Women ONLY!!! Have you had a breast reduction?

Oh yes BUMP.

I'm a 32J, and I'd really like to hear peoples experiences of breat reduction surgery. Specifically in regards to future breast feeding.

I'm determined to breastfeed my GP recomended I waited till after I've had children before I get the knockers "fixed"

I had one 2 years ago and it was the best thign I ever did!
I went from a 40H to a 38 DD, right now I feel like it's the perfect size, I never wanted to be small I just didn't want to be HUGE.
They took about 3 liters from each side, the recovery was bad for me as I got an infection but I would do it all over agian in a heart beat. I just wish I had done it years sooner!

I got an infection to. I started working out to early.. They didn't take my sides off like most dr.'s do. like under armpit.

I had to pay to get the sides done but it was totally worth it, I got the infection befcause they didn't take my tubes out when they should have(stupid at home nurse service)

I had a breast reduction when I was 19. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it did and I still have the scars all under each breast and down from each nipple but it was a small price to pay for comfort.

It did feel like a small car was on my chest the first day, tons of pressure but not pain because I was on pain meds. I also didin't need drains put in, but I have seen others who had to have drains put in to drain off excess fluid retention in that area.

Also there was some nipple numbness for a few years but then it started coming back. They will warn you that the feeling may never come back though so that is a chance you must take. Depending on your doctor also if they can preserve the links to your mamary glands ask them to so that in the even you have kids and want to breast feed it would still be possible. I didin't have that option so when I had all 5 kids I had to bottle feed. No big deal for me but for some it is a deal breaker.

I had a breast reduction done at 22. It's pretty easy and worry-free, but it hurts and you'll need to take time off work/school. The scars are pretty bad ,but they do fade eventually. The biggest issue for me was the rule of not lifting ANYTHING for the first while... it was pretty irritating, lol. I live in Canada, and it was covered by our health system. I know that they often won't do it unless you're at (or near) a healthy body weight, so use it as motivation!

Any other questions, just let me know!

Ooooh honey, this is my favorite topic to advise other women on!!!!!

In high school, I was thin with a C.
By freshman year of college, I was a D.
By sophomore year, I was a DD.
After that.... I was well beyond a DDD.
It was HORRIBLE.

I had a breast reduction about 3 years ago. BEST DECISION I EVER MADE. Ever.

The hardest part was cutting through the insurance red tape. RESEARCH YOUR INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS NOW. Mine required "alternative treatments" DOCUMENTED for at least a year or maybe it was two. I can't remember.

"Alternative treatments" (per my insurance company) were taking tylenol for the pain, going to a chiropractor, wearing a support bra.... oh jeez, I can't even remember all their stupid, stupid, STUPID "alternatives".

My first request was denied. It was based on a doctor doing measurements (if your nipple falls below the crease of where the bottom of your breast meets with your chest) and verifying I was a candidate. I submitted an OVERWHELMING appeal to them.

I had my nurse (who was very sympathetic) pull my records and provide me documentation of every complaint of a back ache or head ache I'd ever had. (So complain to your doctor now!!). I had them provide documentation of my weight loss over the years (30 lbs at that point??) to show that my breast size hadn't decreased (or if it had decreased as I'd lost weight, my breasts were still HUGE regardless.) I had been to a neurologist for migraines and had them write a letter stating my breast size caused severe tension to my shoulders and neck, thus a contributing cause to my debilitating migraines.

I even included a personal statement of how my quality of life was hampered by my encumbering breasts -- couldn't get into positions in yoga, couldn't run due to the pain, had a difficult time holding my toddler due to my breasts being in the way!!!!, couldn't fit into normal shirts, couldn't find a bathing suit, my poor posture due to slouching to hide them, how it impacted my self esteem.... I laid it all out for them.

In the end, I won the appeal and had my surgery with a WONDERFUL surgeon in my area. If you get to that point, research your surgeon well. Shop around, not for price but for SKILL. My surgeon specializes in breast reconstruction for cancer patients. He did an AMAZING job. The docs should have pictures on file to show you the before and afters you can expect. I was able to see an album that had about 20 reductions so I could get a realistic idea. They will not turn out like Pam Anderson. They will still be slightly saggy and even odd shaped depending, BUT the pain from the weight will be GONE!!!!

The surgery itself left me in pain for a day or so. Achy muscle type pain. Drainage tubes run "under" the breast, where it meets with the chest. The tubes extend down to about waist level, with bulbs at the end. (You pin these to your shirt.) It allows for the wound to heal properly. You empty the drainage bulbs and record the amounts, so the doc can measure and make sure everything is healing correctly and nothing is pooling on the inside. They remove the tubes after a week (???) which is an odd sensation but not painful.

Generally, I think they say it takes 2 weeks to fully heal. It was HARD for me not to lift ANYTHING because I had a 2.5 year old who wanted to cuddle. She adapted well and was cognizant of mommy's 'boo boo'. I ended up taking 3 weeks to heal. I had more severe pain at the incision sites. (Taking a shower resulted in pain as the water hit them. Um.... a comparison of pain levels.... like a shower when you have engorged breasts from nursing?? Not severe but OW.) Instead of losing sensitivity, I was HYPERsensitive for a long time.

My sister had a reduction when she was 15. Her situation was extreme. I was 26. Neither she nor I lost nipple sensation. She had a small spot under the breast that wasn't healing correctly. (It was a small open wound, nothing gory, just not healing over.) They placed a small patch of skin cells (looked like a tiny piece of clear tape) directly on the wound. The new healthy skin cells began reproducing and healed over the wound quickly.

I still have numbness on my incisions on the side of my body. Look online for pictures (but make sure no one is around, as they are very graphic.... topless, duh! lol). The cuts are "anchor cuts". They circle the nipple (lift it out, do not detach it, cut down the size of the aereola to match the smaller breast size), cut down the breast to the bottom crease, then cut from the inside (near the breast bone) to the outside, all the way back to under the arm pits. (The length of the side incision depends on how much skin they have to remove from your body, due to the size of your breast. They have to taper the skin back in.... like you would if sewing cloth together, I guess.) Under my armpits is where I have numbess on the scar lines. Not an issue at all.

In some swimsuits, tank tops, halter dresses, my under arm scars show. I don't mind. I'm SO HAPPY with my reduction that I gladly tell everyone how wonderful it is and how much my quality of life has improved!!!!!

I think my happiness shows by this novel I just wrote

Find out your insurance requirements for them to cover (even a fraction) of the surgery. Start cutting through that red tape now.

Like a couple of other's here I would strongly suggest you lose the weight before you do the reduction. If all goes right you might just need a lift in the end. I went down a bra size after I lost 25 lbs. Sucks for me, not blessed up top, LOL. I have had two very good friends get reductions and then went on to lose weight. One of them is nearly flat now and the other is a lot smaller than she wanted. Both wish they would have waited.