Breast reduction surgery experiences, pain, healing time and any regrets?

[Dontwanttheseboobies]

Has anyone had breast reduction surgery and are you will to share what it was like? How much pain were you in and how long was the healing process? Do you have any regrets? I’m generally petite but have pretty major boobs, 28FF or G, and I’m 5,2” and a size 8 everywhere else. I don’t get back pain or anything like that, I’m just so fed up with them being so big, clothing difficulties, exercising difficulties, can’t lay on my front, and the amount of unwelcome attention they get. I’d like to reduce down to something like a C cup. I know that I would have to pay for this privately and would never expect it to be an NHS surgery.

Yes, I had surgery 3.5 years ago, no regrets. 32 M/N down to a FF ish (4.2kg removed in all, I've got about a quarter of my bulk left)
Do it when you are fit/uncomplicated for surgery, when you are old enough to be certain you won't have any more children, and with the commitment to maintain you weight, as if you gain, it will go back to your boobs if that's where your body like to store fat.
Be prepared to accept the risks of surgery, nipple death (excellent name for a band) difficult scarring, prolonged healing, as it's a lot of scar length.
Follow the aftercare rules religiously, your surgeon does their part, then it's up to you to do your part.
Please don't try to do it on the cheap, if you can't afford it, wait until you can- I need to go back a few times to see my surgeon with wound healing issues, I was so glad they were based in close proximity, I had excellent aftercare, even when I needed referring back into the NHS system for ultrasound.

It is life changing, I'm in a normal BMI range for the first time in adult life, I happily and easily swim with my family, I can move easier, I'm looking forwards to a easier old age.

Thank you so much for your openness and the advice

Yes I had a reduction back in 1987. Your experience of owning large boobs sounds just like mine.
I went to my GP and told him even walking was getting painful let alone running and he said ‘Well they’ are very big”’ and referred me for a reduction on the NHS.
I saw the reconstructive surgeon and was in the long waiting list but amazingly my very rich brother had just paid for his then girlfriend’s breast reshaping and she told him he should pay for mine using the same posh hospital and surgeon. And he did.
It was not particularly painful, the worst bit was having the stitches removed. I stopped counting at 156.
I had about six weeks off work because GP said rule of thumb one week recovery for evert 15 minutes anaesthetic. I asked him not to put breast reduction on my sick note and he wrote ‘chest surgery’ instead.
I am very glad I had it done, but be warned, they do tend to grow back to some extent, well mine did, but nothing like before.

I think there was an AMA thread in someone who’d had a breast reduction about a year ago.

16 years ago - 34J to 34D - no regrets. I was 50 and didn't want to be an older woman with really heavy breasts. Never notice or think about my scaring. Lucky to get a really good surgeon but it was a long operation (so much fat, I am otherwise a small person). He worked ages on getting the breasts even. I am not good with anastasia so very sick. Recovery easy - 4 weeks off work. Im 66 now and must admit my breasts are pretty good - slightly bigger (I'm fatter) so 34E

If you use Facebook, there's a UK Breast reduction group, which might be enlightening. I wouldn't get to hung up on cup size, I don't reckon even surgeons have a very good grasp of it. My surgeon thought I was a D/DD afterwards.
My surgery took 3.5 hours.
Pain wise, I needed to take codeine for maybe 3 nights afterwards, they advised me to take regular paracetamol and ibuprofen, but pain is very individual as to tolerance. It was difficult to sleep only on my back for weeks!
I was off work for about a month, then working on laptop etc. My kids are old enough that there was no lifting/buggies/emergency safety grabs, which is something to bear in mind if you have children. Housework was all delegated, though I was able to drive (gingerly) after a week.