THE BIG and small OF IT

Posted at Jul 8, 2015 5:50 pm

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For those of you who know me or follow me on Facebook, you know I’ve been suffering migraines, neck, and back pain. The migraines didn’t pop up until last December but they increased to several a week, each lasting 2-3 days. The neck and back pain was constant. I had back surgery a few years ago but with my imbalance the pain continued. I’d spent months in physical therapy but no matter how hard I worked at strengthening or stretching my muscles I got no relief.

When I was in high school my nickname was Surfboard because I was literally flat. When my breasts finally decided to grow they didn’t stop. Even if I weighed 120 lbs I still wore a triple D bra. At the suggestion of my doctor I finally went to a specialist. She explained what happens when you have large breasts and get older. It’s not just the size; it’s the position (because we all know gravity sucks). She told me about some of the cases she’d treated and even drew diagrams that made a lot of sense to my husband and I. Also, since my mother had breast cancer and my breasts were very dense, the surgery would improve the ability to see things better on my mammograms. So after careful consideration I decided to have breast reduction surgery.

Yeah, I know, when everyone else is getting bigger boobs put in I wanted to get rid of them. Believe me the decision had nothing to do with vanity and everything to do with the prospect of living my everyday life as pain-free as possible.

The surgery scared me because it involved being under anesthesia for about 6 hours. What if I didn’t wake up? Who would be around to drive my family crazy in a way only I can do? The surgery actually went great (The following day I weighed 6 lbs less. So apparently I was carrying a newborn around on my chest!) and I only needed to take pain relief for a couple of days. The week after was tough because I had drains in both sides. My husband deserves an award here because he took care of me like a prince. He even emptied my drains and took care of my incisions. Love that man!

For the first week you have to live by the penguin rule—no moving or lifting your arms at all. Or as my doctor calls it the hotel rule, if you can’t do it in a hotel room, you can’t do it. Tough for me because I’m a very active person. Week two I got the drains removed and the stitches out. Yay! The incisions are extensive and the bruising was horrible, but my doctor (who is amazing) assured me things would heal well. I’m now at week 4 (and wearing a C stretchy bra instead of an underwire), the bruising is mostly gone, the incisions are healing very well and I doubt they’ll be noticeable after a while. I’m still very tender and I still get very tired so naps are going to be in my future for a while. I don’t have any kind of implants, it’s all me.

The best news? I haven’t had a migraine since the surgery and the neck and back pain are gone! I feel so much better! So for any of you who might be considering this procedure, I highly recommend you find a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in breast reduction and talk to them to see if you’re a good candidate. Because I fell within the insurance guidelines, they completely paid for the surgery.

The photo above shows the bra I wore into the surgery and the one I wore out. Big difference! Who knows, I might even take up jogging. Because God knows I was never able to do that before. 🙂

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8 responses to “THE BIG and small OF IT”

  1. Denise G says:

    So glad to hear you are doing well. What a great decision. Sounds like your life is so going to improve!!!! Sending many good thoughts and prayers that you continue to recover to 100%!!!! Love Love all your books! Keep up all the great work!

  2. Nessa says:

    Yeah! I had mine done 10 years ago for all the same reasons and I haven’t looked back! Best thing I ever did and I like to say it’s the best deal I ever got….$25 (first office visit copay) for a $10,000 surgery thanks to insurance picking up the tab! You go girl!

    • Candis Terry says:

      That’s awesome Nessa! I already wish I’d done it sooner. And I’m certainly not going to complain about not having to spend $60 on a good fitting bra anymore!

  3. Kerrie Strong says:

    Ah, I didn’t realize that’s what you had done! I may be full of questions when I see you! I’m a 36H right now and OMG. This may be on my horizon someday. Continued healing vibes–and when are you going to start strutting around in camisoles with the shelf bra? Can you buy the cute sexy bras yet? (things I look forward to) LOL

  4. Susan Gorman says:

    Candis,

    I am glad you had the surgery and are on the mend.
    You have an amazing husband!
    Feel better and take care!

    Susan G

  5. Ellen Anderson says:

    Glad that you are recovering well. I also want to thank you for sharing your story. I had a tumor, that they knew before they went in wasn’t cancerous, but I wanted it out while I still could, about 4 years ago. My surgeon recommended a reduction for me because of chronic back pain. I’m just terrified because of all my other health problems. My youngest though is also very large breasted, the difference is, she isn’t very tall and has constant back pain also. I may show her your blog and she can see what her doctors and insurance company think. Hope you are fully recovered soon, and glad to know you have one of those awesome husbands also!

  6. Heidi says:

    You are not the first person who has said this. I am so happy it worked out for you! Here’s to many more years migraine-free!!!

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