Things I am doing, Part II

[trixtah]

Slight TMI warning, but nothing to warrant cutting...

So there's the other thing I'm doing, and this is much more immediate and significant. It's no secret to anyone that I dislike my breasts immensely. Other than the fairly constant feeling of body dysmorphia I've had since puberty, the frigging things are humongous by any normal standard. It might be better if I had a broader chest or shoulders, but I don't. In the physical sense, I don't get headaches, but I do get shoulder aches, neck pains, sharp pain in the outer aspects of my breasts, and they inflate like painful footballs once a month.

So, finally, I've got the money and the time, so off to the wonderful doctor who basically didn't even bother asking to have a look - he wrote the referral by saying "Shoulder pain?" Nod-nod. "Back pain?" Nod-nod. "Sick of it?" Nod-nod-nod. In Australia, if you have a GP referral, part of the cost of treatment is paid for by Medicare. I am VERY GRATEFUL for this, because it reduces the cost by nearly half.

I went off to the plastic surgery clinic last week - the only one in CBR the GP would recommend - and the experience there was reassuring and professional. Of course, taking off your shirt and having the surgeon take one look and say, with a look of sympathy, "I understand why you need the surgery" is really not the most positive experience one can have. However, I know what he meant. So that was done and dusted and I said YES PLEASE to going ahead with the procedure, with full understanding of the risks. He has a portfolio of breast reductions he has done, and there was a shot of one woman who ended up partially losing a nipple. I don't care if I lose mine, although I'd rather not.

The practice manager then went through the procedure and post-operative care process, and that was fine, although she was one of those overly-groomed het women who look like they want to escape from the room rather than deal with a butch dyke. And I was wearing my work suit and speaking nicely to fox her, lol. Well, I found it entertaining.

So, after giving them about 8 grand, I will be getting my breasts reduced by half - also reducing my breast cancer risk by half (my aunt's had it, twice) - to about a C-cup size. This is fine. And I'm booked in for the 10th of March. I'm extremely excited about this, as one might imagine - in the yay! and OMFG! senses, both.

Also, don't go to a clinical setting, get poked and prodded and photographed, and then play a video game featuring zombies for most of the weekend. It gives you peculiar dreams about body parts and weirdness. :-)

Comments

[buddleia]

Boob sympathy, mine are up to a G-cup lately. Yay for no more bloody underwiring!

[trixtah]

Eeee!

And the fact I might actually be able to wear t-shirts without feeling horribly self-conscious. I only figured out in the last few months that one of the reasons I have always disliked summer was because you show off more boobage because of the lighter clothing... O_o

(Boobage on other people, however, remains JUST FINE. Like skirts!)

[slavayboy]

yay coz you will be doing something you've wanted to! And yeah..nice one Dr, at least he was sympathetic!

[trixtah]

Yeah, lol @ the doc - it was a bit confronting!

[jumpuphigh]

Congrats. I have had several friends get breast reductions and they've all been very happy with it.

[trixtah]

Yes, I hope it turns out well! Although it'd have to be pretty dire not to be some value of "well" from my perspective. :-)

[ironed_orchid]

Sounds like a great idea to me.

Also, I can bring you groceries and help out a bit while you are recovering.

[trixtah]

Thank you! I am intending to stock up well before I need to hibernate for 2 weeks, but it's great to know there's someone not too far away if emergency cider runs are required. ;-)

[saluqi]

Sounds awesome, I'm sure it will make a huge difference to your quality of life and I've only heard great things about that surgeon, if it's AT. Only bugger is I'll be overseas when you go into surgery. Will catch up online anyway. Woot, go you!

[trixtah]

That's the surgeon, yes. :-)

Things started rolling fast, when they started! Appt with Dr Steve last Monday and on Friday the clinic were telling me they had slots available on the 4th or 10th of March. And I thought, why hang around? 10th was because I thought I should give the boss a bit of notice to take 2 weeks off...

But yes, I'm sure you'll be entertaining yourself in Europe, with the work shenanigans and the amazing bonus puppy pursuits!

[erinkyan]

Yay, how exciting!!!! Congratulations!!! :D :D

[trixtah]

Eee! And eeeeeek! :-)

[radicalyffe]

Congrats! :D

[trixtah]

Thanks! Soonsoonsoon!

[purr]

I have considered doing this too.

I think Medicare should cover more of the cost! I wonder if many private health insurance companies cover it.

[trixtah]

Yes, private insurance covers more of it if you have the super-duper cover. Since I'm horribly healthy in every other way, I just have the hospital cover.

And the other BIZARRE thing is you can claim some of it back on TAX. This country is strange.

[aquaeri]

I think you're in good hands if they're honest about it sometimes going wrong. And like everyone else, I've never met a woman who regretted breast reduction surgery. I'm sure it'll be a net positive in your life, most probably a wild success.

[trixtah]

Yes, the surgeon was literally the only one in Canberra my GP would recommend. He said there were two others at a similar standard in Sydney, but their work was all comparable.

And yes, thank you, I'm hoping for wild success, and I am definitely expecting to be positive in any case. Even just knowing I'm having this procedure done so soon has certainly lifted my mood, and this is with the underlying anxiety about having something so significant done to my body.

[aquaeri]

I have to admit I feel a little awkward in these situations, because I'm small-breasted, or at least a size they don't make a lot of bras for even though there's enough there that bras can make a difference. And the thing is, in my life experience, the struggle that is bra shopping (and I fully understand that it's worse when they're really big) is the only downside. Otherwise, smaller-than-bra-manufacturers-believe-in seems to me all good.

I feel sort of at odds with the culture, you know? And then again, like I said, I've never heard of a woman who was unhappy about breast reduction surgery, so I think maybe "the culture" doesn't give a shit about the actual experience of having breasts.

[trixtah]

It's interesting what you say about "the culture", because that's a part of it I've always felt mightily alienated by, over and above the typical female objectification kind of thing.

Because there is that trope that bigger is better in advertising and porno world, but in reality, it mainly isn't. Even fitness-type stuff privileges smaller-breasted women because they are "lean and healthy". So big tits are about being sexually available, and small tits are not, no matter what they reflect in someone's reality (I can vouch for the fact that breast size and a woman's libido, as an example, are absolutely not linked).

[aquaeri]

Yes, I would have to say that our culture has two relatively distinct female objectification problems, one is the general "women are for sex and men are always the most interesting thing to them (per the Bechdel test)" and the other is large breasts (which many other cultures don't particularly connect with sex, more with you know, breast feeding).

Anyway, thinking good thoughts for your upcoming surgery.

[micheinnz]

Oh, that's just awesome. Glad for you!

[trixtah]

Yes, yay! :-)

[filkferengi]

That *is* fast service; yay for you!

[trixtah]

I was lucky they just moved into new premises and have not received many new bookings yet; great timing!

[filkferengi]

In addition to gobs of good grub, don't forget to stock up on lots of extra books for your recovery period.

[trixtah]

Oh yes! I grabbed about 20 books from the library this weekend and I have my e-reader ready for stocking up as well! :-)

[filkferengi]

Kerry Greenwood mysteries [both Phryne Fisher & Corinna Chapman] are lots of fun. Or, the list has just started a detailed discussion on _Curse of Chalion_ you might enjoy.

[trixtah]

Oh yes, I have all the Corinna Chapmans and a number of the Phryne Fishers. Must get more of the latter. :-)

[kk1raven]

I hope the surgery goes well and that the results please you. The people I know who've had breast reduction surgery seem happy about having had it. It is really too bad that the people who want big breasts and the people who actually get big breasts naturally aren't the same people.

[trixtah]

Indeed, I'd gladly donate my breasts to someone who actually wants these things hanging off their chest.

So too with my fertility, which is perfectly functional and completely unwanted.

And unless there is an unimaginable disaster, I think I'll be happy with whatever results. Of course, nice results would be better.

[freyakitten]

Yay for getting stuff done that will be good for you! :D

[trixtah]

Yay indeed!

*boing* *boing*
*boing* *boing*
*boing*