mOuntain_molehill

Throwaway...

They didn't have a name for it when I went through the same thing 20 years ago. I'm 36 and have lived with a left breast implant since I was 16.

I've never talked about it much and therefore have never met anyone who knows what it's like to only have one breast. But I'll tell you what it's like 20 years later. My tits look great. Yeah, one's a little perkier than the other, but I hardly ever notice it.

Did they do a "gradual" implant on you? Mine went like this: Plastic surgeon inserted an empty balloon under my breast tissue. It had a small tube that ran under my skin to my underarm. I visited his office weekly to have saline injected into the tube to inflate the balloon gradually to decrease the chance of stretch marks. When it was sized to our liking, he did the math and an implant was customized for a second surgery. Pretty neat, actually!

The insurance companies were another story. My mom fought them tooth and nail to cover the surgery. At one point I found myself in a conference room with a bunch of suited execs, taking my shirt off to show them this was a real deformity, not some teenager who wanted a boob job. It. Was. Humiliating.

Thank you for posting this AMA. I'm glad to hear when "my condition" occurs these days, it's more likely to be covered by insurance. You have a great attitude! And great tits!

I think there's a certain amount of tightness in every augmentation, I was instructed to do the same massaging you were told to do. It helps with the tightness. You might have been told not to wear an underwire bra for a long time. Another commenter suggested r/abrathatfits, it's a great sub. I think I wore sports bras exclusively for about a year after surgery. But that first trip to the beach I didn't cover up in a t-shirt? Priceless!

You have many confidence-boosting moments ahead of you! But the best comes when you realize you haven't given it a single thought in months. Happy to bond, internet stranger! :D

I wish it had gone more like this and I've held a grudge against insurance companies ever since, but I won (or rather my mom did, she rocks) and I got to watch my boob grow before my very eyes. Bizzare and surreal!