32J Hopefully Reduced to C/D

At 16 years old, I had 32D breast, which caused a lot of tears in dressing rooms when bra or clothes shopping. In 1996, there just weren't in store options and internet shopping wasn't available. In my 20s, I found more bra options after growing to 32DD, but bathing suits were still a problem. By my early 30s I was a 32DDD. Thanks to internet shopping, I was able to buy bras, sports bras (I even ran a marathon!), and bathing suits online to fit my smaller rib cage and huge boobs. Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease (DDD) in my c-spine. I considered a breast reduction, but had not had children yet and wanted to breastfeed. This is all physical stuff, I was felt up in the hallway of my junior high by a creep. I banged on the door of a classroom while it was happening but the teacher refused to let me in. And that was just the first instance of this. Men at work (I dress very conservatively) stare. One even made a comment. My husbands best friend wouldn't shut his freaking mouth about how big my boobs got when I was pregnant because it's obviously his business and my neck pain and dignity are secondary to how I look.
Waiting for a reduction is now filed under one of the worst mistakes I've ever made. At 10 weeks pregnant by bra size was a 32G and Dillards told me that was the biggest cup size they sold in store for a 32 band. Steady growth continued and when my son was born I was approximately a 34K/L. When my 'milk came in' I was a 34M+ (bras were so hard to find that I made due by altering sister sizes with bigger bands because everyone has time for that with a newborn). My son lost 12% body weight by day 3 and I had to nurse, pump, and bottle supplement every 2 hours. After 3 weeks at this pace with every supplement I could find, measuring and drinking exactly a gallon of water a day, eating oatmeal, and 2 lactation consultants, and only pumping enough to barely cover the bottom of a bottle with both breast combined, I resigned myself that time with my son was more important than 5 hours pumping a day and breastfeeding was not going to work. A primary reason was my son could not latch to such a large breast, and without draining my breast with nursing or pumping I could not produce milk. I was/am crushed by this. I waited 7 years for reduction for nothing it seemed, though I never could have known ahead of time that I wouldn't have a successful breastfeeding relationship with my child.
During the pregnancy and period after as my breast grew, I lost feeling of my fingers and developed pins and needles in all of my fingertips, except my thumbs. When my son was 3 months old my breast were a 32J (still are) and I saw an ortho doctor. MRI indicated my DDD had progressed to kyphosis and 2 bulging discs. I started PT 3 days a week and had 2 spinal injections which helped me to get feeling back in my fingers, though strength will never return and I have a shortened trapezius muscle in my left shoulder. I'd had it. I didn't want this to continue to progress rapidly so I began to see plastic surgeons. The first was absolutely awful. He said I did not need a reduction, only a lift. I assumed I could request how I wanted my own body to look and what size I wanted to be after paying out of pocket for surgery, so cried the whole drive home. I decided to just pay because I did not have the time to wait for insurance to approve me or the energy to put in paperwork myself. My husband then recommended I consult surgeons 2 hours away in San Antonio. One of these seemed excellent, but would use the anchor incision, no drains, no mammogram prior, and she told me my final size. I selected a surgeon who required a mammogram, sent all removed tissue for pathology, and would use a J incision. Furthermore, she asked me to send her pictures of what I wanted and did not want. Imagine. Getting to tell the person I'm paying how I want my very own body to look. This surgeon was an excellent fit for my goals.
So this is my story. I feel like I'm taking power over my body, like I'm taking back my dignity and right to not be stared at and commented on, removing my linkage to the 'one with the huge [RS bleep]', and most importantly, my quality of life. I want so badly to run again. Walks with my baby in the fancy jogging stroller just aren't the same as what I imagined when I was first pregnant before my breast and neck got to the point that running was a physical impossibility. My preop appointment was last week, and went well. More pictures were taken and all of my questions answered. Surgery is tomorrow!! I'm nervous, but not about surgery. I'm nervous about my breast not being as small as I want and having to repeat surgery later because I absolutely will if I'm not below a D cup, whether with this surgeon or another. I'm extremely sad that I will not be able to pick my son up for 3-4 weeks. He's 9 months old, so it's either doing this now for my health or waiting until he's older and bigger when he'll be harder to pick up as I recover. The surgeon assured me others can place him in my lap, and he can lay with me, I just can't pick him up. My husband and parents will be rallying to take care of baby and me as I recover.

Checked into the surgery center at 5:30. Had paperwork to fill out and then they took me upstairs where I changed into the surgery gear and peed in a cup for a pregnancy test. It was hard to pee after not drinking anything since the evening before. Surgeon marked me which felt weird, she kept telling me to sit up straight...it’s hard with all that weight! The nurse came in and put the ‘margarita medicine’ in my IV and I don’t remember anything until recovery. Recovery room was quite awful. It was as if they didn’t listen to anything I told them about my history (dry mouth from scopolamine and trying to get me to eat crackers, fainting after anesthesia in the past and trying to get me up before I was ready, etc...). I asked how much was removed and when they old me 1.2 lbs I could not shut up about hoping the doctor took enough because I didn’t want to have I do this again. Lots of medication, so I couldn’t be quiet but I meant what I was saying when I said I didn’t do this to be proportionate, I did it to feel better.

Slept the entire 2 hr ride home except when we stopped for me to walk. Slept nearly the rest of the day and night, except to eat and take medicine. It’s not too painful except what feels like the spot the drains comes out. Can shower tomorrow, so will post pictures then.

Got to shower today and see the aftermath. They are the same size I was before I got pregnant (32DDD). This size caused shoulder grooving and neck pain, and I wanted To be smaller than this. I’m still not getting a direct answer about what happens if they are bigger than I want them I be. I realize there is swelling, but an answer and potential game plan to reduce them further would make me feel so much better. How much reduction did you see from the first few days to your final result? Can swelling account for 2+ cup sizes?