Staples

I got half of my staples taken out today.  That was pretty  interesting.  I get the other half out next week.  Got my pain meds refilled,  so yay on that. My right nipple isn't quite healing like it should, but the Dr isn't worried,  so I'm not going to worry either. I'll add a pic of the nipple later. Going to try getting some more sleep.

Nothing new...

I haven't been posting the past couple days. There's really nothing to report, except I am starting to get around a bit better.  I can take a few  steps without the walker,  so there's that.  Been sleeping more and better, which is nice. I'm still sleeping in the recliner,  though.  I tried the bed last night, and that just wasn't happening. Working on stretching my muscles out, so hopefully that will help me out some. I have my next dr appt Wednesday. I plan to ask him when I can go see a chiropractor,  because I genuinely think that would help.

And fuzzy brain is taking over, so that's it for now!

Joy......

As if I wasn't already dealing with enough going on with my body right now,  my period started. I won't go into detail,  but let's just say that my body isn't very cooperative right now.

So, this whole time I've been home, I've been sleeping in a recliner.  It's easier for me to get up that way. However, I don't think it's helping my back any. So, sometime today, I'm going to try taking a nap in my bed.  Really wishing I could see a chiropractor right now, though. Baby steps, right? I'll get there soon enough. In the mean time, Philip has a massage pillow that I've commandeered and am using on my lower back. 1 set of batteries (2 aa) can last roughly 8 hours.  I've fallen asleep with it running a few times lol.

Memory

I am glad that I decided to do this whole blog thing. Between the meds and lack of sleep, my memory is pretty shot. My body is starting to feel better, slowly. Today wasn't anything exciting. Just another day towards being healed.

Oh, and there may be an issue with comments on this blog. I've done all posts etc from my tablet,  except the first one. My desktop, I'd have to go down steps to get to (a whole 2 of them, but still) and I'm just not that confident in my skills with a walker for that.

my little cuddle buddy

Super sore!

I think I've mentioned how tense my muscles have been since I had my surgery. In case I have not, it felt like someone replaced my back muscles with concrete. Well, today the muscle relaxers are finally kicking in, and I am super sore. I am also feeling a little stupid today. My mom is an RN, and I should have known better than to let myself go so long without a bowel movement. So I definitely put myself through more pain than I should have. In order to make up for that oversight, I will be taking an over the counter stool softener and stick to eating soft foods, like apples, bananas, yogurt and so forth. I'm also drinking a lot of water, but I have been doing that all along. I also should have been listening to my body better. I was not hungry, but was eating because I felt I should. Baby steps.

Reading over what I have already posted, I realize that I have not posted much on my actual surgery site. My plastic surgeon did a freaking fantastic job. Despite taking out 17 pounds total of breast tissue and excess skin, liposuctioning under my arms, and installing and removing the drains, I have had very little bruising. Yes I said 17 pounds. That's roughly 8.5 pounds from each breast. That's more than either of my kids weighed  at birth. I think I mentioned that I had my drains removed at my appointment on Wednesday. That was an intense sensation. It was quick, painful, and then over faster than you read this sentence. That was one of the things that I was dreading the most, so I am glad it was over quickly.

My largest hurdle in recovery right now is getting enough sleep. I find myself nodding off and then jerking awake even if I have no need to be awake. And then, I completely pass out for several minutes at a time in places like the bathroom sitting on the toilet. Time is acting wonky as well. For instance, I will fall asleep and feel like I have gotten at least 3 hours of sleep, and it will have been maybe 10 minutes. Other times, I will sleep for an hour, and it will feel like 5 minutes asleep. So I need to work on getting more sleep as well. Sleep is definitely important for recovery. One thing I can say is definitely better today is that I am more clear headed than I have been for the last week.

If anyone has any questions for me in regards to my experiences, either as a large breasted woman or as someone who has had a reduction, please feel free to ask. My intent is to let other women (heck, men too) know what my experience was like, and remind myself as well. As for my current mindset, I am beyond thrilled with my new boobs. I can actually set my tablet on my stomach while laying down and see the whole screen instead of just the upper edge. That makes me much more comfortable while relaxing. I have a lot of swelling along my sides under my arms, and in the breasts, but not more than I would have expected.

Constipation =/

I realized today that I haven't had a bowel movement since the day before my surgery. I've guzzled 3 cups of coffee,  and have at least started passing gas. Tmi? Probably, but hey, I'm being open here. I'd rather not have to take another pill, hence the coffee guzzling. Uhh, but I hate coffee plain. Drank it anyways. Lol. I think the pain killers are the culprit in this case.  Ugh. 

In kinda related news, my armpit areas are swollen and tender after getting my drainage tubes out yesterday.  My lower legs are also swollen, and achey. Feels like my ankles need to pop. :(  I've needed far less pain meds today. Actually,  I've gone 4 hours now since my last dosage. (Yay!)

Would kill for even a solid 6 hours of sleep at this point. That's my goal tonight!  Hoping the coffee does its job soon so I can make an attempt at that goal!

Update: whole pot of coffee down, no action yet. Arms are shaky, probably from using the walker, though. Waiting on Philip to get home and help me re-do the boob dressings. Getting excited about bra shopping! I haven't gotten excited about that in a very long time.

Thanks to a message from a family member, I realize there's a group of people who might be interested in reading this blog that I hadn't considered: women wanting larger boobs. When I am feeling more up to it, I'll post about life when you have really large boobs. 

Update 2: the coffee seems to only have the effect of making me shake all over.  Philip brought me home some laxatives.  Really hope they make a difference!

Update 3: Philip changed my dressings.  I'm amazed at the lack of bruising so far. Swelling, and some tenderness,  but other than that, I have remarkably clear skin. I have a few faint bruises, but that's all. I'm starting to ramble on, I know. So, I also haven't had any pain meds or anything in about 6 hours, ish. Will take some when I'm ready to sleep,  though.  Chasing that solid block of sleep still! Lol

No more updates tonight! Making myself stop now!  Lol

Big day

Yesterday was a big day for me... got my drainage tubes out! It was pretty fast, and a bit freaky, but not awful. My back pain is/was way worse. In fact, if I didn't have the back pain, the pain is practically nonexistent.  For the first time in many years, I can look down and not see boob! I am loving it. Playing around on my tablet is much more relaxing now. I put on a tank top last night, and it actually covers my stomach, instead of barely covering my boobs.
I'm not fond of my body, but I am sucking up some of my biggest insecurities in sharing some of these. In one of the Before pics, you cas see the rashy, broke out area I had under one boob (I had that under both, though). I also have my hands showing in both pics (before and after) for scale of size purposes. The other After pic is a close up of where a drain came out. I'm still fuzzy on painkillers, so I'm sorry if I'm leaving readers confused! Feel free to leave a comment asking anything, and I will answer as best as I can.

Huge before boobs

drainage tube

boob acne gunk

much smaller!

Aftereffects

So, this post will be really rough, simce I am very much buzzed on painkillers. I was on the surgery table for 7 hours, was in recovery idk how long, and at least 2 hours preop.  So, when I woke up, my back hurt like hell. Felt like it was on fire and being broken at the same time. Keep in mind, I already had problems with my back,  and I am very overweight.  As I said before,  I will post some before and afer shots. I'll try to get some before we take the drains out. I will also post more when my brain  works properly.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the big day for me. Tomorrow, I get to live out a dream of mine: to fall asleep and wake up with smaller boobs. I've wanted a reduction for over 10 years now. I will include before and after pics (at some point), but for now I wanted to get a few thoughts down "on paper". 

First: Getting the referral to see a plastic surgeon was SUPER easy. I told my ARN (I've never actually seen my doctor, just her) I wanted one. She looked at me, said "Ok. Do you want to go to Jonesboro or Little Rock?" That was how hard that part was lol. So, I made my choice, and a few days later the office called me with my appointment details. Once at the appointment, the doctor and his staff were WONDERFUL. They are very nice, warm, welcoming people, while still being very professional. They asked me some basic questions (why do I want a reduction, does this hurt, is that uncomfortable, do you get rashes, etc), had me get topless and took some measurements and photos (I will admit, I giggled through most of that part. I am SUCH a 13 year old boy at times...). Then, they said "Let's set a tentative surgery date for April 15th." So soon?? I was shocked. "Maybe they mean next year," I thought. "That quick?" is what I asked. Turns out, it took the insurance less than a week to approve, which was far less than the months and months I was expecting.

Oh, I suppose I should point out, I'm currently wearing a 42J bra... that is too small. I don't know what size would be the right one, to be perfectly honest. K? Maybe bigger? No idea.

So, anyway, once the approval was complete, we set the surgery date for April 17th, with a pre-op appt to get me cleared for anesthesia and talk me through my post-op care (Caring for the drains, mainly) as well as what to do/not to do pre-op. For instance, no medicines of certain types 2 weeks before or after surgery (anything that would have a blood thinning effect, for one), using a certain type of wash in the surgery area before showing up that morning, and so on. I also got the prescriptions I'd need so I could get them filled ahead of time. They are currently filled and in my nightstand. There's an anti-nausea, an antibiotic, and a pain medication in there. I got a whole packet of info. But... tomorrow is the big day, and I couldn't be more excited.

For anyone wondering, the purpose of this blog is to share my personal experience. I don't expect this to apply to anyone else, or for anyone else's situation to match it. Someday, I may wonder why I ever wanted a reduction in the first place, and I'd like to look back at this and go "That's why." I have difficulty breathing; my neck, back, and shoulders hurt all the time; I have a hard time getting comfortable to sleep at night; there's a rash/raw spot under my boobs pretty much all the time, no matter how carefully I clean, apply ointment, and so on.... And there's so much more. They get in the way, I feel like I'm reaching around them all the time, they DO get in the way (big time) at the optometrists office, clothes shopping is a nightmare.... you get the picture.