We’ve had breast reductions. Ask us anything.

[Bigtitsbetty]

Following on from our epic first thread I had a breast reduction

We are a group of ladies who have breast reductions for a number of reasons and are all at different stages of recovery.

@Heartfullofcheese all done! I think it's gone really well. In recovery for ages as blood pressure was ridiculously low but all good now and staff are amazing.
I cannot BELIEVE how I look. I've been in tears. I fell pregnant as a teenager.
Went from a 32B to 34 DD before the birth then to an F with breastfeeding. Then the subsequent children, weight loss - blah, blah - I've never had, Idk, just "nor.mal" boobs as an adult.
And they're just sat there. On my front. Not moving. Not down my sides with this bed semi reclined. Like pingpong balls in the ends of a pair of socks.
I can place my hand almost completely one if i make a kind of claw shape.
I'm 50 and this is just for me .
Surreal😃
Also , I had the "good" painkillers so I hope this isn't a load of typo ridden waffle😳

@Madagascary you’ll be fine. The result will talk about surgical scarring but they won’t split open. Take painkillers half an hour before.

@Weatherwax13 congratulations! I’m so pleased for you.

Thanks.

im 11 months in. Notice the outward scars are getting very faint

Ah @Weatherwax13 its great isn’t it! I’ve felt like I’m part of my boobs all my adult years and now they are part of me. Not a defining feature. Rest up and recover.

I’ve had a couple of mammograms and they’ve been uncomfortable but not painful. I will be nervous about the next one with everything less…floppy and flat to begin with.

You’ll be fine @Madagascary … I had my last one literally a week or so before the op … so I’ll be hopefully fully settled before the next one.
@Weatherwax13 fantastic! I was thinking exactly that this weeknd lying in bed how lovely it is to have boobs on my front not in my armpits … it’s amazing 😀

How did I miss this. It’s excellent. When all the tape comes off, and you can walk around the house with no bra under your pyjamas. 💯

Congrats @Weatherwax13 and @thelonghaul and welcome to the other side! Take it easy for your recovery - make the most of not being ALLOWED to do anything 😉
Ive just started sleeping without a bra, 4.5 months post-op, and it’s just so glorious.

Ah yes, I get the sunburn analogy now!!
Particularly around the site of the drain as I think it's under the bra band.

Any suggestions to counter? Perhaps I need to be less upright.

)apart from my liposuction soreness, )I found the Marks & Spencer’s crop top post mastectomy good with the scars There’s a grey marl one with a really thick band - much more comfortable, because it was deep.

Also the Asda post ops bras, cheap as chips for a 2 pack & still wearing mine right now in fact. Wore with pads in early doors to protect front incisions/ nipples and then pads out now & they are nice & soft. 👍

Has anyone else had swelling of their entire body post surgery? I've just googled it in alarm and apparently it's normal but I was going to ring the nurses before that as it's pretty dramatic. Face, abdomen, even ankles.
Apparently surgery that effects the lymphatic system and IV fluids during the procedure can contribute.
I also had two bags of fluid in recovery too as my blood pressure was so low.
According to the scales I've gained 4.5kg since yesterday!
Just wanted to know if anyone else experienced this??

Just checking in, I’ve had such a busy week!
All is much better here, I didn’t bother calling the surgeon in the end as the scars looked much better at the next tape change. They feel quite heavy at the moment and my skin feels sore around the bra band but I’m coping. The itch is driving me insane though and I can’t wait to be without tape - one more week!
Currently measuring at 28E and they look so good. I can’t believe how many people I’ve shown the before and after photos too either, I would never have had the confidence before! Taking my bra off and just having them stay in place is like witchcraft!

Desperate to get back in the gym - 3 weeks to go and I’m counting down the days.

I haven’t had that @Weatherwax13
Definitely call the nurse, that would be enough for me to use the out of hours number to be honest x

Hmmm @Weatherwax13 I think I’d get that checked. I’m sure you will just pee it out over the next day or two but just to be safe I’d call. I was bloated for quite a while but I think that was the anaesthetic. Hope you get it sorted!
@LilyGlobe try a Piriteze- takes the edge off the itching. Even now I get a sort of numb itching sometimes and I’m coming up on 3 months.

Thanks@LilyGlobe @Heartfullofcheese
Apparently it's nothing to worry about as long as it subsides over the next couple of days. Speaking to the senior nurse again today so she can check I don't need to go back in.
I think the anaesthetist was heavy handed as I took ages to come round (which has never happened to me before) and my blood pressure was so low I had two bags of IV fluids in recovery so I'm swimming in the stuff. I look like I've had dodgy fillers as he's even punctured my lip with the tube and I have a trout pout.
I'm drinking heaps of water to flush it through and will see what the nurse says when I ring again in 5 hrs.

Oh no @Weatherwax13 hope you're OK and the swelling goes down quickly 😢

Thank you @Martinisarebetterdirty that's reassuring, I'm not expecting super high, pert boobs, I am in my 40s, but like others are saying, to have them up front instead of under the armpits and getting rolled on by DH in bed would be a bonus!

Glad it's gone well for you @thelonghaul

@RedWineIsFine I'm 50 and from what I can see so far, mine are definitely quite pert. And so small! It's going to take ages to get used to this! Glad to report trout pout and double chin/puffy neck have reduced considerably so I'm hoping the effect carries on downwards through the day.
H has just put a chair in the shower for me so I'm going to attempt a v quick shampoo and wash then back into bed.

I have a question for all those who've gone before, have you acknowledged you've had anything done with people or just styled it out? I can get away with not being in the office or doing my hobby for about a month, but it's going to be pretty obvious when I get back isn't it?

I told almost EVERYONE but if you don’t, they don’t notice. People notice other people less than you’d think.

@RedWineIsFine I'm aiming to just style it out. I'm assuming most people (if they notice at all) will just think I've lost weight.

Nobody noticed. I was amazed by this too, I had one comment about how thin I was looking but even people I see all the time didn’t have a clue.

Thank you, I think because they are quite literally such a big part of me, to the point people do comment, that I assume it'll be very obvious to everyone.

NO ONE NOTICES!!! Did I say that loudly enough 😂honestly you think it’s obvious, not least because you are walking around with ‘don’t bump into me’ arms. But I told no one outside a very few close friends.

My small team at work have not noticed & neither did my family when I saw them for the first time last weeknd. On the one hand your are thinking … shit I must just look the same. But the reality is, people don’t really look AT you at all & also most of us big chested women were masters at hiding them.

I thought it would be obvious … it really isn’t to everyone else.

They’ve got to know you pretty well to notice, one of my best friends at work didn’t notice

depends how you dressed before I think said

My sons definitely did notice -couldn’t get over it. I could not believe that they didn’t see. I’d lost 2 1/2 kg of tit

Ah thank you, maybe I'll keep quiet then! I certainly don't dress them to show them off anyway.
So, I have a date! 6th December... And DH is on a course for 3 days, in 2 minds what to do as this course is important for his career and next one will be in 6 months, but also I'm a wuss!