I Have Unusually Large Breasts, Macromastia
I just got out of the hospital. My body's extremely sensitive to hormones, which causes a number of health problems, including my enlarged breasts. I had a minor infection around New Year's Day, and I didn't think it would be a major problem. I'm often in poor health, with back problems that make it hard to be active. This time, my infection didn't get better. I woke up one morning feeling sick and delirious, with a 105-degree fever. I was rushed to the emergency room, where I was diagnosed with a thyrotoxic crisis, meaning my immune system was overreacting to hormones produced by my thyroid. I lost 15 pounds in the first week from dehydration and battling fever, before my condition stabilized, and then I spent three more weeks doing inpatient treatment dealing with the infection, my weight, and my hormone problems.
A lot of weight loss was due to dehydration, some of it was from the fever. Thanks to IV fluids and a high-calorie diet (best part: my family bringing me McDonald's in the hospital!) I recovered my weight quickly. In order to stop the fever from coming back, I was on Thiamazole, which interfered with my hormones. Because I have gigantomastia, my breasts are extremely large and occasionally go through major growth spurts. While I was in the hospital, they started to grow, but I wasn't able to go off the Thiamazole without putting all of my health at risk. While I tried to recover a healthy weight on a 4,000-calorie diet, much of the weight gain went into my breasts. They weigh somewhere between 40 and 45 pounds each now. Each one is the size of a huge, lumpy pillow, and much heavier. I have to drag them around to move without putting strain on my back. I feel unable to leave the house, getting a bra would be totally hopeless, and I can't stand up for more than a minute without help. My wonderful family is taking good care of me through all this, but it's still hard.
However, there is some good news that's come from all this! My insurance company has finally agreed that a breast reduction is medically necessary for me, and not just a "cosmetic procedure". That means I'll be covered for appointments with specialists and a life-changing surgery. I hope to get it done soon, and then I can get my life on track again. I'm sick of feeling trapped and barely able to move without help, and looking forward to the day this weight is off my chest.
A lot of weight loss was due to dehydration, some of it was from the fever. Thanks to IV fluids and a high-calorie diet (best part: my family bringing me McDonald's in the hospital!) I recovered my weight quickly. In order to stop the fever from coming back, I was on Thiamazole, which interfered with my hormones. Because I have gigantomastia, my breasts are extremely large and occasionally go through major growth spurts. While I was in the hospital, they started to grow, but I wasn't able to go off the Thiamazole without putting all of my health at risk. While I tried to recover a healthy weight on a 4,000-calorie diet, much of the weight gain went into my breasts. They weigh somewhere between 40 and 45 pounds each now. Each one is the size of a huge, lumpy pillow, and much heavier. I have to drag them around to move without putting strain on my back. I feel unable to leave the house, getting a bra would be totally hopeless, and I can't stand up for more than a minute without help. My wonderful family is taking good care of me through all this, but it's still hard.
However, there is some good news that's come from all this! My insurance company has finally agreed that a breast reduction is medically necessary for me, and not just a "cosmetic procedure". That means I'll be covered for appointments with specialists and a life-changing surgery. I hope to get it done soon, and then I can get my life on track again. I'm sick of feeling trapped and barely able to move without help, and looking forward to the day this weight is off my chest.
