I was one of the first among my friends to develop when I was growing up. It always made me incredibly self conscious (I was and always have been painfully modest). I started running track in the seventh grade. I loved it – the way the wind felt in my hair, the sound of my feet pounding the earth, feeling my blood coursing through my veins…my goodness, it made me feel so good.
By ninth grade, no training bras could keep me protected enough that I wasn’t sore and didn’t have to run with my arms crossed (for those that have never been avid runners, running with your arms crossed is not really effective and looks…kinda silly). My shoulders and back were constantly aching. It only got worse as I got older.
Buying clothes was probably the worst of it for me – even though I wasn’t heavy, I had to buy tops that were large enough for my chest, leaving me wearing clothes that had sleeves that went to my elbows and beyond and the bottom of my tops went nearly to my knees. It made me look like I weighed much more than I did, which did nothing to help my self esteem.
The summer before my sophomore year in college, I had made the decision to have a reduction. Due to our health insurance (tricare), I had been told nearly two years before to complain about back aches and shoulder aches at every doctor appointment, no matter what it was about, make sure I complain about that as well. Because of such a hefty record of complaints about my back pain, medical insurance paid for it all. I had one of the best plastic surgeons in the region and up to this day, I’ve been happy with his work.
Being a modest person, taking that step was a major one for me. Going into a doctor’s office and have them inspect my boobs, take pictures, and know that I was going to be on a table totally exposed while they performed the procedure…it was a lot for me to handle. But I managed to overcome the fear and have the surgery done.
For the next week, I was so sore that I couldn’t do anything. My mom put my hair up in french braids every day so it was totally out of my face and wouldn’t need to be brushed. She also had to help me shower, because I couldn’t raise my arms at all – way too sore!
I did end up getting an infection which caused scarring that is a little more than what I’d have if no infection had happened. It was still worth it. 🙂
Going shopping after my surgery was wonderful – it was probably one of the first times that I actually looked forward to buying clothes. I was able to buy medium clothes and was ecstatic over this. I didn’t have to deal with shoulders that fell below my elbows. The difference in my appearance after the surgery made me look like I had lost at least fifty pounds. I felt so much better about myself.
Here it is, nearly 15 years later, and I have never once regretted it. I still feel a little self conscious when I know someone is going to see my scars, but I figure if a few scars would scare someone away…they probably aren’t really worth it anyway!
If you’re thinking about getting a reduction and want to talk to someone who went through it, feel free to talk to me!
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