Will a Breast Reduction Help My AxSpa Symptoms?
I was sitting my rheumatologist's office, when he mentioned "I think you should look into a breast reduction." This never crossed my mind. I was so angry at my doctor for even mentioning such a thing. Leaving his office with tears in my eyes, thinking thoughts of that body was not good enough. Holding a referral in my hand, I knew this was not even a thing I would ever look into doing.
Since I was a little girl, from the age 9, I started to develop and mature faster than any other girls my age. I was teased and pushed around for having a heavy chest. I remember getting home from school, every day with tears in my eyes. But as I got older I learned to live with it, and learned to love my body the way it was. Because we are all beautiful in our on different ways. God didn't make us all the same for a reason.
Would a reduction actually be good for my symptoms?
After leaving the rheumatologist's office, it took me 2 years to finally decide to go for the breast reduction. It took me this long because I just wanted to see if I could avoid surgery. It took me this long because I wanted to make sure mentally and physically I can do this procedure, as living with AxSpa is already hard to handle for me every day.
After doing my own research and asking other ladies that have gone through a breast reduction living with chronic pain as well, I got the feedback that it has helped them tremendously. It has helped them have less pain in the back, ribs, neck and shoulders.
It all happened very quickly
I booked my consult with the plastic surgeon and he advised me that it will help to have less heaviness to carry around and it would help my spine. However, the surgery itself wouldn't reduce any of my AxSpa symptoms. This is not a cure, but to help lessen what I am carrying around every day. Leaving his office, I was already booked for surgery.
There's a 2 year wait list for the surgery to be covered by the government here in Quebec. I was surprised and it was unreal that I saw the surgeon and was booked for surgery in the same day. I guess because of my condition, I didn't have to wait that long.
This is another chapter of my life that I will be taking, and I'm honestly petrified of doing it. This was a long and a big decision to make. But after thinking about it for so long, I want to try everything that will help have me less pain. I know I will still feel everything that comes with AxSpa, but I also know that I need to try everything to help my body get more relief.
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