Jennifer Lackenby suffered from back pain, marks on her shoulders and painful rashes as a result of large breasts since having her first child. Following the birth of her second child, the pain became unbearable - Jennifer knew she needed to take action. Here, she shares her story:
“Since having my first child I’ve had large breasts. As a result of this I’ve suffered from back pain and marks on my shoulders from my 38HH bras. The wires would dig in and I’d have painful rashes from where they would rub profusely against my skin. I never thought having bigger breasts would cause me so much pain.
“I’m a full time care worker so my job is quite physical. I enjoy keeping fit and take part in gym classes and personal training sessions at least four times a week. Although I exercise regularly and had lost weight in recent years, my breasts had never gone down in size! I’d often have to wear two sometimes three sports bras for extra support.
“When I had my second child things got worse. Not only was I in agony, but I felt so unattractive and it began to affect my self-esteem - I knew then I needed to do something about it.
“On a number of occasions I spoke to my GP about the problems I was having, but was turned away for surgery because of my BMI - which was just on the border of being classed as overweight. I decided to look into having the surgery privately at Spire Washington Hospital. I spoke to one of their Customer Service Advisers, Sharon, she was really friendly and explained everything so thoroughly.
“I booked an appointment with their consultant Mr McLean for the following week. Sharon was at the appointment and both she and Mr McLean were fantastic. I was examined, measured and given all the information I needed to make an informed decision on the surgery. I felt comfortable that I could ask anything and any questions I did have were answered in full. I discussed it with my family - including the cost, which was made easier by Spire’s 0% finance options - and decided it was definitely something I wanted and more importantly, needed to do.
“My surgery was booked on a day that suited me. When I arrived at the hospital I was taken to my own private room and settled in. I went down to theatre and next thing I knew I was back in my room with my family around me – it was great that there weren’t any restricted visiting hours. I was ready to go home after a two night stay - usually it’s just one but they wanted to keep an eye on me. I wasn’t charged extra for any additional nights or treatment which was good to know. I wasn’t rushed out, everyone spent time with me and I was a human not a number. I was given my post-surgery bra’s and had to return to have dressings changed- all of which was included in the cost of my surgery.
“The whole process was stress free from start to finish - everything from my initial consultation, to surgery and aftercare. I can’t recommend Spire Washington Hospital enough.
“My life has improved so much since surgery, I feel like a new person and I never thought I’d say this but I love my boobs! They’re now a 40D – I have no back pain, can exercise wearing just one bra and feel much more confident. Not only this, but I’ve lost weight and everyday tasks are so much easier.
“I would say to anyone who is thinking about breast reduction surgery – go for it! My only regret is that I didn’t get it done sooner."
Mr McLean said: “It is often mis-interpreted that women undergo surgery on their breasts purely for aesthetic reasons, but as we have seen with Jennifer this is not always the case.
“It’s common for women’s breasts to remain large following pregnancy. It can lead to a range of issues including back, neck and shoulder pain from the weight of the breasts, as well as rashes due to trapped heat and moisture underneath them. Other symptoms include shoulder grooves from bra straps, numbness, shortness of breath and inability to exercise. It can also have a huge impact in self-esteem.
In Jennifer’s case she was suffering from all of these symptoms - this was having an effect on her daily life. It’s great that Jennifer was already fit, healthy and had lost weight pre-surgery, which definitely worked in her favour in terms of her recovery.”