POSTED UNDER Breast Reduction REVIEWS
34GG - Help on This Journey Please! NO LONGER UPDATING -NEW REVIEW
ORIGINAL POST
Hi, I'm 46 y/o, 34GG (very dense). Not a lot of...
ElliEmmaOctober 21, 2015
Hi, I'm 46 y/o, 34GG (very dense). Not a lot of droop (no kids) 5'2 160 lbs.
I'm one of those who doesn't remember the transition period of growing breasts, it's like as a teen, I woke up with D cups. I maintained D's a long time and eventually DD and for a while was wearing wrong sizes (popping out and overflowing) but the past 10 years, I've steadily increased to where I'm now a 34GG (bras fit correctly). Unfortunately, the bigger I've gotten, and wearing these bras to hold me in place, not a moment goes by in my day where I don't feel like i'm in a cage and totally conscious of how uncomfortable my body has become. Plus my back and neck problems and a lot of migraines. Hopefully the reduction will help with the migraines!
I had my consult on Oct 1 and got my approval yesterday! Hooray!
In hindsight tho, I feel like I wasn't prepared enough when I went on my consult and didn't have enough questions ready. I go back mid-November for our next meet n greet, and then I'm scheduled for surgery mid-December.
When we discussed sizing, he told me about making sure to keep me aesthetically pleasing and balanced for my body type, and I really didn't press for more specifics about size other than he said it would probably be 600 or even 700 grams per breast. I have no idea what that translates to. I'd be happy with a C cup. Has anyone been similar to me that can give me a best guess of where this would put me? I'm so impatient, I want a better understanding before mid-November!
Plus, please, people help me prepare questions for my next appointment!
Thank you!
I'm one of those who doesn't remember the transition period of growing breasts, it's like as a teen, I woke up with D cups. I maintained D's a long time and eventually DD and for a while was wearing wrong sizes (popping out and overflowing) but the past 10 years, I've steadily increased to where I'm now a 34GG (bras fit correctly). Unfortunately, the bigger I've gotten, and wearing these bras to hold me in place, not a moment goes by in my day where I don't feel like i'm in a cage and totally conscious of how uncomfortable my body has become. Plus my back and neck problems and a lot of migraines. Hopefully the reduction will help with the migraines!
I had my consult on Oct 1 and got my approval yesterday! Hooray!
In hindsight tho, I feel like I wasn't prepared enough when I went on my consult and didn't have enough questions ready. I go back mid-November for our next meet n greet, and then I'm scheduled for surgery mid-December.
When we discussed sizing, he told me about making sure to keep me aesthetically pleasing and balanced for my body type, and I really didn't press for more specifics about size other than he said it would probably be 600 or even 700 grams per breast. I have no idea what that translates to. I'd be happy with a C cup. Has anyone been similar to me that can give me a best guess of where this would put me? I'm so impatient, I want a better understanding before mid-November!
Plus, please, people help me prepare questions for my next appointment!
Thank you!
UPDATED FROM ElliEmma
2 months pre
PS #1 - 2nd Consult
ElliEmmaOctober 30, 2015
I'm back! I had a follow-up consult with PS #1 this morning. I felt so much more confident going in now that I have a little better understanding of terminology and procedures, etc!
I went in with a list of questions printed out and said "i hope you don't mind if I take notes because I have a terrible memory, especially because this is all new to me".
So I told him that I felt I was unprepared the last time we met because I didn't know enough and now I want to discuss my lingering concerns and hopefully put my mind at ease and he was totally fine with that.
I explained my concerns that in a lot of pictures I see, many of the breasts wind up kind of flat or lacking fullness, and it's important to me to keep that roundness up top. This topic led to a discussion of the various techniques and that some are more appropriate than others depending on the beginning shape, size, skin quality, how much the nipple needs to be moved etc. He said what PS # 2 said in that the inferior pedicle technique will lead more to a bottoming out. He said that that would be a more appropriate technique for someone who is pendulous, and/or not as good skin quality...and if the nipple needs to be moved a greater distance.
For me, he feels Superomedial pedicle would be best, with a vertical incision (lollipop) which would also reduce my scarring. He says this will give me the fullness on top that I want and it will look more natural. He said my nipples will not be moved very much since they are already positioned high since I don't sag. When I asked him to show me the new position of the nipple it was more like a shift upwards rather than a full movement. Oh and he said the vertical incision might cause some puckering of the skin or "dog ears" which I'm trying to figure out why they call it that?? He said, if that happens, we would correct that after.
So we went thru the photos I printed, I think he was kind of amused that I did this, but I can't believe others don't do the same! So I wanted to know if my expectations were realistic or not and he said they were (hooray!)
So it seems most doctors don't like to discuss cup size, and I get that, I know a 36C is a different cup than a 34C etc, but I told him I was backing him into a corner and I wanted his best "guesstimate" of where I will wind up, and I totally get this is science mixed with art, and I try to be as realistic as possible that this is a guesstimate and not solid fact that he's telling me, but I want an answer!..so he said I'd probably be a D, not a C. I can live with that, I already did live with that from prob Jr High School thru my mid 30's. It was actually a really nice size, I think I'm just scared of them coming back, it's like "Revenge of the Boobies!" the movie!
Oh and sadly, he usually uses drains...*sniff* hopefully I'll be the exception!
Then we discussed my current medications and what I'll need to stop taking 12 days prior to surgery. OMG no more Aleve?? My back is NOT going to be happy. He said birth control very minimally increases the risk of clot. And cymbalta is up for debate whether it might increase bleeding.
Those of you who have had the surgery and similar meds, what did you do? He said the birth control and cymbalta were up to me. I will be one cranky hormonal B if I quit all that for 12 days!
I asked about supplied and all he really told me was (white) sports bras and non cotton gauze. I asked about creams/lotions for scarring and he said we would use the silicone (patch) I can't remember, this is why I need to take notes!!!
Now I'm so excited, I can't believe I have to wait 7 stinking weeks for this to happen!! Ugh!!
So if anyone has thoughts on the medications and supplies, please please chime in!!
I went in with a list of questions printed out and said "i hope you don't mind if I take notes because I have a terrible memory, especially because this is all new to me".
So I told him that I felt I was unprepared the last time we met because I didn't know enough and now I want to discuss my lingering concerns and hopefully put my mind at ease and he was totally fine with that.
I explained my concerns that in a lot of pictures I see, many of the breasts wind up kind of flat or lacking fullness, and it's important to me to keep that roundness up top. This topic led to a discussion of the various techniques and that some are more appropriate than others depending on the beginning shape, size, skin quality, how much the nipple needs to be moved etc. He said what PS # 2 said in that the inferior pedicle technique will lead more to a bottoming out. He said that that would be a more appropriate technique for someone who is pendulous, and/or not as good skin quality...and if the nipple needs to be moved a greater distance.
For me, he feels Superomedial pedicle would be best, with a vertical incision (lollipop) which would also reduce my scarring. He says this will give me the fullness on top that I want and it will look more natural. He said my nipples will not be moved very much since they are already positioned high since I don't sag. When I asked him to show me the new position of the nipple it was more like a shift upwards rather than a full movement. Oh and he said the vertical incision might cause some puckering of the skin or "dog ears" which I'm trying to figure out why they call it that?? He said, if that happens, we would correct that after.
So we went thru the photos I printed, I think he was kind of amused that I did this, but I can't believe others don't do the same! So I wanted to know if my expectations were realistic or not and he said they were (hooray!)
So it seems most doctors don't like to discuss cup size, and I get that, I know a 36C is a different cup than a 34C etc, but I told him I was backing him into a corner and I wanted his best "guesstimate" of where I will wind up, and I totally get this is science mixed with art, and I try to be as realistic as possible that this is a guesstimate and not solid fact that he's telling me, but I want an answer!..so he said I'd probably be a D, not a C. I can live with that, I already did live with that from prob Jr High School thru my mid 30's. It was actually a really nice size, I think I'm just scared of them coming back, it's like "Revenge of the Boobies!" the movie!
Oh and sadly, he usually uses drains...*sniff* hopefully I'll be the exception!
Then we discussed my current medications and what I'll need to stop taking 12 days prior to surgery. OMG no more Aleve?? My back is NOT going to be happy. He said birth control very minimally increases the risk of clot. And cymbalta is up for debate whether it might increase bleeding.
Those of you who have had the surgery and similar meds, what did you do? He said the birth control and cymbalta were up to me. I will be one cranky hormonal B if I quit all that for 12 days!
I asked about supplied and all he really told me was (white) sports bras and non cotton gauze. I asked about creams/lotions for scarring and he said we would use the silicone (patch) I can't remember, this is why I need to take notes!!!
Now I'm so excited, I can't believe I have to wait 7 stinking weeks for this to happen!! Ugh!!
So if anyone has thoughts on the medications and supplies, please please chime in!!
Replies (10)
October 30, 2015
Congrats on being so thorough! Estrogen based birth control does increase your risk of clotting (see my review) you will really want I consider going off it - but the even more crucial part to avoid that is getting up and moving around. I was off most or my meds and supplements prior per request of my PS. Also, my PS said he used drains the majority of the time, but I didn't end up with them, so there still might be hope! Listen to your surgeon and supplement his instructions with real life experiences and you should be good!
October 30, 2015
Wow how did you find out you had a clot??
Are you saying NOT to move around after??
Someone I work with got a clot after a surgery also, he was in the hospital for a while after that!
Yikes!!
Are you saying NOT to move around after??
Someone I work with got a clot after a surgery also, he was in the hospital for a while after that!
Yikes!!
October 30, 2015
You want to get up and moving every few hours or at least move your legs around. My problem was I was under so heavy medication that the first 2 notes I passed out for at least 12 hours without really moving my body at all. That was likely the catalyst for me.
October 30, 2015
I am 2 weeks post op and I did have the drains, but only for one day. They were put in during the surgery on a Wednesday and taken out out my first post op visit on Thursday. I had no problems with the drains. I did wear the white knee high support stockings for about 3 days after the surgery (the ones I had to wear during surgery to prevent clotting) so maybe that helped, as well. I was up an walking as soon as possible after the surgery. My doctor told me that there was less a chance of a clot if I moved around. So I guess every doctor and patient is different. I did stop the specific meds that he requested 2 weeks prior to surgery. The reason for this being some of the meds can cause bleeding because it thins the blood. I was taking Fish oil every day and that thins the blood so I had to go off and I had to take tylenol instead of aleve or any ibuprofen because they also thin the blood. I hope this helps some. Once I had made up my mind which doctor I was going with and I got a date, it felt like the time was never going to pass until the surgery, but the day finally came and the extra time gave me a chance to research some more. Thanks for posting.
November 1, 2015
I'm on hormone replacement therapy and didn't have to stop taking it, if you have a clotting issues it is probably a good idea to stop, but if they tell you don't worry about it I wouldn't worry
November 4, 2015
I was on Wellbutrin and minastrin (low dose birth control) at surgery time. They told me to continue taking my meds as normal (stopping NSAIDs and fish oil a week prior) , and skip my spironolactone the morning of surgery, but I was to take the Wellbutrin as usual, the pre-op nurse said they didn't want people to not take their antidepressants if they took it in the morning (pre-op).
November 11, 2015
Good to know! I received my surgical confirmation paperwork yesterday (yikes!) which had I think pages of what not to take for weeks prior. Cymbalta wasn't listed, neither was Spriro. They scheduled me for the monday before my surgery (friday) for pre-op testing but I called today and now it's scheduled for Dec 5th (Sat) and my surgery is 13 days later on the 18th. The pre-op department is closed the Sat before my surgery but they said it was no problem that I'm coming in two weeks early, and to bring a list of everything I take so I will get the yay or nay on each drug then...13 days is close enough to 14 days if they axe any of them!
November 6, 2015
It has been 5 months since my surgery. And I am have the issue that u don't want to have. The bottoming out. It's like my breast are setteling on the sides. I will post pics later. I go back to my dr in 3 weeks. I'm going to try and figure our if it is fixable or not. But don't get me wrong I am very appreciative of my drs work and it has given me so much freedom in size and pain. If it's not fixable I will work with what I have!!
November 11, 2015
Is it me or this site?? I lose posts, I cant' find them to respond, then I find them days later! lol
I think yours look really nice, and a good size for your frame in your pics! I know you haven't posted any more recent pics, i'm curious to see how they settled. Do you know which technique your doctor used??
I hope your doctor is able to find a solution that makes you happ(ier) :)
I think yours look really nice, and a good size for your frame in your pics! I know you haven't posted any more recent pics, i'm curious to see how they settled. Do you know which technique your doctor used??
I hope your doctor is able to find a solution that makes you happ(ier) :)
UPDATED FROM ElliEmma
1 month pre
Sports Bras?
ElliEmmaNovember 2, 2015
Hi Ladies,
For those of you that picked up some sports bras ahead of time...how did you have any idea what size to buy?
Did you buy the kind that has cup sizes?
Or the kind thats kind of one size fits all once you chose your back size?
If you are going by back size, do you go up a size to compensate for swelling?
Walmart has a 4 pack of front close for about $21 (holy moly, 4 bras for $21 even if they are junky??) Has anyone used these?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fruit-of-the-Loom-Comfort-Front-Close-Sports-Bra-Style-96014-4-pack/40444712
Thank you!!!
For those of you that picked up some sports bras ahead of time...how did you have any idea what size to buy?
Did you buy the kind that has cup sizes?
Or the kind thats kind of one size fits all once you chose your back size?
If you are going by back size, do you go up a size to compensate for swelling?
Walmart has a 4 pack of front close for about $21 (holy moly, 4 bras for $21 even if they are junky??) Has anyone used these?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fruit-of-the-Loom-Comfort-Front-Close-Sports-Bra-Style-96014-4-pack/40444712
Thank you!!!
Replies (9)
November 2, 2015
I got that (It's the white one in my pictures) - I am a 34 and I got the 34 - it's very compressive which was the plus, it helped with swelling. The negative is that it's not comfortable to sleep in and it doesn't have a wide enough band around the bottom so sometimes that can rub uncomfortably on the incisions underneath (especially if you end up on the bigger side like I did). My hack was to use those "barely there" bras that are essentially bralettes and don't really give support (bought a 2 pack at Marshall's for $7) and I wear that underneath the compressive white bra. It actually is fairly comfortable that way. The other reason I chose to do that hack is that the shoulders on this are shorter, so it fits me better than the other front close bras I got (Marena versions) even though the cups are a touch small. Hope that helps!
November 3, 2015
Thank you! So many of the reviews say they run really small (a lot of people went up 2 sizes for the band!)
You were ok with the 34 being 34?
Is there any support in it? In my mind i'm picturing t-shirt material but that can't be right!
You were ok with the 34 being 34?
Is there any support in it? In my mind i'm picturing t-shirt material but that can't be right!
November 3, 2015
Nope you're right! The support comes from how compressive they are. I'm a 34 band and I couldn't wear it pre-op but after I was able to snuggle them in. Like I said, if you're swollen and feel you need the compression they will do in a pinch, but because it's so snug at th band it can rub on the incisions.
November 5, 2015
Thanks, i'm going to order up a size or two. Or maybe get 36 and 38? I'm 34. So many reviews say they run 2 sizes small.
I think I'm worrying about this too much actually! :)
I think I'm worrying about this too much actually! :)
November 4, 2015
I got the fruit of the loom bras, I bought a 34 (normal size) and a 36, for swelling. The 36 was very tight, but for the first 2 weeks I wasn't allowed any compression, due to the blood flow issue. When I was allowed to start wearing a sports bra, I started with the 36, but even now, the 34 is still very snug, as it runs small. My favorite daily bras now are the Hanes "bandini", which barely qualifies as a bra, and is so awesome, comfy and cheap! I'll be having sideboob lipo in the new year, and will need compression then, so the size 34 will come in handy then!
November 5, 2015
I ordered a bunch of the genies ($8 each) but I think I'll order some of the fruit of the looms also (4 for $21). I feel like these are all disposables at these prices!
I just googled the Hanes. Omg people (you!) actually wear things like that as bras????????????????? I can't wait!
6 weeks 2 days to go!!
I just googled the Hanes. Omg people (you!) actually wear things like that as bras????????????????? I can't wait!
6 weeks 2 days to go!!
November 5, 2015
It's unbelievable what passes as a bra if you are under a D cup. Heck, even a D cup is small when compared to my old size. I plan to write a 3 month update, and took pics of bras for comparison, it's awesome. I'm so excited for you to experience the small-boob euphoria!
November 6, 2015
I'm excited too! When does your 3 month update go live?? I've seen a few of the old bras vs new and it's crazy!
So I started working out about a week and a half ago...I was on break (for a few years)...I've been cramming myself into my old sports bras which used to (nearly) fit and were great bras (goddess). They are size 34DD and it's just so sad now, it's looks like i'm going to tear right thru like the Hulk!! And the size looks like a training bra! I'm going to post a pic. I don't think it ever fit perfect, I was always a bit borderline crammed in but nothing like this! But the good news is i'm so crammed in nothing moves! Come to think of it, I used to run in these bras and nothing moved then either. Great sports bra!
So I started working out about a week and a half ago...I was on break (for a few years)...I've been cramming myself into my old sports bras which used to (nearly) fit and were great bras (goddess). They are size 34DD and it's just so sad now, it's looks like i'm going to tear right thru like the Hulk!! And the size looks like a training bra! I'm going to post a pic. I don't think it ever fit perfect, I was always a bit borderline crammed in but nothing like this! But the good news is i'm so crammed in nothing moves! Come to think of it, I used to run in these bras and nothing moved then either. Great sports bra!
November 9, 2015
Argh, I wrote this long update on my review and got distracted and it disappeared into the ether. I will have to start over, I will try to rewrite it today!
Replies (51)
Thank you so much!!
Where do you expect to wind up?? When is your surgery??