The Biggest Downside to Breast Reduction

I'm writing this in the throws of what has been the biggest downside to my breast reduction. Hopefully, it won't come off too angry because I'm in massive pain right now.

Here is a little back story. I had gigantic boobs. I got them from my dad's side of the family. My mom's nickname is school was mosquito because her boobs were like mosquito bites. My sister has big boobs too but she has the good type of big boobs. You know where they are big and beautiful but don't come off like like she is wearing a tent when she puts a shirt on.

Well I had boobs that were so massive (by far the biggest in our whole school) and I hated them. By nature I hate attention. If you want attention, get yourself a pair of big boobs. Boys and girls alike will bring them up constantly because clearly I'm oblivious to them. I'm talking so big that finding bras to fit was like hunting for the coolest Christmas toy of the season. I know you want to see a picture and if they weren't all hidden away in storage I would share.

High school was not a fun time for me and I blame in on the boobs. Guys walked down the hallway constantly making comments. Some of them even went as far as touching them "on accident". Grils were caddy and even my friends made jokes and comments. My nickname was Dolly Parton. I hate attention and these things were given me the worst kind.

The pain I was experiencing in my back surely didn't help matters. My mom knew how much I hated them. Since I was on ARkids insurance at the time and would be taken off at the age of 18 my mom suggested that the summer before I started my summer year that I have a breast reduction. I was onboard!

The last thing I wanted to do was start college with these massive breasts. I wanted a fresh start.

The surgery itself went well. Since it was done 14 years ago lots of advances have been made. My best friend got one done a few years ago and she had drainage tubes (which I didn't have). I healed quickly and went on my merry way.

Then came the problem. I noticed that when my left nipple (let me mention it had to be removed and reattached) gets cold it hurts like a pain that is undescribable. It feels like it is on fire which yes is irronic because the nipple is cold. You should have seen the things I have done to try to ease the pain-hairdry, bengay, heating pad, literally have pulled my boob out in the car in front of the vent, wrapped it in out of the dry towels....

Mostly it just takes time for the pain to go away. Luckily it isn't an everyday thing and mostly it is in the winter months. When I was pregnant that was when it was the worst. I would wrap that sucker up like it was a broken leg trying to keep all water off of it.

I've googled it and other people experience the same thing but what I haven't gotten is any solutions. I go for my woman check-up in March and I'm going to bring it up to her.

Other than this crazy boob pain, I am so thankful that I had the breast reduction.

Working On Me

I mentioned in this post last week that I'm reading 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Today I wanted to share with you a little about habit one which is "be proactive".

It really hit home with me because with my current situation I needed to be reminded that there are things I can control and other things I can't. In life there are problems that either fall into the circle of influence (things you can control) or circle of concern (things you can't control). Spending your time and energy focusing on what falls into the circle of concern is a waste. Your focus should stay within the circle of influence.

Working on yourself first is key. Setting a standard of character is crucial. You should practice being the person you want to be. I know that sounds silly but it does take practice. Practice makes habit. One thing you can start doing is keeping promises to yourself. Your life is all about choices and you are the one who chooses to be happy, mad, sad, pissed off, or whatever other emotion you want to feel. You have to be proactive.

If you are proactive and focus on your circle of influence (the things you can control) your circle of concern gets smaller. If you are a reactive person and focus on the circle of concern (the things you can't control) then your circle of influence gets smaller which makes more problems for you. 

Here is an example: I can not control the attitude or behavior of my ex. I can focus on it and react to it but what does it help? It doesn't help my end game which is making sure Jack is happy. I can instead be proactive and focus on me and how I behave. Let me add this. In order for this to work it has to be real. You can't play yourself which means you have to really be dedicated in becoming a better person. 

It is important to not react to a problem or situation but instead be proactive. Outsmart the situation. You are the only person who is responsible for your life. Blaming others is much easier but pointless and gets you nowhere. Saying things like "well I get it from my dad" is putting your actions onto others.

I've spent a little over a week working on habit one. It's amazing how much my life has already changed for the better. It's not easy facing things head on but it makes me feel stronger.

I've started on number two which is "keep the end in mind".  One of the main exercises in chapter two is to write a Personal Mission Statement. It gives you focus and makes you the leader of your life. I'm going to start working on mine soon. I know it is not going to be an easy task. It is going to take a lot of thought and soul searching.

What item would you put in a Personal Mission Statement?

Keeping the End in Mind

One of my goals for January was to read a nonfiction book. I'm one of those people who happen to love nonfiction just as much as I love a good fiction read. At work the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has been sitting around and in a moment of downtime I picked it up and was hooked.

I won't give the book away because honestly I couldn't. It is so indepth that I wouldn't really know where to begin. One exercise that I believed was truly powerful was for the reader to imagine their funeral. You then picture 4 types of people getting up to say a few words. One person from your family, one friend, one person from your work, and lastly someone from the community. What words would you want these people to use to describe you?

Once you can really imagine and see yourself how you want others to see you then you can start working on being that person in those facets of life.

I started off by making a chart like the one below.

Under each category I though of five things I would want to go under each one. It really was quite difficult. After awhile this is what I finally came up with.

As you can see there is not one for Service/Community. This is one area in my life where I am currently lacking. Although this hasn't always been the case it currently is. I'm going to make this area of my life a mission. It took doing this exercise to realize how uninvolved I am in my own community. 

I'm going to print out these three pictures and put the family one in my bedroom where I can see it, the friends print in my car, and the work one at my desk. These are going to make great reminders of what I want to strive to be each day.