Bobbing of the boobs: My path to happiness!

More followup!

2010-04-02T06:25:00.000-07:00

Well, it's only been FOREVER since I updated, but that's a good thing! No news is good news right?! Well, I really have no news! Other than I'm awesome! I'm healed, the scars are starting to fade, and I don't go back for another checkup for 6 months. I am a success story and that makes me so happy!

I recently had a friend (okay, an internet acquaintance) who had a reduction. She said I inspired her and gave her the courage to do it. Never in my life did I dream I could help someone in such a way but it's absolutely amazing to hear that I gave her the confidence in herself to do what she had wanted for so, so long. So, Ang (if you read this)...I am so happy for you!

I'm still wearing a bra all the time as I fight gravity every day! :) But, I like bras now so it's okay! I found an blissfully comfortable racerback bra at Gap and I think I could just live in it. I feel its going to be a staple in my undergarments drawer for a long, long time. I'm between a 36 and 38C. I usually get 38C bras and wear them on the tightest hook.

It's amazing people.

I will open up the blog now to questions...so if you come across this blog and have a question, leave it for me in the comments. I will respond in a new post. Also, leave an email address so I can get in touch with you.

My path to happiness...seems like I found the first few steps to be well worth it!

Almost 6 weeks post-op!

2010-01-22T12:50:00.000-08:00

How crazy is that? I am healing so well. There are quite a few places that I can't even tell where the incision site was.

So...tonight, I will be going shopping for some cute wireless bras (can't have underwire for 3 months after the surgery). I'm so darn excited about this.

Other than that, I'm ready to start up some sort of physical routine and get to feeling better both on the physical level and the emotional one.

This was one of the best decisions I ever made. Ever.

Pre-op / op / post-op Recap!

2009-12-30T16:41:00.000-08:00

I was to be at the hospital at 9:15 to give a urine sample. While I peed in my lovely cup, the girls were shuttled to daycare by Brandon and then he met me in One Day Surgery. I was shown a room which was multiple cubicle like areas. I got in my gown, got some super sexy compression stockings and grippy slippers.

You know that's hot!

I read some information about anesthesia, signed a consent form, visited with my BFF Angie (she also works at the hospital so she spent a lot of time around that day since she was in the building for meetings), and then finally was told it was time to walk to the surgical suite. Brandon walked with me and the nurse for a bit (he had to take my glasses, so I was walking blind...which sucks!) and then he went his own way to the waiting room.

Once in the surgical suite, I was shown back to my own little corner of the big room which was divided by lots of curtains. Again, still blind...I lay in my little bed just smiling at those that pass me by. I can't see their faces. I have no idea who they are. By this time, I'm waaaaaaaay past nervous and just wishing I could get some drugs to relax me.

Soon enough, my surgeon comes in and starts the process of marking me up. It was then that I learned that I'm crooked. And not in a shifty sort of way, but instead that one shoulder hangs lower than the other. The doc marked me all up, and then had me get back in bed, for it was time to wait for the anesthesia tech. Once they came in, I got my IV, some IV antibiotic, and more talk about the dangers and whatnot. Yeah, people...I know this by now. The lead anesthesiologist came in and told me the plan. I informed him that morphine is NOT my friend. He said they would take care of me. Then, they administered the happy meds and with a twitch of the nose, we were off towards the operating room.

During the leisurely roll over to the operating room, one of the techs asked where I worked. I told him what department and he said, "Oh! You probably know my wife!" We exchanged a bit and finally it clicked! I said, "Oh my goodness! You're her husband! I love her! We just went out drinking last weekend! I love her soooooooo..............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!"

Yeah. Nice one. Reaaaaaaaaal nice, Jeana.

Next think I know, I'm waking up with a sore throat that rivals anything I've ever felt before. And a taste in my mouth that is just rancid. Is that...vomit? Oh, oh...yep..."GIVE ME A PAN!"

Frick! They gave me morphine!

My surgery started before 11 am. I didn't get to my observation room until 5:30 pm. The surgery is supposed to last about 3 hours, as mine did. But, because I was so ill post-op...I spent a longer than normal time in recovery. Throwing my guts up.

And you know what...there is nothing more annoying than people waking you up when ALL.YOU.WANT.TO.DO is sleep. Trust me, doctors and nurses...I know you want me to be awake, but I know I'll feel better if I sleep and there is a good chance I'll stop ralphing if you just let me do that. Thank goodness I only remember throwing up that once. Ugh, I hate throwing up.

Next, I'm wheeled to my cozy little home on the OB floor of the hospital. By the time we get to the room, I have to pee sooooooo bad, and I know I'd rather just stand up and walk to the bathroom. Ah...it felt great to stand up. Brandon said I was as white as a ghost, but my color returned fairly quickly. Once I got settled in, I did a little texting/Blackberry Messaging/emailing to let people know that I'd survived. Barely. ;)

I loved staying on the OB floor. The nurses were beyond awesome, it was quiet (no babies at the time), and I had my own room. My only complaint, which was out of the control of anyone...was the liquid diet only. BOO, people! I hadn't eaten for what seemed a lifetime and all I wanted was some frickin' food! I will say that the jello was top-notch and I think I inhaled it. :)

I took my pain meds (lortab) on time, and slept as much as possible. I went home the next day, and man...it was great to be home!

All-in-all...the entire process went without a hitch. I felt great, and still do feel great. I would do this again in a heartbeat and I'm wondering why I waited this long.

The before...and the after!

2009-12-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

AND

There you have it! :) Today is almost one week post-op, and I had my follow up appointment. I got my drains removed, which pretty much was the best thing to ever happen to me. It didn't hurt me at all, so I was very thankful. Quick and pretty painless. It hurt more for them to cut the stitches out and then clean the area with gauze. Now, I just continue to wear the surgical garment for 6 more weeks, while applying Neosporin and next week I start scar therapy with cocoa butter lotion to help reduce the scars as much as possible.

I go back for another follow up on January 5th.

I still need to write an entry about the entire day of surgery and the day after. I'll get to that soon! Hopefully after the holidays! :)

Love to all!

It's done!

2009-12-17T17:46:00.000-08:00

Well, surgery day has came and went! I've been home since yesterday and am doing pretty well. Pain has really been tolerable in most cases. I've had to give up my Lortab, as I believe they were making me quite sick this morning.

As far as the surgery, I did really well. It took about 3 hours but they gave me Morphine after the procedure was finished. Morphine does not cooperate with me very well, so I was sick for a bit after that. Apparently they wouldn't let Brandon back there and he was sort of upset by this.

I was on the OB floor which was the best thing ever. The nurses were fabulous and I had wonderful care.

The drains are annoying. I can't wait to get them out. I'm thinking that will happen Monday at my first follow-up appointment.

But one thing is for certain, my boobs are smaller and I'm very happy with the results so far. I did get a peek under my compression garments yesterday and it was upsetting but I think that's normal. It will get better. I am only 2 days post-op after all!

More to come!

Tomorrow...

2009-12-14T12:42:00.001-08:00

My mind is mush and I'm so scared.

Tonight I have to pack my bag, get the girls packed, take before photos (ugh!), and just try and relax.

Not sure that's going to happen! Ha!

Anyway, I have to be at the lab tomorrow morning at 9 am for a urine pregnancy test and then off to One Day Surgery to get checked in!

PRAY FOR ME! :)

5 Days...

2009-12-10T09:43:00.001-08:00

I knew it was close but seeing that countdown literally made my stomach drop. Five days?! I have so much to do in those five days. Everything is "ready", in the surgery sense. My Mom is taking the girls home with her Tuesday after my surgery and keeping them until Friday. I can't express how helpful this will be for Brandon...and for me. If they aren't there and I know they are happy with her, then I can rest and heal better.

I know the theme of my last few posts has really been all about how scared I am. That hasn't changed. I'm still very terrified. But I do feel a little more prepared. I know it's going to be tough, especially trying to get the girls to understand why I can't carry them, hold them, etc. Thankfully the timing is lining up with my holiday schedule and school quite nicely.

Recovery...I've got some pain pills and Ambien to help me feel better and sleep well. My friend Trey is hooking me up with his entire collection of movies (well over 250), and I'm looking forward to just...being.

I'm trying to keep my eye on the prize but it's getting increasingly hard!

Final pre-op consultation review!

2009-12-03T18:15:00.000-08:00

Well, today was the day for my very last pre-op consultation with the surgeon. The appointment was at 3:15 and I was actually a little late due to some work circumstances and forgetting that they moved the location of the office (duh, me!).

I started the appointment out with the registered nurse who took my temp and blood pressure. Pretty basic stuff. She then gave me the informed concent forms to review while I wanted for the surgeon's assistant to come in. Boy, that stuff is fun to read. "You might die. Your boobs might be lumpy or hard or lop-sided or they themselves my die. You might bleed to death. You might be completely unhappy with the results. Please sign here!"

Ooookay! Luckily the assistant came in and told me that she's seen my doctor perform this procedure countless times. She only once saw a bad outcome and that was due to the direct result of the patient not being upfront and honest with them about the fact that she smoked. Since breasts are...let's face it...fat, healing is harder because it's not an area of the body that demands blood supply. Smoking restricts blood flow even further which caused a lot of issues in this case. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about that. I'm a young, healthy woman who should heal well. Awesome.

Next, we discussed specifics about the surgery and what would be coming down the pipe for me in preparation for it. I might have mentioned previously, but I am having the procedure done at the hospital where I am employed. For this reason, I asked if I could recover on the OB/Labor and Delivery units due to a more private setting and I was told that this is generally possible. I found much comfort in that. I was told that I would be contacted by the PREP clinic to get more information about my surgery and answer any questions they might have. I would make the unit request at that time. I was given a folder with lots of fun specifics like what I could and could not bring to the hospital, how I can't eat after midnight the day of my surgery, where to park (haha!) and a few other Do's and Don't's.

Next, we addressed meds. I am to pick up my pain meds and sleeping pills before the day of my surgery so I will have them beforehand. I will have Norco for pain and Ambien CR to help me rest. I am a little nervous about the Norco, which is a hydrocodone derivative and also the generic name for Lortab. Most pain meds make me sick so I really want to avoid that. Oh, and I'm to take colace a few days before the surgery. I would hate to get stopped up. :)

Then came the fun part...trying on my compression garments for after surgery. They are some kind of attractive! Link here! I assure you the next $78 bra I buy will be much prettier! So I have two of those to wear 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for 6 weeks. Woo hoo.

And probably the highlight of the appointment came next...the drain discussion. Oh boy! That really is the one thing that scares me the most. I know drains are uncomfortable. I had one in my hip. But I've never had two and I've never had them for 6 days. The tubing will sit in my incision bed which happens to be under my breasts (one on each side). I am really trying to not think about this too much. I realize it's going to hurt when they are taken out. But I'm hoping a few deep breaths and perhaps a choice word or two will help that pass.

I did meet with the surgeon (after a slight delay due to her getting caught in surgery a little longer than expected) and we discussed what size I wanted to be again. She's thinking still in the large C to small D area. I am to think of this question in the next week and a half and report back my answer: If given the choice, would you rather be a little larger or a little smaller than your ideal size? Right now, I guess I'd say a little larger because I do hope to lose more weight after this is all said and done. But I'm going to keep thinking about this.

Other than that...seems like it will be smooth sailing. I'll probably have to re-read this post and try and remember what I've omitted. I'm sure there is a lot!

Until next time!

From freaking out...

2009-12-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

To complete hysteria and the like. I really am having trouble with this whole surgery thing. I've been put "under" only a few times in my life. None of them were fun. I don't expect this instance to be all that different. I'll go to sleep and wake up with a few things going on...1) I'll be in pain; 2) I'll probably be sick; and 3) I'll probably cry (because crying is what I do best).

It doesn't help that I'm under a little bit of stress at work right now. I'm worried about the departments I support and how they will "survive" without me. It's one thing to be on vacation, and be available via a phone call or email but it's a completely different beast to be truly unavailable due to a surgery and post-op recovery. I keep telling myself that I am preparing them for my being unavailable but the worrier in me keeps saying, "BUT JEANA!". I should totally shut that person up.

Tomorrow is another appointment with the surgeon. I've got a list of questions I want to ask. Once I get some answers, I'll post that material here for reference.

Melissa, my Internet/blogger/boob reduction extraordinaire friend...has been doing her best to keep me sane. Thank you thank you thank you!

I did have my pre-op blood work done a week or so ago. That was fun. For whatever reason, be it my luck, my karma, or just my radiantly positive personality...I was given a student phlembotimist. Oh crud! But, I've got veins that any drug addict would kill for. Big and very much easy to see. "This will be cake for her," I thought.

I thought wrong!

She didn't miss the vein, but she went straight through it. Some additional fumbling took place and I got really warm and nearly harfed. I survived, obviously. Let's hope she learned something at my expense, why don't we?

So, I'm just plugging along...trying to remain calm, cool, and collected. We'll see how good I do with that.

;)

Two weeks...

2009-12-01T06:26:00.001-08:00

And I am freaking out. Completely freaking out!

That is all.

:(

Compression tanks, and the like...

2009-11-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

I've had quite a few requests to share the compression tanks I've talked about. I own two, both the same brand (a black one and a white one).

Now, I don't believe they are marketed as compression tanks, but they work just as well. They are snug, stretchy, and really seem to help.

Link here!

Now, in further research...I see that Spanxs sells some tanks that are labeled as slimming and providing light compression. Link! and Link!! Admittedly, I wear them primarily to make me feel less wary of my breasts, but they do provide benefits in my tummy trouble zone!

A little more than 3 weeks until surgery! I'm growing increasingly nervous, yet excited. We put up the Christmas tree yesterday. I am trying to get as much done as possible before the week prior to my surgery.

Left on the table for doctor's visits and pre-op testing is my blood work and another visit to the surgeon.

Take care!

Today, I had a mammogram.

2009-11-10T08:15:00.000-08:00

That was quite an experience. My boobs are still aching a bit. I'm guessing its standard practice to have a baseline mammogram done before having a reduction. My surgeon's nurse called and told me she had sent orders to our Breast Center and for me to call and make an appointment, with the suggestion that "the sooner, the better". The Breast Center had a 7:15 am appointment the following day open so I took it.

I really wasn't nervous. I mean, showing "the girls" seems to get easier as I go along. The process was pretty easy. I just checked in, got a room, undressed my upper half and put on a smock-like thing. The tech put two markers on my nipples and then we got started. They do a forward-facing smash, and a side smash. Fun stuff. It was never painful, just really uncomfortable. I kind of had a momentary "oh my gosh this is making me feel claustrophobic", but it was short lived. The tech was kind and very good at what she did.

So, the radiologist will read the images tomorrow morning and send the results to my doctor. I will also get a copy of my results. Here's hoping all is well!

More scheduling...

2009-11-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

I got a call today from the nurse at the surgeon's office, to tell me that she had faxed over paperwork to my primary doctor to review which will determine if the primary doctor wants to see me prior to my having surgery. She also wanted to tell me that she was submitting orders for my mammogram (yippee...NOT) and I should do it as soon as possible. So, I am planning on doing that this coming Monday.

Other than that, it appears that I will be waiting to hear back from my primary doctor. The nurse said it looked like we were still a-go for the 15th of December and I've put in the requests for time off work.

I've also started to consider how I will photo-document this journey. So, here is one photo which shows the denting in my shoulders:

Good enough reason for me to endure the hardship of this reduction!

SURGERY SCHEDULED!!

2009-11-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

December 15th at 11:30 am. More updates on this later!

UPDATED:

Well, I decided to call the nurse at my surgeon's office over my lunch hour. Couldn't hurt right? I knew that the authorization had gone through, and pretty much couldn't force myself to wait any longer. I asked to speak with the nurse and told her who I was and what I was calling for. She knew exactly who I was and said she'd hoped to call me today (oops!) to discuss what needed to be lined up.

She said the first thing we needed to do was pick a surgery date. My surgeon does the surgeries on Tuesday, at the local hospital (also my employer!). I asked if she thought there was any way I could get the surgery before the end of the year, for practical purposes like the fact that my deductible resets on January 1. She said she thought that would be entirely possible if I was flexible with my dates.

So she starts reading through them and we decide on December 15th. She said she needs to have their nurse practitioner call my primary care physician and make sure there isn't anything she feels I need done before surgery (tests, etc).

The 15th, she said, was a good date to pick because there weren't any other surgeries on the books for that day. Most of the other days, the surgeon had breast reconstructions to do either before or after, which could mean pushing my surgery off if needed, delays, and the like. So, the nurse was fairly confident that the 15th would be MY date.

Surgery will be at 11:30 am. Looks like it's going to be a Merry Christmas for me!

Every story has a starting point...

2009-11-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

And this is mine...A blog devoted solely to the breast reduction I am planning to have. How did I get here? The process was...well, easier than I thought it might be. I've obviously met one of the requirements: insanely large breasts. Currently, I sit at a 36G. This all came as a shock to me a little over a year ago when I went bra shopping and had my first fitting. I was wearing a 38DDD. I got professionally measured for the first time ever and was filled with embarrassment and totally mortified. 36G?! I mean, yay about the 36 part...but G?! Holy crap.

Since then (and really, before then...) I have developed quite a self-conscious about my breasts. I'm more aware of them. It wears on me quite heavily. Clothes never quite fit right, I have issues trying to exercise, the standard shoulder dents and ouchies under my breasts, and even numbness and tingling in my fingers after a day of wearing a bra. I've started wearing compression tanks under most of my clothes because I feel it makes my breast less "noticeable". But, they are pretty much impossible to hide.

I put on a bra first thing in the morning. It does not come off until I lay down for bed. It's a horrible feeling, not to mention uncomfortable. What's it like to come home from work, slip off your bra and throw on some comfy clothes for lounging around the house? This is one of the many questions I hope to answer in the coming months!

So, I decided one fine day to really take a serious look at a reduction. My biggest fear was "Will my insurance cover this procedure?" After all, it is plastic surgery and probably not easily deemed "medically necessary". Am I going to die because of my abnormally and uncomfortably large breasts? No. But would it benefit me on many levels to have this done? Absolutely. With that, I decided to get an appointment with my primary care physician. This appointment was on October 5, 2009. My doctor was kind, understanding, and agreeing that I probably had grounds to proceed into the journey of breast reduction. She wrote up a referral for a plastic surgeon and wished me luck, assuring that if she needed to write a letter to the insurance company, she would.

The next day, I heard from the plastic surgeon and had an appointment set for October 8th with her. Wow. Moving right along, I'd say.

The consultation. I was incredibly nervous. I knew I'd have to...obviously...expose myself to more than one person, have pictures taken, measurements, and who knows what else! The surgeon and her physician assistant were great. I talked with them about some of the issues I've encountered, talked specifics as far as measurements (and even had some measurements taken), and then the physical portion took place. The surgeon asked what I expected to come out of the surgery with (meaning cup size). I laughed and said, "Uh, a DD?" She said, "Wrong." And she is totally right. I don't still want DDs! I want D's! She was able to sort of manipulate my breasts to show me what they would look like, post surgery and post healing. That was sort of weird but also eye-opening. I was like, "Okay, yeah, I want this!" Some pictures were taken (oh yuck, I hated this part!) and that was that. I was instructed to call my insurance company in two weeks, and then each week after in order to request an update on where they were with processing my file. The surgeon said she'd done numerous surgeries for patients that carried the same insurance as I did, and that the insurance company was very easy to work with. It was a relief to hear that.

Well, two weeks huh? Yeah, I'm impatient! I called two days early (October 20, 2009)! I found out that they had gotten all the information from my doctor and were in the process of requesting a bit more information from the surgeon. I followed up with my doctor and insured they didn't need anything from me.

On October 26th, the nurse at my doctor's office called to let me know they were checking with the insurance company to make sure everything was in order. She assured me they would call if they needed anything.

This brings us to today. November 1st. I, being impatient (as previously stated), decided I might as well call for an update. Turns out, my timing is perfect. I had been APPROVED for the surgery on Friday, October 30th. I was given the authorization number to pass on to my doctor (which I did) and am now waiting for a return phone call from the nurse in order to get things moving on the surgery!

I'm a ball of nerves. I'm scared of many things, but mostly hopeful. Hopeful of how well this is going to go and how I will feel about myself after its all said and done. I know that from the date of authorization approval, it can be at least 4 weeks before you are open for surgery due to pre-requisites for the procedure (like a baseline mammogram and some other things). Timing will be tricky, as I try and work with my employer to find a good time to be out.

I will have to be out of work for a week on straight rest...no "working". I'm hoping that I can spend a second week working from home, returning to my actual office on the third week. We'll see!

Updates to follow...