Top surgery / breast reduction

[Yuki]

How do people pay for this? It's so expensive!

This is something that has been bothering me for years, now. Even before I knew there were any genders outside of the binary. Even before my breasts were as big as they are now.
I never wanted this.

I am sure that I still do want some breasts... but small, not very noticeable ones. Just big enough to still look somewhat feminine in a dress.. but small enough to easily hide. 

The longer I go without being able to do something about it, the more time I spend during the day hating them and wishing I could just pull them off! Not to mention the physical pain that can come along with breasts my size. But without insurance, and with terrible credit, I don't have many options. If I try to save up the money myself, I'll probably never have it. There's always more bills to pay and things that happen and I'd have to dip into the money. And waiting is driving me so crazy. I want to be able to not hate my body 24/7. I don't even want to go shopping for clothes anymore. I feel hideous in everything.

Is there a secret to winning the lottery?

[Leena]

Aug 26, 2016 10:24:00 GMT 8 Yuki said:

Is there a secret to winning the lottery?

Not playing it. If you look at the odds of winning, you are much better off playing the stock market, or even going to Vegas than playing the lottery. Just saving the amount you would play in a piggy bank would most likely result in more money, though of course then there is no chance of winning big.

If you just save a certain amount of money each week/month and don't touch it no matter what, you can slowly build up your savings. Not really knowing your situation, something more drastic like a career change or different housing situation might make a larger impact faster.

I don't spend much money on guy clothes anymore, only occasionally when something for work wears out. I have to fight myself on not spending more on girl clothes though.

[EchelonHunt]

Your options appear to be limited... you can either...
- Get better credit
- Get better insurance
- Save up money anyway

Me? I had zero credit (I don't even have a credit card, couldn't get one anyway as I'm unemployed.) My private health insurance is crap, here in Australia, top surgery is considered "elective" so its out of pocket, the only thing they covered was the hospital stay and they covered a small portion of the surgery fee.

I had no credit and shitty insurance so I had to do it the hard way, just saving up every little bit of money I had, I get fortnightly payments from the government since I'm unemployed/studying as a student. I was lucky in both that and my mother works as a contractor for a home building company, she does internal cleans of houses before they are handed over to the owners for furnishing and living in. It takes a full day of cleaning and I got 200 at the end of it all. Helping her do multiple house cleans and saving whatever money I had at the time, it took half a year, maybe one year to save up the total amount?

Surgery cost: 5500
Anathestist fee: 200 (was 400 but insurance covered 200)
Hospital stay: One time yearly payment of 200
Total: 5900
Private health insurance rebate: 1500
Out of pocket total: 4400

I went into desperate saving mode because dysphoria was awful. I also sold a lot of things I didn't need or used anymore on eBay.

I'm actually having a revision of my chest on October 10 (I am over one year post-op). I have unsightly indents along the scar line whenever I lift my arms up. When I press into the indents, my chest muscle twitches and its like a million pulses of electricity. It is like a bunch of raw nerve endings are exposed and I really believe having the indents filled in with fat will cover up the exposed nerve endings.

This time around, the cost is $1089 with rebate of $289. It is day surgery procedure and I will be under general for less than 30 minutes and out of hospital the same day.

Keep saving, sure you may think it will take forever, I thought the same at the beginning, that it would take forever, I ended up being surprised.

You may have to sacrifice guilty pleasures, in my instance, I didn't want the latest Pokemon game because I wanted top surgery more, I didn't eat take out because I wanted top surgery more.

Hope this helps! Best of luck

[Yuki]

Yeah, the winning the lottery was a joke. Probably a bad one, though. I know it's not at all likely. I'm just frustrated! But I know if anyone can understand, it's people on here.

Basically, we struggle to buy food every week. We live in an old camper (doesn't even run and is rotting from rain damage from months/years of it leaking when no one was using it) on my mom's property. Any time we have $5 extra, something happens that needs to be taken care of that costs $20. Our credit is bad because of that. Neither me or my husband have bodies that want to cooperate. Which means, doctor visits we can't afford but need, so have to borrow money for. (moreso him than me, he likes to fall apart.)

Anyway, I could go on and on. Sorry to be all depressing! These last few days/weeks have been hard. Over the past couple years we've had so many different plans to get out of our hole, but then something comes up that makes them impossible and we have to re-plan around it. And that just happened again a couple days ago.

And, the whole thing with my breasts has just been getting to me too. I guess I'm just hoping that there's some magical way that people find to pay for it, but I know there's not. lol!

I know we're working towards being in a better place in the future. The waiting part is just so hard!

Maybe a better question is... how does everyone deal with the feelings that come with hating some part of your body, until you can get it changed? (or.. for the rest of your life, if you can't)

Edit: I saw your post, Echelon, after I posted this!
Breast reduction here in the USA is probably going to be about $10,000. (Actual top surgery is probably a little cheaper, but I think I still want some breast?) So it's.. a little daunting, thinking of saving up so much money that I've never seen in my life!! lol

As it stands, we don't have many pleasures anyway... because money. But, I can try to save what I can. I thought about making a gofundme? To see how much of it I could raise. But also I don't know many people and I don't want to just post it in random places asking for money like a beggar. I feel guilty if my mom gives me $1. LOL

But... I'll find some way, I'm sure.  

[Taka]

learn chinese, and start translating chinese webnovels. there's money in that, for reals. or you could start writing your own novel, or even a graphic novel, and ask for money through patreon. there's lots you can do online to make a few extra dollars. just look around and do whatever you can do, and dismiss what you can't.

living with a "hated" body part can be made easier. one thing to do is make up your mind that you truly want to change or remove it, and decide to make it a priority. the next thing would be to make your priorities right, and accept that you can't do anything right now. without ever giving up on getting it done in the future.

another thing is to accept the body part as a valuable part of your body. not in the sense that it should be preserved, but rather that it's a current part of your own precious body. for as long as it's there, you should respect it like your own body. being "born in the wrong body" is just a myth. you have only one body, and wouldn't be you if it were any different. though it can still be changed for the betterwhen the time is right.

my own female chest is very convenient for me these days. a status as female, and visible female traits, give me the possibility to get close to people who'd otherwise feel like they needed to stay away from me. and those are people who need people they can trust. so my breasts are worth more than enough for me to like them. still feels awkward though, so i would love the mastectomy when my own time is right. got lots of other stuff to finish first though.

[Deleted]

Medical procedures are always expensive.

Yeah this will sound so fucked up. It may even sound like bullshit. I am so full of that. Just ask anyone.

Everyone has flaws. I do. I have 3 but screw it. nature put them there and nature can take them away. I don't let them define who I am. Well one is pretty nonexistent and the other two are pretty nonfunctional so... Two is pretty much all I have to tuck. The other just takes care of itself.  

Yeah it sounds like sunshine pumped up your booty but just be happy with who you are.

Look. Society says that if you have a vagina you have to wear a bra. If you have a penis then you don't even if your boobs are bigger than b cups. So if you don't want to wear a bra then don't. There are things you can do. Hell even I use band aides on my nipples to keep them from poking out. Sometimes I don't so if someone looks then let them.

I believe if tits, the V or the P is all you think about people then you have worst problems than we do being trans. I appreciate a pretty body but much prefer a beautiful or handsome face that gets me interested. Then talking it is the mind and personality. 120-500 pounds doesn't matter. I have seen some cute guys that were interested but had the personality of a rock and I have seen some not so good looking guys that had beautiful personalities. I fall for the personalities all the time.

[Yuki]

I feel a little better about it today, so no more whining.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'll find some way to make it happen.

Part of my issue with them is not only dysphoria.. but also the weight, discomfort and pain that comes with having big breasts. So sometimes that gets to me, too.
But, dysphoria happens also. And sometimes both!

I did find a couple things to look into for making extra money. Like Redbubble! So I'm going to try that.

[Deleted]

Aug 27, 2016 9:01:23 GMT 8 Yuki said:

I feel a little better about it today, so no more whining.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'll find some way to make it happen.

Part of my issue with them is not only dysphoria.. but also the weight, discomfort and pain that comes with having big breasts. So sometimes that gets to me, too.
But, dysphoria happens also. And sometimes both!

I did find a couple things to look into for making extra money. Like Redbubble! So I'm going to try that.

Well I don't have big breasts fortunately but I definitely understand the pain and soreness. I drove trucks all my life and rough roads make them so sore. Less so with a bra but I started using sports bras and not quite a sexy feeling but definitely a help.

Actually I like the size of mine because I can get away without wearing a bra and the nipples aren't overly large but stay hard so a couple of square bandaids or pasties can hide them but really who cares? I'm kind of used to NHOs from the fabric of my shirts rubbing against them. And if they offend some people then they shouldn't be looking anyway. My eyes are a good 1.5 feet at least from my boobs.

But yeah. My little ones can be a pain in the ass sometimes and can only imagine how uncomfortable bigger ones can be weight wise and constantly having to wear a bra especially in the heat of summer.

It still sounds fucked up but growing up they were kind of embarrassing to have but I loved having them. Gym classes when I had to take them during puberty was always a horror in my mind. Seems like everyone laughed but wanted to feel because somehow feeling up a guy with gynecomastia is a lot less embarrassing for guys then feeling up their own girlfriends at the time of the age of awkwardness. But seriously though, I wouldn't want any bigger than what I got now so I can understand where you are coming from.