47-year-old Mother of Two; 34H to 34D/DD

I spent years on RealSelf before getting the nerves to actually go through a mammoplasty myself, and reading about other women’s stories gave me hope and courage. Today, it’s time to return the favor and share my story, hoping it will do the same for you (because trust me, no other reason would ever make me share pictures of my boobs online!)

MY STORY IN NUMBERS
Age: 47
Height: 5?5?
Weight: 135lbs.
Band size: 30?
Breasts projection: 7–8?
Bra size before surgery: 34G/H
Bra size after surgery: 34D
Cost of surgery: $7,000
Weight of breast tissue removed: 250g/side (+/-)

MY STORY IN WORDS
If you’re reading this, you already know my story because it’s like yours: My body sprung DD breasts overnight at puberty, which over time evolved into colossal proportions (34G/H at my lowest adult weight) and all that comes with it: bad posture/slouching, pain/burning in back, shoulders, neck, and head, breast pain, shoulder indents, skin rashes under the breasts, ogling men, nasty comments, etc. But with perpetual dieting and correctly fitted bras, things were manageable. They got complicated when osteoporosis kicked in and my ribs started bruising and breaking for no reason. Wire bras became unbearable. And as you know, finding wire-free bras with a small band size and large cups is just impossible! For years, I “modified” commercial bras, cutting band sizes or sewing extra hooks on but over time, the pain/burning in my back became too intense, and I knew that there weren’t too many ways out...

WHAT HELD ME BACK
1) Ideology: I’m not pro-cosmetic surgery. Even after considering a breast reduction for 20+ years because of pain, it made me feel vain.
2) Fears: What if something goes wrong? What if there are complications? What if I don’t like the results? What if it doesn’t help with the pain?
3) Cost: What parent has $7,000–$11,000 lying around and just begging to be spent, honestly?
4) People: “They don’t look that big”; “It can’t be that bad”; “Why would you change something God gave you”?; “It’s normal to have breasts that size at your age”; “I’m not sure it’s going to fix your back pain”.
5) I liked my breasts. Yes, they were huge for my frame and meant never-ending pain and never being able to wear a bikini without feeling like a milk cow, but they were part of me, I liked their shape (well, not so much the hanging part, but the roundness of it) and unlike many, I had no issue with the areola.

WHAT FINALLY MADE ME DO IT
I read the RealSelf review of a 67-year-old woman who, after doing it and being very happy with the results, regretted that she hadn’t done it before and suffered 30+ years for nothing. I suddenly realized that I’d be there in 20 years if I didn’t do something about it now. It’s that simple.

MEDICAL (COVERED BY INSURANCE) VS. COSMETIC (NOT COVERED)
My insurance company (Aetna) uses a formula based on height and weight to determine how much breast tissue must be removed in order for surgery be deemed necessary (and be covered). In my case, it could have meant going ending with breasts too small for my frame. At least that’s what my surgeon explained. He also explained that insurance companies can do audits up to a year after the surgery, and that reimbursing the insurance would cost me much more money than paying for the surgery myself. I have to admit it scared me, so I opted for the cosmetic way, paying $7,000 out of pocket. After the surgery, I realized that the hospital billed my insurance for $24K more, and my insurance paid and additional $8,000. So after paying $7,000 out of pocket, I still can’t be sure I’m not risking an audit. Stressful. As of the date of this review, my surgeon is looking into the issue...

THE MOST DIFFICULT PART(S) PRIOR TO SURGERY
1) Finding a good surgeon I was comfortable with, was close enough geographically, and took credit cards.
2) Deciding whether or not I wanted my insurance company to dictate the size of my breasts.
3) Accepting spending money on myself (vs. home improvements, the kids’ college fund, etc.)
4) Deciding what I wanted in terms of size (ultimately, I let my surgeon decide what would provide relief but be proportionate to my body and maintain a cleavage).
5) Not changing my mind before the surgery. I guarantee that once the date is set, you’ll suddenly start thinking that things are not that bad after all!

THE RECOVERY – WHAT I WISH I’D KNOW
1) General anesthesia may cause up to a week of intense nausea and vomiting.
2) General anesthesia will cause horrible constipation/impacted stools and all that comes with it (hemorrhoids, etc.)
3) General anesthesia will cause exhaustion and weakness for weeks.
4) You will need to sleep sitting up for a few days after the surgery.
5) You will need to sleep on your back for at least 6 weeks after the surgery (side OK after that).
6) You won’t be allowed to lift your arms above your head or carry anything over 5lbs. for 6 weeks after the surgery.
7) Your breasts will be super swollen for weeks/months, and you won’t know your final size until the swelling comes down.
8) External stitches come out after a couple of weeks; internal stitches stay in until they self-dissolve. Until that, some try to come out and it creates infection pockets.
9) You’ll need to wear your post-op bra 24/7 for 6 weeks, so invest in a supportive, comfortable bra (think “padded sport bra with front-zipper closure”) even if your doctor tells you that you’ll be fine with a $15 Fruit of the Loom one.
10) Once breast tissue starts to heal, it will itch like crazy.

THE AFTERMATHS
Now that everything is behind me, it’s easy to jump on the “my-only-regret-is-not-doing-it-before bandwagon”, and I do feel that getting a mammoplasty was the best decision. And I’m sure that a couple of years from now, after I’m done paying for the surgery, I’ll be even happier about it!

MY ONE REGRET
Not going smaller. Now that I see what’s left, I think I could have gone smaller. I’m not sure I would still have a cleavage though, because the top part of my breast was flat and the surgeon explained that he could only go that small.

TIPS
- Lose as much weight as you can before going through the surgery.
- Get fitted for a bra before making a decision. Even if you don’t change your mind, wearing a bra that’s the right size for you (not the size you think you are) will help with the pain until the surgery.
- Do your homework and trust your feelings when it comes to picking a surgeon.
- Invest in a comfortable, supportive post-surgery bra your size.
- Plan, plan, plan. You’re going to be “out of order” for 10+ days, so anything that needs to be planned (shopping, cooking, birthdays, bills, etc.) should be planned before the D-Day.
- If you have to finance the surgery, research zero-interest, zero-transfer-fee credit cards ahead of time. The best offers will give you 15 months with no interests. Put the surgery on any of your credit cards, and transfer the balance to the zero-interest card.
- Don’t get tempted to go abroad for surgery. In case of trouble, you want to be home where your insurance will cover complications.
- Don’t listen to anyone. It’s your body. It’s your decision.

Best of luck to you!


Ex-DDDDuser