Real estate is an extremely social business. You gotta be savvy and keep up to date with the ever-changing industry rules and regulations, and there’s loads of behind-the-scenes mechanics. But so much of it is also PEOPLE. Meeting people, negotiating with people, getting to know them and their family dynamics, guiding them through uncharted waters, 10pm therapy sessions…you can be the world’s smartest Realtor and it doesn’t mean squat if you can’t connect with a client.
Despite this, so many Realtors keep their personal lives separate from how they present professionally. I’ve never been that Realtor. Long time friends and clients who’ve followed me on social media all these years will tell you that I have always been 100% Lauren, and on every given day you can see me touring houses, giving keys to clients, and let me also tell you about that time I got hit in the eye with a beer bottle while sailing in California. It’s also always been super important to me to be visible when it comes to certain issues that are considered “sensitive” or taboo. Issues of race, issues of ableism (my incredible sister has Down’s Syndrome), inequity in real estate (that’s a tough one that most Realtors won’t be caught dead discussing), and issues in my own personal life – like my body, and how I relate to it and navigate it through this world.
A lot of you have been by my side on my breast reduction journey. Body modification can be done for many reasons, but whether it’s cosmetic, preventative, gender-affirming, or for quality of life, all reasons are valid. For me, having larger breasts for a majority of my adult life was a constant source of pain and discomfort. I knew that someday, I’d fix that. And recently, I did.
Luckily I have several friends and acquaintances who had already undergone either a reduction or top surgery themselves, and I was fortunate to benefit from their advice in the lead-up to the procedure. This meant that I went in informed and prepared for every little scenario. The purpose of this blog is to be that friend for you. Maybe you don’t have a person in your social sphere who can help in this way? Let me be your bosom buddy and share this guide on what you’ll need to line up pre-surgery, and how your circle can step in to help you as you recover. I’ll also link you to some items that will be so freaking helpful in aiding your healing (you don’t have to get them from the places I link to, but it’s a good starting point).
Tip #1. Find your surgeon. This part can be a bit overwhelming, but my b(r)est advice is to look for online reviews and the recommendations of local friends, if possible. I chose mine because I definitely wanted a woman, and I needed to make sure she didn’t have any reviews that mentioned body and/or fat shaming – this was really important to me! Finding the right surgeon will make all the difference in how you feel about this experience in the future. For reference, my surgeon is Dr. Hetal Fichadia (she’s the tits). It’s important to note that this decision wasn’t made on a whim. I’d been documenting the pain and back problems I’d been experiencing for years with my Chiro (shout out to Hey Doc Clinic!), naturopath, and GP. I had a solid case with lots of documented history. When it was time to pick my insurance for the year at the end of 2020, I chose a high premium / low deductible plan, anticipating that my surgery would be expensive. I started looking for a surgeon in-network in Jan 2021, and chatted with a few, but only clicked with one. I got on her schedule in spring, saw her for my first consult in the summer, and had my surgery in September. So the key to all of this? PLAN AHEAD.
Tip #2. MEAL TRAIN. Get your besties onboard to create a meal train, and promote it on your social media. Do this a few weeks in advance of your surgery, and set it for a whole entire month (trust me). This was probably the biggest source of help for me as I was unable to do basically anything that involved the actual moving of my body. If you struggle to ask for help or think you’ve got this on your own, I’m here to #lovebully you. No. You do not got this on your own. Set up a meal train.
Tip #3. Comfort. Not gonna lie, post-op from breast surgery is uncomfortable af and you’re gonna be in pain and kinda listless. These items will really help, promise.
- Stool softeners. You will NEED these, at least for the first week of recovery. A trick I learned from past surgeries is to make this stuff beforehand and eat it like it’s going out of fashion. It’s actually pretty yummy. You’re welcome.
- Ask your surgeon if you’ll have drains. If so, these t-shirts are great. I also found these to be super handy for showering where drains are involved. I didn’t have drains at all, and not gonna lie, pretty stoked about that.
- If you haven’t got a Tushy yet, now’s the fucking time. I literally don’t know how I would have wiped my ass that first week after surgery, so unless you have a super dedicated friend or partner to help you out with that, I’d highly recommend this bidet. You’ll also just fall in love with it and use it for the rest of your life anyways.
- Sleeping sucks after surgery, ask anyone you know. You WILL need a wedge pillow, and here’s the one I got. You’ll also NEED a pregnancy pillow (and basically all the pillows) to kinda build a canoe around you to force you to sleep on your back. This ensured I didn’t wiggle around while I slept.
- Make sure you have a few cozy cardigans – I say cardigans specifically because you don’t have to pull them over your head. The one I got is no longer available online, but it was basically like a giant comfy blanket to lounge around in while healing my body and bingeing Netflix.
- Button-up shirts are also helpful. I had four of them, and I regretted not getting many more.
- You’ll also need a lap tray. I wish I’d had this one to eat from, and prop a book or Kindle on.
- Get yourself a backscratcher. Weird I know, but I used it a LOT.
- When your surgeon gives you the okay to start using it, this silicone tape for scar healing kicks ass. Waaaay better than other kinds I tried. I needed two packages to cut enough strips for all the incisions.
- Also, I only had three compression bras, and since you’re going to be wearing those bbs 24/7, I wish I would have had at least five. I got these. Not sure if they are compression enough, but they sure were comfy.
Tip #4. Nourish your body. Specify on your meal train what foods you’re hoping for (comfort foods, healthy foods), but also, stock up on bone broth. Make some, freeze some, buy some. Drinking a fuck tonne of bone broth was a real good healing power move. My body LOVED it.
Tip #5. Be prepared to go easy on yourself. I’m so grateful that friends who had been through this surgery before warned me of the following: There’s going to be a period of around three to four days after surgery where your anesthesia has well and truly worn off, and you’re primed for a complete and utter body dysmorphia freak out. You’re gonna start crying and wondering if you’ve made a horrible decision, and you’re not gonna recognize your body. Know that every single person who has had reduction or top surgery has experienced this. Let your body feel those feels, and know that it’s completely normal, and that it will pass. For me, anticipating that this was coming and understanding that it was a typical reaction made those feelings pass very quickly. This was a key piece of knowledge that I’m happy to pass along to you.
Tip #6. Love yourself. It might be immediate, it might take a little time, but THE most healing thing I did for myself post-surgery was to book a shoot with the best boudoir photographer in town, Dijana Szewczyk. I’ve always wanted to do this for myself, and felt this was the right time for it. So dig and ask around, find the best photographer in your area, and spoil yourself with a little self love. Sooooo worth it.
That’s it for now, and I truly hope this helps you or someone you know – please send this blog their way if you have a friend or family member who is about to embark on this journey. My life goal is to always work to demystify common body ailments and procedures, as we don’t tend to talk about this stuff as much as we should…especially when it comes to women’s bodies, as you probably are all aware. I have zero regrets in having this surgery done, and my quality of life has significantly improved. I’m also grateful for the support of my community, as this would have been near impossible to do without their help and resources.
Ta ta for now, bosom buddies!
