To think I *do* need a breast reduction for medical reasons?

[Questionablmouse]

I have absolutely enormous, heavy boobs. Last time I was measured (which is a couple of years ago now) I was a 36M. I'm five foot tall and while I'm overweight I used to be very active.

Now I have constant back, neck and shoulder pain so bad I was prescribed strong codiene, have stopped wearing underwired bras because even the properly fitted ones from Bravissimo were leaving my ribs in agony, and have to be extremely careful to keep underneath perfectly dry or I get sores. I can't sleep on my front without pillows under my chest and I feel like I'm suffocating on my back.

I had an appointment this morning with my GP and she was pretty dismissive, told me to exercise more to lose weight (I'm trying, but it genuinely feels impossible because I'm in so much pain even in a sports bra). I bought a bathing suit and tried swimming- my boobs escaped by the end of one lap on front of a packed pool which was incredibly embarrassing. I've lost almost two stone recently and my boobs haven't changed size at all.

I just want them gone and feel like they're smothering me! I wish private was an option but it's out of my reach unfortunately.

Keep trying with the weight loss and go back to the GP... it must be awful. I'm a 28G and hate mine, they're starting to hurt my neck and affect my back. Keep persisting, don't give up.

The criteria states BMI 27 or under, you appear to meet all other criteria. It does seem unfair could you say that it’s making you depressed, affecting your mental health and ask for a second opinion?

If people can get sex changes on the NHS then people should be able to get a breast reduction or enlargement on the NHS.
Could you try seeing another doctor?
I saw a young woman on YouTube who did a gofund me to raise money for a breast reduction. Maybe you could try that?

Ask for a second opinion. See if you can find the GP who specializes in womens health. Print out the guidelines on breast reductions from NICE.

Mine changed my life.

A 36 back on someone of 5 foot is quite wide. But regardless, you can still carry weight on your stomach, arms, hips, bum thighs etc. OP must be 7 or 8 stone overweight, do you really think her breasts weigh most of that?

OP has lost weight already so should continue with that and it will most likely reduce the size of her breasts. If she’s still struggling when she’s a more healthy weight, that is the time to get a reduction.

Keep insisting OP. they can do it and I know a few people that have had it done. Just don’t let up.

regarding your weight, 5ft and 16 stone is really big so if you did lose weight your boobs would likely go down eventually. 2 stone isn’t significant right now. Have you tried the jabs?

They have been big every since puberty hit but don't seem to have stopped growing.

I know I'm overweight but I eat a sensible diet and exercise as much as I'm able. From symptoms I'm pretty sure I have pcos but getting help for that has also been a nightmare.

I'm 5 foot 6.

My back size is 30 and my BMI is 26, so I wouldn’t think 36 is incompatible with obesity.
I’m a 30K. I have found that weight training helps a lot with the back pain, in case that’s something that might help someone.

You have grown a whole 6 inches since your OP.

Weightloss is to do with the calories you eat. You can't exercise off many calories (exercise is good for other reasons) unless you're a big man or an athlete where your whole job is intense activity.

You can lose weight with diet alone, which it seems you are doing. I suppose your doctor just wants you to wait it out and see if the boobs shrink enough to not need to spend NHS money on surgery.

If they don't and you continue having such problems, yes you do have a medical need. But they're not going to readily agree whilst there's still stuff you can do yourself - i.e lose more weight

Either 5ft or 5ft 6in doesn't make much difference. A BMI of 36 or 43 is still going to make surgery high risk.

Exercise has a very minimal affect on weight loss. It’s 90% down to diet. I can put weight on (and did) marathon training. Exercise might play a part if you were exercising at high intensity for 16 hours a week but most of us do barely 5 or 6. And if we were exercising at that level we’d almost certainly be keeping to a particular eating plan to sustain that.

respectfully op, weight loss seems the be the way forward, at least initially. If you get down to a healthy weight and still in significant pain then a reduction (and the anaesthesia required) would be much safer.

I haven't grown at all in the last 20 years!

My diet is fine and I'm considering in a calorie deficit.

I had two med eggs on a slice of sourdough toast for breakfast, a chicken salad for lunch with a few boiled and cooled new potatoes.

People see a fat person and assume they're stuffing their face 24/7 and if anything I have the opposite problem - I often have no appetite and skip meals.

I’m sure, but said you were 5 foot tall in your OP.

Even at 5’6, at 16 stone, it’s likely that you can reduce your breast size getting down to a healthier weight.

I was a 34K. I was a stone and a half overweight. Crippled with back and neck pain.

I had one in 2016 on the NHS. Lost 1/2 a stone immediately.

I rarely get any pain now. It was transformative. It took about 18 months to fully subside. Now I’m a 34 D

I don't know what to charge.

I'll be having home made veggie soup for tea with about six different veggies in it!

I love that for you and they really are life-changing! 💐💐

Ah shit. No, I'm definitely not five foot! 😑

if you’re still losing weight, you don’t need to change anything, just keep going. It’s great that you’ve managed to lose 2 stone.

If you really are in a calorie deficit then you need to see the gp as there’s something else clearly going on. Track EVERYTHING you eat for a few weeks and then revisit him. Unless you’re VERY sedentary you should be losing weight on around 1800 calories a day.

If you have possible PCOS, have you noticed if losing weight has helped? My friend found that limiting carbs helped her symptoms. It’s great that you’ve lost 2 stone and I agree that your diet is more important than exercise at this stage.

Are you actually measuring what you eat? Often it's the detail that's the issue. Generally, there has to be a calorie deficit and that means either reducing carbs (low carb), reducing fat (low fat) or reducing portion size (low calorie). It's the only way. When I had got a bit over my ideal weight, I was happy to do a MN low carb bootcamp. My personality is that I'm quite all or nothing, so I'm happy to completely cut out a food group but hate partially restricting how much I eat of it. DD2 needed to lose a significant amount of weight and she feels genuinely miserable if she can't eat pasta. So she chose Slimming World. Pasta and potatoes are unlimited because it concentrates on fat reduction. She lost 10kg in 4 months and now she's maintaining with a fairly normal diet. In a month or two she'll go back to fairly good compliance with SW to target the other 10kg.

Yes, I weigh everything.