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Coming up on 3 months, and doing a lot of thinking
But I am still a bit irked with my surgeon that I haven't gotten a straight answer on my nipple alignment and breast size. I feel like she went about the surgery to her own discretion, which I respect, but her decision didn't fix the problem.
When I first went into my surgery, I had no idea what kind of incision technique Dr. Hein was going to use. She ended up using a lollipop incision instead of an anchor, with the incision going down from my nipples, and out toward my armpits. I really haven't seen too many done like that, as the anchor incision seems most popular (according to this site, at least). But she assured me that this was the better option for me, and I saw a lot of indicators that not having a T-zone was a great benefit to my healing.
Also, my right breast pre-op was a good cup and a half larger than my left. Dr. Hein made several remarks that we'd need to see how things went with the right breast, as it would set the stage for the left one.
Well, that turned out to not be the case. The right breast turned out much better than the left. When I asked Dr. Hein why this was the case, she just said that she measures and marks from the sternum to nipple on both sides before making any incisions, and they were even. I mean, I can look at these and see that they're not even, so that's [RS bleep].
Immediately after I unwrapped for the first time, I felt like my left nipple was lower than my left. And today, at nearly 3 months post-op, I'm still having both shoulder/back pain AND rashes under my breasts. Furthermore, my left nipple has little to no sensation, where my right is just fine.
If she had used the anchor incision to make me smaller, I understand that we would have encountered more risks. But my insurance covered me to fix this problem, and the problem wasn't fixed by this plastic surgeon.
Dr. Hein has been a bit defensive, but I hope she'll be reasonable when I ask about my options at my post-op on Friday. I'll ask her to measure now and see how off we are, and she'll probably tell me that they've settled... but I'm not giving up. I still KNOW that my left nipple was placed far (~1") below where the other was. I'm not going to be gaslighted into believing I'm delusional about my own body. I look downward and can barely see my left nipple.
Has anyone pushed back at their PS after surgery because they weren't happy with the results?
If your insurance covered it, what did they do?
Would you recommend going to a different PS for a revision surgery? (I assume so)
And how long is nipple sensitivity supposed to take to come back? Is my left nip in an eternal coma?
6 weeks in, and feeling great!
Righty is one gorgeous boob! The surgeon really got everything right with the nipple positioning, and the scar is disappearing fast. Lefty is still a bit saggier compared to Righty (possibly because of the hematoma, which seems to be getting smaller), but is looking better with every passing week. Showering is totally normal, and I'm back to the gym working out. Energy levels are still a little low, but working out is helping. Next week, I'll be getting back into the pool. SO excited to be in a bathing suit again!
I've been sleeping braless lately, since it's more comfortable than wearing a bra, but I try to wear a bra most of the time. I've also woken up occasionally on my stomach with no pain or discomfort, but I try to avoid that with a pillow to my side. I use cocoa butter after showers and every night to keep my skin moisturized and prevent dry skin.
Otherwise, I thinking/hoping that I'm out of the woods with my breast reduction surgery! I'll post occasional updates. I feel so sexy now, and can't believe how much my body has changed since just 6 weeks ago.
So glad that I opted to have my breast reduction done, even if I didn't go down quite as small as I would have liked. I'm already losing weight, and everyone that's seen my breasts says they fit my body perfectly -- super-perky wouldn't quite look right.
Enjoy some 6-week post-op photos!
Day 22: Healing nicely!
Last week, my PS decided to keep my stitches in for an extra week, because the skin on troublesome Lefty's vertical incision had blistered before healing. The skin has since peeled, and is now closed up -- woohoo! I never thought I'd get excited about stuff like this haha. She'll be removing the stitches in just a matter of hours, tomorrow.
I'm showering without plastic wound covers, which is amazing. I can bend and reach comfortably, but still taking it easy. Sleeping on my side with a pillow prop is very comfortable, as well.
The only negative thing going on... I think I might have a minor hematoma in my left breast, deep in. It could also just be hormonal since it's that time of the month, but it feels like a hard mass, different from my milk ducts.
I will also be writing a review with pictures this weekend about this incredible surgical bra I purchased online. I had an opportunity to speak to the owner, who designed the bra herself. I think anyone who just came out of surgery should be wearing these things. The support is incredible, the price point was very reasonable, and it's made of really high quality materials.
Week 3 photos attached!
Provider Review
I had to go back and edit my initial review, because I don't feel that the judgement shown by Dr. Hein in her approach to my surgery was sound. I saw Dr. Hein in September for a consult, and was scheduled for a November 16th breast reduction surgery. I initially perceived that she was kind and understanding, as I didn't receive any pushback on performing the surgery because of my weight. I'm a size 14-16, ~225 lbs at the time, but have lost more than 30 lbs since surgery due to increased activity. Prior to surgery, I had shown her pictures of my ideal breast size and shape. Quite frankly, I don't even know why she asked for them, because what she delivered was nothing close to what I had requested. I was a J cup, and my right breast was a good cup size larger than my left. When I asked about her approach and plan, she said that the right breast would determine her approach. While this didn't particularly answer my question, I generally trusted her judgement because she seemed knowledgeable. For god knows what reason, come surgery day, she decided to use a lollipop technique on my breasts. The incision goes down from my nipple, and curves outward toward each armpit. My final size was a DD, which is still, quite frankly, too large for my frame. Even though I'm a plus size woman, the real issue is back pain and rashes, which persist to this day. The bunchy incisions she used to pull up still-strained skin resulted in painful, deep keloid scarring in areas. Scar massage and treatment hasn't done much to improve them. What really did me in for believing she had my best interests at heart, though, was when in response to bringing her attention to the incision scarring, she insisted that was not her doing. The marks were right there on my breast, spread out half an inch from the nipple itself, CLEARLY showing her bunchy, strained, and stretched incision—but she still fought it. When I asked her for a reason—ANY valid medical reason—why she chose to use the lollipop technique, she simply responded that it had a shorter recovery time. But if I have to have a revision surgery to actually relieve my symptoms, obviously that isn't the case! At the end of the day, Dr. Hein told me that she didn't feel she could bring me the results I desired (which are actually the results she told my insurance provider she would deliver, not just "my preference"), and that I should see another doctor. Which I am now doing, with a doctor who both knows and has worked with Dr. Hein, and was appalled to hear that she used the lollipop technique on my breasts. She is the 5th doctor, having seen my breasts, to tell me that the doctor who performed my surgery exercised poor judgement in mass reduction, liposuction balance, nipple placement, and incision technique. I can't, in good conscience, recommend Dr. Hein for anyone with extremely large breasts like mine. Her response to my concerns has been disheartening at best, and I'm very frustrated that she