Kiara's Breast Reduction

Before surgery, I had GG breasts. I can’t imagine how it feels for people who are bigger than that. I can’t imagine what they go through and how they manage.

I’d wanted a breast reduction years ago when I was 21 but financially couldn’t commit myself. Also, I wanted children and to breastfeed them. But back then it was more common to remove the whole nipple during surgery which would prevent breastfeeding.

So once I’d had kids I thought “why not?”

I went online. Medbelle’s website was the first one that came up, so I just kind of thought “that’s the first one, I’ll follow my gut instinct.”

I started reading about breast reduction on the Medbelle website and from there I sent an inquiry. I also read about finance agreements as well.

For me, it was really good that I had somebody there to talk to.

That initial call with my Patient Care Adviser Genevieve actually pushed me towards having the surgery. Once I’d had that phone call, in my mind I thought “That’s it. I’m going to get it done this time”

You know, sometimes you make an inquiry and people don’t get back to you for 48 hours. If that would have happened I probably would have thought “ah they haven’t gotten back to me. Forget it”. So that immediate contact was nice to have.

It’s nice that with Medbelle you’ve got someone there. It’s nice that there’s somebody there to follow you and be with you on your journey. You’ve always got someone there to refer to.

You can talk to people around you, but it’s different. I didn’t really have anyone else to turn to apart from reading things on Google. It’s nice to have that kind of support from the Patient Care Adviser throughout the journey.

My consultation was really positive. He made me feel really comfortable.

He was also realistic and definitely honest about the results. I told him I wanted C cup breasts after the operation and he said “we might not be able to get there, but we will get you as close as we can”. That was really nice to hear.

He was very understanding as well, and easy to talk to.

Everything just seemed right for me at that time. From the initial phone call to booking the appointment, everything just felt right.

I had been to consultations with other surgeons and companies but it just never felt right. I don’t know if it wasn’t the right time or if I just didn’t feel comfortable, but it never worked before.

This time around, it was just like “I’m getting this done!”

I arrived at the hospital at about 1 o’clock and I was scheduled to have surgery at about 3 o’clock. When I got there it was really good. They really looked after me.

The surgeon came in and spoke to me and made sure I was comfortable with everything. He asked if I had any questions.

To be honest, it felt so surreal. It didn’t feel like it was happening. I’d been waiting to have it done for such a long time it just didn’t feel real.

Even when they were wheeling me down for surgery, it didn’t feel like it was happening to me. It didn’t feel real until I was out of surgery because then, even though I was bandaged up, I could see the results. It was amazing.

On the day of my op, everyone who came to speak to me was brilliant. All of them were so nice and so understanding. They really looked after me and made sure I was comfortable the whole time.

I did have a complication the day after the surgery. Coming around from anaesthesia was fine, but I think the complication happened when I was moved by a nurse.

The next morning I woke up and my right boob was the size of a watermelon. The doctor came in and asked “did you have implants?” and I said “no I haven’t had implants. I’ve actually had them reduced.”

She examined me and said my right breast had started to fill up with fluid, so they needed to do another surgery to resolve it. They were really good the second time around, as well.

They took me down for surgery and explained what was going to happen. I was crying my eyes out at that point, but everyone was so nice and kind and explained everything to me. They told me not to worry about anything.
I think I was back in for the second surgery by around 9 o’clock, but I could not tell you what time it was when I got out and came out of anaesthesia. I was so out of it.

After that, it was a matter of me building up my strength. My blood pressure kept climbing and dropping so I had to work to get myself out of bed and walk around a bit. The day nurses were brilliant. They were amazing to me.

My sister picked me up from the hospital after my second night there.

The only thing I wasn’t prepared for was the post-op bra. I was told to buy it in the size I wanted to be, which was a 32 C, but because of the bandages, I wasn’t able to put it on when my sister came to pick me up.

I would say you definitely need a sports bra on the journey home because going over the potholes and bumps and everything makes you wobble all over the place. It’s a bit painful. So I’d recommend getting one that’s a few sizes bigger to fit over the bandages.

And make sure it zips up at the front. I had one that I wanted to use but it zipped up at the back but it’s impossible to get your arms around the back to close it right after surgery.

To be honest, I was expecting a lot of pain, but there was no pain after. I was so surprised. I was expecting to be in so much pain that I’d have to be on the strongest painkillers for about 2 weeks, but no. It was fine. I dealt with the pain with paracetamol.

I returned to work after 2 weeks.

I was really concerned before surgery thinking “how am I going to get to work?” and things like that, but it was fine. Even though I’d had surgery twice on my right breast, after 2 weeks I was driving fine. Granted I drive an automatic so that probably makes a difference, but I was expecting to be out for about 6 weeks.

I think if I didn’t have any complications on my right side I probably would have gone back to work after one week because I felt fine, mostly.

Even though there wasn’t much pain, general stuff after surgery was tough to do.

The only things I found difficult were basic things like sleeping and turning over in bed. You definitely need a bra at night, even though wearing it can get quite uncomfortable.

Also, I couldn’t quickly lift my arms up to get something for a good 3 weeks.

And it was more like 8 weeks before I could lift my arms properly above my head. Everything I was reading before surgery said ‘2 weeks and you’re fine’ but for me, it was more like 8 weeks.

When I woke up after the first surgery I could already see the results, at least on my left side. Then after the complication was sorted, I just couldn’t believe that I was looking at myself and that I had a small pair of boobs.

I mean, even looking at myself now I can’t believe I have a small pair of boobs. The fact that I don’t need to wear a bloody industrial bra is great. And I don’t need a sports bra that’s the highest shock absorber. It’s amazing.

I love it. I can’t express how happy I am about it.

On my last post-op appointment, the surgeon who checked me said “oh you can erase us from your memory now that you’ve got your breast reduction done.”

I was like, “you know what, I will actually never forget you guys because you’ve given me my life.”

There have been so many people who have said “you’ve lost so much weight” when I haven’t lost any at all (except from my boobs).

It’s made such a difference. My confidence is so much higher. And the way I dress now is so different to how I dressed before.

Before, it was just big baggy t-shirts and anything to hide me. I was hidden. I never would have thought of wearing just a vest top out.

Whereas now I feel comfortable and confident enough to do that. Now, I’m like “you know what, I’ve paid for it and I’m loving the results so… Have a look!”

I would recommend it to anybody with big boobs, honestly.

In fact, my sister is actually going in for breast reduction with the same surgeon I had.

I look at my sister now and say “your boobs are massive!” and she says “uh, yours were exactly the same size.” But they just look so big to me now.

She is so excited for her surgery. It’s been postponed because of Coronavirus, but she really can’t wait for it.