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Talksurgery adheres to the Health On the Net Foundation's Code of Conduct
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I was a 32DDD
Pros:
I think the experience as a whole was a pro, not a day goes by that I am not thankful that I had this surgery, and why didn't I do it sooner?
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Cons:
I don't have any that I can think of.
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Cost:
Over $10,000, insurance covered most of it
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Healing time:
about 6 weeks
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Pain-o-meter: 7
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When I was in 4th grade I was a B cup, I was about 4'6" and 75lbs. In other words all breast. Come high school I was 5' with a D and having a hell of a time finding a sports bra for the upcoming field hockey season with my 32" rib cage.
By senior year, I was a DD and had a friend who had a breast reduction. She was very honest about the pain involved and the subsequent highs and lows associated with surgery. The following year her sister had the surgery, she too gave me all the details and I visited her in the hospital and at home afterwards.
My sophomore year of college I was a 32 DDD, at least that was the last time I was measured, by this time I stopped wearing swim suits, had shrunk and inch because of my rounded shoulders. I went for a consultation with my friend's surgeon, and felt awful about the idea of surgery by the time I left his office. Then I went to my surgeon, who is fantastic! He explained that as a plastic surgeon he was very concerned about scarring, and would want me in his care for at least a year.
He explained the pain involved in the surgery, the importance of not lifting or doing anything very stressful for 6 weeks. He also would change all of my bandages, not my care taker, and even told me what kind of bras I was to wear for those six weeks, and where to get the silcion sheets. He was just so great! I also got to see pictures of his last 5 surgeries and all of the people who had the same skin tone as me, which is a pale red-head, we tend to have pinkish scars.
I was impressed with the fact that he also offered me telephone references of people to talk to. So I scheduled the surgery for one month after my sophomore year of college ended.
The day of the surgery I was the most excited I have ever been in my life, the nurses joked with me that they had never seen someone so happy to be going into the OR. I was out for 6 hours, in recovery for 6, and then overnight in the hospital.
When I got home I basically slept, my parents had our dog sleep at my aunt and uncles house for a week so she would not jump on me, and the poor cat was very confused about why she could not lie on my chest while I lay on the couch. And that is really all I did, I could not move my arms, my mom brushed my teeth, washed my hair (I bent forward at the waist at the kitchen sink so I would not pull the stiches on my chest by sitting hair dresser style.), she even had to go with me into the bathroom...so if you have a tattoo that you don't want your care taker to see, think of having someone else take care of you.
I was looped out on pain killers for the first week, after that I began simply taking ibuprofen. The pain was more dull than horrible, like the burn after a extermely difficult work out. All 180 stiches came out by week 2. I was able to bring my arms halfway up at that time, so I was still wearing button front shirts, but could finally shower! That was the best shower of my life!!!! At six weeks I went clothes shopping, and started wearing my silicon sheets at night.(Until that point my scars were too new to wear them).
I also joined a gym, and started enjoying aerobics classes, and seeing myself in the mirror. I did not look like a middle aged woman!! I went back to college and kept being asked "Did you lose weight?" and I would at first simply say yes, about a month into school I began to tell people that I had surgery, and basically have not shut up about it since.
I still have feeling in my breasts and nipples, as they were not severed from my body and then reattached, my surgeon kept the nipples attached to the nerve and blood supply during the surgery, he simply reshaped them and moved them "UP". This way not only do I still have feeling, but a more likely chance of being able to breast feed, but I don't think the fact that when I have kids I may not be able to breast feed is a con, b/c without the surgery I probably would not have been able to fit the child on my lap...the breasts would have taken up all the room!!(HA!)
Bascially if you are thinking about reduction do your research, talk to people who have had it, ask to see their scars, ask about scar treatments they used, ask your surgeon how they feel about scar treatments, what kind of surgery does he/she do, can you see pictures of people about your age with your skin type.
RESEARCH!RESEARCH!RESEARCH! Don't think asking questions makes you a pain in the ass, this is your body, your life, your money, and you will be under the knife for at least 4 hours and that is nothing to rush into. Feel comfortable with your surgeon, feel comfortable with your care taker, tell your employer that you will need to at least have 2 weeks off, and then a lighter load if you have a physcial job for about 6 weeks.
I love my new body, my strong back, my ability to wear almost anything, and wear pretty bras!!! This was only 6 pounds of breast tissue, but I seriously feel like a different person in many ways. I am now a 32C, it's been 3 years since my operation,and can see my stomach and feet when I look straight down. Everyone should have as postive an experience as I have had, and the way I ensured this was researching the surgery (I read lots of books and talked to lots of people), being comfortable with my surgeon, and prepared for the pain and dependence that would come in the weeks following the actual surgery.
Somehow that dependency and pain made the outcome that much sweeter, like I went through a war and came out victorious. Mentally prepare yourself, be ready for the pain, be ready for the swelling(I woke up the day after the surgery and joked with my doctor that with all the swelling and bandages I looked like I had implants!)
Good luck, be well.
Here are more details:
How results differed from what I expected:
I did not realize how fabulous I would feel, how great it would be not to be known as the "chick with the big tits", how much fun it would be to exercise, dance, wear a bathing suit, a strapless dress, NO BRA!
Biggest fears pre-procedure:
Not having the boobs to joke about anymore, they were the main thing I made people laugh about pre-surgery. Also would I still be attractive, would I hate the new me?(Thinking about all of that now makes me laugh!)
Healing aids used:
I went for deep tissue massage 3 months after surgery to help to reduce the muscle tension in my shoulders from years of having such large breasts. I used silicon sheets at night to fade and reduce the "roping" effect of the scars, I wore these sheets every night for 1 year under a cotton seemless bra. Not only did this help me to have scars that only I can see(seriously) but also shaped my breasts.
Number of doctors consulted:
2
Number of years I thought about having the procedure:
4
Had an elective procedure before:
No
Complications or follow-up procedures:
I was very sick to my stomach the day after the surgery when I got home from the hospital. I began to vomit and my mother, who was a fantastic care taker, called my surgeon who gave us 2 options: come back to the hosptial or take a nausea reducing enema. Well...all I can say is I did not go back to the hosptial, and thank God it was my mother and not my boyfriend who was taking care of me. And I stopped vomiting!
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This information is not to substitute for professional medical advice. You
should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or
disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please
consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have
regarding your condition.
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Gender:
Female
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Age:
23
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Ethnic group:
Caucasian
Education:
Post-graduate degree
Country:
United States
State/Province:
New York
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Obesity increases our risk for five of the leading causes of death -- heart disease, stroke, diabetes, atherosclerosis and some types of cancer
(Source: the Role of Weight Management in the Health of Women" by Sachiko T. St. Jeor, professor and director of Nutrition Education and Research at the University of Nevada, School of Medicine)
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