I've been really busy the last week with thesis work and my sinuses have been bothering me quite a bit.  I was afraid that I was getting sick so I tried to slow down alot, because if I got sick no booby reducing.  I still have a little congestion in the mornings, and my Ma says that shouldn't hinder anything.   Just found out the other day that my college's commencement will be on my birthday, May 31st.  I'm hoping that's a good omen. 

 

Congratulations to my homie govflygirl (momintraining^2).  She had her baby boy Aidan on Thursday.  Can't wait to see my new little muffin. 

 

Well tomorrow is the big day.  I'll be reporting to Johns Hopkins at 5:30am (good lord!!).  Thanks to all my Hoodie girls for their interest and support!!!  You guys are priceless!!

 

Ma will be in touch tomorrow!  And I will post an update as soon as my head is unclouded and I can think straight, which should be around Thursday. 

 

Bye Bye Boobies!!!   (Hello bruises and swelling  but it will be worth it)

 

 

 

 

So Mom In Training ^2 wanted to know...

 

My pre-op appointment will include a chest x-ray, an EKG, blood work, a PTT (a bleeding test essentially, to make sure that I clot well so that I don't lose too much blood during surgery) and possibly a mammogram (since I'm under 35 years old, maybe not, but considering my mother's history, maybe)

 

I will have at least 500 grams removed from each breast which is about 1 lb. each, which should bring me down to a full C/small D. 

 

Also, I really have to start my clean livin' now.  No alcohol, low sodium, lots of leafy vegetables, more vitamin C, no aspirin or motrin (they have blood thinning properties) and a calm state of mind (which could be very difficult since my boss is about to go on vacation for a week and a half!) 

 

And no Cola, you cannot uncross your fingers... not until April 4th!

 

Gotta go get some psych articles now.  God, I wish my thesis was on breast reductions!!

I now have a pre-op appointment.  March 22nd at 7:frickin' 45 AM.  WOO!  The good thing is, I'll probably be too exhausted to be nervous.  Nothing more to report at the moment, got to go get some writing done!

 

PS

 

Just wanted you all to know that everyone's e-mails and message/comments are deeply appreciated!  They really help keep me in a positive state of mind! 

 

 

So my procedure is 3 weeks from Tuesday (OMG!!)  And since my original date for March 16th was rescheduled, I did not go to my March 1st pre-op appointment.  E-mailed my surgeon's assistant and requested a date for a new one.  Well, I haven't heard from her yet (she's been very bad with communications since the beginning), I called her direct line as well as the main desk for the plastic surgery department (they said that she had been out sick for a few days).  I DO NOT have a new pre-op date set yet and I'm kind of freakin' out about it.  I could schedule my pre-op for here in Brooklyn and just have the results faxed to them, but Ma's being all paranoid about the quality of the labs that would be used and she wants everything done at Hopkins.  I guess she's right though.  But I could sure use the peace of mind of having a date set.

 

Also, today I told my father about this happening for sure.  He had been against it early on, but Ma laid it all out for him.  Even though he stopped pushing his opinion (had to make him understand that they were DDD 40 lbs ago and they're DDD now!), I never thought that he truly accepted it and secretly hoped that I would not go through with it.  When I told him tonight that it was final we didn't get into an argument which I was prepared for.  He took it rather quietly, and I'm not really sure if I preferred that or not.  I don't want him to be silently suffering.  My father is such a fatalist (as well as mistrustful of the medical profession) that I'm sure he's convinced that something will go wrong.  I sure don't need that vibe.  I swear waiting for this is starting to become worse than the unfulfilled desire of wanting it.

 

 

 

I feel slightly less and  and  today.  Still real happy though.  The good news has really lit a fire under my ass to get crackin' with my thesis.  I also have less time during the day since I now work from 9am to 12pm moderating an infant/toddler play space. I know how I am, the less time I have to do something the more motivated I am to get it done.  More so than before I've chipped away every day instead to saving it all for the weekend.  Although not having to worry about camp preparations is making a big difference with my stress level and being able to focus on other things.  I would love to have everything written by April and then defend after I come back from vacation/post-operative healing time. 

 

I am however starting to obsess/be paranoid about my weight, which I'm not to happy about, don't like the way it feels, the obsession that is.  Motivated by my impending procedure, I started a "lifestyle change" about 2 months ago and so far I've lost about 13 pounds.  I feel really good, I don't have any sense of deprivation or anything like that, but now that I've had some success I find that I'm always thinking about what my menu for the day will be, what will I eat the next day, when will I fit in my cardio...  It's a little unnerving sometimes.  I guess I just need to get a grip.  Hopefully, it will become a part of who I am and I won't THINK about it as much. 

Received a letter last night that stated (and it was confirmed today) that Oxford Health Plans will be covering 100% of my Breast Reduction procedure.  I have an authorization number and everything.  My hospital co-pay will $150.  I thought that I would be writing this huge entry tonight because of the enormity of this news, but now I realize that I don't even have anything else to say. I don't feel that I can sufficiently express how this makes me feel (my chest is tight and I want to cry again).  A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders figuretively and soon to be literally. 

 

When I'm a little less emotional, I'll describe everything that I went through with the doctors and the insurance company so that other women who want to do this can learn from my experience.