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Talksurgery adheres to the Health On the Net Foundation's Code of Conduct
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'Big breasted since 5 years old'
Pros:
less back/shoulder pain;
tension headaches virtually eliminated; clothes fit better;
chest feels less heavy;
can exercise easier;
look more proportional
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Cons:
very long healing time;
I'm still too big, I think;
fear of surgery;
depression after
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Cost:
insurance paid
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Healing time:
1 year
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Pain-o-meter: 7
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I had developmental problems growing up, which resulted in my breasts starting to develop when I was 5. To make matters worse, I was moved up a grade and skipped grade one, so I was always younger than everyone else in class, yet I had the biggest breasts all through to high school! I was always made fun of, especially by boys. I didn't just have big breasts, I was grotesque and deformed.
I started thinking about reduction when I was in junior high. When I would complain about my breasts, my mom would say that I could have it when I was older. "Older" couldn't come soon enough! But I was always afraid of the pain and the complications.
I finally hit a really bad point in my life, and began to completely obsess about my breasts. I had since developed a hormonal problem that caused, among other things, weight gain, so my breasts were even bigger than ever, not to mention the rest of me! I obsessed so much about them, that I wouldn't go out in public, because I was too embarrassed and felt like a freak. A friend at work was having a reduction, and she told me all about her experience. I decided that enough was enough, and made consultation appointments with her surgeon and another surgeon.
My friend looked fantastic, and had no complications. She had an amazing experience, and after seeing her surgeon and another one, I finally booked the surgery date. It was the hardest decision I've ever made. I approached it thinking that having the operation would solve so many of my self-esteem problems -- if I had smaller breasts, then I'd have one less thing to beat myself up over.
Surgery day was petrifying. I was terrifed. Thinking about it now,over a year later, I have no idea how I have survived this whole ordeal. (Thinking about and re-living in my mind what I've been through scares me more than how scared I felt while going through it.) On the day of surgery, I was taken from day surgery and wheeled to outside the OR I would occupy. They were still finishing up with the previous patient in there, and it was so scary to be parked out there to fret, and then see the previous patient be wheeled out!
But the anesthesist and my surgeon were very comforting. I had to get up off the gurney and walk into the OR. Very scary to see everything!! My surgeon then marked me up, and I was hooked up to the IV. I started to cry about then, I was so scared. And then I heard a sound like a plane going overhead, and I was knocked out.
I woke up about an hour and 45 minutes later in recovery. I had a terrible, horrid nurse who refused to tell me what pain killer she was giving me. Turned out it was morphine -- the exact drug I didn't want, because I was worried about nausea and was told at my pre-op appt. that having morphine in recovery increased the chance of nausea. I wasn't in a lot of pain, or so I thought. It felt like an intense sunburn, or intense tingling -- not searing, awful pain.
During that day I became dehydrated and my heart rate went up increasingly over the course of the day. I needed some extra fluids, and so I was there until 8 at night, when I should have been sent home around 4 or 5. I was only sick once -- thanks to the morphine I'm sure!!
I was surprised at what I perceived was a lack of pain. I was sent home with a vial of tylenol 3, but I didn't use even one. I felt a weird tingling and pressure pain, rather than that searing pain you'd expect considering what was done to my tissues.
Overall, it took me about 8 months to finally not feel like "a person who's had surgery." I was still feeling tenderness and soreness one year after. I was able to finally sleep on my side comfortably at the 10-month mark. I could start jogging again at 5 months. I have dealt with the soreness for over a year. It's for that reason that it's been so frustrating and not so relieving -- I just can't seem to get over it physically. There's nothing wrong with my healing, no complications -- everything's fine, it's just taking me so long to finally be ok again.
It takes up to 18 months for the final shape of breasts to appear, and the same time for complete healing of the tissues. People have to understand what an amazing trauma this is to your body -- it's essentially reconstruction of your breasts. It takes less time to recover from gallbladder or appendix surgery.
I've also developed depression about what I've done to my body -- i.e. asking people to cut pieces of my body away, throw the pieces away, and sew me back up again. I didn't think that would bother me, but it's huge now. I also am still a D, a C if it's really stretchy fabric!!! (I was wearing 38DDs before surgery, but I was truly much bigger. I couldn't bear to buy anything bigger than that.) I've been buying Cs that don't fit just for the psychological benefits of not being a D. This being bigger than I'd like isn't my surgeon's fault -- he took me down the 2+ sizes he said he would, and I'm proportional.
And they look great. I had the surgery in the province I was living in at the time, and I've since moved back to my hometown, and my old dr here is amazed at how good of a job it is. I had over 3 pounds removed total, and she said that's a very big reduction. She's impressed that I didn't need a free nipple graft, and that everything looks so fantastic.
Overall, though this has obviously had a lot of benefits, the physical healing time has really dampened the thrill. Plus, it took me 26 years to deal with my old breasts -- it'll take me another 26 to deal with my new ones. The benefits do outweigh the negatives, but it's been a long hard road. If they grow back, I don't know if I could go through this again. It never seemed so bad while the soreness or pain was occuring, but looking back I realize how bad the experience was. I mean, it took me 10 days before I could move my arm up enough to wash my hair. I couldn't reach until a month later. I couldn't drive without pain for 6 weeks. The horror of seeing my breasts after the "mummy bandages" were off will remain in my mind forever. Like I said, it's a long hard road.
This isn't meant to discourage anyone, although I'm sure it sounds like a horrendous thing. I know I'm the anomaly -- reduction patients are statistically the happiest patients to leave the plastic surgeon's care. Just be sure that you are prepared for anything negative that might happen, for example losing your nipple or developing fat necrosis, and make sure you are looking at this to improve your life, not as a way to solve all your problems. I feel better about the way I look, but not about the way I am.
Here are more details:
How results differed from what I expected:
I had BR for the emotional benefits I believed it would bring, though it was medically necessary. I thought I'd be a new person, for the better. My problems were not solved by suddenly having smaller breasts -- they've worsened since surgery.
Biggest fears pre-procedure:
complications; reacting to the anaesthetic; pain after
Healing aids used:
Not Specified
Number of doctors consulted:
2
Number of years I thought about having the procedure:
13
Had an elective procedure before:
No
Complications or follow-up procedures:
Not Specified
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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:
26
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Ethnic group:
Caucasian
Education:
Post-graduate degree
Country:
Canada
State/Province:
Alberta
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Caucasians are more likely to have checked for skin cancer in the past year than African-American (45% vs. 17%)
(Source: American Society for Dermatological Surgery)
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