Breast Reduction

I had this surgery in 2001. It was my first and only surgery. I wish I had done it sooner. The pain was tough when I woke up but they immediately gave me pain meds and I was ok. The hardest part was not being able to do as much so as not to aggravate my sutures. I wish I had done it sooner. Just focus on the awesome bra shopping. It will be much cheaper and a lot more variety. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or add me as a friend.

I had this surgery in 2003 and went from a 44H to a 44D. I asked to keep some since I didn't want to loose them all. Looking back I wish I went smaller.
I was outpatient and the only thing I really remember from the actual procedure was throwing up on the PACU nurses coming out of anesthesia. The surgeon will most likely use something called a Jackson-Pratt drain for each breast. These are drains that are stitched in place so that as you heal, the fluids that need to drain can. You will most likely go home with them, but your nurses should teach you how to empty them and measure the fluids. Honestly, its not a big deal. Those will come out at an office visit about a week after surgery.
I also had a reaction to the pain meds that I was given, but I was fine on Advil as long as I kept up with taking them regularly. This is my big thing. KEEP TAKING YOUR PAIN MED OF CHOICE EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU ARE HAVING A FINE TIME FOR AT LEAST THE FIRST WEEK!!! I can't stress this enough. I waited too long to take something once and had trouble getting comfortable for hours. Just keep on a med schedule and you'll be fine.
I have some scarring, but I don't really even notice it anymore. It was one of the best things I've ever done for myself.

I had my reduction 3 1/2 years ago (I was only 27) and haven't looked back since! I went from spilling out of a DD to a full C.

My surgery was outpatient and I was more nervous about getting the IV in than I was the surgery itself (I hate needles). Before the surgery my biggest problem was that you can't eat/drink anything after midnight and my surgery kept getting pushed back so I was dying to get some water!

I when I woke up I was in some pain and got sick from the anesthesia (sp?) but they gave med anti-nausea and pain meds and I went back to sleep. LOL I stayed overnight and woke up several times to go to the bathroom because the IV fluids were flushing out my body. I did take one pain pill at some time in the night. The biggest "issue" for me is that a nurse came in overnight and made me do a breathing test to test my lung function to make sure I didn't get pnumonia (rolling eyes). They did it at 3:00 in the morning and wouldn't let me refuse the treatment... Sure enough I had an extra $100 on my statement for the nurse's time and the equipment.

I have a medium to low pain tolerance, but other than the pain pill in the middle of the night I did not take anything stronger than advil (and to be honest, that was more for my TOM cramping than the pain from surgery). I even took a walk with my Mom around the neighborhood that evening!

Some random things that you may not have heard before... Caring for the stitches is pretty easy, but gets old. Make sure you have cheap sports bras because you will "seep" fluids for a few days. Immediately post surgery you will be "smaller" than you will end up being. Everything is pulled tight so your cup size is smaller. As you heal your shape will become more normal. As your nerves reconnect you can actually feel them! It feels like a quick bee sting and it will travel up the nerve and then be gone quickly. Doesn't really hurt but it can startle you.

They said to take 2 weeks off for recovery. If you have a desk job where you don't lift you can probably go back after one week as long as there are no complications.

Don't stress! If you have any questions feel free to ask!

i am thinking of doing this also... my question is... i want to have kids, will a reduction affect my ability to breastfeed??

It depends. They were able to to move my nipples with everything intact, but that doesn't guarantee anything. If you have an extreme case they may have to detact the nipple which means you absolutely can't breastfeed because the connections aren't there any more (which also means no sensation). Nothing iis guaranteed in life, even without the surgery you may not be able to breast feed.

I struggled with this too... But I finally got tired of the back pain, the weight and not being able to wear a button up shirt. I might have waited if children seemed to be in the immediate future, but since they weren't I decided to have the surgery. Since I'm still not married I'm glad I didn't wait.

Also, my surgeon informed me it would be nearly impossible for me to ever breast feed. nothing to do with the nipples, more to do with them messing with the glands.

I don't have really anything to add to the conversation other than to say that I am jealous...cause my surgery (not planned yet) is to give me boobs since I didn't have much before losing weight, but they are going away fast anyway. :ohwell:

Best thing I ever did. Went from a 38H to a 38 (big) C. (I'm back up to a DD from weight gain) The only problem I had was the doctor placed my nipples too high. When my breast reshaped after a couple months, they dropped a little but my nipples DIDNT! It is the worst! Have to be very conscious of the shirts I wear. Other than that, I've never regretted it.

My insurance covered it (most do), plus I was able to claim it on this short term disability insurance that I've had, so I actually walked away with extra money...not the reason I did it, but talk about win, win, win!

Sorry that's not actually true if they remove your nipples it does not mean you cannot breastfeed. I had the surgery about 15 years ago and they did remove them and I have breastfed both my kids. It depends on how well they connect the ducts and how long after your surgery you breastfed (because the tissue, etc grows back). now I do have a lot of problems with blocked ducts and mastitis which I believe is due to that but no one has confirmed that

Best thing I ever did! Outpatient surgery and bra shopping less then 2 weeks later! Drain tubes a pain but soooo worth it!

Yes, I had mine in February 2009, a few months after I had my last child. I am so glad that I did it, it wasn't long before I completely forgot how big they were at first. I wasn't really having any major pains or discomfort from them, they were just too doggone big!

The surgery went great (outpatient) and I didn't do as well with the pain as everyone else claims but I'm not sure why. I tend to have a high tolerance for pain, but I was popping those pills like crazy with very little relief. I probably would have been better off just taking Advil. smh The scarring has healed beautifully and is not very noticeable.

I love my breasts and although my husband was sad at first and thought he wouldn't like them small, he immediately loved them as well.

Also, my surgeon informed me it would be nearly impossible for me to ever breast feed. nothing to do with the nipples, more to do with them messing with the glands.

Yup. Generally quite a few of the actual milk ducts will be removed, so one may be able to BF, but generally supply issues will be a problem.

I was never successfully able to nurse, since I had pretty flat nipples and boobs that were 40H-I the entire time I lactated, which was just so cumbersome to deal with, especially after a c-section. We also later found that my son's latching issues were made worse by an extra long/tight frenulum between his top 2 teeth. I pumped for a year and made milk like a cow! :laugh:

I'm coming up on...8 years since my reduction. Wow, it's hard to believe it's been so long. I went from a 34DDD (after weaning I was a 38DDD, then lost 40#s before surgery) long to a 34D perky! No complications, scars that are only visible if a person knows where to look and looks HARD. My surgeon was a genius and an artist. He developed the SPAIR technique. I would have liked to have gone down to a C, but I have a very full/wide breast base, so it wouldn't have left me with very well-shaped breasts. Mine still look as beautiful as they did a year out from surgery.

It was really the best thing I ever did for myself and I was so thankful to have had great surgery at the time. I'm sure our current provider wouldn't have covered it, even though it was so warranted and it allowed me to go from a couch potato to a woman who now logs >3500 miles on her bike and nearly 1000 miles on foot every year. Things I never could have done with those weights around my neck.

I got mine done in 2001 - and I still love it. I gained a bunch of weight in the years following the surgery, so my boobs got bigger, but I still liked the shape/perkiness sooooo much better than before. And, now that I've been losing weight, my boobs have gotten a lot smaller again - and I still love the shape!

My issues: I'm self-conscious about my scars, my cleavage is uneven, and there is a little pucker at one of the end of one of the scars which sometimes gets irritated when I run. My doctor had said he would fix the pucker but I moved and never followed through so that's on me. My ex-husband and other boyfriends have never really said anything about my scars or noticed my cleavage is uneven, but I'm self-conscious about it and am going to see if there is anything that can be done.

On a lighter note - the surgery changed the direction of my stretch marks.

This is very informative. I am considering a reduction myself at the end of the year when I have enough leave from work. I heard that it is more painful to do in the winter when it is cold out. . .is this true?