60 Years Old, 34H, Breast Reduction... - Rochester, NY

I loved my breasts. They were voluptuous and beautiful and nourished two children for 5 years of my life as well as provided marital pleasure.

Motivation #1: Although I fantasized for almost 40 years about having smaller breasts, I wasn't willing to do anything about it. (Minimizer bras just widened them.) I have been opposed to unnecessary surgery and concerned about innervation to my erogenous nipples. Decades of skillful bodywork and yoga to support posture and discomfort, insightful shopping/dressing to camouflage disproportion and mindful self-acceptance did not completely eliminate my dissatisfaction.

Motivation #2: As a yoga teacher, I saw a double standard. Somehow it is acceptable for the young slim teachers to go braless with a spaghetti strapped camisole to teach. At the same time, guidelines advise large-breasted teachers to be modest. Although a 'fitted' Target XXL v-neck t-shirt with stretch worn loosely was most flattering on me, inversions revealed my significant cleavage. In shoulder stand my breasts rested on my chin, mouth and nose! (Fortunately I learned to love the pose, somehow finding space to breathe.)

Motivation #3: Clothing myself required more effort than an average-sized woman. A high neck or fitted waist made me look huge and low, since I am short waisted and my breasts sit there (like my Italian grandmother's). Forget about cropped tops! While others pack lightly for trips, I wore longer tunic length garments and layers that created a lot of bulk in suitcases, not to mention having a scarf with most outfits to further distract from being top-heavy. (I must have been fairly successful, because when I told a long time friend about my upcoming surgery, she said she never noticed that I had large breasts! I am 5'4" wearing 34H.) Then there is the hopeful/hopeless ordering of large cup bras and swimwear online only to return 90-100% of them.

Motivation #4- The Tipping Point: I found out that two of my yoga teacher friends used Dr. Evangelisti for their BR surgery. He spent about an hour answering diverse and very specific questions during our allotted 10 minute appointment. His responses reassured my doubts and hesitation. I thought I would interview several PSs, but I liked him immediately and didn't feel it necessary to explore further. (I had met another PS when supporting a friend w/her BR.)

Motivations #5, 6 &7 are related to separating from my husband. He had fed my hesitation to BR. I may not have as comprehensive health insurance after the divorce.
I will be living alone when our youngest child leaves home for grad school this summer, which would make it more work to get 24/7 recovery support.

Since surgery was today, I am not in a position to review the BR yet, that's why I had to select "not sure" as it is required to answer 'Was it worth it'. I intend to post updates.

PSYCHOLOGICAL:
Two weeks prior I used Peggy Huddleston’s book with CDs, ‘Prepare For Surgery, Heal Faster’ and Belleruth Naparstek’s mp3 ‘healthjourneys- Meditations to Support Successful Surgery’, both of which I had from before. The former helped me to visualize positive end results coming out of surgery, during recovery and in the future, as well as providing statements (at the end of the book) for the surgical team to read as I was going under and coming out of anesthesia. I asked permission to play a guided meditation during surgery, but didn’t choose to for this surgery.

Of all these guided mediations I was mostly drawn to Naparstek’s affirmations. I listened to them repeatedly while resting (on my back) before and after surgery for peace of mind.

BEING WELL INFORMED:
I scoured the web, read many BR reviews here on RealSelf, yet still had lots of questions that needed answers so I could embrace what was to come. Dr. Evangesti clearly and generously answered every question during our initial interview, pre-op appointment, and before the surgery. A friend always took detailed notes. Even after years of research, whether from my desire for understanding or anxiety, layers of inquiry unfolded right up to surgery (and after).

NEW SIZE AND SHAPE:
As I said in my intro about my motivations, despite mindful efforts at acceptance, dissatisfaction prevailed. I anticipated that I might have these same habitual mindstates after the surgery as well. I was conflicted about size. I might feel that C-cup is too small after being an H, even though it is proportional to my narrow frame. A D-cup would continue my voluptuous body image, but may not give me the relief desired. A hard call. In either case, I mentally prepared for a temporary negative reaction (too small or too large) and chose C+/D-. I wasn’t concerned about Dr. Evangelisti’s skill of crafting what I requested.

MINIMAL DRUGS:
In 2012, I had an extended unfavorable response to anesthesia and narcotics following a TAH-BSO for uterine cancer. This discouraged me from enduring another surgery, making me proactive in my inquiry about meds. For the 2-2.5 hr. surgery Dr. Evangelisti uses more local anesthetics does not intubate (nor catheterize), sedating with propofol, etc.

I saw my acupuncturist to ensure my liver and kidneys were in optimal condition to clear drugs quickly. She gave my Chinese herbs (Xiao Chai Hu Tang ‘Minor Bupleurum Combination’) to cleanse liver and lungs of anesthesia and benefit stomach after surgery.

SWELLING/DRAINAGE/HEALING:
Dr. Evangelisti doesn’t use drains. I wondered how my lymphatic system would handle the added demands (processing inflammation, swelling, bruising, etc.) of the BR. A previous surgery removed 23 pelvic lymph nodes resulting in some lower limb lymphedema.

I saw my homeopath that adjusted my supplements (probably unique to me at this time) to include Inflamma Life Force, lymph and liver drainers (Lmph Drn, Liver Milieu then Lvr Drn), probiotics, digestive enzymes, B vitamins, chlorophyll, iron bisglycinate, etc. She again suggested adding protein powder (Sunwarrior Natural Warrior Blend) to my daily green smoothies as I am a gluten and sugar free vegan.

My surgeon, acupuncturist, and homeopath all encouraged arnica. I’ve been taking loads of Boiron 200C.

RECOVERY SUPPORT:
I had the first week of dog walking and meals covered by close family. Since I didn’t broadcast my BR to everyone, so there was a small pool of friends to draw from. So I didn’t have to field calls, texts, and email, I set up a calendar of tasks on lotsahelpinghands.com, primarily for daily dog walking, with the option to add meal delivery, rides to appointments, shopping, or any other tasks if needed.
Due to my limited diet, I made a list of local restaurants and menu items for take out.

ACQUIRE:
Looking forward to buying more flattering fashion in the future, had me not wanting to waste money now. I borrowed some front closing tops from friends to supplement my limited selection, bought a cheap back up surgical bra from amazon, and inexpensive front closing sports bras. In addition to the arnica and protein mentioned, I bought gauze, Tylenol, and arnica gel. Dr. Evangelisti does not request icing, but I purchased some icepacks just in case. I also borrowed wedge pillows and Lazy Boy recliner.

8AM 6/29/15- Appointment at surgical center .5 mi. from home. Surgery scheduled from 11:00 -1:30 with about an hour recovery before going home. They said that the doctor is generally quicker and gives himself plenty of time. They were right. I was home before 2PM.

Influenced by Dr. Emoto’s work ‘The Hidden Messages of Water’, I applied labels my daughter made for me to my IV fluids to aid in my healing [See photo]
I discussed size again with Dr. Evangelisti and he made surgical markings [photo]. I was amused that he actually had my breasts touch at the midline to transfer the ink symmetrically.

I spoke with the anesthesiologist before surgery, Dr. Margie Brown, who (fortunately for me) is a minimalist. I asked her to go light with anesthesia and narcotics, explaining as a meditator I can manage ‘intense localized sensation’ (a term I coined as an alternative to ‘pain’). She also explained that extra strength Tylenol puts a greater demand on the kidneys than regular Tylenol. I asked if she would read the Healing Statements from the back of ‘Prepare For Surgery, Heal Faster’ by Peggy Huddleston. Apparently they mirrored what Dr. Brown always says before, during, and after surgery. I also asked her about keeping alignment through my surgical spine, the angle of my arms, keeping warm and covered. Dr. Evangelisti likes patients to walk in and position themselves on the table. I was delighted that the table was warmed and they had an inflated heated ‘blanket’ and I carefully aligned my head, neck and arms, before they put me under. I was confident in my preparation and surgical team.

When I awoke I was wearing the surgical bra, which had significant gauze padding within.
To my surprise, I had a sore throat, supposedly from the drying of the oxygen. (Later I was aware of a sore spot on my torus hard palate from the oral airway they placed because my tongue was apparently making me snore during surgery.)

About an hour after returning home sensations were escalating. I was hoping to only use Tylenol, but since I wanted to rest uninterrupted, I decided to take a half dose of Norco (10 mg. hydrocodone/ 325 mg. acetominophen) with food around 3PM.

I was told draining was possible through the first 36 hours, particularly from the sides which had liposuction. Through the evening the smallish bloody spot on one side expanded, than it was both sides getting wetter and wetter. I added an old folded towel between my arm and torso, eventually tucking a washcloth into the armpit and lower bands on each side of the surgical bra for overnight. [photo]

The most I slept at a stretch was 3 hours, due to the urge to urinate, but was able to resume sleep easily. I would sometimes play the mp3 of Naparstek’s affirmations to enter a restful state. I didn’t start to feel sensations increasing again until midnight, so took another half Norco pill around midnight to support sleeping.