Breast Reduction Surgery Recap

A week ago I finally received clearance for activity following my Breast Reduction Surgery! Back in November, I decided to officially undergo a breast reduction. After months of thought and research, I followed through with the surgery in order to improve my quality of life and self confidence. Eight weeks later I could not be happier!

My surgery was scheduled on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Thankfully it was an outpatient surgery, so we did not have to deal with the mess of the hospital. We arrived around 8:30 am and waited awhile until time for me to be prepped. As soon as I got called back, the nurses hooked me up to an IV and my surgeon came back to start drawing all over my chest. Shortly after I was wheeled into the OR for my procedure!

When I woke up in the recovery room, I immediately asked for pain medicine to help with the discomfort. One of the worst parts was the dryness of my mouth from the anesthesia. Despite the horror stories I heard about the recovery, mine went pretty smoothly for the most part. The pain meds gave me the worst side effect of itchiness, so I transitioned to Tylenol about 5 days post op. Other than that, I just had to get used to relying on others due to the weight lifting restriction (I didn't realize how many things weigh over 5 lbs!) and sleeping on my back. I felt perfectly fine otherwise until.....

At exactly 3 weeks post op, I was talking with a room parent in my classroom when I suddenly started having excruciating pain in my right breast. Since I had not had any complications prior, I figured it couldn't be normal and had my room mom drive me to my doctor's office. Long story short, I unexpectedly developed a hematoma in my right side and had to have emergency surgery that afternoon. Unfortunately they had to insert a drain in order to make sure it stayed clear, but I was so thankful to finally have the relief from the swelling. My surgeon explained that this was a freak accident but I should take it extremely easy for the next couple of weeks. Thankfully, the timing could not have been better as I was about to be on Christmas break.

Even after this set back, I could not be happier with my decision. Each day as I get dressed, look in the mirror, work out, wash dishes without back pain etc, I am so grateful for this surgery and how much it has changed my everyday life! I could not have done it without the support of my family, friends, and coworkers, and I am so thankful for them!