21 Year Old, 32F-32C Breast Reduction; So Ready For Smaller Boobies

I have wanted a breast reduction for several years now. In high school, I got a lot of unwanted attention due to the size of my breasts. Attending catholic school, the uniforms were already modest, and therefore there was not really much I could do in order to hide them. After my boyfriend's sister had gotten a breast reduction, I began researching the procedure myself. At the age of 18, I didn't have much support from my parents, as they thought at the time I was still too young for major surgery, especially one of which is often viewed as being cosmetic. Finally, years later, at the age of 21 I am now preparing for a breast reduction!

I am very petite, and therefore, my breasts are large on my frame but may be proportional on someone else. I wear at 32G bra, and it's a perfect fit. Don't freak out. It blows my mind that my breasts fit into this size because I don't see them as being THAT large, but hey if the shoe fits... Anyway, as I said. I am petite. I am about 5 feet tall, and weigh 115 pounds. I have an athletic type build, and hide my large chest fairly well except during swimsuit season.

After having recurrent back, neck and shoulder pain, as well as migraines, my physician referred me to both a physical therapist and a plastic surgeon. Of course it took several months to get in to see the surgeon, so during that time I was undergoing 8 weeks of physical therapy. The exercises certainly were building my strength, but the pain was not being relieved. The therapist agreed that the surgery would assist in the relief of my muscular pain, so I knew I wasn't crazy!


I'm a bit far into the process now, and I had luck on my side because of the quick timeline. For most women, this is not a quick procedure to get approved, scheduled and planned. I was prepared to fight with insurance. However, I got approved fairly quickly. I went to see the surgeon for a consultation. The nurse worked with me mostly. She went over usual information, such as medical history. She explained a bit about the procedure, a lot of which I already knew from about a year of compiled research. She took a lot of notes on information that the doctor would later use to create a letter to my insurance company to assist with medical coverage. She also took pictures of my breasts to send to the insurance company along with the letters of medical necessity. We decided to leave out my physical therapy analysis unless asked for. When the doctor came in, he explained the surgery in more detail. Then we discussed how much, in grams, the insurance company would require to be removed. My insurance takes into consideration the body surface area of the patient, and thus it is required that I have about 250 grams removed per breast. The doctor then put me in front of a mirror and covered with his hand the equivalence of 250 grams in breast tissue. He told me to look down, as well as directly into the mirror and asked if I could see myself with that much less. The visual really helped me choose how much to remove, and in conclusion I had decided that closer to 350 grams would be optimal. I WOULD LIKE TO REITERATE: I am petite. The surgeon determined that this is about half the size of my breast. Frequently women have larger reductions than this. However, as a highly active and young person, my breasts are firm and sit on a lot of muscle. Due to my body type, I am not the common case for breast reduction. Part of why I am choosing to document my experience is to help other women who have a similar stature.


It was estimated that a response from the insurance company would be estimated at 2 to 6 weeks. As I said, I was prepared for a fight. My doctor chose to leave out the physical therapy records in order to use them "incase we need to take out the big guns." I was shocked when I received a letter in the mail from insurance, promptly 2 weeks after my consultation, notifying me of my approval of coverage. I couldn't believe they had no questions or hesitations to approve my case. I had read so many stories of women, whose breasts appears much larger than mine, having a difficult time getting insurance coverage. I am still in disbelief. I have just gone to my pre-op appointment today, and they went over details about how to prepare for the surgery, what prescriptions I would need, and other supplies that would be necessary. My surgery is scheduled for May 18. I am nervous and excited. I can't believe this is really happening! I am excited to share my story.

My surgery is a week from today! I am so nervous. I'm nervous, but excited. I've been shopping around for some surgery bras and post-surgery swimsuits! Is it just me or do normal sized things just look not big enough for after surgery? It's so weird to look at a size medium bikini top from Target. It seems like it would never cover anything! I guess I will just wait and see, maybe it is just in my head that my current size is average. Here are some before pictures that have been taken over the years, as well as some that I have just taken for the purpose of this blog.

So in my previous post, I mentioned that I was shopping around for post surgery bras. How the heck am I supposed to know what size to get? I got two different types of front closure bras: one with a zipper, and one that is a hook and eye closure. My doctor recommended different styles and different brands so that while healing my breasts experience a variety in order to prevent settling in an uneven place. I'm so nervous that the bras I bought will be either way to small due to swelling, or way too big! I bought an under armour bra, which has more compression, and then a fruit of the loom bra, which is a bit softer and more comfortable. Anyone reading this who has already had surgery, I would love to hear your opinions on which bras you bought. Were some more comfortable than others, or did some work better?