Looking Ahead in Southern, California!

I'm updating a few days late but the pic is from 2/20/14 which is 3 months after my Breast Reduction which was done 11/20/13. Looking back, leading up to my surgery... and shortly after... time seemed to pass very slowly. Now it just flies by!

I'd like to say "I hardly ever think about my boobs" but that would be rather disingenuous. Every time I see them in the mirror I'm reminded what a great decision it was to have my Breast Reduction! I'm no longer self conscious about my breasts and think about how hideous I look without a bra. I love getting ready in the morning, topless, and admire the beautiful job my surgeon did. Putting on a bra is a delight - no bending over to harness the girls, nothing to hoist up, maneuver or position, no worries about the nipples facing the same direction and being relatively level - and I don't spend my day fretting over concerns of "is everything still in place? has anything shifted around?". Instead, I just put it on and go - not thinking about it again until I take it off at night. It's a total joy to not be consumed about boob-thoughts or boob-fears of any kind :-) I'm still never sure what size bra I am. It seems to go between 36C and 36D depending on the manufacturer and style. Even a professional fitting at Nordstrom came up with the same result.

I ended up settling on the Champion Powerback® Underwire Sports Bra. I don't think it's super amazing but it seems to be working out just fine and especially at a $20 price tag. It's possible I'll find something I'm happier with but it works for now and I'm not actively on the hunt for perfection.

I had my 3 month follow up with the surgeon on Thursday. He expressed a concern the scars around my areola feel as though they are thickening just a slight bit. Not keloids or anything unsightly, just a slick thickening he wants to address. He provided round silicone sheets with a cut out for the nipple. They're worn daily but removed to shower, swim or exercise if I'll perspire. I'll wear them until my next post op appointment in 6 weeks and he'll see if it's starting to make any difference though he said it usually takes 12 weeks to really tell. They're comfortable and I don't even notice they're on.

I had been using Bio-oil on my scars twice a day but noticed I was getting small bumps, like acne breakouts, on my chest. I switched to Marula oil which for now seems fine. I'm using up the Bio Oil on my tummy which is like a wrinkled shar-pei puppy (this will probably be my next "to-do" and I have a consultation with the same surgeon in April).

No pains or complaints to speak of. I'm happy with size and proportion and in my opinion everything is healing just great. I'll wear the silicone scar sheets until my next post op appt and see how the doctor feels about the areola scar thickening at that time.

Still 100% pleased and absolutely no regrets whatsoever. I only wish I had done it sooner but hindsight is always 20/20. I hope everyone is either healing well or waiting as patiently as possible for your own surgery date to arrive!

I had my surgery eight weeks ago today and am not seeing much change lately. Things still feel fine and I have no complaints or regrets whatsoever. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone considering a breast reduction. For me it's been a 100% positive experience and I've experienced zero problems or complications.

While I was previously cleared to return to any/all exercise, I didn't plan well and have spent the past couple of weeks shopping for an appropriate sports bra. Sadly I discovered my former favorite... the Panache Ultimate Sports Bra... no longer works for me. Of course, I don't expect my old 36DDD to fit but I've tried 36C and 36D but neither of them fit either. The cups of the 36C are too narrow and the outer part of my boob hangs out. The cups of the 36D are wider and provide better side-to-side coverage but they're too deep and pucker badly. If I were to go up to a 38 band that would be too large. So I've been stumped. I've had to go back to the drawing board and I'm frustrated. It's an absolute *requirement* that my sports bra have underwire and while I'd prefer the straps convert to racerback, a permanent racerback style would be do-able as long as you don't need to be a contortionist to put it on or take it off. Everyone has an opinion on underwire and mine is that it's always been, and continues to be, a non-negotiable. While my breasts are nice and lifted after surgery, I'd like them to *stay* nice and lifted. Bouncing my way thru kickboxing, zumba, crossfit, running, etc is not about to happen. So... until I find a new, truly supportive sports bra, I'm sidelined. Truthfully, I'm ok with that. Since I paid 100% of the cost of my breast reduction, I want to protect my investment as best I can. Even the sports bras that say "maximum support" or are designated as "high impact" have been extremely disappointing. The best I've found so far as been from Natori Power Yogi and unless I find something I'm happier with, I may have to settle and go with it. Am I being too picky? Maybe I am but I paid a LOT of money for my breast reduction and being thrilled with the results I don't want to mess it all up by wearing an inadequate sports bra. I'm confident I will find one that works for me and be back in the gym before the month is over!

Hope everyone is healing well or waiting as patiently as possible for their BR-date to arrive :-)

Happy New Year!! May 2014 be a wonderful year for all of us :-)

This week's update is a couple of days late as we were out of town celebrating New Year's Eve/Day. The photo was taken in the bathroom of our hotel room so please excuse the odd lighting.

I'm still using the Bio Oil on both the vertical *and* nipple scars but starting yesterday I began using the ScarAway strips on my horizontal scars. I'm hoping this will really improve the texture and appearance of the long scars under my breasts. I'm actually not all that concerned about the scars around my nipples or the short vertical ones as I think they will continue to fade nicely just with the Bio Oil. Time will tell.

Based on last week's follow up appointment with the PS, next week I will start wearing under wire bras. Of course that means I have to buy one. I have found I'm most comfortable with D cups as they seem to provide the best coverage side-to-side. C cups are a bit too "[RS bleep]-star" and show too much cleavage for me to be comfortable. To be honest it's a bit of a disappointment as my breasts suddenly seem "too large" but then again I don't honestly feel as if they've dropped at all. They seem to still be sitting up very high and I'm hoping they will shrink but since I'm now at the 6-week mark, I don't think they'll be getting noticeably smaller.

I suppose I should be over-the-moon thrilled *just* with the fact my breasts are no longer sagging down to my waist and instead are up where breasts belong. That's a dramatic improvement in and of itself but I cannot deny I was hoping they'd be a bit smaller. Maybe it's all the holiday eating and extra weight since I did have my surgery the week before Thanksgiving. Maybe once I'm back to work next week and back to my normal healthy eating... and working out... I will feel better about things. I do worry, though, that once I drop these holiday pounds my breasts will seem even MORE large in comparison.

Oh, I was cleared to go back to exercising. I guess I didn't plan this out so well as I didn't get around to ordering my favorite Panache Ultimate Sports Bra until a few days before New Years. We got back in town, I opened the box and tried it on... 36C... and it was too small. I will have to order it in a 36D and wait for it to arrive. Luckily I did go thru my stash and find a 36D Champion heavy duty sports bra that will be fine for yoga in the mean time. I won't go back to Zumba or even attempt to jog until I have a proper fitting Panache though.

At this point I probably won't update/post a picture for another two weeks (8 wk post op) and then after that go to monthly updates.

I hope everyone is either healing well or waiting as patiently as possible for your own surgery date to arrive!