At 5'2" and 34G/H, It's Time to Lose Some of my "Assets"! Chicago, IL

I can't begin to thank all you wonderful ladies for writing reviews and relating your stories on realself, it's been so good to know I'm not alone in the journey to smaller, more appropriately sized breasts!

Similar to many of you, I developed early, at 11 I outgrew my training bra by leaps and bounds, and was a 36B. I grew to 36D in high school, and stayed there till I went on the pill after college, and hello, 36DD. In my mid 30s I was fitted for a 34F, and more recently, a 34 G/H, depending on the bra. My breasts seem to grow every time I go on the pill!

Physical issues- in my 20s, I started experiencing numbness in my arms and hands, the orthopedic surgeon diagnosed me with carpal tunnel, and I started wearing splints every night when I was about 26. So sexy!! In my early 30s, my back and neck started hurting more than ever, so I saw an osteopath for adjustments and acupuncture for the numbness. After he retired, I started seeing my boyfriend's chiropractor, and the massage and adjustments did help a lot.

I started running again after several years off, and of course started injuring myself from the get go. Visiting several specialists, I found I had IT band syndrome, greater trochanteric bursitis, a stress fracture in my foot (all left side) and what was thought to be carpal tunnel was actually thoracic outlet syndrome! I spent all last summer in physical therapy, which I actually enjoyed.

Unlike some, I never "hated" my breasts, so to speak, but they never fit my self image, and haven't made life easy. I have always felt self-conscious, top heavy, and matronly, even in my teens (most pictures show me self-consciously pulling my shirt away from my chest). I always wished I had the A cups my mother and sister have!

More recently, I was out for a run with a good friend and her neighbor (the neighbor has breast implants). As I was adjusting my multiple sports bras, she (neighbor) said to me "You know, you shouldn't get a reduction. A lot of women pay for what you have, and here in the US, they are a big asset for women!" I was rather taken aback, but told her that I'd rather people think my intelligence, creativity or kindness was an asset, not a body part, but I don't think she understood my point.

It's funny, I found realself when I was looking up laser and chemical peels for my face, and drifted over to the breast reduction section. A 97% "worth it" rating was high praise! I've thought about a reduction since my 20s, but it didn't really dawn on me that the physical issues I was having, and the pain was all due to my breasts.

When I would tell someone my size, I'd usually get "you don't look that big" as the response. Were they just being nice, or did they really have no concept of breast size? I think it's both, I look ok from the front, but the side view...*shudder*. In certain shirts I look 12 months pregnant. Flowy tops and dresses are the enemy. The book "When Less is More" by Dr. Bethanne Snodgrass really helped put the pieces together for me, with what my body had been dealing with.

On realself, I saw other women around my size (height, weight, breast size) were being covered by insurance. I'd been seeing doctors for years for the pain, and had PT, so why not see if it's possible for me too? I checked my insurance for in network plastic surgeons, and read up on them. I made appointments to consult with the 2 I liked best, and who were affiliated with Northwestern Nemorial Hospital (a teaching hospital where I have several doctors, and my boyfriend had his kidney transplant there).

The first consultation was with the doctor I ended up choosing. He just gave me the best feeling that it was the right thing to do. He said "so you're all of 5'2" and carrying all that weight on your chest? No wonder your center of gravity is out of alignment." He told me my breasts were beautiful as is, but that they were just way too big for me. His goal would be to give me well proportioned breasts that remained beautiful. He said he'd remove between 400-500 grams, and also do lipo on the sides. The consult with the other PS I met with was very similar, he too seemed like a great doctor, but I just felt the first doctor was the right doctor for me.

His nurse took pictures of my breasts, and the PS wrote up his findings, my symptoms, the treatment I've sought out, and his recommendations. His assistant told me I'd probably hear back in 6-8 weeks from insurance, so we scheduled a follow up the following month. Well only two weeks later, I got a letter from my insurance saying they approved my surgery!

My BF came with me to my follow up, and asked his questions, he liked the surgeon I chose, so his mind was put at ease. My surgeon won't use drains, my breasts aren't so large I'd need a FNG, and he said to remind him on the day of surgery if I prefer to be on the smaller or larger side. Smaller please! He said I will be wrapped in gauze and an ace bandage, that I will be able to shower the next day, and my first follow up will be 1 week later. Two weeks later, I will come in to get my stitches removed. Or maybe that's at week 1, I can't recall now! He said I can start wearing a sports bra after a week, and if I'm up to it, walk on the treadmill after 2 weeks! We'll see how I feel...he uses a short scar technique, so I won't have a scar from my cleavage to my armpit. He also said if any revision is needed, it is included, as it's his responsibility to do the surgery right and give me the best aesthetic result. His before and afters are all beautiful.

Since it's through insurance, I don't know the actual cost, but my insurance estimate for this hospital was $16K-20K. That's before they do the negotiations with the doctor on the max amount they'll pay, etc. I will have reached my deductible by surgery date, and as I will be outpatient, no hospital co-pay ($250). I do have a 20% coinsurance, so I could end up paying between $2K-4K out of pocket.

I'm planning to get a MLD massage the day before (manual lymph drainage), and a series of 3-5 MLD treatments post op. They are supposed to be very beneficial for healing, particularly for breast related surgery, as it's very close to the armpit lymph nodes. The therapist I spoke with is hoping to connect me with a client of his that had a BR recently, so I can find out her take on the surgery and MLD.

The therapist recommended I avoid red meat and salt for the week before surgery, and that I get arnica montana pills. I also bought a reclining backrest pillow for sleeping post op, and a "lap desk" for using my laptop in bed. I plan to take only 1 week off work, but I have a desk job and work from home. My surgeon said that was fine. My schedule is flexible, so if I don't feel good, I can log off and check email later. I have my pre op testing tomorrow, and have to get a mammogram, my last one was just over a year ago. I'm 46, by the way, no kids, just cats and a BF of 12 years (living together for 10). My boy cat will be unhappy, as he likes to lay on my chest at night, and be picked up and carried around. He is definitely more than 5lbs!

I thought I'd detail my experience with this step, in case anyone wondered what goes on. I had my pre-op testing done on Friday (7/17), and I passed with flying colors. I filled out a bunch of paperwork, gave them a list of medications and supplements I take, and had to pee in a cup.

I then spoke with a nurse practitioner (who was really cute!!) at length about my medical history, sleep habits (occasionally snore, apnea maybe twice a year), reaction to anesthesia, asthma, cardiac history (I have occasional palpitations and rapid heartbeat when dehydrated, holter monitor I recently wore found nothing wrong) and any alcohol use or smoking. I rarely drink and don't smoke, though of course I ended up having 2 cocktails that same day (it was my BFFs birthday)!

He said based on all my answers, he worked out a calculation that my chance of a cardiac event during surgery was .01%, so extremely low, to say the least! He also stressed that this was a very low risk surgery (probably because of my anxiety/panic disorder), and that because of my anxiety, I could take a lorazepam the morning of surgery. He gave me written instructions for when to stop taking certain meds and supplements, and a new script for an albuterol inhaler to use before anesthesia (I have reactive airway disease, an asthma-like condition brought on by allergens, bronchitis and apparently, sometimes anesthesia).

He did a quick check of my heart and lungs, poked and prodded my abdomen, and said he didn't need to run any cardiac tests (EKG) or do a blood draw. I had one a few weeks ago from my endocrinologist, and the results were all in the normal range.

My sister came with me because we wanted to have lunch at the outdoor cafe under the Bean sculpture on Michigan Ave (fun for people watching), which isn't far from the hospital. We then drove from downtown Chicago out to Skokie for my mammogram, and traffic was unconscionably bad. It took us 45 minutes to get from the hospital to the expressway, which is about a mile and a half away. My mammogram appointment was at 3:45, and I didn't get there till 4:15, it took almost 2 hours to drive about 12 miles! Summertime in Chicago is amazing, but make sure you walk, bike or take public transit any time you can, because everyone else is out and about too!

My mammogram was at the Mammography Suite at Nordstrom, which is a super awesome place to get one. No stress, a relaxing environment, everyone is really nice there. My last mammogram was just over a year ago, and my surgeon wanted to make sure all was still fine (I have very dense, fibrous breasts so had to have extra pictures and an ultrasound last time). Mammogram was done, they'll send my results to my PS and my PCP by mid next week. Then my sister and I window shopped on the expensive side of the ladies department. Saw an Alice+Olivia dress that was dreamy, but it was $450, and of course, even if my boobs were their new smaller size already, that's still far beyond my budgetary boundaries! although if you added up what I've spent on the 5 bras in my lingerie drawer, I could easily have bought that dress, and sandals to match!