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WWYD?
I posted this in Getting Pregnant, but I really like getting opinions from you ladies, so I am posting it here too 
It looks like I'm going to need surgery to fix my TMJ issue. I want to get it done this year because I've already meet my deductible for the year and I won't have to pay anything OOP for the procedure. Getting this done, of course, stops us from TTC until I'm fully recovered.
And here's where I need advice. I'm also thinking about getting a breast reduction this year, again because I wouldn't have to pay OOP for it. I would be getting it done because I have constant back, neck and shoulder pain to the point of not being able to move my arms or walk properly at times. It is something that I definitely need to have done to improve my quality of life. I'm just having a hard time determining if I should do it before or after having a baby.
Doing it before would provide me with relief, not worry about a major surgery while having a young child (recovery time is 6-12 months with minor physical activity), and taking advantage of no OOP expense.
Doing it after would mean I'd have to wait another 2-3 years (if I were to get pregnant in the next 6-18 months) before getting it done, but I would lessen the chances of not being able to breastfeed.
I'm torn because I don't know when or if I'll even get pregnant. Do I improve my quality of life now or wait an unknown amount of time until after I hopefully have a baby?
Re: WWYD?
I would do it now that way you don't have to worry about the recovery and having to take care of a child. I feel that if you put it off now, you will continue to put it off.
I have had jaw recenstruction surgery and it did take a while to recover, but it was definitely not longer than 4 months. I was in the hospital for 4 days and then I was back to work about 2 weeks after the surgery. My jaws were rubber banded, (not wired) shut for between 6-8 weeks. After that I just had to learn to eat solid food again.
I don't know how the breast reduction works, but I would suggest doing that first and then doing the jaw surgery.
This, my sister has a three year old that not care when Mom is sick. I would at least get one of them out of the way before you have a little one.
I think you had one breast reduction correct? Would a second one decrease your chances of breast feeding more, or is it the same sort of risk? I guess I would be worried about how much bigger they get during pregnancy, you might not be able to move if you don't get a reduction beforehand. Isn't the typical increase 2 cup sizes during pregnancy?
I'd wait to get the breast reduction. Have you tried a chiropractor? I have 40DDD and was on the verge of a reduction even though I want to try and breast feed when we have kids. I was in that much pain. i had lost 25 lbs and NONE and I mean NONE from my boobs.
I started going to chiro in January - LIFE CHANGING. My neck wasn't over my shoulder, but forward, plus the big boobs = my hot mess of a back. Just fixing my neck has been made a world of difference. Between my shoulder blades was the worse, and it's still locked up but it's slowly getting there. I feel my posture improving and I'm not crying at my desk in pain at all. Most the times I'm like whoa... I'm not in pain! I'll probably be going to the chiro forever, but it's money well spent in my book.
I have an appointment with my primary care doctor tomorrow and an appointment with a chiropractor on Thursday. I am basically working on getting more history to support my claim.
There's no way I won't get a reduction done. I know that I can't live the rest of my life doing things to correct an issue that can't be corrected without surgery. I wear a 34G (probably bigger because I stuff myself into it) and I am 5ft tall - I'm way out of proportion!
The thing with having it after kids is that I would have to wait 6-12 months after I am done breastfeeding to make sure I don't have any more milk left. If I were to breastfeed for let's say 6 months and I account for pregnancy time, that means I would have to wait another ~2 years to get the surgery done. I really don't think I can wait that long. Then the idea of dealing with how large they will become while pregnant and breastfeeding is horrifying to me. I am already in a significant amount of pain and I can't imagine what having the weight of carrying a baby plus the weight of my chest would do to me. Also, having a ~1yr old with two stepdaughters to care for and having a surgery that puts me in bed for 2-4 weeks doesn't seem like the best situation to be in. I'd realistically have to wait until our would-be child is in school.
I know it's a risk not being able to breastfeed if I have the surgery, but there's also no guarantee I'll be able to breastfeed at all. I also don't know how long it will take for me to get pregnant. I was actually going to start my first round of fertility drugs this cycle because I have issues in that area. I'm not doing it now because of needing the TMJ surgery.
I'm going to see my GYN today to go over some lab work I had done and I'll ask her what she thinks I should do.
My SIL had a breast reduction about 5 years ago. She is about 5'3 and when she had the reduction, she was wearing a 36G, but like you, stuffed herself into it and was probably bigger.
She had my nephew last June. Her boobs got almost as big during pregnancy and now are much larger than before. She is even more uncomfortable now than before she had her reduction. She was able to breast feed but did not produce nearly enough milk and had to supplement with formula. It was very frustrating for her and before she realized that she needed to supplement (it took about 2 weeks) she was very stressed out.
I recommend getting the TMJ surgery now. Although it sounds painful, I know PMJ is very painful and you'll have some relief. I would wait until after babies for the breast reduction. If your boobs end up bigger insurance may not pay for a second surgery.
This is exactly what I'm afraid of getting a reduction pre-baby!
I know there's risk of having it now vs waiting until after we have a child. The thing that is making me second guess waiting is that I don't know when I will have that child and if I can deal with the pain and discomfort for however long that may be. I'm taking 800mg of Ibuprofen every day and it barely dulls the pain. I have to prop my elbows up on pillows when I am sitting down just to take the weight off my shoulders. I get rashes and migraines and my hands and fingers get numb. Every day is literally painful for me and it's getting worse every month. I've lost weight, but it isn't helping. I'm out of options and miserable.
I saw my GYN yesterday and my primary care doctor this morning and they both said it would be best to have it done before. Since I am so large already, the added weight while being pregnant and breastfeeding would be very hard on my body.
SJS - imagine if your SIL had not had the surgery before having a child. She would have still grown during pregnancy and would now be even larger. I'm afraid of that happening to me. Also, there's no guarantee that I'll be able to breastfeed and provide enough milk on my own. I may end up having to supplement anyway.
I didn't realize that you were in so much pain that you are taking pain killers daily. My SIL never got that bad. If your back is that uncomfortable, you have to have surgery. You don't have an enjoyable quality of life at this point.
I never thought about how my SIL would have felt during pregnancy and breast feeding had she not had surgery. When you've always had little boobies you don't realize how bad things can be.
I hope both surgeries help you and have quick recoveries!