44 years old and finally getting BR i've longed for...

I recently found out my insurance will cover this procedure for me, and since we have met our max out of pocket for the year (hubby had a surgery) I'm going for it. I'm currently a 34j (US) and ideally would like to be a C when all is said and done. I've read and followed countless stories on RealSelf over the last year or so and I am so grateful for all of you who share your experiences here! ???? When I finally decided to pursue this for myself, I found my PS, Dr. Waltzman, through this site as well. I can hardly believe that after years of fantasizing about my breasts being higher and smaller, wearing strappy sundresses and blouses, or buying a cute bathing suit, it's finally going to happen!
So, I have a mammogram on 7/7; a physical, lab work and surgical clearance with my primary doctor in the next couple weeks; pre-op appt wth Dr. Waltzman on 8/8 and surgery scheduled on 8/21. I was surprised that the pre-op appointment is two weeks out from the surgery date, but Dr. Waltzman's staff have been helpful, friendly, and really on top of things in our communications thus far, so I'm not gonna stress about it. I guess I'll update when something (else) exciting happens...

Here is the short version of my review: I am extremely impressed by Dr. Waltzman and his office staff. The office is organized, efficient and great at communicating. Dr. Waltzman himself is easy to talk to, seems happy to answer questions, and has a very calm demeanor. Based on what other's have told me and from some of the stories I've read, I expected that a breast reduction would leave me feeling like I was hit by a truck and that the level of pain during recovery would be fairly intense. This wasn't my experience at all and I think most of the credit for that needs to go to Dr. Waltzman and his surgical skills. In fact, I've already recommended him to a couple women who work with my husband!

Now the detailed review (for those who want it): My BR surgery went according to plan on Monday 8/21/17 (during the eclipse :). The staff at the surgical center were awesome! We arrived at 6:30 in the morning and they were organized and ready for me. Not long after they brought me back and got my IV started, Dr. Waltzman arrived to mark me up. I told him he could err on the side of smaller if he had any doubt. That was when he mentioned that my insurance dictated that he take at least 500 grams from each breast. I hadn't heard that at my pre-op appointment and for the first time I started to be nervous that maybe they'd end up being too small. Dr. Waltzman, who has a very calm demeanor, may have sensed my sudden nervousness because he assured me that he wouldn't make me look like I had the figure of a little boy. *Spoiler alert* - he kept to his word! I woke up after surgery confused and panicked (this was my first time going under general anesthetic), but my husband and the nurse were both there to reassure me that I was fine. I was also in some pain and the nurse immediately added more pain meds to my IV. The IV meds weren't working that well so eventually the nurse gave me a shot of Demerol which did the trick. They had me ready to head home at 1:30 and my husband got me set up in bed with water and Norco. I slept on and off for the rest of the day and remember Dr. Waltzman calling at some point early in the evening to check on me, but that's about it. I should mention that I didn't have any drains and I wasn't required to bring or buy my own post-surgical bra. Around 11pm I noticed that I had some bleeding from one of the incisions on my left breast. Not knowing if that was normal, I left a message for the doctor. He called back within 5 minutes and reassured me that some bleeding is to be expected but if it got worse to let him know. Other than having a little bit of a hard time sleeping comfortably, the first night went really well - far easier than I expected. I ended up staying on the Norco for 4 full days. On the 3rd & 4th day I started experimenting with waiting an hour or two longer before taking another dose to see if I really needed it. After that 4th day I really wasn't in any pain at all, but I was still just dead tired. By Friday I was climbing the walls and ready to get out of house. I tried driving down the street to pick my daughter up from practice and other than the seat belt being really uncomfortable I had no problems driving. After that, I started getting back into my routine of dropping off and picking up kids, running errands, etc.

At my 1 week follow-up Dr Waltzman answered the few questions that I had, took a look at his handiwork and told me that everything was healing beautifully. He also told me that the following week I could start using scar therapy gel, so I bought a bottle on my way out. We have a 1 month follow up on September 19th.

After two weeks, everything was still healing nicely and I had no problems other than sleeping comfortably. One of my minor concerns was whether or not I would have any sensation in my nipples after surgery. I knew that due to the pre-op size (length) of my breasts, it was possible (even if not likely) that I wouldn't regain nipple sensation and could even need a nipple graft. At about 2 weeks, my left nipple/areola still had no sensation at all, but my right nipple was absolutely hyper-sensitive to the point where it was almost painful.

Now at 3 weeks post-op, my right nipple's sensitivity has calmed down a bit and the left nipple is ever so slowly starting to regain some sensation. All my incisions seem to have healed completely, except for one very tiny spot which still has some scabbing. I am absolutely LOVING being able to throw on a tank top or a sundress without feeling like I'm spilling out everywhere. I even left the house in a flowy blouse with no bra this week, which is something I can honestly say I haven't done since 7th grade! That freedom felt AMAZING.