POSTED UNDER Breast Reduction REVIEWS
27 Yrs..1 Child(breastfed)...38DDD ...5"7...155lbs. Sacramento, CA
ORIGINAL POST
I have had large breasts since I gave birth to my...
Lexis1988September 24, 2015
WORTH IT
I have had large breasts since I gave birth to my daughter 8 years ago. After breastfeeding they never returned to their original state. I was spilling out of a 38ddd bra so I may have been a little larger. Back pain.neck pain..hard time fitting clothes and bras. Extremely uncomfortable. I asked m Kaiser physician for a referral. He did and two weeks later I had my consultation with Dr.Garcia. I am now 2 days post op. I was so nervous but glad I went through with it. I have will post more pics as I heal. If you have any questions about my experience. ... I am more than than willing to share.
Replies (19)
September 24, 2015
Do you know how many grams per breast kaiser requires to take off to cover for insurance?
September 25, 2015
With my insurance (Kaiser through my employer) 400 g from each was required. Along with other criteria I had to meet.
September 25, 2015
Thank you for the information. Another question, did you have the anchor technique done? He did a good job. With the anchor technique most breast look square and have what you call dog ears.
September 27, 2015
I did have the anchor technique. I waited for Dr.Garcia over others because he is known to be very meticulous and takes his time
September 28, 2015
I was actually referred to a different surgeon within the kaiser family. After googling the other surgeons in my area and researching; i read that Dr.Garcia was very meticulous. So i requested him instead. It pushed my surgery date a few months out but I decided why not wait. I didnt want to rush and end up with any issues. Not saying that the other doctors are not good, its just really nice to see and hear about someones work. He was well worth the wait. The surgery lasted about 4 hours. I was the first surgery of the day. So I went home around 1pm.
September 28, 2015
Just wondering how you are doing? Your post op pics look great. I am having mine done on Monday. Do you have any tips or suggestions? I'm super nervous but also excited!!
September 28, 2015
Thank you very much! Best wishes on your upcoming surgery. Best tip I have is, dont be nervous, just go through with it. I was nervous too, you dont need to be. You will be asleep, wake up and have new breasts. Good luck! And make sure you take it easy afterwards.
September 28, 2015
Congrats on your breast reduction. I am pretty sure you feel much better!!! I am a size 36 DDD and I have all the pain you have described. I already have been to consultation back in June and now I'm waiting for November to get here to see if I get approved or not for suergery. My question to you is how long did you have to wait to get your surgery did after finding out your approved? I'm hoping as soon as I get approved I get it done the same month. What did you have to go through before your surgery date? Congrats again!!!
September 29, 2015
So I saw my general doctor in June for a check up. At that point I told him that I was having serious back and neck pain etc. He asked me was i larger than a D? Yes. Did I have grooves in shoulder from bra? Yes. Was I experiencing back /neck pain? Yes. Those were the questions required for him to be able to refer me to a surgeon. I also had to meet requirements for BMI. If I recall correctly, they give you a window of 15% over suggested BMI. Which was great because at the time I was 166 pounds. ( I didnt have to, but I dropped 10 puunds prior to surgery. ) I met with Dr. Garcia a week later, so late June. A week later I found out that I was approved, but I was scheduled clear out to September. Dr. Garcia was booked up for a few months. Which was fine. Gave me time to prepare. I didnt have to do much in between time for surgery. There was a medical pre op phone appt which basically was a call about which medications am i taking and general questions. A week before surgery, I had a pre op with Dr. Garcia, he checked my breasts once again, took photos and gave me my last opportunity to ask any questions. Simple process, just a long wait really. Just do your research, as im sure you have. Just dont stress it or worry. I hope you get your surgery date soon!
September 29, 2015
Wow! That is a lot! Well my doctor sent me for physical therapy to see if that would help with my back and shoulder pain which it did not. So after a check up with her last week, she's going to recommend me to get it done as medical necessary. So my doctor and surgeon are trying to help me get approved because my insurance is Medicaid. Yes, hard to get them to approve anything. I have lost weight and everything trying to get this heavy weight off my bac, shoulders, and rib cage. November I find out if I'm approved or not. I have a good feeling that this is going good but who knows!!!
September 29, 2015
Hopefully you will be approved. I have heard with certain doctors or insurances, they make you take a few more steps. But that is ok. More time for research. From the sounds of it htough, you should get approved. Fingers crossed. It has been one of the best decisions I have made so far!
November 4, 2015
I also was referred to Dr. Garcia but I canceled because I couldn't find any information on him. I decided to go elsewhere. I had the anchor technique and my breast are very square and I have some side breast. I also have one breast a little bigger than the other. Which I never had that problem before. I would have liked to be a little bit bigger than what I am. Your breast look really good. I may have to go on botch.
November 4, 2015
I forgot to ask you did Dr. Garcia make another appointment with you besides the very next day?
November 6, 2015
Hello, I am sorry to hear that there are some issues. When did you have the procedure? Maybe there is still some swelling and things will move. I cant remember where I read up on him but I saw some reviews and that he went to Harvard and I was sold. He was awesome. Yes, I saw him the next day, a week later and 3 times after that. I just had my last appt with him two days ago. He said if I needed ANYTHING regarding my breasts or had questions I could contact him. Are you still seeing your surgeon for follow ups?
November 7, 2015
I had my surgery in August. I only saw him the next day. No other follow ups. I'm surprised that I didn't have any other appointments. I've sent him photos to ask him about questions. I have feeling in my breast and he didn't do a bad job. I guess I was expecting better. I am symmetrical and healing nicely. My breast are boxy. not as bad now.
UPDATED FROM Lexis1988
4 days post
Here i am 4 days later
Lexis1988September 25, 2015
So...today is Friday. I had my surgery Monday the 21st. Sooooo glad I went through with this. My breasts are so much less swollen than yesterday. U have nipple and allover breast sensation in both girls. I have showered the past two days but have yet to remove the tape. I'm being super gentle because I want to have least visible scarring. I will share my worries I had pre surgery with you just in case there is someone out there as paranoid as me. My fear was the anesthesia. Or that I would be awake and feel the surgery. The morning of surgery ...my boyfriend and daughter took me to Kaiser...I checked in. After about 15 minutes in the waiting room I was called back...weighed..vitals. I put my gown on...and the nurse asked me question. Anesthesia team came by and asked the same questions. Doctor Garcia came in and drew his dotted lines on my chest. I got my IV put in and was informed at that point that I would be receiving a catheter and tube in my throat after anesthesia. This made me nervous. I think the anesthesia doctor realized this as I started tearing up. Lol. He said I'm going to make you feel better. He out a tube on my iv and I felt bricks hit me. I was out of it. They started wheeling me to the room and then I heard someone calling my name. My family were sitting there and I had a lighter chest. That fast. I don't even remember anything. Everything I stressed was irrelevant. So don't worry...just do it if you want the outcome. I was worried that I would have no sensation in my nipples..but I do. They are softer after the swelling has gone down. I got my drains out second day. I will update again next week.
Replies (4)
September 25, 2015
Glad to see you are happy with the results i am actually undergoing a breast reduction in October i am so nervous and your story made me feel alot less nervous now im just anxious ! lol just a few questions .. What size are you now? Can you wear a regular bra post surgery? When you woke up did you feel any severe pain? Did it change anything about your self confidence?
September 25, 2015
How exciting! October will be here before you know it. I am a C now. After the swelling goes down maybe a small C. No regular bras for now. My doc suggested a front zip sports bra. (I will upload pic) no underwire. It leaves room for padding and swelling. When I woke up I didn't feel any pain other than a slight headache. Possibly because I didn't have coffee that morning. Lol. As far as self confidence...I feel so Mich better already. My larger breasts made me conscious when wearing certain shirts and how they looked in clothes. Felt like everyone just stared at them because they were large. The breasts I have now are Still a good size. Not heavy. Perky. So it boosted my confidence
Welcome to the community and thanks so much for offering your opinion of your doctor.
It would be great if you could give us a little more detail about your experience, like why you had the surgery, your tips for getting good results, pros/cons, and info on the recovery process.
Our community members especially love seeing photos from before, during, and after — a realistic look at what they can expect. Photos grab the attention of the community and encourage more support for you.
As a community manager, I get requests all the time from other members who want me to to keep encouraging people to share their experiences, which are so helpful for others considering these procedures. So please accept this as a well-intentioned request from thousands.