39 Mother of 4 Kids Including 13year Old Twins. Breast Lift with Reduction & Tummy Tuck.

Sorry I didn’t update more, once I started healing more, the craziness of life with 4 kids took over.
Week 5 I especially started feeling better. My spots were all closed & didn’t need polysporin anymore. Could stand straight & sleep better.
I then got a bad chest cold at week 6 so didn’t start weaning off the binder until after week 7. The coughing hurt too much without it. I’m still wearing it much of the day but have went 6+ hours without it. I find wearing a sculpting tank helps. I’ve definitely become reliant on it. I’m going to try more aggressively to wean off it.
My breasts are getting softer & rounder & my bra fitting put me at a 38D. They felt a little bigger with my period this month. I still feel like they are smaller than I wanted but once I can add a little more padding & wear pretty wire bras I think I’ll be happier. 4 more weeks & counting. Even though I feel they are small, I’m not going to do an augmentation by any means. I wanted a reduction with my lift because of my neck & back. My biggest issue has always been that I felt like I was persuaded to pay for a lift (I was originally referred & approved for a reduction) & then she took almost as much in grams as I was to have with the reduction. So I feel like I paid for something I could have had for free & money is tight for our family. Without question I wanted to be smaller but I paid for the lift to not be this small. My surgeon said again that she needed to take this much & that it was mostly skin & I would have been smaller with a reduction. I’m inclined to believe her since she seems willing to fix things I’m unhappy with. It just feels frustrating to pay lots of $ to remove over 550g when it was free through my govt to remove 600g! I still question was it necessary to remove 550 &/or why not remove a little more & give me a refund (it doesn’t work that way here-but I wish it did). I will learn to live with them & work with them, as I said, pretty bras will help.
I saw my surgeon on Friday. I feel the same about my tummy, very disappointed & dissatisfied. My surgeon continues to have excellent bedside manner & I’m very comfortable with her. We discussed a revision again & I’m leaning towards doing it, maybe August? I hate the idea of surgery & recovery again but it also feels like a waste to go through so much & pay so much & be unhappy. I’ll see her again in June to discuss it. She assures me that she couldn’t safely take more than she did & I'm happy that I didn’t have any major complications. She wants me to be satisfied & I appreciate that.
I turn 40 in less than 2 weeks & looking forward to a warm getaway. I used to wear bras with my bathing suits for support & now I won’t have to! I do look better in bathing suits & some dresses which I look forward to wearing more comfortably. my stomach still sticks out in some dresses & breasts don’t fill out a couple as much as I’d like but overall I look better! Maybe not as good as I hoped but it’s definitely better!

I posted before getting all the pics on. My progression collage along with some of my “after” shots of my belly that I’m not super happy with.

Today is 23 days post surgery. It’s went fast & slow at the same time.
I saw my surgeon last Friday (day 16) & she removed original tape & put on paper tape. She said the lump in my right breast was scar tissue & not concerning. But the fact that I had a low grade fever & some redness, especially around my T on the right breast she gave me a prescription for antibiotics to fill over the weekend if I needed. I didn’t need to but I appreciated that so I wouldn’t need to go sit for hours at emergency had it got worse. She said that spot or any others that open a bit or are red/raw to put polysporin & gauze on. The rest I can tape or use scar therapy gel/tape.
I expressed that I wasn’t completely happy, especially with my stomach. She said that she took as much as she could without putting me at risk for it opening or having necrosis but I’ve followed sooo many stories on here where women have much more removed so I feel confused. I had a lift, reduction & tummy tuck in about 3.5hrs. That seems so rushed compared to most people on here. I still question if she was maybe in a hurry or isn’t as skilled as I hoped? I don’t know? I’m too passive & she’s too nice for me to question such things. She also said I still needed to give it time & that there is some swelling & such but that we could discuss a revision in 6 months. She is kind & always answers my questions & I really like her. I appreciate that she wants me to be satisfied & is open to a revision. At the same time, I don’t want to go through this again & wished it had just been done a bit better the first time. We’ll see. My breasts & tummy are both better than they were but I just expected my stomach to be flatter & my breasts larger. I will see her again around my 7 week mark.
This past Wed I removed tape that was falling off. A scab came off around my right nipple & it bled a little & is open but not deep. I have 3 spots that I am putting polysporin & gauze on. The rest is covered again with tape.
When everything was removed & I was standing to take pics, I became a little concerned about the scars on my breasts, specifically the ones going up & in between the breasts. I’m trying very hard not to worry too much as I know things will settle & look different. My breasts are definitely softening now.
I look better naked & in bathing suits & in a few really tight dresses & shirts but I still feel small chested in most of my clothing, which of course I wear 99% of the time. Looking forward to wearing bras with some padding & lift. I miss my boobs in a bra...not naked-they were grossly saggy.
Pain is gone besides some occasional shooting pains & sensitivity. But I continue to be extremely uncomfortable. My binder often irritates me in general or rides up towards my breast incisions. I’m most comfortable reclining or standing. Sitting straight up, such as in the car or table chairs is most uncomfortable. I can’t sleep more than 4-6hrs because I wake up in discomfort from being on my back & in mostly one spot. I can’t wait to sleep on my sides again. I’ve been able to get out of the house much more this past week & that’s made me feel more normal. It’s winter so I mostly wear a toque rather than trying to do my curly hair.
A huge motivation for both surgeries was to help my back. I’m barely walking upright & sleeping in weird positions so I’m uncertain yet if the reduction & abdominal muscle repair will help. I’m hopeful.
I don’t feel ready to say it’s been worth it & I can’t lie & say I’m so happy & got what I expected. Its been a tough recovery for myself, my husband, my kids, my work & my finances. I know that my tummy & breasts look better naked (especially when the scars fade) & I’m still hopeful that my back & neck will feel better & that I will learn to love my new body.