Hi All,

I had breast reduction surgery on July 1st. I thought I knew enough about the surgery before going into it, but unfortunately I've experienced a rare complication (ischemia, which is loss of blood flow & oxygen to nipple/areola) and it has been a very scary and uncertain time for me the past week as I've tried to educate myself about what my condition is and what will happen next. My plastic surgeon has been very responsive and reassuring, but there's only so much time in a day he can spend answering questions, so I have taken it upon myself to learn as much as I can about this situation.

In my online researching, I found a really useful website, www.breasthealthonline.org, and I've learned tons about the breast reduction procedure on that site. I only wish I had known about this site before having surgery ... I am sure I would have been better prepared for what to expect after surgery, and possibly heal better. The site not only covers breast reduction, but also breast lift and breast augmentation, and even a section on tummy tucks (since many people have a combo breast and tummy tuck procedure). They are very big into using a "healing diet" which helps people recover faster (it basically is a very sleeve-friendly diet, lots of greens & fruits & vegetables & lean protein) and share lots of info about nutrition on the site.

There is a section of the site where you can view pictures of people who have had various surgeries. It does cost $25 to access it but I would really recommend it because you can get an accurate view of what your incisions/scars will look like at various points in time following surgery. I paid for the picture access so that I could better understand what happens to women who have the complication I've experienced, but even if I'd had a perfect recovery I still would have liked to see the pictures.

I'm now nearly 3 weeks out of surgery, and honestly my pre-surgery expectations of what the healing process would be like after this surgery were WAY off. In my experience, the VSG procedure was a walk in the park compared to breast reduction surgery. I'm still really babying my incisions, need lots of rest, and my range of motion is still fairly limited. But, this is very typical (I know now) so I don't feel so badly about it.

I just thought I'd share in case you are contemplating having any cosmetic surgery involving your breasts.

Oh, and BTW, even though I'm dealing with a serious complication, I have to say I still love my "new" breasts and know when I'm all healed up I'll be even happier. And I know that eventually I *will* heal up completely; it just may take a bit longer than I had anticipated.

Best,

Kris

Hi Kris,

I am very sorry you are having complications. Thanks for sharing this information. I also had major plastic surgery 5 weeks ago, so your information is very helpful.

Thanks for being positive, because that is the most important 1st step for speedy healing.

Hi All' date='

I had breast reduction surgery on July 1st. I thought I knew enough about the surgery before going into it, but unfortunately I've experienced a rare complication (ischemia, which is loss of blood flow & oxygen to nipple/areola) and it has been a very scary and uncertain time for me the past week as I've tried to educate myself about what my condition is and what will happen next. My plastic surgeon has been very responsive and reassuring, but there's only so much time in a day he can spend answering questions, so I have taken it upon myself to learn as much as I can about this situation.

In my online researching, I found a really useful website, www.breasthealthonline.org, and I've learned tons about the breast reduction procedure on that site. I only wish I had known about this site before having surgery ... I am sure I would have been better prepared for what to expect after surgery, and possibly heal better. The site not only covers breast reduction, but also breast lift and breast augmentation, and even a section on tummy tucks (since many people have a combo breast and tummy tuck procedure). They are very big into using a "healing diet" which helps people recover faster (it basically is a very sleeve-friendly diet, lots of greens & fruits & vegetables & lean protein) and share lots of info about nutrition on the site.

There is a section of the site where you can view pictures of people who have had various surgeries. It does cost 25 to access it but I would really recommend it because you can get an accurate view of what your incisions/scars will look like at various points in time following surgery. I paid for the picture access so that I could better understand what happens to women who have the complication I've experienced, but even if I'd had a perfect recovery I still would have liked to see the pictures.

I'm now nearly 3 weeks out of surgery, and honestly my pre-surgery expectations of what the healing process would be like after this surgery were WAY off. In my experience, the VSG procedure was a walk in the park compared to breast reduction surgery. I'm still really babying my incisions, need lots of rest, and my range of motion is still fairly limited. But, this is very typical (I know now) so I don't feel so badly about it.

I just thought I'd share in case you are contemplating having any cosmetic surgery involving your breasts.

Oh, and BTW, even though I'm dealing with a serious complication, I have to say I still love my "new" breasts and know when I'm all healed up I'll be even happier. And I know that eventually I *will* heal up completely; it just may take a bit longer than I had anticipated.

Best,

Kris[/quote']

Dear Kris, speedy recovery to you. I was contemplating after i reached my goal weight. Thank u for your information and insight. God bless, Jen