New Body Under Construction - Greensboro, NC

I'm a 32 year old mother of 2 (ages 5 and 8) who has spent the last 8 years catering to everyone except myself. That's changing. I deserve to be happy and healthy so I'm embarking on a weight loss and body reconstruction journey. Today I had a breast reduction consultation with a plastic surgeon referred to me by my PCP. My hope is that health insurance will cover the surgery. I'm currently around a 44DDD...probably a little larger but I haven't been measured in a while. The consultation left me hopeful although at first I was slightly apprehensive about the PS (he's 73 and there was no website available so I could view his work). He was thorough in answering my questions and saw the discoloration under my breasts as well as the groove marks on my shoulders. My weight/BMI *may* be an issue but it's something I'm working on anyway. I'm 5'5" and 225lbs. He agreed to try to get my surgery approved. So after my examination, he measured me, had the nurse take pictures and then I was able to review some of his work in photo albums. The nurse told me that he'll need to complete dictations before submitting to my insurance company and then after that, we'd have to wait for a response. She suggested getting a letter from another medical practitioner to strengthen my case and to also write a personal letter to go along with it, which I thought was an awesome idea. I actually have an upcoming appointment with my gyn in 3 weeks. She's been suggesting a breast reduction for the past 6 years so I don't think she'll have any problem giving me a recommendation. So that's it! I need to review my insurance policy to see how much deductible and coinsurance I'd be responsible for. In the meantime, I'll continue to work on my weight. My goal is to be 200lbs by September 2014. Wish me luck. Photos to come soon!

So this morning, the secretary from the doctor's office called to tell me that BCBS has approved me for surgery!!!!!!!!!! Whoop! I was like "nuh uh! You're lying to me!!" LOL Of course after the initial shock, I thanked God. I was so expecting a fight with insurance and multiple denials and appeals. I didn't even submit my personal statement or a recommendation letter from my GYN, so it was approved based on the plastic surgeon's recommendations from my consultation. The best part is actually my insurance coverage. The secretary informed me that I would only owe a $200 deductible plus 10% coinsurance and that my pre authorization is good until mid September. The only thing I have to do know is look over my calendar and pick a few dates that might work. Dr. Holderness (the plastic surgeon) performs surgeries on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They have to check to see the surgery center will have availability on one of the days I prefer. I'm beyond excited and hope to schedule sometime at the end of August to accommodate my work schedule. Beyond excited!! :)

So I've finally built up the courage to post some pictures. You may not be able to tell but I have shoulder grooves & suffer from neck & back pain which is worse during high impact exercise. I also have started experiencing a weird sharp pain sensation in my breasts occasionally. The last bra I bought was 46DDD although I'm probably bigger... I've just been refusing to buy up any higher.