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POSTED UNDER Breast Reduction REVIEWS

10 Days Post Breast Reduction and Lipo of Armpits and Abdomen - Fontana, CA

ORIGINAL POST

I am 39 and weigh 150 lbs and 5ft 4 in tall, i...

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vivi3kids
WORTH IT

I am 39 and weigh 150 lbs and 5ft 4 in tall, i have 3 kids who i birthed naturally and breast fed each about a year. My breasts became heavy and pendulous and i looked very national geographic after multiple pregnancies. I decided to do something for myself.

I was a 36DD bra size and desired to be a 36C. I fought my insurance for 3.5 months before finally getting approval. They denied me about 7 times and I appealed each time and submitted medical progress notes and letters from my doctors.

I am 12 days post-op and feeling better every day thank God. My back, shoulder, neck, and arms feel so much better! I noticed this immediately after the surgery! My shirts fit me so much nicer they don't ride up, they stay in place and my button-down tops can be buttoned from the very top now for a change! My shelf is gone and my food now falls onto my lap instead the top of my shirt and breasts!!! It takes courage, strength, tenacity and sheer perseverance to go through with this but its worth it! Can't wait to buy a bathing suit and buy the same size for the top and bottom! I also look forward to wearing 1 jog bra instead of having to wear two! the scars are nothing in comparison to the amazing relief and self-esteem that comes with the procedure. I want to shout it from the roof tops how relieved i feel after so many years of suffering! I still have plenty left and fullness and cleavage.

My PS is wonderful and awesome at what he does! He also got rid of the fat in my armpits so i can put my arms flush to the sides of my body now for the first time!!!

vivi3kids's provider

Duncan Miles, MD

Duncan Miles, MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

vivi3kids

vivi3kids rating for Dr. Miles:

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Replies (2)

August 31, 2011
Welcome and thank you for sharing your story with us. Way to go in your persistence with the insurance company. Glad you were able to get this done. Your journey and pictures will really help other women. Keep posting and let us know how you are doing.
September 1, 2011
Thanks Vivi for your story! I laughed out loud when you said the food falls on your lap now. A lot of people wouldn't understand how great that is:-)
UPDATED FROM vivi3kids

Ok, I have share some 19 day post-op pics below to...

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vivi3kids
ok, I have share some 19 day post-op pics below to compare to my 10 day pics. So far so good, still feeling very tender in my left breast which is more bruised and hard and bigger than the right. I suspect it must have a hematoma but the doctor did not recommend drainage of it. It is slowly getting better the progress is too slow that it seems like its not improving sometimes. I feel a lot of tingling in my nipples like they are trying to re-generate. My small incisions underneath are starting to get hard to the touch. My right breast pulls to the right more than the center along with the areola, doctor says this will self-correct but by the looks of it I don't know? Overall feeling better, able to do a bit more around the house and with my 3 kids but still tire, sluggish and not well enough to start working out. Have been getting a lot of headaches which i am NOT prone too may be the pain meds i take before bedtime at night. I still use gauze over the incisions even though was told don't need too, i don't like the bra and garment rubbing against my skin yet it feels terrible. This is the hardest part for me waiting to see the results. I am sooooooo impatient and although satisfied and happy with my choice, they still look scary and questionable at this point. Still can't sleep on my side which is torture for me! I will keep updating in another 10 days or so. Feel free to email me or contact me with any questions will be glad to answer them! Trying to stay hopeful and positive but feel depression creeping in slowly I am crying very easily which is unusual for me!

Replies (6)

September 18, 2011
Thanks for posting your progress. I just had reduction/lift on Sept 13th. I went from a "G" to a "C", so I did not have the insurance problems that you experienced. I was concerned with my scars, so your pics were helpful. At day 4, I have a lot of bruising and still have an orange and yellow oozing. Did you experience this? I am concerned about the drainage.
September 18, 2011
I had some oozing too. It is pretty normal. Mine lasted a couple of weeks. If you are soaking a 4x4 gauze pad you would want to call the PS but otherwise I would say as long as you aren't running a fever and not in a lot of pain you are probably ok. But never hesitate to call them with questions. That is what the nurses and doctor are there for!
September 18, 2011
Thanks Iowa - your post is comforting. I am not soaking a 4x4, not a lot of pain - mainly anxiety!! I had started to feel better, so I think I was doing too much. I went back to relaxing in the chair and calling for others to do things for me and the draining decreased by about 1/2.
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October 4, 2011
I was curious how you are doing now?
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January 9, 2012
i am doing much better and almost 6 months post-op at this point. My breast scars keep fading more and more over time and my breast size is stabilizing now to about a 36 C overall very happy no regrests whatsoever!
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October 4, 2011
i apologize for not posting for some time. I need to update the pics i look very and i mean very different now! The swelling has gone down considerably i wear a 34-26 C bra with no underwire. I feel like he left me on the bigger side not quite a D but almost so i am slightly disappointed with that however he did ask me whether i wanted to be left smaller or slightly bigger and i went with slightly bigger. the scars are fading very nicely to a faint red color that is the most amazing part is how well the scars have healed up to this point. I am almost 7 weeks post-op this Thursday and feeling much better.The liposuction procedure has also taken form around my abdomen and flanks. my clothing fits me very different and prettier than before my tops look a lot nicer and more flattering. I'm not sticking out and my shirts don't ride up my waist. I definitely recommend this procedure my neck, back pain was gone immediately after the procedure i hardly medicate now and take pain or anti-inflammatory meds I am off of them completely for the first time in many years!I will post some current pics in the next few days so keep checking back for them.
UPDATED FROM vivi3kids

Hi everybody! I didn't fall off of the earth, I've...

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vivi3kids
hi everybody! I didn't fall off of the earth, I've just been crazy busy with everyday life and 3 young children ages 9, 6, and 3! I am now 19 weeks post-op or almost 5 months since my surgery on August 18th, 2011. I lost some weight after the procedure and currently weigh in at 145 lbs down from 150 at the time of surgery. I wear a 36C bra and my breasts have decrease in size since my surgery. I feel absolutely great and feel so honored and blessed to have had the opportunity to get my life back and release my imprisonment from my over sized breasts. They were holding me back and holding me down and keeping me from achieving so many things in life like training to run marathons and getting in shape and loosing weight. I love how my body looks now after the surgery. I am in better proportion to the rest of my body and tops look so much better on me.

Replies (6)

December 29, 2011

Thank you for the update!  I am so happy for you and glad you are finally free!

December 31, 2011
Wow! You look great now!! Such a wonderful, perky shape! I noticed you said you've lost some weight.... Do you think it was mostly boob weight, or have you been exercising more now without the BOB's holding you back? I wonder about this all the time because I can't wait until I can just slip on a normal sports bra and do something like go for a jog!
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December 31, 2011
well first of all thank you for the much needed compliment. I think I lost some weight because of the combination of several things like having abdominal liposuction sucked out a couple of pounds I was lugging around my muffin-top waistline and also recovering from the surgery took its toll and of course they removed a little over a half pound from each breast. I have not been working out at all since the surgery not a solitary day but I am gearing up to head back to the gym very soon its my New Years resolution to myself. Although I have not tried it yet, I am certain that working out will be that much easier now that my "range of motion" is increased and I can now use weight machines much better than before the big boobs. They were so intrusive! And I only have to wear 1 work out bra instead of 2 YEAH!!! I was forking out some serious money on specialty bra's and work out bra
s! Those days are gone hopefully forever!
December 31, 2011
Your scars look great. Isn't it amazing how they go from Frankenstein-like to barely there. I'm glad you are so happy with your results.
My resolution is to get my fanny in gear as well. I unfortunately have put on about 5 pounds since my reduction (too many nights sitting in the bleachers eating concession stand food) and I'm determined to get it back off, plus about 5 more. Good luck to getting back in the gym.
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September 23, 2012
Hey vivi3kids,

I'm considering getting lipo from my arm pits. How did that go? All of the docs I've talked to said armpit lipo is impossible for some reason. Do you have any pics of that? If so, I would love to see them. You can PM me or I will PM you later if that's okay. Thanks for the thorough review and glad the results turned out well!

- Julia
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November 4, 2012
i don't think its impossible I had it done and although it was really painful and sore it did make a difference because my breast and breast tissue extended into my armpit making it so that I could not put my arms flush down the sides of my body for the longest time and after the armpit lipo I was able to do so. Some surgeons just don't want to bother and if that is the case, I wouldn't consider the surgeon based on the fact that he is so reluctant would tell me he might not do as good a job surgically??