42 Years Old, 40G - 2 Children - I'm Ready to Start the Process - Fairfax, VA

I will finally make the leap of faith to get the ball rolling on having my breasts reduced. Based on my own measurements, I'm a 40G and I was told that my breasts weight approx 5 - 5 1/2 lbs each. I've been working on weight loss for the past 2 months (down 12 lbs) as I want to reach a healthy weight range prior to my reduction.

I have Kaiser Permanent insurance which will cover the procedure if it's deemed necessary. I will make sure it is! I've mentioned my shoulder, neck and back pain to my doctor several times and finally changed doctors 3 months ago when I felt she was ignoring my issues and only wanted to prescribe medication and get me out the door as quickly as possible.

I will start by visiting a plastic surgeon next week for advice, photos, etc... I can honestly say that it's been about 10 years since I've been able to wear a bra that offered any comfort and I'm now at the point where I have indentations in my shoulders and black marks from the bra rubbing as well as constant numbness and a burning sensation.

I have browsed this site for several months and thank you all for sharing your stories. They're what's made me excited to finally take the first step towards my breast reduction!

Well, the last few days have been eventful! I emailed my doctor recently and told her I felt like none of my doctors ever took me seriously when I mentioned breast issues. I told her that not only was it physically debilitating but it was also affecting my mental health. Fast forward to last Friday when I had an appt with my primary care doctor and we had a long discussion about what I was experiencing. I left with a referral to a plastic surgeon.

The appt with the plastic surgeon was today. I loved him! He was extremely knowledgeable and matter-of-fact. I expected to be told I needed to lose 50 lbs but he said I only needed to lose 15 before setting a surgery date. I told him I would prefer to lose more (he was happy that I was motivated) so I set a goal of 30. I'm aiming for 3 months to get the weight off and will then call and schedule my surgery!!!!!!! It's happening! It's really happening! I never realized how much my breast size affected my self-esteem. I will write about my journey and share it with you so hopefully I can be an inspiration to someone in a similar situation.