POSTED UNDER Breast Reduction Reviews
24 Yo, 32GG, 5'5, ~160 Lbs Finally Ready to Chop off my Tits! (AKA Migraine Machines) (OCONUS Tricare)
UPDATED FROM danlerr
Consultation booked~ Before photo dump with measurements!
My PCM referred me to plastic surgery, and my consultation is booked for August 2. Here are photos taken today with measurements. Lots of my photos feature a slouched (regular for me) posture and a straightened posture. I focused on this aspect as it is one of the largest factors in my finally perusing a reduction. The impact of carrying heavy breasts on my petite frame the last 14+ years is that my posture is royally screwed. My shoulders are weak and my neck is always tense. The constant forward head position that my body has adapted to causes all the muscles in that area to be constantly tense and strained. You can see especially in my side view photos the fatty deposit at the top of my spine. I never noticed it until I cut my hair short in 2015. Ive read now that part of it is genetic, but its also a sort of defense mechanism that my body developed to protect my spine, since my head is constantly forward and out of alignment (it should be a straight line all the way up my back through my head). Its to the point that simply reminding myself to sit up straight isn't enough, my muscles aren't developed to rest that way. pushing my shoulders back actually causes me pain, and if prolonged, can cause my arms to go numb from the elbow down. This posture is causing my migraines, which my pcm explained to me may not be traditional migraines, but actually severe tension headaches that begin in my shoulders, and travel up to my temples over a few days.
ORIGINAL POST
Long time lurker on this site, so excited to...
Long time lurker on this site, so excited to finally start my own journey! I've always had large breasts for my frame, by age 12 I had large C cups, by 18 I was wearing DDs (likely even too small). Now I'm 24 and wearing UK sized 32/34 G/GG (depending on brand, my favorite bra right now is the Elomi Cate side support).
My Backstory and Symptoms:
I'm not at my ideal weight. In late 2014 my body freaked out and I gained 30 lbs in 4 months and had gained about 50 lbs overall within a year, due to a medication (DepoProvera) and undiagnosed illness (PCOS). At the worst of it, I was ~182, and have come down to ~160. I've never been hugely physically active, largely due to the bullying in school (especially gym class) and it really took a toll on my self-esteem. I was embarrassed and hated the attention. This combined with the extra weight on my small frame, I have been rounding my shoulders and slouching for over a decade.
Most of high school I spent crash dieting, everyone around me making comments like "lucky you! I wish I could get my tummy to budge, but the first thing to go is always the [RS bleep]!" The silver lining of the health issues and weight gain in 2015 was that it caused a huge transformation in how I viewed my body. I have truckloads more confidence now, at good 30 lbs heavier than I was in high school! Now that I have more self-love and respect for my body, I can view this surgery from a healthier mental state.
This really is something I desperately want to do FOR myself, rather than TO myself or FOR anyone else. I'm sick and tired of the barrier this tig 'ol biddies really are to proper exercise, sleep, strength, stress, my comfort all day every day!
I've had insane tension headaches that escalate to migraines since I was 15, and the physical therapist I saw informed me that my shoulder blades are much much higher and further apart than they should be, due to the constant muscle strain of the terrible posture I've developed to carry the extra weight on my chest. The chiropractor I've been seeing the last few years agreed with the Physio, I'm suffering from an awful forward-head posture and rounded shoulders.
I'm quite insecure about the fatty lump on the back of my neck, something my body packed there to protect my spine, my head is so far forward :( The exercises help reduce my migraine days per month but I'm ready to get myself what I deserve and treat the root cause.
My Insurance, Nearby Providers, and Location:
I'm married to active duty American military, stationed in Germany. I'm covered by Tricare Prime Overseas. There is a plastic surgeon at the large military hospital here, but I was told he is very busy and may not even be taking new patients until July 2018 (its May). I've read on RealSelf about a Surgeon in Frankfurt who has worked with Tricare in the past, Bianca Knoll, MD. I'm hoping that I will be able to see her because I assume that I might be able to see her sooner, and she also might be a bit less busy/rushed than the one surgeon we have here. I don't have any reason to believe that the military surgeon here would do poor work or anything, I guess I'm just apprehensive that he would maybe look down on me a bit for wanting to have my boobs done when the soldiers who need like, their faces glued back on also need his time? Essentially I get the impression that even if I can convince Tricare to agree that the reduction is medically necessary enough that they would pay for it, it's going to be a low priority for the military hospital.
While there was a wealth of resources on this site for breast reduction advice and support in general, I didn't find many stories of women covered by Tricare navigating that beast in the process, especially dealing with remote locations. So I am going to contribute here to help keep the timeline in one place for myself, and hopefully my experience will be beneficial to someone else!
My Backstory and Symptoms:
I'm not at my ideal weight. In late 2014 my body freaked out and I gained 30 lbs in 4 months and had gained about 50 lbs overall within a year, due to a medication (DepoProvera) and undiagnosed illness (PCOS). At the worst of it, I was ~182, and have come down to ~160. I've never been hugely physically active, largely due to the bullying in school (especially gym class) and it really took a toll on my self-esteem. I was embarrassed and hated the attention. This combined with the extra weight on my small frame, I have been rounding my shoulders and slouching for over a decade.
Most of high school I spent crash dieting, everyone around me making comments like "lucky you! I wish I could get my tummy to budge, but the first thing to go is always the [RS bleep]!" The silver lining of the health issues and weight gain in 2015 was that it caused a huge transformation in how I viewed my body. I have truckloads more confidence now, at good 30 lbs heavier than I was in high school! Now that I have more self-love and respect for my body, I can view this surgery from a healthier mental state.
This really is something I desperately want to do FOR myself, rather than TO myself or FOR anyone else. I'm sick and tired of the barrier this tig 'ol biddies really are to proper exercise, sleep, strength, stress, my comfort all day every day!
I've had insane tension headaches that escalate to migraines since I was 15, and the physical therapist I saw informed me that my shoulder blades are much much higher and further apart than they should be, due to the constant muscle strain of the terrible posture I've developed to carry the extra weight on my chest. The chiropractor I've been seeing the last few years agreed with the Physio, I'm suffering from an awful forward-head posture and rounded shoulders.
I'm quite insecure about the fatty lump on the back of my neck, something my body packed there to protect my spine, my head is so far forward :( The exercises help reduce my migraine days per month but I'm ready to get myself what I deserve and treat the root cause.
My Insurance, Nearby Providers, and Location:
I'm married to active duty American military, stationed in Germany. I'm covered by Tricare Prime Overseas. There is a plastic surgeon at the large military hospital here, but I was told he is very busy and may not even be taking new patients until July 2018 (its May). I've read on RealSelf about a Surgeon in Frankfurt who has worked with Tricare in the past, Bianca Knoll, MD. I'm hoping that I will be able to see her because I assume that I might be able to see her sooner, and she also might be a bit less busy/rushed than the one surgeon we have here. I don't have any reason to believe that the military surgeon here would do poor work or anything, I guess I'm just apprehensive that he would maybe look down on me a bit for wanting to have my boobs done when the soldiers who need like, their faces glued back on also need his time? Essentially I get the impression that even if I can convince Tricare to agree that the reduction is medically necessary enough that they would pay for it, it's going to be a low priority for the military hospital.
While there was a wealth of resources on this site for breast reduction advice and support in general, I didn't find many stories of women covered by Tricare navigating that beast in the process, especially dealing with remote locations. So I am going to contribute here to help keep the timeline in one place for myself, and hopefully my experience will be beneficial to someone else!
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