Have not had the procedure yet. I just received notice that the procedure was approved. When my breast reduction is complete and I have more information I will be back to update. As of now I am just excited that it is an approved by the insurance. I am sure I will hear from the doctor soon. I will post before pictures once I have my date. Until then, I look forward to reading all the thoughtful post and information on this site.
Excited
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34hto34c
- Worth It
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Cost:
$7,500 - Stefan Chevalier, DO, Middletown, NY
Have not had the procedure yet. I just received...
Date
The PS's office called today. I have a date! I am so excited, I have been having dreams abut smaller breast, and no back or neck pain. I am looking forward to not having underwire bras resting on my ribcage! I look forward to not having to go to Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales to spend $100 + on bras. I am so excited to wear lingerie that has the impression of where your breast are supposed to rest and my breast actually rest there and not at my belly button. I am excited to buy blouses that aren't to big around my back, arms and shoulders but stretch around my breast. I will post before pictures when I get closer to my surgery. Oh, forgot to add, my surgery is scheduled for Friday, September 13th. Glad I am not superstitious.
Before BR
My 34h tig ol' bitties.
Surgery Preparation
I must say I love reading the stories on this board. I am making a list of questions to ask my PS for my 8/22 appointment. I am going to ask about drains, healing time and medication. Is there anything else I need to ask that I am missing? Also, did any of you purchase an additional surgical bra or sports bras? Besides losing any extra weight, how else did you prepare for surgery? I am so anxious about this surgery that I no longer count sheep to sleep I am counting size C bras.
My visit with the PS today
I had my last appointment with the PS today before I have the reduction. He is so very patient. This is what I was told about my surgery:
He will do his best to make me a small C since that is what I want BUT he told me that taking care of me his main priority and if he feels that I will lose my nipple (as in losing sensation because of the blood flow) he will keep my breast at the safest size. I will have drains but they will be removed before I leave the hospital. He likes to keep his patients overnight just to watch them for 24 hours PLUS he says that he only keeps drains in for 24 hr so there is no sense in sending me home with them only to have to return the next day to have them removed. I will have dissolvable stitches so no back and forth to have them removed, very excited to hear that. I will have general anesthesia and the surgery is close to 4 hours. My areola will be resized and moved up. I should stop all vitamins 1 week before surgery. He said I can sleep in any position that makes me feel comfortable. If I can sleep on my stomach or side and it is comfortable then go for it. Finally, I will not be wearing a surgical bra when I leave the hospital. He said I can buy one if I want but he prefers that I bring an old bra that he will cut the underwire out of.
I am so excited and this is starting to feel very real now. I do not know what time the surgery will be because the hospital will call me the night before to let me know what time to be there. I also will have my pre-op 12 days before the surgery so I am suspecting around 9/2.
He will do his best to make me a small C since that is what I want BUT he told me that taking care of me his main priority and if he feels that I will lose my nipple (as in losing sensation because of the blood flow) he will keep my breast at the safest size. I will have drains but they will be removed before I leave the hospital. He likes to keep his patients overnight just to watch them for 24 hours PLUS he says that he only keeps drains in for 24 hr so there is no sense in sending me home with them only to have to return the next day to have them removed. I will have dissolvable stitches so no back and forth to have them removed, very excited to hear that. I will have general anesthesia and the surgery is close to 4 hours. My areola will be resized and moved up. I should stop all vitamins 1 week before surgery. He said I can sleep in any position that makes me feel comfortable. If I can sleep on my stomach or side and it is comfortable then go for it. Finally, I will not be wearing a surgical bra when I leave the hospital. He said I can buy one if I want but he prefers that I bring an old bra that he will cut the underwire out of.
I am so excited and this is starting to feel very real now. I do not know what time the surgery will be because the hospital will call me the night before to let me know what time to be there. I also will have my pre-op 12 days before the surgery so I am suspecting around 9/2.
Pre-Op and Nerves
My pre-op is scheduled for 8/29. It is getting so close. My nervousness is starting to kick up. I am excited to finally have the surgery but I am seeing too many BR's gone wrong pictures. Time to get off YouTube!
Bra's
I called my PS yesterday to ask what size front closure bra's I should purchase and I was told by his staff that since I am "requesting" a C I should purchase size D front closure since there will be swelling. Does this sound accurate? Is 1 size up an appropriate size with the amount of swelling I have seen in pictures after BR surgery?
Pre-Op
Just a quick update. I had my pre-op appointment yesterday at the hospital. Everything went well. I was there for about an hour. I heard great things about my PS. He has done BR surgery on a couple of the nurses at the hospital and they swear by him. I saw some of his before and after photos and they were beautiful. I received a call from the Anesthesiologist last night. He just wanted to introduce himself to me and told me what to expect the morning of the surgery. He said that he would be in to meet me before the doctor and also wanted to make sure that I had no worries. I thought this was very nice, and rare. Anyway, time is nearing. I also purchased pure E-oil last night. It was quite expensive but the bottle says that is pure enough to drink. I am going to order Arnica Montana over the internet because I cannot find it in my area. Is it okay to use both or do you ladies recommend one over the other?
Bag of nerves
I don't know why I am so nervous today. My surgery isn't until next Friday. I have been trying for the last couple of days to practice sleeping on my back with no success. I lay on my back for about 3 minutes and then I am on my stomach. That is what worries me the most. I know I can deal with the pain as I have had a C-section, hysterectomy and a myomectomy...BR seems like it will be easy compared to those. Just a little stress and needed to vent. I received my Arnica pellets in the mail yesterday and all I have been doing is looking at the bottle and decided what to do. Do I take them before the surgery or not? If I can't take vitamins why is it ok to take these? So many question are floating around in my head! I hope my breast are going to be the size I want as I have expressed my feeling to my PS.I don't want to have surgery and still have huge breast! Okay, thanks for letting me vent. Talk soon.
24 hours to go
Tomorrow is the day. Last night I had to fill out a Life Choices form that the hospital gave me...just in case. I don't have any worries about not seeing my new boobies after surgery. I called to tell my mother that she is 2nd to make decisions after my husband but they are both on the same page. My mother wants my pocketbooks and my sister wants my shoes. Both want my bra's. We laughed and joked about my silly requests :-) I am anxiously waiting to hear from the hospital to let me know what time to be there in the morning. Did anyone else not know what time their surgery was until the day before? I purchased PJ's that button up, I got my Arnica Montana but I just couldn't bring myself to begin taking it. I have my Palmers Skin Therapy Oil and pure vitamin E. This is all I purchased, am I missing anything? My husband is going to get pillows for me while I am having the surgery and he is taking off from work for as long as I need him. My hubby is the best! My mother-in-law is going to visit and do some cooking. She is awesome! Well, ladies, this is my last post until the morning. My husband is bring the camera so she can take more before pictures, pictures with the markings and after pictures.
I just read
I was just searching around the internet on how to prepare for surgery. I read an article that had information I already knew and some things I did not. I know most of us are concerned about being the size we want. The woman that wrote the article had some really good advice she said (I copied and pasted) "Also, don't forget to bring your goal bra. A goal bra is a garment in the cup size you hope to attain after surgery. For my surgery, I brought a goal bra with padded cups, so the surgeon could easily see what size and shape I wanted to become". I think this is perfect advice for woman that have not have the surgery yet. I did not post this on the forum as it takes two days to get approved and some, like myself may be having surgery tomorrow :-)
Getting closer
Just got the call from the hospital. I have to be there at 6:45 am tomorrow. I am hoping to get a good nights sleep tonight but I highly doubt it. Anyway, chat soon.
Lets go
I'm at the hospital. The nurses are very nice. I arrived at 6:40 and they took me right away. My IV is in.
I'm on the other dude
Hi ladies! Couldn't stay up long enough to post an post an update. I'm in very little pain. They gave me something to relax me before i went into the OR and that was the last thing I remember. The nurses told me that the doc did a beautiful job. The PS told my husband he knows I'm house going to be very pleased with the results and size.
New
My doc just left. He cleaned me up and gave me my discharge instructions. I can showers tomorrow. Here is a picture of new boobie. He removed 4 lbs.
No pain
I feel minimal pain. I think my back is hurting me more than my new boobies. I haven't begun to use any of my healing products. My doc says I can shower today so I'm gonna use palmers and Neosporin. I was able to lay on my side a little bit last night. Didn't feel any pain. I can't believe how good I feel. I'm milking it though because my husband is spoiling me!! I will post more pics after my shower. I'm also able to put my arms above my head. Is this the calm before the storm?
Your opinion
Can I lay around with my bra and gauze off for a while just so these babies can get some air?
More pictures
I called my ps to see if I could let these babies lose for a while and he said yes. I took some more pics for you all.
Front view
Sorry, hit update before I was finished adding pictures. I have very little bruising. In face the only
Place I see bruising is where he removed the drains.
Place I see bruising is where he removed the drains.
Like magic
I was so caught up in the fact that I made it to the other side, I failed to mention that the pain in my shoulder, neck and back magically disappeared. It's like magic! I had pain in my left shoulder that shot all the way down to my thumb. I always thought it was from nerve damage or carpal tunnel syndrome, actaully I learned it was from the bra strap pressing on my should causing continus pain. I cannot believe it just went away with my extra breast fat. It is amazing how much pain heavy breast can cause.
I had plans to go to the mall tonight to get a front closure bra since the ones I ordered before the surgery don't fit, but when I woke up this morning had had this sever pain in my toe that is preventing me from putting my foot flat on the ground. I'm sure it has nothing to do with my breast, I just find it funny that I more pain in my toe than I do in my breast! I've been forcing myself to walk on it to relieve the pain but its not helping. I want to get tot the mall before I return to work next week.
I have a question, when did you knowledgeable ladies remove the gauze and just wear a bra? I'm not planning to do this any time soon because I'm afraid to find my nipple attached to my bra or wet spots coming threw my shirt making it loo like I need to breast feed a non-exsistant baby.
I had plans to go to the mall tonight to get a front closure bra since the ones I ordered before the surgery don't fit, but when I woke up this morning had had this sever pain in my toe that is preventing me from putting my foot flat on the ground. I'm sure it has nothing to do with my breast, I just find it funny that I more pain in my toe than I do in my breast! I've been forcing myself to walk on it to relieve the pain but its not helping. I want to get tot the mall before I return to work next week.
I have a question, when did you knowledgeable ladies remove the gauze and just wear a bra? I'm not planning to do this any time soon because I'm afraid to find my nipple attached to my bra or wet spots coming threw my shirt making it loo like I need to breast feed a non-exsistant baby.
Coming along nicely
So today I went out for the first time since the surgery. I really needed to purchase some front closure bras because the ones I brought online were too small. Unfortuneitly they did not have any at the stores I went to so I ended up buying two sports bras...size medium. I never worn anything on my breast that were a medium. They are so cute and tiny. I go see my ps tomorrow so ill have more of an update tomorrow regarding my progress. Here are pictures from today. Besides bruising around the area the drains were removed I think I'm healing quickly and nicely. Also, I did get extremely tired quite quickly at the mall. I love my new boobies!
Post-op
Just left the ps's office. He says I'm healing well, actually faster than he expected. I asked some basic questions about my limits. He just advised that I rest when needed, no heavy lifting and maybe half days of work for the first week. He said I can discontinue the gauze and neosporin in two weeks and I should be able to purchased wireless bra's in 3 weeks. I was concerned about my nipple falling off since reading a couple stories on the internet about some women losing them. My ps said that he has never lost a nipple in his 37 years of practice and it usually only happens when a nipple graft was done, which in my case it was not. He said my nipple was never ditached from the blood supply. I have feeling in both nipples. He said the only thing I might see is little scabbung around the nipple area where the dissolvable stitches are, other than that I should not expect anything unusual, of course, unless I do things that I should not. He wants me to relax and let the natural healing process take its course. He also told me when the swelling goes down I should be a small C. I was very happy to hear that. I feel great, no pain. I have not taken any pain meds since I came home from the hospital on Saturday. I simply don't like the way they make me feel. I feel they don't do anything for my pain except to put me to sleep where I don't realize there is pain.
Update
I just wanted to check in. I am at day 8 and I'm doing very well. No complaints, just progress. I am healing very well and quickly too. I was able to clean, cook and shop. I find myself getting tired faster but I keep pushing forward because I return to work on Monday. I am a mental health counselor which requires a lot of groups, sessions and meetings so I need my endurance and strength - emotional and physical. I will post pictures soon as I am typing on my iPad but my pictures are in my iPhone...photoshare eats my iPad memory :-)
Hello
Just a quick update. I am back to work for three days now and I must say that I feel great. I think the activity of driving and more movement is helping the healing process. When I was home I appreciated the time off but I also felt lazy and sluggish. I think the swelling, actually I know the swelling is going down significantly because these babies are moving around. They bounce when I it a bump, not the most comfortable feeling at this stage. I am still a bit boxy though. I am able to almost put my arms all the way down on the side of my body. I still use a pillow but sleeping on my side gets easier and less painful daily. I am so tired of staring at the ceiling until I pass out. It is kind of weird feeling the swelling going down, almost like weights on a levy. The top is soft but the area around the nipple is still pretty hard, it's like a pulling feeling. I apply Neosporin daily and new gauze daily and can feel where the stitches have dissolved. I opted not to use panty liners instead of the gauze because I like the feeling of more cushion between my stitches and my bra. CVS had a buy one get on free so that should suffice until I don't have to wear them anymore. I know we all have boobs but I am looking forward to the day that I don't feel them daily :-) I have not had any back pain and my posture has increased a great deal. I still have some pain in my shoulder, although not as bad, but I think the damage to the nerve was probably already done. I take Aleve and it helps a great deal as it is an over the counter anti-inflammatory. I made an appointment with an Orthopedic doctor. Well ladies I hope everyone is healing well and to the ladies that have not had their surgery yet good luck to you. That really wasn't that quick was it?
One more thing
I forgot to add that as the swelling does down I see more bruising below the nipple area, not around it. I can only see it if I use my forward facing camera. The sides where the drains where are almost completely healed. I will post updated pictures on Friday.
Updated pictures
I don't have anything new to share since my last update except to say that each day gets better. The swelling is going down a lot and my boobies are dropping. I actually like them better hanging than I did with them sitting in my neck, they look more real. My right boob is more swollen than my left, that seems to be the general consensus. My scars are healing nicely. I haven't used anything to help with the healing process. I just take my vitamins daily. I will start to use my oils and vitamin E once the incisions close completely. I bought two more grey and black sports bras...looking forward to being able to purchase more bras and not having to wear one 24 hours a day. The shine you see on my boobs is the Neosporin I continue to apply daily.
Ugh!
So this was not a good weekend. I was feeling really bad on Friday, I guess because it was my first week back to work so by the end of the week my boobies was feeling it. I took ONE Percocet - what a bad decision. It was the worse feeling I have ever experienced! I hate controlled substances for pain. I was so sick!. I threw my dinner up and felt hung over. My stayed nauseous and could not sleep. Whenever I moved my head I felt the need to throw up. Fast forward until the next morning and I am still reeling from the pain medication. My husband suggested I put something on my stomach. He was kind enough to cut up some apples for me to eat. Those came up as well. I threw up seven times in less than 20 minutes. I could smell the Percocet on me and coming through my pores. Anyway, I am feeling okay except the swelling under my arms is annoying and I am not sleeping well at night because my shoulders hurt so much from sleeping on my back.
Gauze
I just have a quick question. When did you ladies stop wearing gauze 24 hours a day? I'm at 3 weeks tomorrow and I'm so ready to stop wearing gauze!
Bruising and redness
My left breast is doing amazing. I think my right one is doing well too but I feel more uncomfortable in my right breast when I hit a bump or make any kind of sudden movement. There is still a slight purplish/brown bruise above the incision and under the nipple. I also have a little bit of redness around the nipple, not directly on the nipple but more like 1 inch above it. It is like spotted redness that does not itch or hurt. Have any of you wise ladies experience this? I am not in any pain or anything. Should I be concerned or let it ride out?
Is this something to worry about?
I am not sure if you can see the redness and bruising in these pics. My breast don't feel hot or irritated but I want to catch it early if there is a problem. Thanks for your input.
I'm ready for my close up Mr. Demille
Ok, so I just went to Jcpenny cause they were have door busters until 1. I was measured at a 36C at VS last weekend. I'm not sure if I'm a C?!?! The bra I'm wearing is a 36C!
My Areolas
I love my new boobies and can't stop taking pictures and looking at them. I still have swelling on the sides and I can feel shifting on the inside when I try to lay on my side. My questions is, when will my areola be flush with my breast. They seem to be swollen all the time as if I put a stick pin in them they will pop, you can see them in my October 4th posting. They are flattened out when I have my bra on but as soon as I take it off they swell up! Also, my back hurts so bad from sleeping on my back...when did you healed ladies begin to sleep on your stomach? I would not try it now because I know they aren't ready to be flattened out like that. Besides this I am doing great. I go for my 5 week PO on Thursday. Can't wait to shop for a real bra...in the mean time I am buying up all the sexy pajama's I can find that accentuate my boobies. My sister said I no longer have breast, I have titties now...I love her :-)
5 week check up
I saw my wonderful ps today. He gave me clearance to resume normal activity - within reason. He also told me that I was healing well despite my concern. Yesterday my left breast began to itch like no bodies business and I scratched. The itching wasn't on the incision or on my areola, it was on the side. I scratched so much that my breast swelled up. Anyway, it's kind of sore today. Not as red though or itchy. I was told that I can walk around without a bra and sleep on my tummy, if I feel comfortable. I was surprised to hear that I never have to wear an underwire bra again. I told him I was having a difficult time buying a wireless 36C with that fit properly. He advised that I go to a higher end store ( I was trying to get away from that), be fitted properly and buy off the rack thus getting a good bra for half the price because I won't have to pay custom size prices. Here are some pictures I took today. The front view always makes them look bigger than they actually are. You can see where one breast still looks bigger than the other.
Rash/allergic reaction
I had an allergic reaction to the pure Vitamin E getting into an open area on my left breast. This is what caused the itching and redness. I also have a rash. This is driving me crazy. I took Benadryl but that did not seem to help. I have been applying anti-itch cream to the area as of today. Hopefully the itching will stop soon because it is irritating. Anyway, I went to Soma on Sunday just to play dress up. Mind you I did not wear a day that day. I felt so vulnerable and free. I tried on some bras, when the sales girl first saw me, see said I was a 36 DDD, I could have choked her. Eventually she came down to a 36D. I attached pictures of me in a 36 DDD and 36 D. The bra is so pretty. For anyone interested as of Sunday they were having buy two get one free sale. I did not buy anything because I am not ready for an underwire, but they were so pretty!
Not D
Sorry ladies I meant to say the cream colored bra is a 36C - NOT D
Update
Hi ladies, I don't have a new picture to post today but I will soon. I am doing great. I am healing very well. I still have some hardness on both sides, not so much that it concerns me. Each day the hardened area softens up. I am not sure if all the swelling has gone down yet, it feels like it. The only minor issue I've had is that I seem to get irritated around my breast easily and my areola's seem very dry. I use Gold Bond and the Palmers Skin Therapy Oil. I discontinued the pure Vitamin E because it seems this is where the irritation started. My skin is very sensitive and it might be too strong for me. This just started in the last week. I have also been applying cortisone regularly when the itching starts. Maybe I need to keep a bra on thus the material from my tops won't bother me so much . I have been sleeping on my side comfortably. I actually found myself laying on my stomach with my elbows propped up while talking on the phone. I didn't even realize I did it. I didn't even feel my boobs touching the bed because they are that small...I LOVE IT!! I have not purchased any new bras, actually at this point I am in no rush to because I love being able to go braless, even though I know I will have to buy one soon. I hope all of you are doing well and any questions or concerns you have are being answered. For those of you that have not had the surgery, good luck to you and read all you can on these boards so there are no surprises during recovery.
What is this?
5 minutes ago I went to the bathroom to clean up and get ready for bed. I noticed a small hole near my areola. There was no scab previously. What is this? I've read things about suture rejection. Could this be what it is? There was no holes there just yesterday, because like I said in other post, I'm ALWAYS looking at my boobs. Should I be nervous? I put Neosporin on it and covered it with a gauze. When I looked at my sports bra I noticed dry discharge where the hole would be while wearing it.
Much better
I just wanted to update everyone on the hole I was developing. I applied Neosporin and it seemed to have closed up in two days. These pictures were taken two days after my original post entitled "what is this". Thank you to all the women that lent their support. I did not go to the doctor because by Monday the allege hole was a lot better and I have not had a problem since.
Update and Thank Yous'
Okay, this will probably be my last update for a while as there is not much new to share. I slept on my stomach maybe 3 times in the last couple weeks. It gets more comfortable each day. It is kind of weird because my breast are so firm (not swollen) that it is odd to sleep on them. I am used to droopy flat breast that have minimal feeling in them. I have not had any new issues with hole, irritation or bruising. I don't wear a bra on the weekends but I do wear it to sleep in some nights, just out of habit. I realized all the pictures I was taking made my breast look huge still although they are very small, 36C, and some bra's I can fit a B - depending on the designer. I realized that when I turn my phone towards me it makes them look a lot larger. Here is a picture I took this morning. I want to thank, Kimmer25, Ginge, AVA07, greatexpectations and all the other women that have been helpful to me on my journey. You ladies are awesome. For the new comers that have had surgery and the women who have not I wish you plenty of happiness with your new breast and the freedom they allow you. Happy healing to all of you. I may not post but I will continue to lurk. I also realized that my hair is the same in all the picture, it either up and messy or in a shower cap...I swear I do my hair :-)
Real self keeps telling me I need to update
All is well. Still have not purchased a bra. Besides them being so pretty, I have no other reason to rush and purchase one. My husband "played" with them for the first time yesterday :-) He loves my new boobs. My 10 year old is just happy to be able to fall to sleep on my chest without hurting me. The scars on my shoulder and breast are lightening up nicely as I apply Vitamin E twice a day. My nipples are more sensitive than ever and they show threw my clothes when I don't wear a bra which, forgive me, but I think is sexy sometimes. Hey, what do you expect I never had this problem before because my nipples were always pointing toward the floor. I sleep on my stomach quite often with no pain.
I went for a consultation on 6/17/2013 and the staff was amazing. I only remember Sarah's name because I spoke with her after my visit, the other woman was just as nice. Dr. Chevalier was awesome. He was very patient in answering mine and my husbands questions. His office was very thorough in getting the proper paperwork to my insurance in a timely manner, my insurance told me on 8/8/13 that the procedure was approved and medically necessary. So very thankful!. Although my procedure has not been scheduled as of this writing I am sure the rest of the process will be pleasant. I look forward to working with Dr. Chevalier and the kind women he has working in his office.
5 out of 5 stars
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