59 Yr Old Retired Nurse, Went from 40 G/H to D Surgery on Mar 15/16 - Victoria, BC

Well I finally did it, never late than never. I have had large breasts since in my 20's, somewhere in the 40 G/H range. It was OK when I was young, the guys like them and my girlfriends were jealous and I was of that generation you just put up with what you were given.. Then my nieces inherited by breast DNA and 2 of them had reductions in their 20's. Hmmmm , maybe I should too. Tired of the poor posture, always having to buy clothes that are too big otherwise, sore neck, can't wear pretty summer dresses, back packs that don't sit right, life jackets that ride up to my chin, ugly bras that don't fit, oh the list goes on and on. Then looking at pictures of me with my arms tucked over or under my breasts, trying to hide them. or pictures where I didn't that looked horrible.. Luckily I live in Canada and although the process is slow due to wait times to see surgeons and then get the OR date, the procedure is financially covered. So today I am Day 8 post-op ! I have had 900 gms off one side and 800 off the other. Instant 3.75 lb weight loss. ;) Brief review so far. Surgery was booked for 3 hours but only took 2.5, which is great because that means all went smoothly, no complications, bleeders etc. I was sent home 4 hours later. A bit nauseated but quite comfortable. I had pre-made a big potfull of chicken noodle soup and had a bowl for supper, watched a movie and went to bed . Tip #1 make a bunch of food to have in the freezer for days you will not feel like cooking. I took it easy day 2 , taking my pain killers ( Tramecet -Tramadol and tylenol combo) as prescribed but only one at a time instead of two. Day 3 I did a abit too much and got quite sore.. lesson learned, The surgeon told me to not walk any more than around the house but I went to coffee with my friend and grabbed some groceries...it was amazing how that wiped me out. First issue was that I had only had one bowel movement since my surgery so started eating some prunes. So lesson #2 -don't forget that surgery, the dehydration and the pain killers all contribute to constipation so have something that works for you on hand, and drink lots of water post -op Day 4 I got my big bandage off,, this is something unique to my surgeon, he taped my up with his own version of a surgical bra. but my skin was glad to get all that tape off ! I bled very little but have one big bruise. I have 64 steri strip tapes that will stay on for 10-14 days and fall off themselves. I can shower cautiously, so as not to have the strips rub off. PS advised me to wear a sports type bra 24/7 for the next 2 weeks. and when I felt how unsupported I felt without the big bandage I can see why. Actually I am wearing 2 during the day and one at night. So far the nights are not great as I have sciatica and sleeping on my back is quite uncomfortable. I sleep over to one side with pillows propped here and there and then over to the other side or onto my back for awhile, certainly not comfortable in any position. By day 6 I was feeling stronger and since my husband is away for a few days I had some errands to do.. of course while I was out I might as well do a few more things.... oops paid for that activity with with increased swelling and pain the next day, so today and the rest of the week I am staying put. Thanks goodness for the internet and movies, which is what lead me here to this site, because I was looking at info re recovery etc.
so now it is day 10 and I think the worst is over. I was wondering why my pain seems to be worse than what I read about here,most saying the pain is subsiding day 5 or so. Put then realized I have chronic pain, back and arthritis and that I had taken myself off some of those meds pre-op and now just on the Tramacet post op . so that was not evough to cover my chronic pain and the operative pain, I was sleeping so poorly which we need to heal.. so last night I took an Elaviil that I was on previously for sleep and the chronic pain and slept 12 hours....and I feel so much better today.. I will go back to my old pain regime and see how that works.. Luckily I have a nursing background so I find all of this very interesting Something else i wanted to mention is that there are a few good videos on you-tube that show the whole surgery.. I never thought to watch them before the surgery and maybe glad I didn't but if you are the curious type like me, look them up. It sure explains why things are so tender afterward ! Well that's all for now. I am having trouble loading photos, I will try again later.

Day 11, the worst is over, doing more and sleeping better. I had weaned myself off Elavil Rx for a month pre op. I was taking them for chronic pain and the resulting poor sleep and minor depression. Took them again the night before last and slept 12 hours.. ahhh, that feels better, down to 2 pain pills a day. Bowels are back on track too... full steam ahead.

Yippee, I survived the first 2 weeks. Been trying on some of my clothes, so nice to not have them stretching over my chest. And I bought a sports bra in a normal store yesterday and threw out some of my old ones. More will be thrown out soon. I still have some annoying pain on the incision lines more of a burning and some of those zingers especially my right side where he had to take off more than the other side. I have one moment that really hurts deep in my breast, reaching down and across my middle , probably a really tight internal stitch or something so I am learning to avoid that movement. Incisions are healing beautifully. and I am able to sleep on my sides again... Also went for my first real walk outside, a beautiful spring day. I wore two bras, took it slow and stayed on a nice flat trail and it felt so good. I have lost only a few of the steri-strips, as I have been very careful of them but think I can safely remove the rest of them now, then I will post pictures. I have some scar cream ready to start tonight. Summer tops here I come.