Boob Reduction on Medical Card

Karen23

Does anyone know if breast reduction surgery can be done on the medical card. If it can done, does anyone know anyone who's had it done and how long they waited for it.
I suffer really badly with my back , neck and shoulders as a result of big boobs. Apart from the pain I hate them , it's so hard buying clothes and my self confidence has also suffered.
I've never mentioned this to my doctor and I had just accepted that this was part of my life and I just had to deal with it , but my back pain has been getting worse lately and I was going to ask my doctor about a reduction but she might not take it too seriously as I've never mentioned it to her before.
If its available I'm presuming theres a long waiting list so I should really have told her before now.

Thanks for any advice.

tbh

if you don't have a medical reason for getting it done, it's classed as elective surgery, and I doubt it'd be covered. Best thing you can do is bite the bullet and talk to your doc, I know it's embarrassing, but it's nothing they won't have heard before and you're going to have to do it at some stage to get the ball rolling - the sooner you start, the sooner it'll be over.
best of luck.

Exclamation Marc

I have a friend who had this problem. As tbh said, if it's for other than medical grounds it's classed as elective.

My friend was asked to show evidence of pain and discomfort so had to get doctors/physio reports etc, which weren't too difficult to get. Just head down to your doc and tell him of the pain it causes you. My friend had hers done somewhere around 6 months after beginning to apply for it, but there were various reasons for that time with holidays etc, and that was about 4 years ago.

Victor

I'd agree with much of what tbh has said. You don't mention what stage of life you are at, but this may affect breast feeding if you plan to have children.

ddef

Boob reductions are a crying shame...












...but if it hurts check it out.

Sleepy

Have you considered less invasive means?

I've noticed that a lot of female friends when losing weight seem to lose it off their chests before losing weight elsewhere?

Another thing worth investigating would be whether you're getting sufficient support from your bra, back pain is one of the problems caused by wearing the wrong size / too flimsy a bra for the weight of the breasts etc.

bestiaries

get yourself off to a proper department shop and get properly measured dear, and buy some nice bra's from bravissimo. You might also try some pilates and yoga, i am a 36J, have not had so much as a twinge in my back for years.

LegacyUser

bestiaries wrote: »

get yourself off to a proper department shop and get properly measured dear, and buy some nice bra's from bravissimo. You might also try some pilates and yoga, i am a 36J, have not had so much as a twinge in my back for years.

I'm a big girl too - 32 DD to E cup with a teeny back - I'm a natural size 6-8 and hated myself for being 'disproportionate' for years...

I completely understand where you're coming from. J is really big and literally a pain in the neck, BUT - I also imagine nature gave us big boobs for a reason. In previous generations, women probably had very strong backs from agricultural work and lifting toddlers. I'm a yoga chick too now. For years my shoulders were rounding and boobies were too heavy, but strengthening your back just about gives you the effect of a breast lift. Yes, the breasts themselves may will still hang but a strong back and pecs will lift them and give you the posture of a 14yr old gymnast. You didn't say how old you were... try yoga twice a week for a year or two... I'm serious... it can change your life...

For years I hated my big breasts. But yoga took the pain away - and my husband loves them - and having been through surgery for other reasons, I wouldn't really recommend it. I know how horrible it is for the world to look at you as a 'large breasted woman' when you feel like a svelte chick - studies show that big breasted women are not taken seriously in business etc.... but - it is part of who you are, and it is part of your 'womanhood'. I went to a physio with a stiff neck which I blamed on the big boobies but alot of the problem was from sleeping with two many pillows and carrying a huge handbag... and the physio just advised to strengthen the middle back.

Put it this way: women with large breasts are designed to spend twenty years lifting two stone toddlers. Nowadays we don't have lots of kids, we just have big heavy boobs, so we need to do the work ourselves. Its part of your femininity. Look at the gorgeous figures on African women who tend to huge ones! Try the exercise route for a year a two and after, you are perfectly entitled to a reduction. No one who doesn't have big breasts can understand what its like. Just be careful that you are choosing surgery for the right reasons, and not because Vogue or Grazia tells you too. I'm not being judgemental - I was nearly crippled myself a few years ago - but strengthening you back is the answer. Now I can say I'm glad I'm a small woman with large breasts, a few years ago I couldn't say that. I work in fashion and most fashion designers are gay men who dream up designs for boys!

See a physio for exercises to strengthen your back. Surgery is last resort.

LegacyUser

Sleepy wrote: »

Have you considered less invasive means?

I've noticed that a lot of female friends when losing weight seem to lose it off their chests before losing weight elsewhere?

Another thing worth investigating would be whether you're getting sufficient support from your bra, back pain is one of the problems caused by wearing the wrong size / too flimsy a bra for the weight of the breasts etc.

+1 Weight fluctuation affects the breasts big time. I lost a couple of stone and my boobs went from a 36D to a 34C, might not sound very big but im only 4ft 11 so they were big enough. OP unless you are one of the rare few thats a skinny minny and has huge boobies do you think maybe you could look at increasing your exercise, changing diet etc?

Karen23

ddef wrote: »

Boob reductions are a crying shame...

My Husband would agree with you :rolleyes:

Just to answer a few of the replies:
I'm 32 with a 12 and 6 yr old with no plans for more children so breastfeeding is not an issue.

I have lost a lot of weight in the past (although I have put some back on ) But it never shifts off my chest.

Bestiaries - I will try Bravissimo for bras, at the moment I wear minimiser bras from Marks and Spencer.

And I am willing to try any other way of reducing my breast size. I'm not just looking for the quick fix by having surgery. To be honest I would still be apprehensive about getting it done and it would be a last resort but after 17 or 18 years of having big boobs I fel like I've had enough now.

Even in photos the first thing people mention is Oh My God the size of your boobs there. It drives me bloody mad.

LegacyUser

I'm not sure if this helps but I have man boobs, properly known as gynecomastia. I'm on the medical card and I went to my GP and he arranged for me to meet a plastic surgeon in a public hospital. I am due to undergo surgery for them in the next few months.

So the medical card does in fact cover moob reduction, although very, very few people know this. I pray the government doesn't change this facility before I get these removed.