to want a breast reduction -Part II

[Badabingy]

hello all, me again.

I thought I'd start a new thread as the old one was getting v long.

Update as to where I am. Wanted a breast reduction for years but just not had the courage to do anything about it - around a 34J and only 5 feet high. As a result of the encouragement and positive stories posted on here I plucked up the courage to go and see my doctor - blubbed the whole way through the appointment but felt so glad that I had done it.

My doctor and I agreed that I would explore private options and she'd look into the NHS options. I saw a plastics nurse on Saturday and had a good chat with her. The big positive about the private route is that I could have it all done and dusted before I start my new job in September. Minus is that it will cost us £5600 - ouch ouch ouch. But do-able.

I spoke to the nurse today and she has given me a choice of appointments which would allow me to have the op in plenty of time. the most likely is 1st September.

The prospect makes me feel very nervous but also very excited. I just wonder whether I am rushing things a bit and should I wait to explore the NHS option a bit more? The private nurse said she had doubts as to whether I would be given the go ahead (but she did say that was just from looking at me).

Also, has anyone had experience of Miles Dickson - he would be the surgeon? He qualified in 1975, breast operations are his speciality and he works at the Lister hospital as well as the BUPA hospital I've been to.

Any advice? I can tell my husband is slightly alarmed at how quickly things are moving but I know he would ultimately respect whichever route I go down....... I need some objective advice please.

Thanks all.

[LucyLouLou]

My general opinion with this kind of surgery is that if you can afford it, you probably shouldn't take the money from the NHS, but then I am not familiar with your other thread so I may be missing a back story there. Good luck with whatever you decide to do :).

[sapphireblue]

I'm not familiar with your other thread either, but if you've made the decision and are sure it's what you want the I guess private is the quickest way to go about it. I know that you can have breast reductions on the NHS if they are affecting your day to day life (back pain etc)........however I would have thought the waiting list is probably quite long.

[JosieZ]

Yes, go for it.

My sister is having the op on the Australian NHS. Her boobs are humungus, mine are big (and blooming heavy) but hers are much bigger, 36G or something.

Only question is what size will you become??..decisions, decisions.

[wicks]

I didn't read you other thread so apologies if I'm covering old ground. I had a reduction 13 years ago at the Lister (but not that surgeon) - I don't regret having surgery.

The only thing that I possibly regret is that I didn't leave it till after I'd had children. Partially as I did have some difficulties breastfeeding (not necessarily caused by the op but I never had the confidence because of the op to trust that I had a good enough supply). Also, due to age, weight gain, pregancies and breast feeding, my boobs are not far off the size they were to start with (which is some going seeing as I went down 5 sizes!).Having said that - they are still more "lifted" than they were before and also, god knows what size they would be now if I'd not had the op!!

Generally - really thrilled I had it done - but either wish I'd gone down to a smaller size and/or waited till after kids.

[Badabingy]

Thanks all. Spoke to hubby tonight. He is supportive (ho ho) and I think I am going to go ahead for the op on the 1st september although the thought still gives me shivers....

[emmab5]

Make sure that you talk through the whole procedure with your consultant and if you are happy and feel confident with him then go for it - as I said in your other thread I have never regretted my breast reduction and still managed to successfully breatfeed 2 babies, no 3 on way. Also it's great that your hubby is supportive. Good luck with your surgery

[QuizteamBleakley]

Hi Badabingy,

Wow, this is so like me - after all the years of silent suffering / covering up I just wanted to go for it, too. That said, bloody 'eck, that's just a few weeks away. On the flipside, I was on a specialist mammary ward and shared a room with three women who'd had fairly gruesome non-elective ops. Whilst I have huge respect for the NHS and the treatment & surgery I received I would much rather have gone private, I just couldn't afford it then.

You can't really prepare too much aside from mental prep and making sure you have some cheap as chips NON wire bras (in your new pert 'n dinky size) from Primarni or the like. Also a good idea would be to make sure there's a good, soft pillow in the car for the day you leave hospital; I had to hold it over my new norks as DP drove the 40 odd mile journey home!

For the first couple of weeks I couldn't wash my own hair (180 stitches I had) so I had: endless hair appointments, a wonderful DP who would wash, dry and occasionally straighten (badly) my hair. I also had some of that Baptiste dry shampoo and a selection of hats!

I know that the end result is absolutely, abso-fecking-lutely worth it but I won't lie to you: the first week or so outta hospital was pretty shitty. I'm used to being active and independent but I was very reliant on DP to look after me a bit. I think I went back to work after two or three weeks. The worst part for me was when they remove the drains (if you need them) but that was about ten seconds of pain and, even with that thought, I'd do it again.

Do think seriously about what size you want to go. I went to a D cup but now, with the benefit of hindsight (and being 24weeks pg) I perhaps think a C would have been better. At the time I was going down ten cup sizes! More seemed churlish. I also had a few new tops and a fuckload of new, very pretty, non-scaffolding related lingerie.

Sorry for the long post: I could have just said Go for it. One final tip - keep one old bra (my old cup size fits fully over my head) and take pics of your old boobs - if you have a down day in the first couple of weeks you can remind yourself that it will be worth it.

BRAvo Badabingy, bravo (sorry, I sometimes can't help myself!)

[Badabingy]

Gosh here I am at midnight and can't sleep for thinking about it (and some other family dilemmas/problems that I could really do without). Quizteam- I appreciate your honesty as I would much rather know what I'm letting myself in for than think I will wake up feeling like a new woman straight away. Am going to go back and read the original thread too. And Emmab5 yes I will definitely talk through everything with the consultant and make sure I feel comfortable. night girls. x

[midori1999]

Have you seen the surgeon yet? Most surgeons that don't work for a big company see you at your initial appointment, which is charged for.

You need to check the qualifications of your surgeon and if he is BAAPS or BAPRAS registered and on the GMC specialist register. I would also want to see pictures of his work and what scarring his patients tend to get. It does depend on the patient and how they heal, but also the surgeons skill. Also, you need to ask what aftercare he provides and if that is included in the original price, and what would happen if you got an infection etc, would that be covered under the original op? Also, what if you weren't happy with the results and needed a re-op? Would he do that for free, would you have to pay theatre/anaesthetist costs even if he provides his own services free of charge? What would happen if you weren't happy with the results, but he felt they were as good as could be expected?

I would also suggest joining a cosmetic surgery specific forum and asking for reccomendations for surgeons there, and making sure you have seen several surgeons, at least three. One can seem very good until you have seen others. Also, 1st Sept. sounds very soon to me. I think you need to wait longer, see more surgeons and think very carefully. This is an op that could leave you seriously disfigured and you need to choose your surgeon very, very carefully.

[Badabingy]

Midori- all good points. I will see the surgeon on Wed and only then will I make my final decision. And yes I will definitely want to see pictures. The price is fixed- I asked if there would be anything not included and the answer was no- although I guess things like not being happy with them wouldn't be. At the appointment he'll tell me what results I can expect but I can ask these questions as well.

Can you recommend any forums at all? I've looked and the only ones I have found are all quite old- nothing from this year.

[midori1999]

Look Your Best is one, and I think there is one on a site called sofeminine or something like that? I found LYB the best one and they have a couple of surgeons (BAAPS registered, well known) on there that you can ask general questions in their own forums too. Haven't been on for a while though.

'fixed price' can include a lot or not much really, you need to find out exactly what is included. If you are not happy with the results of your op, depending on whether they are or aren't the results you were told to expect, or expected to get (if, for example, the surgeon didn't explain well enough) you should certainly get a re-op for free. Things such as scar revisions or silicone injections/creams if you get bad scarring would be included in a lot of cases too. Things you may not think of would be whether pain relief would be included, would they give you precautionary antibiotics after surgery, are pain killers included should you need them, how many nights hospital stay will you get? What happens if you don't feel ready to leave after those nights, will you have to pay extra? I would also want to know how experienced/qualified the anaesthetists, theatre staff are.

And I know I sound like a scratched record, but DO shop around, do not book a surgeon until you have seen several.

[EmmaBemma]

Your ideal cup size post-reduction will largely depend on the size of your breast-base; mine are quite broad so even though I wanted to be a c-cup, in retrospect my boobs would have looked a bit odd and flat if that volume of tissue hasd been removed. I ended up a 32DD which still sounds big but is actually perfect for the shape of my breasts and for my frame - another consideration - are you tall? broad/narrow shouldered?

The NHS option would obviously mean a longer wait, as well as the fact that the surgeon performing the operation might well not be the consultant you're under the care of - could very well be a registrar.

I went private (could have gone NHS) and the timescales, once I'd had the consultation, were much the same as in your case. It did feel very quick but I reasoned that I didn't need any more info before making my decision - my mind had been made up for years and I was fully genned up on all the risks etc.

Post-operatively, my advice would be REST, REST, REST. My scar healing wasn't brilliant (though they're much improved now) and I think this is largely due to the fact that I didn't follow advice about recuperation to the letter.

[EmmaBemma]

There was a brilliant forum - breastreductiononline.org or something like that - which had masses of information and even a members-only pictures section which I found really helpful. but I've just googled it and it seems to be defunct now, sorry.

[EmmaBemma]

found it! it was //www.breasthealthonline.org

It's an international forum but there's a UK section if you scroll down. You could certainly ask if anyone has experience of your sugeon.

[Badabingy]

Thanks- all really useful. I contacted my doctor today- she said that she has referred patients to the consultant that i am seeing tomorrow and would be very supportive of me choosing to have my op with him. Will update tomorrow after my appointment. x

[wedlocked]

Badabingy - I just had a reduction H cup to double D (like EmmaBemma the width of my breasts would have made anything smaller look odd).
I had the op in May privately and it all went fine. I was back at work after 3 weeks, everything healed well.
I can't tell you how great it is to be able to wear what I like without worrying about ginormous bosoms.
Go for it.
Best of luck.

[Badabingy]

So... Another update!

Saw the consultant today. Gruff would be an understatement. Clearly he is not employed for his inter-personal skills. But that's not what I want from him anyway. I am annoyed with myself as I got choked up and didn't ask lots of questions. I didn't even ask what size he thought I would be after the op!! Pretty basic stuff but nerves just got the better of me. I also didn't see any pictures of ops he had performed. In all honesty I'm not too concerned about his credentials as he comes with my lovely GPs blessing and also it's clear that he is a senior guy who specialises in all types of breast surgery. I have, however, put in a message to the nurse to say that I clammed up and didn't ask the questions I needed to (Please don't shout at me Midori!! .

He examined me and was very blunt in saying my boobs are 'very heavy' and I should get the surgery done - in a very adamant way. In a way the fact he was so black and white makes it easier -tells me I'm not some borderline case where the risks might outweigh the bebefits.

Anyway, the really scary thing is that I think I am going to have the op on Tuesday. YES- THIS TUESDAY!! This means that my mum will be able to come and look after me and help with the children, and also means that I will have had the op 10 days before we go on holiday (not going very far but it would be nice to go whilst having had a little time to recover, and I intend to take it very easy) and a month before I start a new job.

I have thought and thought about this and have researched everything over and over on the net, inlcuding reading some awful stories (one where a woman basically lost a breast after the op and was still having reconstructive surgery months after). I do feel now I have made my mind up and rather than worrying every night for a while, sooner is better.

I had wanted to keep everything quite and not tell my family, but realised that's not going to be possible so spoke to my mum yesterday and her immediate response was that she thinks this is a sensible step and absolutely the right thing to do.....

Enough blabbering, I will let you know how it goes and thank you again to everyone who's taken the time to reply (especially QuizTeambleakley whose posts always make me laugh).

[QuizteamBleakley]

OMG, OMG, OMG etc! I go away for a few days and get back to find there're potentially 2 days 'til you go from MegaMams to Perkypups! Wow, I can't imagine what your weekend has been like, I do hope you're getting some relaxing time. Mind you, you'll be on your arse for a couple of weeks so nay bother!

So pleased that the timing works - it's something I wish I had considered slightly more (5 days after my op I was doing a corporate foorball thing at the Emirates. Trust me: painkillers and a free bar, amusing though they are of an evening, make for a v grim morning-after!) No matter how old I get, I love having my Mam about when I'm feeling under the weather (even though she boils the feck out of all veg, thereby destroying ANY health giving properties).

Take it easy over the 10 days, I'd suggest you delegate packing to yer Ma or DH. Just check what they pack though: last time my DP packed on my behalf was for a camping weekend. Turns out that The Caravan Club takes a dim view on nipple tassles and edible panties!

On a serious note, I'm sending you (un-MNlike) hugs, best wishes & oodles of "YAY YOU" cheering! I'll check in again soon. x