Breast Reduction. Del Mar, CA

Today, I met with Dr. Pacella for a consultation on a breast reduction. His staff emailed me the paperwork needed for my appointment prior to the appointment which I liked because then I had it all ready for them upon my arrival. When I arrived for my appointment the staff were friendly and I was taken back to an exam room almost immediately. The nurse and the office staff were very nice. Dr. Pacella was professional, and explained the procedure and possible complications in great detail. Diana, who works in the office, was extremely helpful in explaining the process of everything. Overall, it was a great visit and I will hopefully get approved for my reduction.

I was approved for surgery through my insurance. The date of my surgery is 5/16/16- nervous but excited to have it over with. Pain be gone! Already bought pajamas, planned childcare, and meals. Husband will be taking 3 days off work so all should be fine. (Fingers crossed)

Today, was my pre-op appointment. All went well and I am scheduled for surgery on 5/16/16. I will have drains so the nurse showed my husband and I how to care for them. The nurse also went over in great detail how to prepare for surgery, what to expect on the day of surgery, and how to care for myself after surgery. I have to say that I am very nervous yet excited to get this done. My neck and back pain will hopefully be relieved by this surgery. My biggest concern is really missing working out and being active. I truly love that aspect of my life and I will miss it during my recovery. Other things I am thinking about are just having the most uneventful surgery and recovery ever. I hope that all goes well and I heal quickly. I am going to have to really work at relaxing. Ha Ha!

Yesterday, was my surgery and all went well. Dr. Pacella spoke with me before surgery and drew on my chest before going into the surgery. I awoke in the post op area and felt very out-of-it but not in pain. I had a large compression dressing on my chest which felt strange but comforting at the same time. My husband brought me home and I got right into bed and slept. I have kept ice on my breasts quite a bit which helps. I have been taking the pain medicine around the clock but it hasn't been controlling my pain very well.

So, at my post-op visit today I told Dr. Pacella about my pain and he wrote a prescription for me to take in addition to what I am already taking. The nurse removed all my dressings and tape today and it was SOOOO painful. She then placed steri-strips on my incisions and put the compression dressing back on. I think the reason for the pain was that my pain level was pretty high to begin with and all that poking and prodding made it worse. The nurse was so sweet while she was doing it and she was very gentle but I was super-sensitive for some reason. Dr. Pacella said I could shower. I can't get over how wonderful my breasts look - they look like they used to before babies & breastfeeding. I thought my breasts would look way more bruised and scary then they do. Once I got home I took my pain medicine and about an hour after that took my new pain medication and now I feel that my pain is better controlled. I really liked how Dr. Pacella and his nurse listened to me about my pain and immediately addressed it. It means a lot that they care about my comfort. Also, even though it hurt to get the dressings changed I appreciated the care the nurse took in doing a great job. Thank you everyone at Dr. Pacella's office!