A lot of young girls tell funny stories about laughing so hard with their friends that they wet their pants. As you get older however, and especially after multiple pregnancies, these stories become less and less funny and more and more of an inconvenience. I've had several middle aged friends tell me they can't run or exercise much because of bladder issues. This was a BIG issue for me after six babies, and two years ago I did something about it. In 2009 I had TVT surgery- you can google it if you want the details. My doctor was Leslie Rickey at the University of Maryland- I wanted a woman for this! All I will say here is that it was covered by insurance, required an overnight hospital stay and a few days of rest at home, and was TOTALLY WORTH IT. There is no way I could be running the way I am now if I had not had the surgery.
My other big obstacle to running and other activity was my chest size. I'd been big on top all my life, bigger after nursing six babies. I felt embarrassed running in public, and my back hurt a lot. Sometimes just standing up for a long period of time was painful. This June I had breast reduction surgery. I went to the wonderful Dr Brent Birely in Bel air, and I went from a DDDD cup to a small C. I was in the hospital for a few hours and was back to normal activity in a week, although complete healing took longer. This was also covered by insurance. I did, and do, have some ambivalent feelings about the surgery. I'm not a big fan of vanity, and I think people should accept their bodies the way God made them. I also don't want my daughters to be self-conscious if they end up well-endowed. On the positive side, my back pain is gone, and it is very fun to be able to buy medium sized shirts (instead of XL) and cheap bras from target instead of expensive minimizers off the Internet. I always try to dress modestly, so most people can't tell exactly what the difference is, but many people ask me if I've lost weight (sadly, no). You can judge the results in the attached pictures.
Congratulations on your successful surgeries!
ReplyDeleteI don't think it is vain to have a surgery that makes a well loved activity more doable. I understand worrying about how your daughters will perceive themselves, though. I worry about the same thing with a house full of girls who all look and are shaped differently. Think of it this way, now you can help them feel good about however they are shaped because you know benefits to two different breast sizes :)
Vanity vs Health issues....they are wayyyyy different!
ReplyDeleteYou are a healthier more active happy woman!
Way to go!!!
(the excessive exclamation marks are because you are so awesome!!)!