I had my reduction 13 years ago so things might have changed. I had 4bs removed. It is still the best thing I did for myself. My frequent headaches disappeared, I can wear a shirt that fits my frame not my bust. My left nipple headlights quite a bit but I simply don’t care.
I didn’t have trouble getting insurance to pay for it at the time but my understanding is that it is harder now. There was a chance the I might loose a nipple but luckily I didn’t. I would recommend the surgery to anyone. My DD is a 32 DDD at 4"9 and is counting on a reduction in the future.
My sister had a reduction a few years before me. She had 10 pounds of breast removed and she wasn’t overweight. It seemed that when she and I got pregnant we doubled our ample size and the larger breast never went away. Good luck if you pursue this surgery it is life changing.
@my2sunz I hope your appointment went well. Do update us, when you have time.
Update: I had my appointment this morning and I really liked both the doctor and all of his office staff; in fact, it was probably the most professional yet friendly staff I have dealt with in a medical office. Doctor was very good about explaining the procedure and what I could expect. He was very patient about answering my questions. We didn’t go into detail about size, but I told him that I wanted to be as small as possible in proportion to my body.
Unfortunately, the person who handles the insurance issues was out sick, so she is going to call me when she is back in the office to discuss how that will work. Fingers crossed that insurance will cover a good portion of this.
The one funny thing was that I think I am too honest for my own good…when the doctor was asking me about issue that I have, he was writing down what I said and he asked “Do you also have headaches?” (pen poised to write “Headaches” on the list I assume) and I said “No, not really”. He looked right at me and said “No headaches?” He did all but wink at me but obliviously I said, “No”. Later I wished I had run down the hall saying “Oh wait I forgot - I do have headaches!” LOL I’m assuming - hoping! - that one missing symptom won’t sink my insurance approval.
The only other thing was that he said he uses general anesthesia; not a deal breaker, but I don’t have a lot of experience with that and it makes me a little nervous.
Assuming all goes well with the insurance, the process can start (pre-op testing, etc) and I can get it done in early June. I’m feeling kind of excited about this!
If anyone else has any advice or experiences to share, I’d love to hear it!
What does “as small as possible in proportion to my body” mean, though? That sounds ambiguous. Some women of any size have very flat chests, and others have boobs of various sizes, and they’re all in proportion.
@“Cardinal Fang” - Yes, I see what you mean. But we are going to discuss specifics at next appointment.
It’s a weird thing, but A, B, C, DDD, do not denote sizes of breasts. A 32DDD has the same size boob as 38C or a 40B. So I guess it makes sense to say, for example, a B cup is proportional (if that’s what you think) because what is a B cup scales with the size of the woman.
Update: I just got approval from my insurance company that they consider this “medically necessary” and will cover it (within their limits). I know I will have some out of pocket, but it appears that the majority of it will be covered by insurance. I did have to meet with my primary care doctor and have her submit a letter stating medical necessity in addition to what the plastic surgeon submitted. I was pleasantly surprised (shocked, actually!) that once everything was submitted, approval was given in just one day.
So - I’m all set to go for a June date. The plastic surgeon sent over a packet of papers for me to review and although I really do want this, I have to say that reading through all of the possible things that could go wrong has me a bit rattled. Biggest concern in general anesthesia; I think I’ve only had that once or twice in my life and reading that disclaimer that one of the outcomes could be “death” is not pleasant to consider!!! If anyone wants to give me reassurance about this, I wouldn’t complain 
And any other things that I should think about or know going forward would be great too.
Thanks!
On my first surgery (not breast), the thing I was most petrified about was the general anesthesia. I had never been “put out”. I knew a nurse-anesthetist and she explained procedures in detail. For an operation like this, general is far preferred to sedation. You are much safer when you are intubated and they are controlling your airway.
I know it’s scary to hear the disclaimers, but the risk of poor outcome due to anesthesia is very low. Discuss with your surgeon. After surgery, frozen bags of peas help with swelling and Mepiform tape is great after the incisions begin to close and heal.
Our surgeons use versed, propofol and local. It is quite safe, as propofol has a very short half life and once discontinued, the patients wake up very quickly. They maintain their airways perfectly fine without being on mechanical ventilation and are monitored constantly. In the very rare instance where intubation would be necessary, this is something the anesthesiologist can do in mere seconds. In all the years I have worked at this OR, we have not had one instance of a compromised airway. Technically propofol is general anesthesia, but it usually isn’t referred to as such because no mechanical ventilation is involved.
I’ve wanted a reduction since high school (when the dinosaurs roamed). Unfortunately I live alone (now that I could do it, financially) and don’t really have someone I could rely on to stay with me during the beginning recovery period. I wish I could rent someone. I would do it.
@JustaMom, you could hire a sitter. Our doctors refer their patients who are in your situation to sitters who are familiar with the surgeries and recovery. They are not licensed health care workers and make no representations that they are, but they are certainly as capable as any family member or friend. They can do light housework, fetch or make meals, do laundry, drive the patient to appointments, communicate with the surgeon if complications arise, etc., and just generally keep an eye on the recovering patient.
@Justamom: Given your screen name and your being on CC in the first place, I’m assuming you have at least one kiddo in the picture. Can your kiddo help you?
@JustaMom - I will report back as to how much help you would need after I get through the procedure. My impression is that you definitely need someone for the first 24 hours after surgery, but after that, especially if you prep food, etc in advance, you probably can get by with little help.
I don’t remember needing any special care immediately after surgery. I do remember dealing with a four year old who trouble remembering not to leap into my lap. But couldn’t you ask a friend or neighbor to come by? It’s not really that big a deal. And if I remember correctly they gave me the option of spending the night in the hospital if I didn’t feel ready to go home.
I’m two years out, almost to the day;) I have no regrets about doing it, but wish my doctor and I were on the same page as far a size. I requested a C in multiple conversations including up to the moment I being wheeled into surgery. I was overflowing from my DDD cups prior to surgery, so I can’t say exactly what size I was. She said a C was reasonable. I ended up being a DD. I know I’m smaller and she did a breast lift which is probably the most remarkable difference.
When I casually mentioned during a post op that I thought I would fit into a C sized bra, she became defensive and asked if I wanted to see the before pictures to see how much better they are now.
Also, if you are prone to getting nauseous ask for Zofran. I was given this in the hospital and came home with some. Are you spending the night in the hospital? I did because it was covered by insurance. This helped as I wasn’t feeling so well and threw up from the medication. The nurses wanted to me to eat a meal that day, so I ordered grilled cheese. I fell asleep with food in my mouth that day. Scary to wake up with a bite in there and it could have been dangerous.
Good Luck! You will be glad that you did it, just be in informed patient.
I was the OP on that thread and I think I had my surgery about 2 1/2 years ago now. I really appreciated the input at that time. I think what makes a big difference in your recovery is whether or not your surgeon places drains. Mine did not, and I think I healed fairly quickly. I think I could have cared for myself after the first day without any problems. I went gingerly back to work at around 10 days and was able make a 4 hour car drive by myself at about 3 weeks. Total healing is a fairly long process, but nothing that slows you down after a month or so. I was doing light exercise (walking) soon, but aerobics should probably wait for 6 weeks. I also did not have general anesthesia and had no problems other than some same day confusion from the drugs. I took the prescribed pain pills for a few days and had next to no pain. (Be sure to take laxatives if you’re on pain meds!) The worst part for me was trying to sleep on my back and elevated.
This was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself, even though I wasn’t huge. Clothes fit better, exercise is easier, and I’m just more comfortable in my body. For some reason, my breasts had enlarged over the years (I’m now 64) and I now have the size I had in my 20’s. My only regret is the same as others - I wish I’d gone just a little smaller. I wanted a B and am a C. My current size does fit my frame though. I have a small rib cage and if I’d gone smaller, I might look more pear-shaped.
You’re lucky insurance is paying. I wasn’t large enough even though I have permanent ridges in my shoulders.
Let us know how it goes!
I’ve had to have general anesthesia twice in the last 5 years for emergencies. Really no big deal for me.
Over and over, I see that surgeons are not respecting women’s wishes as to the size of the reduction. I wonder if there could be decision aids that would help doctors and patients come to an agreement. Things like: here is the bra you would fit in, here is a front full body view and a side full body view of what you’d look like with the requested reduction, stuff like that. It annoys me to hear that a woman requests a reduction to a C cup and gets a reduction to a DD cup; that is a big difference.
@wheatonmom - it sounds like we are/were about the same size and I also am requesting no bigger than a C. I would be really unhappy if after all this I was still a DD. Thank you for sharing your experience; I will be firm with my doctor about this. And thanks too for the advice on the Zofran…I was thinking of asking for something like that. I will not be staying overnight, but that is scary about the sandwich!
Also have a discussion with your doctor to make sure you are not likely to end up with “dog ears” which are excess skin on the outside of the breast that pucker out. I was told that unless I did an extra procedure which wasn’t covered by insurance, I would be guaranteed to have them. I agreed to the extra procedure and still have them, although the probably would have been much bigger. I was told that the shape of the breast contributes to the likelihood of this occurring, so not everyone is at risk. I’ve always wondered if my doctor’s young assistant, (resident?) did more of my procedure and that is why my results were less satisfactory than expected.