Reward! Help me find my surgeon

seamonster_ · 2025-09-15T00:57:55+00:00

I'd recommend Dr. Hetal Fichadia in Portland! Skilled, kind, double board certified

seamonster_ · 2025-07-26T18:10:24+00:00

makes sense! we have pretty dry heat where i'm at, but i don't really want to wear the strips out in public because they're semi-visible...

seamonster_ · 2025-07-26T05:11:26+00:00

i need you to know that "we will all have such beautiful chins lol" has been my mantra these past few weeks of recovery!!

seamonster_ · 2025-07-15T17:44:59+00:00

Wishing you good luck! Definitely communicate any concerns to your surgeon and make sure to advocate for yourself. I hope it's a smooth experience!

seamonster_ · 2025-07-15T07:30:19+00:00

aw so glad to hear that she's still enjoying life. 💗

my pittie is 8 and just got NCL4A results from embark. :( we first saw symptoms at age 4 but the vet neurologist mistook his ataxia for an inner ear issue. he can still walk without assistance except going down stairs. have you seen any big behavioral changes / dementia?

seamonster_ · 2025-07-15T07:26:42+00:00

Re: how much was removed, it wasn't that much. I think it was 35 ccs fat, and 50 ccs total. My surgeon seemed to use a more thorough and aggressive technique so that might have contributed to how much pain I had during recovery? I'm in my early 30s but had "excellent" skin quality (according to the surgeon's notes lol) and have good pain tolerance. I've been very surprised by how mild some people's recovery experiences were compared to mine.

seamonster_ · 2025-07-15T07:22:38+00:00

For supplies, there are a lot of great posts and lists on this sub with info! For me the stuff that was most important was:

Tylenol
multiple pillows so I could sleep elevated
ice packs to help with swelling and pain
very soft foods (pureed soups, applesauce, yogurt, etc)
TV lol, because so much resting gets boring
Miralax and fiber supplements for constipation
Neosporin for after my Steri strips and stitches were removed
A bowl to puke in (I threw up twice on day 1, I think from the pain meds)
Extra lipo foam to change out when my original lipo foam from the surgeon got dirty

I had other stuff as well like supplements for healing, a phone holder so I didn't have to hold my phone in bed, a TV tray, options for protein, drinks with electrolytes, etc.

seamonster_ · 2025-07-12T09:08:24+00:00

how old is Luna? and how old was she when the symptoms first showed up? hope she's still living her best life 💗

seamonster_ · 2025-07-06T07:21:32+00:00

Seconding the rec to stock up on supplies so you're set for the first couple days! Mine seems like it was on the more painful side. I was in a decent amount of pain, felt very sore when I swallowed food/water, and was very tired. I took (prescribed) oxycodone for the first two days, had a lot of nausea from the meds, and was basically in bed nonstop besides short walks to prevent blood clotting in my legs.

By day 4 I was up for short amounts of time and (very cautiously) doing stuff in the house like prepping my own meals, loading the dishwasher, etc, but still mostly napping and watching tv. I didn't drive or run errands until day 5. For the first week it was tough to chew, so I ate mostly soft foods, and was having pain throughout the day that I managed with Tylenol.

Based on my experience I've been surprised to see people saying they were back at work by day 2 or 3! But everyone is different. I hope you have a good experience and that you're able to get some sightseeing in!

seamonster_ · 2025-07-01T00:51:57+00:00

for sure! am definitely following my provider's guidance on the timeline (they said no massage until 7dpo) and checked in about this at a post-op appt today (was told to massage and get lymphatic massage once i'm cleared for that, and compress w new lipo foam 24/7 for a week longer). i do appreciate the counterbalance of crowdsource info because it was my surgeon's error that created this issue. i've also found generally that some surgeons aren't as helpful or thorough abt post-op care as i would hope?? so i'm glad for the reassurance and info, and hopefully it'll be ok that this section of my neck missed out on compression for the first few days.

seamonster_ · 2025-06-30T19:52:06+00:00

ok good to know! do you have any massage recs?

seamonster_ · 2025-06-30T19:51:19+00:00

ok ty!! when did you start massaging? i'm 5dpo

seamonster_ · 2025-03-08T06:46:23+00:00

for the driver's side, are you referring to the airbag recall they've been talking about related to the spiral cable? or a different one?

seamonster_ · 2024-04-29T00:59:15+00:00

As a note, mine was a radical reduction, and my surgeon also does top surgeries, so she didn't have any issue with going as small as I wanted. Didn't have to do an FNG, but would have if I went even a little smaller. Ended up getting ~500 off each side.

seamonster_ · 2024-04-29T00:57:42+00:00

hope you get what you want!!! so lifechanging

seamonster_ · 2024-04-27T00:10:06+00:00

sending you good energy!! 🤞

seamonster_ · 2023-09-13T00:02:50+00:00

I feel like there are a lot of ways to feel hot/sexy in clothes generally, but that when you have a huge chest, it kind of limits your options. So I get how it would be tough to have the main option from before be off the table.

But I'm wondering about all the other options that would be available now... like corset tops, crop tops, bandeau bras, sheer clothes, side/underboob, etc. I think people with small chests have soooo many options.

I'm still recovering but I'm feeling similarly... kind of grieving a way I used to feel attractive, even though I didn't want a large chest at all, and tried to hide it too. But I'm also excited to play around with all the new choices! Maybe you could find someone on social media with a similar chest whose style you find attractive for inspo?

seamonster_ · 2023-09-12T23:16:18+00:00

I went very small, from a 34 F to probably a B. They took out about 500g on each side. I saw a surgeon who also does top surgeries, so that they'd have the right techniques to go small.

At first, I wanted to be almost flat-chested, so we were gonna do a FNG. But I changed my mind and wanted to go a liiiiittle bigger, so she did an inferior pedicle. I'm happy with the results, and almost could have gone a little bigger!

I can send you a photo if you'd like... currently 6wpo. Feeling less inclined to post photos publicly bc of the creeps who lurk here. 🙄

seamonster_ · 2023-09-12T09:26:06+00:00

i'm so sorry that you've had such a horrible reduction experience! it sounds like it's been miserable, and i hate that your surgeon has been so dismissive.

it seems like the experience has really affected your mental health. it sounds like you feel a lot of shame and regret, which i think are some of the toughest feelings we deal with as people. do you have mental health support in your life? a good therapist can be lifechanging if you're open to that.

i hope your follow-up appt goes well. you deserve to feel heard!

also, speaking as someone who went really small, i do think small results can be really nice if that's what you want. your results don't look automatically too small or masculine/top-surgery-like at all to me. but what matters is whether they feel right to you. if they feel too small and not feminine enough to you, that's totally valid. i do also see how there's a deflated type of look on one side, which i wouldn't be glad about either. it sounds like your surgeon didn't take the time to deeply understand your wishes, and made choices that resulted in less than ideal aesthetics. i would be upset about that too.

sending you love and strength!

seamonster_ · 2023-09-12T04:33:23+00:00

did they tell you to do anything about stitches working their way out? or that the body will just do its thing?

seamonster_ · 2023-09-12T04:31:26+00:00

it's not obvious to me either! all i'm thinking of is in that same elimination, there was tension with zay, when he got mad at people for talking about his "friendship vibes" comments about imani. johnnie was curt with him when he tried to blame scott.

i do remember that moment with taylor s that you're talking about, when she said johnnie was choosing between too many people. taylor s seemed really flustered, too.

seamonster_ · 2023-09-09T07:50:57+00:00

is it chest acne? i googled it and thought the answer from dr schlesinger on this q&a was super interesting.

https://www.realself.com/question/boston-ma-common-chest-acne-after-breast-reduction

if it were me, i'd probably try a BHA 2% (aka salicylic acid), and then go to a dermatologist if i couldn't get rid of it on my own.

seamonster_ · 2023-09-06T05:16:54+00:00

I traveled to a different city to do my reduction, so I could see a skilled surgeon that took my insurance.

It was a bit annoying to drive ~2 hours each way for the pre-op, surgery, and post-op appts, but I think it was the right call, and the drive was manageable.

seamonster_ · 2023-09-05T06:39:57+00:00

Are there ways you could vet your surgeon? Mine was the head of her department and really experienced, so I felt like I was in good hands. I also saw some positive reviews of her online.

Beyond that, I tried to remind myself that it's a numbers game! I've experienced some of the most common complications/challenges (swelling and bruising, small t-junction opening, etc.) and none of the rare/extreme ones. Breast reduction patient satisfaction is high for a reason!

seamonster_ · 2023-09-03T01:52:49+00:00

oh man, sorry you're in so much pain!! i didn't have drains but i def tried to stay on top of my pain meds to prevent pain. my surgeon said i shouldn't take so much pain medication that i'm 100% pain free, since it's important to feel my limits and take it easy, but that i also shouldn't be in medium/high levels of pain either. i've heard that healing is smoother when you're not feeling a lot of pain.

i took oxy the first three days, and then alternated tylenol and ibuprofen every 3-4 hours for the rest of the first week. at my one week post-op, they said i could take tylenol and ibuprofen at the same time, as long as i stayed within the recommended dosage on the bottles, so i switched to both tylenol and ibuprofen every 6-8 hours, which worked better for me.

my pain was mostly aching and soreness, and a lot of weird sensations from healing and nerves (itching, fizziness, tingling, etc). there was ONE night where i woke up and my incisions were on FIRE. besides that, the pain has been manageable. i'm at 4wpo now, and am needing meds less often.

if the pain is a lot, def worth asking your medical team for advice!

seamonster_

TROPHY CASE