46 Years Old, 5'5" 160lbs, 34 (H, I or J). Des Moines, IA

HI everyone! It's been one year yesterday since my surgery and I just wanted to give you all an update.

I went from a 34J to a 36DD(E) or 36DDD(F or UK E?) depending on the brand. The 34 to a 36 is because I was always a 36 but needed to be tighter to hold up those heavy [RS bleep]. Otherwise the back of my strap would be up my back. It's nice not having to have such a tight strap around my rib cage.

I'm thoroughly please being a smaller size. My back doesn't hurt anymore and it's so much easier to get into clothes. I do wear some of the clothes that I wore before but they look so much better. Also, the girls are up! I am able to wear a strapless bra as well! YES I WROTE STRAPLESS!!!

I did hope to be smaller. I am definitely proportional but my family has a tendency to grow back. In fact my older sister just had another reduction yesterday (same day as me!). My other sister needs one - she just inherited my old J sized bras.

What was weird about my journey is my breast ended up exactly the same size as the day I came out of surgery. They never got smaller (due to swelling). Oh well.

I occasionally have discomfort at the incision sites and the nerve endings haven't all healed but I do wear some underwire bras without discomfort. Depends on the brand of course. I have Natori 36DDD and Chantelle 36DDD underwire and Bali Women's Comfort Revolution non underwire 36DD. I also still wear the Hanes ComfortFlex Fit® Get Cozy Women`s Wirefree Bra to bed. It just feels better to have my girls cozy and I'm trying to make sure gravity doesn't kick me in the ass again!

See my photo the first week post op and now @ 9 weeks

So it will be 9 weeks on Wednesday. Most of my healing is done with the occasional pissed off area but overall good. I'm resuming all of my working out but having not dared riding a bike or jogging due to the bounce effect. So I'm back to doing weights and even planks but not for too long. Just really listening to my arm and chest area - any pulling or pain I stop what I'm doing and try again the next week. I have recently shopped for bras and find that I am mostly a 36DD with the occasional 36D. But I have only purchased 36DD. In other words - sure some 36D's fit but were not the most comfortable or best fit. So 36DD I am. AND I'M NOT TOO HAPPY ABOUT IT!!!!!. I did not get a flippin reduction to be a DD!!! Yes I'm a nice hour glass but hell I was looking forward to being a pear shape for once in my life. I intend to lose weight too. I wanted a C or D - not a DD. I was a J for Christ sakes! I've been measuring myself since 2 days after the surgery and it hasn't changed but maybe 1/2" in circumference. I keep being told it will go down and it hasn't at all! Crazy. They have also settled too and are heavy. I had heavy boobs before the reduction and they're heavy still (another reason I wanted them to be C cups). It's not strange that their heavy - they are still my boobs and that's how I am. But - I find myself wearing a bra 24/7 because the weight of them tugs at the incisions making that obviously uncomfortable. Today I'm not too upset about it but overall I wanted to be small. I would have been happy with a B. But this is where I am and I guess I will deal with it. I see my doctor in October so I'll speak with him then. I'm just worried because I had two sisters who had reductions and they literally grew back. They gained 15 lbs and it went to the boobs - they lost the weight and the boobs stayed. That happened to me before the surgery. So now I can never gain weight (and that's a good thing) but damnit I wanted them good and small to compensate for my family freakish boob nature. Seriously - I literally gave my old bras (34H, I and J's) to my sister who had a reduction 13 years ago!!! She ended up a DD like me AFTER the reduction and is now what I was before the reduction. Scars the crap outta me! My other sister went from a 34DDD to a C. She is now a DDD again. Again - she gained 15lbs. and then lost it but boobs stayed. I hope I'm not doomed to this future. I'm also using salves and scar treatments now I purchased from whole foods. They are great and help sooth the area. I just keep the area clean and try not to sweat too much. If I could give advice to those getting it done it would be to wait till the temps are not too hot!! Well happy healing!