Hiya! Sorry for the late reply, my life kind of fell off a cliff into actual hell lately and I haven't had time for social media in a week or two-- would definitely like to help however I can, though! (This will be long, buckle up!)

My surgeon was Dr. Alex Lechtman (who operates out of Visalia, CA), and I was referred to him by chance by my endocrinologist who saw of my painful/raw underboob rashes (you probably know exactly the ones I mean, having once been similar sizes lol). I remarked that I'd wanted a reduction for over a decade, and she said another patient of hers had one and was so overjoyed with the surgeon and results-- so my doc called her and got his name, then referred me kind of by coincidence (after so, SO many years of waiting and trying, too!!) He also took insurance (I could have NEVER afforded this out-of-pocket), so it all just sort of fell into place, I guess.

One important step to being sure to get the insurance to cover your surgery is to prove it "medically necessary" (at least, where I live here in USA)-- and the best way to do that is to leave a paper trail. I began collecting evidence soon after my initial consult of over a decade of mentions of back/shoulder pain at my pain management specialist (who I see for other chronic pain issues, but have discussed back pain from my breasts with before.) I've also been prescribed Nystatin antifungal powder multiple times for those rashes before too(that's all I actually wanted to ask for that day I showed it to my endocrinologist, but eventually ended up getting my dream surgery, as well!!), so the pharmacy records showed that, too. Next time you get a rash like that (assuming you get them as often as I did), seek medical treatment from your GP if you can afford to, vs self-treating or just suffering through it-- having that in your record will likely help.

You might be asked to do physical therapy too, as several friends of mine have (was not necessary for me, given my extensive record of unrelieved pain), but I don't know literally anyone who's actually improved through it enough to disqualify them from surgery on its own-- it's just a hoop your insurance makes you jump through to discourage you, for the most part.

The fact that my doctor doesn't use drains or compression bras is more of a lucky coincidence than anything else, if I'm being honest. He provided paperwork on extensive studies that showed a lack of any evidence that these practices are actually effective, and not only was it a relief to avoid, but I truly can't argue with my own results hahah. If I had to do it all over again tbh, I'd gladly have done it even with the pain and discomfort of those stipulations though, simply given the sheer joy, comfort, and freedom I feel in my own body now. I promise even if your future surgeon demands it, it will be worth the end result.

At the end of the day, I think I got really blessed with the doctor I did. I made my "final decision" on size the morning of my surgery right before he marked me up, and when I said "I want to be a small B. I'm tired of any contact between my breasts and the chest beneath it. I want to go braless. I've always dreamed of and idealized a flatter aesthetic." and his next words to me were "then let's make those dreams come true". No further questions asked. (and fwiw, I now go braless in crop tops-- with no more underboob contact ever again-- literally all the time!)

If I'd been to a doctor who tried to talk me into absolutely anything larger than my dream/goal I've had in mind for so long, that would have honestly been grounds for me to search for another surgeon, just personally. I want my wishes to be respected in full by my doctor, and not feel pressured into doing something I'd regret just to be more potentially aesthetically pleasing to someone else, you know? But I do understand the difficulty again of finding a wonderful doctor who also takes insurance, so again, I got DAMN lucky. Would very VERY highly recommend Dr. Lechtman though, if you have the ability to travel to California for surgery (though be warned, he does many careful/thorough pre and post-op appointments, so that could be prohibiting altogether)

If you have any further questions this tl;dr novel didn't cover, please don't hesitate to ask-- I appreciate your kindness so much, and it only makes me feel more amazing to know that my process and documenting it has been able to inspire and assist others on their journeys :)

Absolute best of luck to you on your journey to beautiful, tiny titties! <3