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Recovery time for breast reduction and some questions



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Well I have been approved! I'm excited but the timing isn't the greatest. My FIL is staying with us for possibly a very long time and my MIL is in a rehab. But I need to move on with my life and body and February is the best time for me to have it even though all this family stuff is going on.

So My question are:

How long is the recovery?

How bad is the pain?

When can you lay on your stomach?

How soon can you exercise?

Did you stay over night in the hospital?

How long should my husband be around to help me? He works from home but travels quite a bit.

Is there anything that you wish you had asked before hand that you wish you did?

Did you help decide what size you wanted to be?

Do you think your to small now?

Do you think your to big still?

Thanks any help you can give me would be great.

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Hope this helps

recovery is quick, I was back at work in a week ( office work)

Pain was minimal, iwas kept in hospital overnight as I have other medical problems and live alone- but would have been fine to go home the same day- I did not need strong pain killers.

Can'thelp you with this one as I can't lie on tummy for other reasons, I don't think it would be an issue after the initial post op perod though

Excercise, your energy levels may be low for the first few weeks from healing from surgery, anesthetic, and the restrcted calore intake of the immediate post op diet but they want you to increas activity asap really- i know thats vague but I am wheelchair dependant

After the first day you should be Ok by yourself, would be tougher if you have young kids but if you get things up to date as much as possible pre op eg shopping etc it helps

Can't think of anything else that I would have asked pre op, there are things I learnt more about myself along the way post op eg. i used food for comfort and non nutrion reasons far more than I previously realized

Definately am not small now, I am a work in progress but am beginning to see the differences

hopefully a few others who are further along than me will give you a repsonse soon

Good luck with your choice

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I had mine about 15 years ago but I do remember I could not lift my arms up to wash my hair, face, brush my teeth for a few days. I was back to work in 2 weeks, but I was slow for a few more.

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forgot to add. I have never regretted having the reduction. One of the best things I have ever done. I am not too small now (C cup), scars are minimal. Very happy with the results.

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Wish I could help (trust me, I mean that, I'm a loose "C" on a good day!), but I have no personal experience. The best I can offer is a friend's experience. She said it took her about 3 weeks t feel back to normal - lots of soreness in between, but not constant, mostly when moving the wrong way or "forgetting" and bumping into something. Her pain was noticeable especially the first 4 days post-op, but tolerable. She said the first day it felt like someone pushed her boobs through a meat grinder... but she wasn't staying on top of her meds either. Don't know about the stomach or exercise. I know she didn't stay the night (because I went over to help take care of her). She wasn't married and has no family, so we (friends) alternated stopping by for the first 4 days. Most of what we were helping with was things that required lifting (household duties), and company. After that she swore she was fine and ready to go it alone. She's not as small as she originally wanted to be, but has adjusted nicely and is now happy she didn't go smaller. I went to her consultation with her, and what he did with her was use cutouts to "mask off" part of her boobs in various sizes... so she could get a rough idea, and then he made suggestions based on her frame size. And then she asked me to start putting the implants in my bra so she could see how they'd look to someone else. :faint:

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sorry for rambling I should of put these all in one response. I ended up staying 2 nights in the hospital. I did need help for about 3 days with basics. I had drains for about a week. Had to wear a compression or special surgery bra for a few months.

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Thanks so much this all helps. I'll keep you posted on what they tell me on Tuesday. I'm excited and scared. I know I won't regret it though.

I hope I can stay 2 nights in the hospital with all thats happening at home with my in laws...

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      Soooo I am coming to a realization
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