walker. The nurse followed behind just in case I lost my balance. The bathroom was about 40 feet away and half way there I suddenly got extremely hot, my mouth turned dry and I felt like I was going to fall over. I immediately wanted to strip down I was feeling so claustrophobic and nauseous. I was the only overnight patient on that side of the surgery center so that's exactly what I did Haha I was so hot I didn't even care who saw me without my gown on. Then another nurse came to the rescue with a wheel chair and I cold wet wash cloth. I made it to the restroom and then it was back to bed for more nausea medicine and rest for me.
When I woke up the next time I was in some pain but not excruciating. It was more like an aching bruised like feeling. I am a little weird when it comes to pain, one of my reactions to pain is that my teeth chatter and I tense up. My nurse wanted me to try to start switching over to my oral pain pills because I would be going home in the morning and obviously would not be able to stay on the IV. I had to eat something in order to keep the pain pills (percocets) from upsetting my stomach. My first meal was apple juice, a few bites of chicken and dumpling soup and a few crackers. Once I had my percocet and a valium to help me relax I slept great!
I woke up feeling much more rested and then got up to use the restroom which was much easier this time. The anesthesia must have warn off because I did not feel nauseous or hot at all this time.
I wore some comfy sweat pants and a zip up sweatshirt home. It was -5 degrees outside so my husband had the car all warmed up for me and one of the nurses helped me out to the curb and into the car. I did have some liposuction under my arms to help the contouring so layering on a coat did not work but luckily I had brought a fleece throw blanket to wrap up in. I had an extra pillow in the car to put between my new little bobbies and the seat belt. Because I had a valium before leaving the surgery center the ride was pretty relaxing and even though we live 45 minute away it went by pretty quick.
I am now at home resting comfortably in my recliner chair. I apologize for any typos ;) the pain med are really nice and making me feel really relaxed! I will try to keep updating through my recovery. Even though I have not seen my chest with out the ace bandage I am already happy with how much smaller they look! Can't wait to go to my follow up appointment to see how the look :)
Replies (5)
Replies (13)