Recently, my friend Julia H. had a total of seven pounds of breast tissue removed for health reasons, though not cancer. She visited me three weeks after her surgery, and we talked candidly about the decision and the after-care.
Melissa: I know that back issues were part of the reason you chose to have this procedure…
Julia: Back pain was certainly a big part of my decision. The size of my breasts wasn't helping, and probably contributed to the two ruptured discs I have now in my low back.
Melissa: Would you mind elaborating on the decision, the factors that went into it, etc?
Julia: Julia: Part of my decision was the fact that after losing a considerable amount of weight, my breast size really didn't change much. Clothes didn't fit as well, and I was very self-conscious. Self-esteem was a large part of the decision as well as the back pain. Honestly, I felt like a circus freak; very self conscious and awkward. To say that I hated my breasts was an understatement.
Melissa: What had you tried for your back, before the breast reduction?
Julia: Back in 2004, I started losing weight and getting very active. I joined a boot camp class at my gym that got me into the best shape I'd ever been in, and I began training for a half-marathon. That spring, I slipped on some late season ice and had a bad fall and got a concussion. After that fall, I began getting tingling sensations down my legs, which is a sign that the nerves are being compressed by the discs in the back. After an MRI, my doctor confirmed that I had two ruptured discs, and I started physical therapy. That helped immensely, as did chiropractic care, which I still undergo as part of my regular health maintenance.
Melissa: But as far as the breasts…?
Julia: But as far as the breasts went, running 13 miles with DDs [her previous cup size] was not pleasant. Two sports bras weren't enough to keep [them] from flopping around pretty painfully.
Melissa: And the strain on your back…?
Julia: It was still bad. I'd go running and then come home and whimper.
Melissa: Did you have to pay for the surgery yourself, or did insurance cover it?
Julia: Insurance paid for it. They didn't want to, but we had all this documentation of all my treatment, and the MRIs and the way my spine curved, and they finally agreed.
Melissa: How was the surgery itself?
Julia: I don't remember most of it. I was on really good pain killers, and then I was unconscious. I remember waking up and feeling lighter.
Melissa: And after?
For the first few days, I just wanted to sleep. I was on the Vicodin, slim-fast and chicken soup diet, when I managed to eat at all. My husband helped me shower the first time. I had to let the water soak the dressings off. We had a friend come and stay to help me after that. Not with showering, but with cooking and housekeeping. After the drainage tube was gone and I didn't have to see pussy fluid, it got better.
Melissa: How long did that take?
Julia: About a week.
Melissa: It's been a month since your surgery? Do you feel better?
Julia: It is better. I'm healing really well, and being quite diligent about applying scar gel to minimize their appearance. At times I am miserable, especially when I overdo the physical activity and don't get enough rest. I usually feel more pain in the late afternoon/early evening, when my body starts telling me it's time to wind down and sleep. It is still itchy, as well, but I use a lot of lotion and it helps. It is uncomfortable, though, when I get really cold. And I'm not used to the increased nipple sensation! My brain doesn't know how to comprehend it.
Melissa: Other than in the way clothes fit, do you notices any differences?
Julia: I feel a huge difference. The strain on my back isn't there like it used to be. I feel much less self conscious about myself. Having the surgery renewed my motivation to lose the rest of the weight I put back on after my half marathon a few years ago.
Melissa: The thing all women are dying to know: what does your husband think?
Julia: He said he was going to be in mourning for the lost DDs! I think he likes them. As much as he liked them before, he knows I'm happier with myself and I really think he digs the new perky "girls." They are my "high school fantasy" breasts, as my friend D. calls them.
Melissa: Would you recommend breast reduction to other women?
Julia: Yes, but only if they're sure. This is not something to do on a whim. It took me a few years of thinking about it before I committed to the surgery, and I don't regret taking that long to be sure. I had back problems, and self-esteem issues, and it just felt right to me. I'm glad I did it. It's a major surgery it obviously changes your body forever.
Melissa: Anything else you care to add?
Julia: I had an amazing surgeon, and the nurses and staff at the hospital were wonderful, and it made all the difference in the world to spend the night in the hospital. I don't know why other women go home so soon. You need that care.
Julia's cup size was reduced from a DD to a much more back-friendly C, and in the two weeks since this interview was conducted, she's said there's even less itching, and it's mostly where the sutures (which will eventually be absorbed) poke out.
