A Planned Spontaneous Decision ;) - Columbus, OH

Well, I've made it little over a week now and feeling pretty good. Everything looks like it's healing well. The stitches feel really tight and I think my incisions are glued as well because as they heal together, there is some sort of shiny/crusty substance along the incision lines.

We took our Christmas card photos yesterday and I wore a turtleneck. I was SO pleased with how I looked in the photos. I usually try to have someone stand in front of me or block my breasts in some way but this year, for the first time, I didn't have to do that. Everything looks proportionate and it made me happy.

I was on my feet a lot yesterday getting the meal ready for Thanksgiving. My husband did 99% of the cooking, but I helped a little. I regretted it terribly at bedtime, I was aching all over my body and in a lot of pain, especially on my left breast. It was the larger breast and it's been the one that has had the most pain during this experience. I took some advil and then took a hot shower to see if it would help, but I was miserable until I finally fell asleep at 3:00 a.m. I think some people just take longer to recover and what is a typical program of pain relief for one might not work for another. I really could use something stronger to help me get comfortable enough to sleep at night, I feel like I'd heal more quickly, but with it being a holiday and the weirdness that surrounds requesting any type of pain reliever from a doctor, I end up suffering in silence :( Here's hoping to a better night tonight!

Day 1 - after surgery (November 15, 2012)

I didn't get to sleep last night until around 4:00 a.m. since I just couldn't get comfortable. Today I've dozed off and on but don't feel too bad. The vicodin doesn't help with the pain at all, which stinks because I feel like if I could get over the pain hurdle, I could heal better. So I have a call into the doctor's office to see if he can prescribe something stronger, just a few days worth, that's all I think I'll really need. The only time I've ever had vicodin before was with a root canal and I remember it didn't work for me either. I wish I had thought of that when they have me the prescription!

Otherwise, I feel pretty good. My appetite is fine, I take some stool softener every morning to keep things moving - nothing worse than dealing with constipation when trying to heal!

I also feel very itchy, which is annoying. They didn't put ANY type of tape on me, which I know has helped a lot because it doesn't seem to matter which tape I use, ALL of it makes me break out in a blistering rash. So they just put the absorbent pads over my breasts and then the zip front surgical bra over them. After I changed out the first set (I was bleeding quite a bit yesterday), I started using panty liners instead. They are the perfect size, not bulky and do the job. Plus they're way cheaper than buying bandages. Too bad for my teen sons who insist on using my bathroom and have to see these pads all over the place :D

I did take another peek at my new boobs yesterday and I just hasn't hit me yet that they are MINE! They are just the perfect size and I can already imagine the cute bras I will be able to buy, something I've not been able to do in almost 20 years. I also can see that I am not fat. I didn't realize how distorted my body image was until I got this surgery. I always looked 20lbs heavier than I am because they were so big. I cried at least three times of week while trying to get dressed and realizing that NOTHING fit right. If I bought a shirt in my size, it would be WAY too tight. But if I bought one that fit the breasts, it was too big everywhere else and made me look overweight. When the PS asked me what size I'd like to be, I told him a full B, figuring when everything settles, I will end up a C cup. He told me "I will have you t-shirt ready - you'll be able to hop out of the shower, throw on a tshirt and go". That thrilled me beyond belief! I haven't worn a sleeveless shirt or tank top since I was 19, I was so self-conscious about my breast size. I had to spend hours searching for dresses and shirts that looked cute but minimized my boobs since the looked SO HUGE. The other day, I was at a thrift store looking for some button down shirts to wear for the next couple of days (hey, I spent a total of $6 on 5 shirts!). Well, it's a very multicultural store, people speaking Russian, Chinese, Polish and Spanish. I can understand Spanish well enough to hear man after man making comments about my boobs. I wanted to both cry and karate chop them, it is SO embarrassing to have that happen. And I was just wearing a plain old long sleeved cotton pullover shirt with yoga pants, so it wasn't like I was dressing all hoochie boo-boo.. The best I could do was to give them the stink eye and make sure they knew that I could understand what they were saying. Ugh, right?

So that's it for today. I forgot to take pictures of my old boobs, but I will get a copy from my PS on Monday. I can't believe it will be 5 days past surgery before I follow up. But he only does surgery on W-F and only sees patients on M-T so it just worked out that way. I feel like I'm happy about it in that no-one will be poking around there until they get a little better chance of healing. I am allowed to take a shower on Saturday though, whoo hoo! I only have stitches (no steri-strips, not sure why - maybe the allergy?) but the incisions look tight and right from what I can see without taking off the weird yellow gooey net thingie that is on them right now. I also have a scopolamine patch behind my ear which is a lifesaver for post anesthesia puking. They said I could leave it on for 3 days. Amazing that a little band-aid behind your ear makes you not throw up or feel like it!

Looking forward to hearing more stories especially if anyone lives in my area!!

I just had a breast reduction on Wednesday Nov. 14 2012 in Columbus Ohio. I only had a few weeks to obsess, I mean PREPARE for this surgery which is a great thing when you are a worrier like me!

My story:
I have wanted to have a BR since I was in my late teens and realized my boobs were growing waay too big for my frame. I am considered *small framed* because even though i am tall(er) than a lot of women at 5'7 and a healthy weight/bmi at 140/24bmi, my bone structure is small. So any extra weight causes pain and fatigue. At 19, i weighed 119 lbs with 36c breasts, which were OK. I stayed around 36c until I was 26, when I went up a cup size but only weighed 115. After the birth of my 4th child at age age 32, I was a 36DD and about 130lbs.

Now I am 45 and weigh about 138 but until today, had 36F or G boobs! My back was killing me, i couldn't walk for long, stand for long or even sit at a desk or on a chair for long because i would get terrible muscle spasms. Buy OK buying clothing was a nightmare (as you all know) and a bra that fit? Impossible. Not only were they around $50ea if i could find one, they were terribly painful and never fit right....it like the cup size was always waaaaay too small.

Then in Oct we rec'd notice from our ins. Co that my (high) deductible had been met since i had some kidney surgery done in April. On a whim, i asked if BR surgery was paid in any way. I was THRILLED when they told me 100% if it was medically necessary. Now this is the part where i go completely out of my typically VERY obsessive planning and research mode.

I googled "plastic surgeons breast reduction columbus ohio" and clicked on the first PS that came up. I looked through the website and then made an online appt for Oct. 22! I almost chickened out several times, but i finally went. I arrived and knew immediately if my ins. really covered it, i wouldn't look any further, i went with my gut feeling.

He did the exam and told me that without a doubt, my boob were far too big for my body type. We agreed right then to do the paperwork and submit it. I was SHOCKED when less than a week later, i was approved! And excited that they could do it all on Nov. 14 - less than a month from deciding, choosing a doc, getting an appt, submitting/inurance approval AND surgery!

Things to know:
*the initial post-op pain when waking up was BAD (and i have a very high tolerance). After 3 lg doses of IV painkiller it was much better. So the super bad pain lasted about 10-15 mins. My surgery started at 9:30a, finished at 11:15a and I felt well enough and was home by 1:45p.
*TOTALLY worth ever boobs on fire pain I have right now. I was bleeding a little much so i had to chg the pads and got a peek at them. They are PERFECT. I am now a 36b and i know when they fill out and heal, they are going to be just beautiful.
*Vicodin doesn't touch the pain for me so i will tell them that tomorrow. The ouchies are the reason i am writing this insteadnof sleeping.
*i have severe antibiotics allergies and adhesive tape allergies. Phenergan, which helps the pukes is also an antihistamine, so that's working fine. Nothing is tabed, the pads are just inside of the bra the pads are just lying on top of the incisions aand are fine.

I know this is ery long so thank you so much if you read through it all! Please ask any questions you'd like and share tips if u have any. My followup appt isnt until Monday, a little longer than it sounds for most, but i will update as it goes along.