Upcoming surgery

[phoenixhobbit]

[CN: mentions of self harm]

I'm having a breast reduction on December 12th and it's really causing my anxiety to drastically increase. I've only ever had one other surgery when I had my four impacted wisdom teeth taken out in 2008 and I was put under.

I'm doing a will beforehand and am trying to not be too scared, but it is something that's really terrifying for me. I am generally anxious about the surgery for other reasons. I am having it for gender-related reasons not to mention back pain reasons (I own a 34G bra which is too small for me) and I'm having it privately because the NHS refused multiple times to fund it. I got it done thanks to fundraising for a year and talking a lot about my identity.

So it feels like double pressure because I feel like if I'm not completely happy with it, I will have wasted people's money and my identity is BS.

It's hard... and the anxiety is bleeding out into all other aspects of my life. I tried to dye my hair and read the allergen section and got terrified despite never having an allergic reaction to dye before and couldn't dye my hair. I am having thoughts that my partner is secretly unhappy and will one day without warning dump me.

On top of that, I am awaiting test results for a group of symptoms I've been having that could either be a lifelong condition which is not a very big deal and is only occasionally a pain... or it could be something worse.

On Sunday, I was alone as my partner was out and couldn't stop thinking about the fact that he hates me and doesn't love me. I get into these spirals where I question everything, my rational brain is arguing with my anxiety brain and I feel caught between them and have no idea what to believe. It's like a TV constantly changing channels so much that I can't even focus on one thought. It was so overwhelming that I scratched myself up because the pain seems to make the thoughts stop for just a second. I wanted to do something more painful but thankfully I didn't.

I do have a therapist and I am talking with her about this. She's very supportive, but it would also be good for me to hear other people who have been anxious about surgery. I was anxious about my wisdom teeth but it wasn't such an operation with such meaning to my identity. Before I went in they gave me a pill to take an hour before that made my body relaxed and made me just want to lie down under a blanket. I'm going for a consultation, my last one, on Thursday with the surgery clinic and I'm going to ask for some type of anti-anxiety med to take before I go in for the surgery as well.

So yeah, it'd be good to know if anyone else has had a reduction or anything and was anxious about it.

[Beckybecks]

It's normal to be anxious about surgery and most people are.
But with breast reduction it's cosmetic, they're not going inside or interfering with your organs. It's pretty much all skin and fat.

I had this surgery some years ago. I was a double f and was reduced to a b cup.
I can honestly say it's the best thing I ever did and even though I'm scared of hospitals and operations I would still do it again. It totally changed my life.

There wasn't much pain and I had pain killers afterwards which did the trick for me.
They give you a nice pre-med to make you sleepy before you go in and you feel totally relaxed.


All I did was go to sleep and wake up some hours later with a new and improved shape. Recovery was quick and I had no problems. I just had to keep dressings clean and stuff my bra with padding for protection. And I couldn't drive for a while either.

The worst thing for me was the after effects of the anaesthetic, for months afterwards I needed more sleep than usual until I got it out of my system.

Instead of being anxious, get excited! You'll be so glad you did it.

[Sam Winter]

Hi there, i have not had a breast reduction before(will do at some point in the future though) but i thought i'd offer you some advice, being in a lot of gender issues myself i know that if i got the chance i'd so take it! trust me that after you've done it you'll be so grateful both in confidence and physical comfort, i know it's scary but it's quite a safe surgery as becky said it's only cosmetic, the worst case scenerio is you accidentally get a blood clot but they notice as soon as you're out of surgery or still during and they fix it(it happened to my friend but it was perfectly fine) it's no more dangerous than any other surgeries and blood clots/infections are very unlikely, i'd say go for it and let them know if you're having any doubts or fears x

[Traceypo]

Good luck with your surgery, it's a big step and you should be proud of yourself for getting this far.
I've had previous minor surgery last year, at the height of an anxiety spiral and I'm here, doing far better than this time last year.
I felt well looked after, I had open wound healing and was seen by a nurse every day for a month. Mine was a positive experience.
Just think of the positives and how many fears you'll face by doing this.
Xxx

[phoenixhobbit]

Thanks everyone! This is a huge help. I went in for my third consultation today and they were very supportive and when I said I was doing a will before the surgery the surgeon actually laughed (not in a rude way XD) which honestly made me feel a bit better. I've yet to meet someone who got a reduction and regrets it so I'm hoping things will feel better afterward.

[NancyW]

My friend Kelly had one about 10 years ago. She was so miserable with her size before.

I will never forget how happy she was aftet, she kept flipping her shirt up to show us all her pretty smaller boobies.

It was really fun to be part of all of that.

All the best to you on your adventure!