Transgender Teen Survival Guide

Asked by Anonymous

Emery says:

Absolutely I can! Just remember, this is a breast reduction, so I still have breasts. I was a 34DDD pre-op, and I am now a 34B. If I bind, I easily get flat.

I had surgery June 2nd, 2014! I was 18 years old. My insurance did cover my surgery, leaving me with a copay of just over $300. Officially my surgery was for back pain. In order to get insurance to cover it, at my consultation I had pictures taken of my bare chest from 5 angles. These photos were sent to my insurance, where they decided whether my chest was large enough to cause sufficient pain, and whether they thought a reduction would help. Fortunately for me, they said yes to both! 

I chose my surgery location based on proximity (in my home town) and insurance coverage (clinic owned by the hospital my dad works for). I chose my surgeon within that clinic based on who had an opening, which isn’t an A+ way to pick someone, but after my consult, I felt confident that he would do a good job, even if he wasn’t the nicest guy on the planet. (He wasn’t mean, just very brisk and professional. My anesthesiologist was great though!)

I scheduled my surgery date at the end of my consult, which consisted of answering basic health questions, and having my chest looked at by the surgeon and photographed. I also had to get a pre-op physical, which was just a regular checkup with my primary doctor, in order to insure that I was healthy enough to undergo surgery. I also got my blood drawn at this appointment.

On the day of surgery, I arrived about an hour before. I signed some forms, had my vitals taken, got an IV, and had marker lines drawn where the incisions would be. I also got to talk with my surgeon and my anesthesiologist about any questions I had, and how the procedure would go.

Surgery lasted about three hours - a little less. I was under general anesthesia, so I was completely unconscious the whole time. Getting onto the table was nerve wracking, and I was afraid of waking up during the procedure, but my anesthesiologist took great care of me. I woke up in a recovery room with my nurse from before the procedure. After I came to a little more, I transferred back to the room I had started in. I got dressed (I don’t remember if my mom helped me or not….), and then my mom drove me home.

Recovery took about three weeks in total. The first day or two I spent entirely in bed, mostly sleeping, with ice on my chest constantly and painkillers every 4 hours. The first week was definitely resting, and the second week was easing back into activity. I did leave the clinic with drains in my chest, and I returned the next day for their removal. My recovery took an extra few days because I had a stubborn incision that wasn’t healing quite right, and some of the stitches refused to dissolve in my body. The bits of stitching that wouldn’t go away were cut off at a post-op appointment, and with time and care, the incision healed just fine.

At this point, my most visible scars are curved lines under each breast. There is also a lighter line coming straight up from the middle of that scar and connecting to my areola. By now, only if you look super closely can you see the faint scar around the areola.

I am very happy with the results of my surgery and would definitely recommend breast reduction to anyone interested in smaller breasts. However, if you are looking for a completely flat chest, hold out for a total mastectomy, because with a reduction you’d still have to bind for the rest of your life.