Question:
This one is for the ladies only! Sorry guys!
Ladies! I have a somewhat embarrassing question. Prior to surgery my bra size was a 42DD. My doctor said my breasts would get smaller and really sag with the weight loss. Here I am 5 months out, nearly 90 lbs lost and they are as big as ever. It is almost a dispointment to me. After being so big for so long I was looking forward to them shrinking. I didn't have a problem with them before but now they seem so much heavier and cause trouble. I really don't want to have a breast reduction surgery. Do they get smaller? and if so WHEN? Thanks for any adivce you might have. — purdue_1993 (posted on April 22, 2002)
April 22, 2002
Hmm...well, mine went from 42DD to 40D in the first couple of months, and
now, 7 months and 90 lbs. out, I'm down to 36D. So the cup size really has
not shrunk as much as I would have expected, given that I'm 35 - 40 lbs.
away from my goal weight. However, they do seem to have deflated somewhat,
if that makes any sense. They're not as firm and fleshy as they were
before, but there's still enough there that I need the D cup.
Have you ever been close to your goal weight before? If so, what were your
breasts like then? That might give you some clues what to expect. Oh, and
how far are you from your goal at this point? I'm thinking that if you're,
say, only halfway there, you might not have noticed much shrinkage yet,
whereas if you're getting close, you might have to start thinking in terms
of breast reduction surgery.
Good luck!
— Karen I.
April 22, 2002
Went from a 46C to a 38C. I found what the previous poster said about
being sort of deflated, just not enough to need a smaller cup size.
Definenatly need that underwire support though!
— livnliter
April 22, 2002
I completely understand. My surgery was August 28, 2001 and at Christmas I
had boobs (I lost 60 lbs by then), but then within a few weeks, I went from
a 44DD to 38C......I just had my 8 month check up with my surgeon and I
mentioned the boob thing and asked when I have my tummy tuck, could he take
some tummy and put it into the boobs, and he said not to worry, I'll still
lose them later.....Oh well. It's kind of nice to finally find shirts that
fit, but they do resemble tube socks with rocks in them (as my husband
states).
— trtorrey
April 22, 2002
I started out as a size 60G. I did not notice a big difference until about
9 months out. I am now wearing a 42O. ( I know that doesn't seem like much
of an improvemnet but it really is)Your breasts will get smaller but
definitely have the hanging down thing going on...Congrats on your weight
loss!
— Ginger J.
April 22, 2002
It's funny. Prior to surgery my bra size was 48G. I didn't really lose most
of that until I was about 10 months post-op. I'm now 16 months post and
still wear a 40DDD. And I can't believe how SMALL they look! Sometimes it
takes longer for the breasts to shrink, but eventually they do. I was
really worried, because at 10 months post, I was down about 90 pounds, yet
my bra size was only down one cup. You can imagine how I looked at the
time! I have finally got the real "sagging" part everyone talks
about, and will definitely look into reconstructive surgery. So,you're
still early out, it may take a little longer, but one day you'll wake up
and wonder where they went! :-) Good luck.
— Maria H.
April 22, 2002
I'm I haven't had the surgery YET! But my cousin has, and she just had a TT
and a breast reduction, turned out it wasn't a reduction, just unsaggyed
them? She ended up with 1 cup size larger, because of the nipple
placement.. The doc said either that or they would be pointing to the
floor. Sorry for this info, but thats one case scenario :)
— Moma V.
April 22, 2002
when i had my preop mammo my breast surgeon told me the same thing ur dr
told u. i was a very tight & uncomfortable 48dd at the time. my
measurement with a tape measure was 60 inches. i am now 4 mos out, 68 lbs
gone forever & my bust measures 48 inches. i am wearing bras that r 48d
but, i need a c cup. i just dont want to spend money on stuff i wont be
able to wear in a month or 2.
— sheryl titone
April 22, 2002
Okay, anyone seen the movie SOMETHING ABOUT MARY? Well, remember the old
lady at the very end of the movie...her breasts? OMG, that is me!!! I now
weigh 129 (6 pounds below goal), started out being a 44DD, now I am a 34B
and honestly, I have to literally pick up the hanging skin and
strategically place them in the cup. Several times per day I have to do a
"nipple" check and make sure they are lined up properly!! What a
sight! Luckily my husband and I have a sense of humor. Anyway, I didn't get
this saggy until the end of the weight loss period, so you may not be at
that point yet, hopefully yours will not dissappear altogether. I know you
want them to get smaller, and inevitably they most likely will, but don't
wish this empty, hangy skin thing on yourself, trust me!! I am planning on
getting a breast lift, and I am being told that I may need implants, which
I am so against, but I also can't imagine what this will look like when I
reach 65! Sooo, I am working out like crazy, trying to fill in the space
where breast tissue used to be with muscle, and that has added to the
absurdity of the whole thing, cause now I have great pectoral muscles, and
way down under those are the hangy, wrinkly skin! Now that I have given all
you new posties and pre-ops a lovely visual, not to worry, not everyone
ends up like me, and in a bra they actually look pretty perky, so I just
think about how lucky I am to have that as problem and not my failing
health anymore! Best of luck on your weight loss, and if anyone has any
breast tissue they would like to donate, give me a holler! Much love...
— Vicki K.
April 22, 2002
Vicki are your boobs on my body? They sound like it. I am proud to say
that I am in a 32B! Okay let's look at this alittle closer. I am only in
a 32B because I have to fold up the fleshy stuff into a bra. There's no
fat there at all. Vicki, I too do the nipple check because my breasts have
a way of "falling" out of the bra if I bend over. Now people
have much more of a visual...sorry guys but the truth is, my 13 year old is
larger than I am. I'm sure that I am a 32AA if not for the folding bit. I
use a water bra to make me look alittle better. Good luck and I hope that
you don't lose as much as me.
— Barbara H.
April 23, 2002
I am going to be the teller of tales from the other side of happiness...
I started at a 56I and let me tell you 4 1/2 months later being at a 50 C ,
I'm ready to CRY like a baby. I'm already making plans for the lift and
replants.. (haven't seen a surgeon, but the plan is already there!) I
thought I'd be happy when mine went away too, but.. Be careful what you
wish for :) Good luck in your journey :)
— Elizabeth D.
April 23, 2002
AAAH, yes, Barbara mentioned the old "fold and tuck"! Yes, I do
believe I would be in a AA as well if it weren't for folding the skin to
somehow look like something round in those cups! UH OH, gotta go do the
nipple check now, feels like they're heading South again...tata!
— Vicki K.
April 24, 2002
I used to be a 38DD (11/5/01) and now I'm a 36D. I've got to lose about 25
more pounds to hit goal, but I've noticed in the past month my boobs have
headed WAY south in a big way!! I originally said that I wouldn't have a
boob lift but I'm starting to reconsider the idea.
— Patty H.
July 6, 2002
I am 5 months post op and lost 85 lbs and lost the boobs too! I went from a
44D to a 38C They are just hanging there.
I am looking at a lift or something but I dont want the 44D back. I am
happy where they are now.
— Theresa B.
June 9, 2003
I know what you mean. I started out a 46 DD, I looked forward to them
getting smaller and being able to go out and buy myself some fancy bras.
Well, I went down, now I'm a 34 DD, try to find them in K Marts!! But I
must admit, I was at a business meeting a few weeks ago and a women at the
meeting I was talking to said if She knew shed have my figure in a year
she'd have the surgery too. so I guess there are a few perks, no one ever
said that to me before :) I'm now wearing a size 6 jeans and 10 blouse.
— Linda C.
October 20, 2003
I used to weight 160 lbs in my 20s and wore 36C. Then due to breastfeeding
3 kids and unfortunate maternal genetics, my mammary glands were already
southbound by age 30. Then suddenly I was 50, and 345 pounds, with
multiple health problems, and size 52DDD didn't really fit but I made it
fit because I was darned if I'd buy anything larger...and what the heck
were cup sizes F and G anyway? Well hello WLS. Now at 275 lbs and 70 lbs
lighter, my bra size has gone from 52DDD to nearly a 46DD in 4 months. I
have to say I am beyond stuff and tuck: I am firmly (no pun intended)
scoop and dump, the two-fisted technique. LOL. And I've always worried
about nipple placement, making sure both were pointing midcup same
direction. Otherwise, a chilly room could coldly reveal the true results
of my nipple placement efforts that morning. LOL. It seems to me it would
be unusual to lose breast tissue below what you were genetically blessed
with. After they've been stretched by excess weight which is then rapidly
lost, they may hang lower and lose some firmness, but then aging does the
same eventually. Perhaps if the questioner is still large busted at 5
months out, it may be partly a natural endowment for her. Try keeping
monthly track of your chest measurement as you go along. Also, your
breasts may seem larger now since you have probably lost inches around them
from arms, sides of your chest, waist, etc. Everyone's WLS journey is
different. It would be interesting to know how this problem of yours
resolves. HUGS and good luck!
— midlifestu
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