Life after (huge) boobs - Reduction Surgery

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

Congratulations! You will love it, I guarantee. I did, when I had my reduction done over 24 years ago. I was very asymmetrical, D on one side, EE on the other. Very hard to find bras that fit and I hear you about button-up shirts. I ended up being a full C on both sides for many years. As my weight increased, so did my breasts, and oddly enough, the one that was larger before (the EE) is larger now. But only about a D, so still very managable.

My only difficulty was that some residual nerve pain continued for 18 months after surgery! Apparently, there were nerves that were re-attaching and every now and then, I’d get this sharp, shooting pain in the side of my breast, like somebody’d stuck me with a pin. It was so fast, that by the time I’d jumped and said, “Ouch!” the pain was over. Very weird.

Anyway, been there, done that, know exactly how you’re feeling. Many congrats!!

22

Vaguely relevant story:

When I was doing my ER time for my EMT-I certifcation, I was sent to do a 12 lead EKG on a woman with chest pain. It so happened she had a reduction previously, and she was so proud to show them off to anyone who’d look. I was nervous in general all night, and this was gasoline on the fire.

Finally I told her, “You know, they look very nice, and in any other situation, I’d be enjoying the sight. However, I have a job to do and I need to get it done.”

She smiled and covered up a bit.

23

Well, I suppose that’s better than humming “It’s a Small World After All”…

Congratulations on getting this done!

24

My 17 year old grand daughter had this done last month, she went from HH cup to a D cup. She also lost 26 pounds just from the surgery. She no longer has any back pain. She is very happy with the results.

25

I had two lumpectomies in my right breast and am asymmetrical like a B in the right and a D in the left. I figured I would just have to live with it until a few weeks I read that insurance must cover reconstructive surgery due to cancer/mastectomy. I have an appointment Wednesday with a plastic surgeon about reducing the left breast. It’s amazing to hear how reduction has changed so many lives.

26

FaerieBeth, you are encouraging me to check this out. My tits have been oversize since high school and have basically never stopped growing. I find that I now hunch forward all the time and I can’t find a bra or tops that don’t look silly on me.

First though, I need to seriously invest in weight loss. That will bring me down two sizes. But I’ll still be a G and have a dowager hump if I don’t do more soon.

27

Wait, why would you need implants with reduction surgery? Do they just take all of the tissue out, and then put some of it back in?

28

VunderBob, I’m so sorry you were subjected to boobs! giggle She must have been several months to a year post-op, though, because I am a bit shy of anyone seeing the scars right now. I look kind of like a very neat attempt at the Bride of Frankenstein. I know the scars will thin and fade, though, so I shall take your cautionary tale to heart and not flash them everywhere once they’re healed. :wink:

Ethilrist, even “A Small World” is preferable to “Sixteen Tons” :smiley:

[QUOTE=jayrey]
My only difficulty was that some residual nerve pain continued for 18 months after surgery! Apparently, there were nerves that were re-attaching and every now and then, I’d get this sharp, shooting pain in the side of my breast, like somebody’d stuck me with a pin. It was so fast, that by the time I’d jumped and said, “Ouch!” the pain was over. Very weird.
[/QUOTE]

Erg. I was hoping that would go away sooner rather than later, but thanks for the heads up, jayrey! I asked the nurse about them being so sensitive, and she had explained about the nerve pathways all lining back up. Occasionally, it’s that same feeling as sticking your tongue to the end of a 9-volt battery, only in my boobs.

Congrats to your grand-daughter, racer72! So glad her recovery is going well, too!

I do recall that my insurance guidelines were very accommodating for reconstruction after mastectomy and breast surgery due to cancer. I’m pleased to hear that it’s the same for your policy, too! One of my very good friends is awaiting the “all clear” from her oncologist, so she can start the process to even hers back up, as well! Good luck! I imagine you’ll be super pleased. I have not yet spoken with anyone who has had this procedure who wasn’t.:slight_smile:

carnut, I hear you on the bras and tops. Any time I tried to buy dresses, I knew up front I’d have to alter them. There was a 15 inch differential between my bust and waist before this surgery, and it was a comedy or errors trying to buy anything that was supposed to be “fitted”. I had hesitated on starting the process because I thought it would be hard or my doctors would balk at working with me and the insurance, but everyone was great. Research your insurance and talk to your GP. For me it was as simple as saying, “I’m tired of hurting all the time, what can we do?” and that started the conversation.

29

Fight my ignorance here: would not corsets, which support from underneath, have been better than bras? And thus avoided the grooves in your shoulders and the nerve problems?

Anyway, congratulations on having had it done.

30

If I’m recalling the pamphlets from the surgeon’s office correctly, implants are sometimes used in conjunction with a reconstruction after a mastectomy of one breast, it may be a case of reduce the other completely down and then use implants on both for symmetry. I don’t recall any info about using implants after just a straight-up reduction, though. Perhaps it wasn’t in any of the info I was given because it wasn’t necessary, though.

31

Do you know how much weight you had removed? I’m a woman but I can’t quite appreciate the difference in cup size. I could better understand how many pounds came off your ribcage :slight_smile:

32

Corsets (as they are made today) don’t really shape the breast for normal work-a-day clothing. They mostly just squeeze and pop them out the top. If your boobs are very large at all, this just results in the “boob shelf” that one tends to see at Renfairs. :wink:

Strapless Body shapers are great, unless your boobs are huge, and then no amount of spandex around your torso is going to prop them up.

33

A bit over three pounds total, and that’s three pounds of fat volume, so it’s quite the size difference.

34

Lucky husband chiming in. Lucky, as in, I get to be married to her, not for any other reason.

Wow…see how difficult it is not come off like a creeper in a thread like this? Hence my lateness to the party.

I was always happy with her, but she definitely had more trouble than your average bear when looking for flattering tops and such. As she said, her bust/waist differential made everything look either lewd or frumpy, depending on what she decided to fit, and it was maddening for her. And the back aches were beginning to be less of a ‘long day and lots of activity’ and more of an everyday occurrence. I am really very happy for her, and can already tell it has changed her outlook on life. We had an excellent, non-nonsense doctor. Brief, but complete explanations, good aftercare instructions, and though I am no expert, the incisions were neat and economical. Once they heal up, I anticipate little to no scarring.

Of course, results may vary, etc etc…but it was a good decision for her and for us. Added bonus is that it did not break the bank.

35

I’ve known several women to have reductions and each and every one has raved about how it was the best thing they ever did for themselves. They said having very large breasts had been a huge obstacle (heh) to exercise as sports bras just didn’t do the job, plus their back always hurt.

36

I am super excited about playing Badminton, again!

…and I’m signing Stonebow and myself up for ballroom dancing lessons.
<whistles innocently>

37

Well, he can’t complain, you’re not going on your own!

38

Congrats on the successful surgery!

I have friend who’ve had success with a reduction surgery as well. It provided them with much comfort and confidence. I wish the same to you!

39

They are also really not comfortable - long term use simply moves the support points - you can groove your hips instead of your shoulders. Because they need to fit tight to provide support - a little weight gain can suddenly make you feel like your internal organs became best friends with a boa constrictor - and a little weight loss and suddenly the support disappears. They are expensive - so having multiple corsets for day wear so you can get through the five or ten pound fluctuation a lot of women have over the course of a year can be cost prohibitive. And its rare to find them off the shelf with a substantial cup - you end up having them custom made.

(I did my share of RenFaire in corsets with large breasts).

There really aren’t good support options for women who have over a D cup. I’m currently living in yoga bras - underwires are causing me a lot of pain - but that means that I can’t dance or run. And the shape isn’t anything to go to work in. Yoga bras are great for sitting on my butt or walking around (or doing yoga). And the options get less and less (and more and more expensive) as you get more breast tissue - this is especially true if you have a lot of breast, but not a lot of ribcage.

40

Sometimes the amount of tissue they have to remove to achieve the desired shape/lift leaves the patient with a smaller cup size than she wanted. In that case they use an implant, usually placed behind the pectoral muscle, to make up for the missing volume.

Once tissue is removed they can’t just put it back in. It has to have adequate blood supply to keep it alive. That means reattaching enough veins to provide oxygenated blood to all parts of the replaced tissue and to drain that blood. That’s a lot of time and effort for some fat. Small amounts of loose fat will be reabsorbed over the next few months. Large amounts of dead tissue can cause a life threatening infection (sepsis) as it decomposes. The loss of fat can make the breasts to look lumpy or uneven. Using an implant saves time under anesthesia and can cut down on the risk of tissue loss due to bad blood supply.