"It's an emergency!" My breast reduction journey

About 10 years ago, I had breast reduction surgery.

I had been insecure about the size of my breasts since high school. Almost overnight, I had to deal with breasts too uncomfortably full for my petite ballet dancer frame. I rapidly grew to a DD, supported on a 30” frame.

Bras were always ill-fitting. Fit “experts” would swear they could fit me in a 34 D, but it never worked. In my 20s, there was only one manufacturer that reliably made a 32DD. So while my friends were wearing the lacy, colorful underthings, I had to settle for industrial.

Buying clothing off the rack was a struggle. If the garment fit me everywhere else, there was not enough room in the chest. Eveningwear was especially difficult. Having been a seamstress from a young age, I taught myself to modify patterns to fit my curves.

Odd dimensions often require sewing my own gowns

At the time, sports bras were in their infancy. You may recall, they all pulled on over your head and had little support. Swimwear was impossible! Eventually separates were developed, and that offered more options. You’d think when designers started making cup size bras, all my dreams were answered. But they, too, usually are designed to fit at least a 34” band.

I always fantasized about a breast reduction, but knew it would cost a lot and wondered about my potential to breast feed children. I also worried about ugly scars. (Little did I know I would eventually have 3 c-sections, hernia repair, and colon resection! Scars? Who cares!) When I got pregnant with my first, I heard women lamenting how their breasts shrunk after breastfeeding. That sounded promising to me, but with each child, mine grew and grew, maxing out at a G or H.

Now it was beyond ridiculous. Even though I was a size 2, or 4 at the most, I looked “overweight” in photos, and I hated to look at myself in a swimsuit. But getting cosmetic surgery of any kind seemed an unjustifiably expensive, selfish waste of money. Then, there’s the guilt often that often surrounds wanting to surgically change your body.

In my 40s, my stepmother passed away, and left me a modest amount of money. She was always a beautiful and glamorous woman I looked up to from childhood. She was a dear friend in adulthood. She always liked to look and feel beautiful. I thought that Rosa would approve of me taking the money and doing this thing for myself.

So off I went to interview plastic surgeons. To my incredible surprise, each one said: “insurance will PAY for this!” I had no idea! You mean I suffered all of these years . . . and it could have been covered by insurance all along?

“This is an emergency,” said one surgeon, who incidentally is the one I chose. She said that the size was not healthy. I had indentation from by bras and it was probably contributing to my chronic neck and shoulder problems.

“I cannot tell you what cup size you’ll be,” she said. “I’m just going to go in there and make you proportionate and beautiful.”

Body confident finally in my 40s and 50s

Having had three C-sections and a hernia repair, breast reduction surgery was a piece of cake! My only regret is not having investigated it sooner. Now, I’m back to a D-DD, depending on my weight. When I was a teenager, that felt too big, but as a mature woman, I am happy with my proportions. I’m still limited with off-the-rack clothing, but I’m healthy, confident, and able to engage in rigorous exercise.

The moral of the story is, as usual, We're Not Dead Yet. If you've contemplated some proecedure that you believe will improve your quality of life and/or self-confidence, it's not too late to at least do some research. You might be surprised by what you learn, in terms of cost, recovery time, and potential benefits.

If you’ve contemplated breast reduction surgery and have questions about my experience, I am happy to talk about it.

XOXO

Neeahtima