Having Surgery in 3 Weeks

[Anne]

Originally Posted by Keri58

r.... in the end you want what you want and like Anne has said, your PS's idea of "proportionate" and your idea of "proportionate" in many cases are on the opposite ends of the scale. We can't say it enough.... MAKE YOUR WISHES KNOWN!

Thanks Keri, it is so important, the "proportionate" idea --- I agree, IMO it is absolutely CRUCIAL to be sure you and your PS are on the same page --- his/her idea of a "C" may be completely different from your idea of a "C".

I let my first PS make the "proportionate" decision for me and it was a very expensive mistake on my part that cost $7600 to remedy!! (insurance refused to pay for a 2d BR).

[Anne]

Originally Posted by whatisperfect

...... At what point do you think I will be able to lift my son? My surgeon said that lifting him right away as long as I am doing it just with my arms shouldnt be a problem, its when you use your chest to lift.

Will I be okay to be out and about at 2 weeks? Nothing crazy but I do wonder if I am going to be/feel too fragile to do anything. I will be wearing a support bra given by the hospital 24/7 so I hope that is enough.

Lifting -- oh goodness! I do not in any way mean to contradict your PS but usually when you have a BR you are restricted from lifting anything over 5 pounds for at least the first month, and that includes children. Say that you did lift your son and he unwittingly whacked your boobs with his foot or hand, or slammed his head into your cleavage to nestle --- I think that would cause serious pain. Also you should not vacuum, lift full laundry baskets, or do anything that causes excessive stretching or reaching.

There are many 100s of stitches inside your breasts after a BR, to hold together the remaining tissues, and you do NOT want to run a risk of splitting your outside incision, esp. if you are having a lollipop, because it puts a tremendous amount of tension on the vertical incisions. Again this is just IMHO, but experience has taught most of us to go easy for awhile. My advice would be to re-visit this topic with your PS.

Out and about? Oh yes, definitely. You will be ready for getting out of the house! Just wear your support bra and guard your chest against people bumping into it. Word of advice -- DO NOT try on bras at 2 weeks post-op, your breasts won't even begin to settle down til about 3 months. Trust me on this one.

[Sally-Anne]

I didn't have a BR, but just wanted to say congratulations on surgery date, and welcome, this site is amazing the ladies are great. It's wonderful to be able to get so much first hand info from such lovely people!

[Flash]

Lifting -- oh goodness! I do not in any way mean to contradict your PS but usually when you have a BR you are restricted from lifting anything over 5 pounds for at least the first month, and that includes children. Say that you did lift your son and he unwittingly whacked your boobs with his foot or hand, or slammed his head into your cleavage to nestle --- I think that would cause serious pain. Also you should not vacuum, lift full laundry baskets, or do anything that causes excessive stretching or reaching.

There are many 100s of stitches inside your breasts after a BR, to hold together the remaining tissues, and you do NOT want to run a risk of splitting your outside incision, esp. if you are having a lollipop, because it puts a tremendous amount of tension on the vertical incisions. Again this is just IMHO, but experience has taught most of us to go easy for awhile. My advice would be to re-visit this topic with your PS.

Out and about? Oh yes, definitely. You will be ready for getting out of the house! Just wear your support bra and guard your chest against people bumping into it. Word of advice -- DO NOT try on bras at 2 weeks post-op, your breasts won't even begin to settle down til about 3 months. Trust me on this one.

Just want to emphasize everything Anne has said here - especially the lifting part! Good luck!

[whatisperfect]

Thanks Anne. I really was surprised he didnt seem concerned about lifting a child but he did say not to raise my arms above my head or anything like that...I will discuss this again further with him definately, and line up some more help for the first couple weeks!

He uses glue on the outside, stitches on the inside, I wonder if that could possibly be a reason for the different post op instructions .

[MrsM]

Originally Posted by whatisperfect

Thanks Anne. I really was surprised he didnt seem concerned about lifting a child but he did say not to raise my arms above my head or anything like that...I will discuss this again further with him definately, and line up some more help for the first couple weeks!

He uses glue on the outside, stitches on the inside, I wonder if that could possibly be a reason for the different post op instructions .

I don't think the glue makes a difference, I think you really should readdress the lifting issue with your PS because we all sound like a broken record BUT....the key to healing easily is the less you do for the 1st few weeks! No cooking, cleaning, or LIFTING...you act like a princess & get people to help you! Your son isn't going to be happy, but he can cause you some harm with a flailing arm or foot! After you have begun to truely heal, you can hold him, but I would really try not to pick him up for atleast a month to play it safe!

[mrs.delrosario]

Hi there! I think we are very similar. Except I was a 36HH! I had my BR when my son was about 5 months old. I'm 27 and recovery was not very difficult. I did have a very good support system though. My husband and mom helped me very much for about 3 weeks. Plus my son wasn't very heavy and he didn't crawl or walk so he was very easy to handle. Just make sure to listen to your body. Actually, i take that back. Be more careful than what your body tells you. Some days I fely fantastic and was doing all sorts of things, than the next thing you realize is that you over did it!!!

I told my dr. to make me as small as he can possibly stand, and I am very pleased with the results. Please make sure that your PS has a good understanding of what you want to look like. It's very important for both of you to be on the same page.

Please feel free to message me with any questions. I'm not really on the BR forum as much, i'm getting my tummy tuck in a couple of weeks so i'm usually over there more. I'm sending you a friend request so you can view my photos. Good Luck!

[Anne]

Altho I didn't buy any bras today, I went shopping and discovered that I am (at this moment) a not-quite-B cup.

What is .. I'll FR you so you can see my boob pics if you wish.

[akspellm]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I had a similar size reduction (34DDD to 34C) almost 7 months ago. It was the best decision I have ever made. I absolutely LOVE my IBTs! Good Luck with your surgery!!

[Vikki~]

Originally Posted by akspellm

Hello and welcome to the forum. I had a similar size reduction (34DDD to 34C) almost 7 months ago. It was the best decision I have ever made. I absolutely LOVE my IBTs! Good Luck with your surgery!!

Hi!! 7 months already? wow.. im so happy your happy

[whatisperfect]

akspellm! I viewed your pictures and you look great! Congrats! They look perfect on you!

I definately am going to have one last talk with the doc about sizing. I believe he is understanding the shape I want to have, and that do not want my boobs to be the same proportion as my hips, so I am going to stick with the B, and im going to keep repeating it to him.

Im a little upset bc some family think that I am making a horrible mistake and it just makes me nervous even though my doc. is well known, chief of plastic surgery at the hospital (so hes not just a nut on the side of the road like they think i would choose) is certified like a PS should be, has awards blah blah, and those are not just the only reasons I picked him (bc we all know that well known docs can make mistakes too)but bc I wanted this technique done and he is passionate about this technique and has good photos. I think i went about this in a smart way.

They think that its way too much money, but who would spend only a couple thousand on this? U pay for what you get. And they say well i wouldnt let anyone cut me open unless it was necessary...but unless ur a woman with this issue, u have no idea what its like to want to just be free of big saggy boobs.

Family also does not agree with me being a B bc I am a litle on the taller side...I dont think im real large or anything but Im not short and petite, im actually just an average height and build really, and Idont think that I need to be 5ft 2 to carry a size B.

I am hoping I can get a B and still get some roundness and fullness on top. It seems that I might not get the best of both worlds unless I had a small implant put in or something, which I am NOT going to do.

Sigh, well only a little over a week now to go. The waiting is anxious thats for sure.

[MrsM]

Just curious..have you checked to see if your insurance would cover the procedure? Many of us went that route!

There will always be doubters & naysers, but until they have walked in your boobs (tell them to tie huge sacks of flour to their chest!), then they have no idea what you have gone through & why you want this procedure! You are doing it for yourself, not for them & though it may be difficult, tune those people out & just seek out the supportive ones for now!

[Rhiannon]

and congrats on your upcoming surgery!!!!!

[Keri58]

Im a little upset bc some family think that I am making a horrible mistake - They think that its way too much money - Family also does not agree with me being a B - well, all I'm gonna say is.... pay no attention to the family behind the curtain! This is NOT about family.... this is about YOU and what YOU want. "Family" is NOT living with your boobs and all that goes with them! When they see how much more comfortable and happier you are, then they'll realize that this was NOT a horrible mistake and that it was NOT too much money (whether you or insurance pays for it) and that a B is NOT too small!!! Sometimes money does buy happiness and the "family" will see/know that everytime you talk about it with your beaming smile!

I am hoping I can get a B and still get some roundness and fullness on top - hopefully that is what you'll get but it all depends on your body's makeup and what the surgeon can and can not do once they're in there. There are no guarantees with this surgery but you will be so much better off no matter what the outcome!

Sigh, well only a little over a week now to go. The waiting is anxious thats for sure - this is the fun part and before you know it, it'll be all over! I for one, can't wait to hear all about it!

BEST OF LUCK!

[whatisperfect]

Thanks for the words of encouragment!!!
Yes, I DID think about the insurance aspect, and it was actually in my mind the last year, and I waited until I actually had good insurance that I thought would cover the procedure, but then once I did, I found out, Insurance only covered 50%! If you dont know what that means, it means that you pay half of the actual reduction fee, not the out of pocket fee that surgeons give, so it would have been like half of 25,000 or whatever the hospital charges.

And so I was upset about that, and come to find out, I would not have been big enough for insurance to cover it anyways!!! lol. I am only having 300 or so grams removed, not 500.

Apparently I am not so much big as I am saggy ,bc I thought I was way over a DDD and I am not. That confused me but I guess the extra skin makes up alot of my problem opposed to ppl who have more breast tissue?

[LessInAZ]

Hi! Sorry to chime in so late here I have been MIA actually probably more like BIA (boobies in action lolololo). I am one of the BR ladies I am 18 months post op. Do not let family or anyone else decide for you what size you want "YOUR" boobs to be. Friends and family are not the ones to have to carry them around we are. I was a full G cup pre op and told the surgeon to make em pretty..make em small and I LOVE LOVE my boobie babbies! I totally agree on the lifting. You do not want to stretch your incision out. I would say one of the most important things all the ladies here told me was....You only have 1 chance to heal. Please give yourself the gift of healing well it will all be worth it. A month or so of princess duty is worth a lifetime of beautiful boobies!

[whatisperfect]

So how might a person shave their underarms if they cannot lift? lol

I am def. lining up more help for my son than i originally was going to! Thanks for the words of wisdom. i do not want to be sorry, rather be safe! even if its more annoying for others! hahaha. my son is too wild for me toconsider going near him for awhile.



I have found a picture of my "perfect natural boobies" but the trouble is that the person is a model and shorter/tinier than I am.
Even so they are what I would be happy with.

In her info she says that she is a 32 C, but that would be considered a full B as well right? I think i am still going to show her pictures to the doc so he can get an idea bc when I say sizing I dont feel comfortable that he knows what that means in my head.

[Anne]

Originally Posted by whatisperfect

...
Im a little upset bc some family think that I am making a horrible mistake

You are doing this for YOU not your family. They don't have to live with and carry around your boobs. Do what makes YOU happy and comfortable. When they see how happy you are afterward, they will realize why you did it.

They think that its way too much money,

Did you talk with your insurance company and read through their fine print about covering a breast reduction? Sometimes you need to go higher on the chain of command in an IC to get the correct information.

Family also does not agree with me being a B

Doesn't matter what the family thinks. They are your breasts and you want what you want.

Sigh, well only a little over a week now to go. The waiting is anxious thats for sure.

That is true. But being anxious is perfectly normal. When you get nervous, just come to the forum for support.

Originally Posted by whatisperfect

So how might a person shave their underarms if they cannot lift? lol

I waited a month before wading in there. Gross, but practical. Maybe you could get 'em waxed before surgery?

I have found a picture of my "perfect natural boobies" but the trouble is that the person is a model and shorter/tinier than I am.
Even so they are what I would be happy with.

Definitely show pics to your PS so he can have a visual idea of what you are wanting.

Good luck, and keep us posted!