IamA 20 year old female with Poland syndrome (born with one breast) AMA!

[deleted]

hahaha that would have probably been more interesting!

Ah, yes. That one takes me back.

hahahaha very funny

http://i.imgur.com/gAC78Si.jpg

that shit cray

Throwaway...

They didn't have a name for it when I went through the same thing 20 years ago. I'm 36 and have lived with a left breast implant since I was 16.

I've never talked about it much and therefore have never met anyone who knows what it's like to only have one breast. But I'll tell you what it's like 20 years later. My tits look great. Yeah, one's a little perkier than the other, but I hardly ever notice it.

Did they do a "gradual" implant on you? Mine went like this: Plastic surgeon inserted an empty balloon under my breast tissue. It had a small tube that ran under my skin to my underarm. I visited his office weekly to have saline injected into the tube to inflate the balloon gradually to decrease the chance of stretch marks. When it was sized to our liking, he did the math and an implant was customized for a second surgery. Pretty neat, actually!

The insurance companies were another story. My mom fought them tooth and nail to cover the surgery. At one point I found myself in a conference room with a bunch of suited execs, taking my shirt off to show them this was a real deformity, not some teenager who wanted a boob job. It. Was. Humiliating.

Thank you for posting this AMA. I'm glad to hear when "my condition" occurs these days, it's more likely to be covered by insurance. You have a great attitude! And great tits!

I'm really sorry that you had a bad experience with the insurance. I know that I was lucky having mine be covered completely. I just had the saline implant inserted at once. My surgeon did however tell me that silicone wouldn't have been possible because my skin was so tight. Recovery was definitely really really tight so maybe yours wasn't similar in that sense. I'm glad that people who go through similar situations are able to read this and share their story as well! Thank you very much for the awesome tip for the future (: and also the compliment!

I think there's a certain amount of tightness in every augmentation, I was instructed to do the same massaging you were told to do. It helps with the tightness. You might have been told not to wear an underwire bra for a long time. Another commenter suggested r/abrathatfits, it's a great sub. I think I wore sports bras exclusively for about a year after surgery. But that first trip to the beach I didn't cover up in a t-shirt? Priceless!

Yeah that was definitely the worst part but for me that is completely gone already after just two months. I was told not to wear an underwire bra for the first month... in fact I just went out and bought my first underwire bra yesterday ^{______^} You can't beat the feeling! I'll be looking forward to next summer :D Thanks for sharing your experience with me! I've honestly never met someone who went through the same thing.

You have many confidence-boosting moments ahead of you! But the best comes when you realize you haven't given it a single thought in months. Happy to bond, internet stranger! :D

Thank you (: It's been wonderful meeting you!

At first when I read your post I thought you had one giant breast with one nipple in the middle of your chest.

I'm glad to see I was wrong.

Also if people ask you if you got a boob job do you tell them the reason why? I'd love to be able to make extremely smug judgmental people feel really bad about being snarky.

I am also glad that wasn't the case! As far as people asking I don't mind telling people. I felt a little judged going into the surgery because no one knew why I was getting it at the hospital until I showed them. Generally people want to feel afterwards which I am also not opposed to. I think it's rare that people my age have a boob job.

Wait, you let people feel you up when they ask about it?

Not really feel me up but people are generally curious to how it feels. So it's really like a nonsexual touch.

So it's really like a nonsexual touch.

... for science, as it were.

exactly!

Oh, I see. In that case can I see how it feels? Haha.

EDIT: Downvotes? Really? It was a fuckin joke.

hahahaha very funny!

The after pictures reminded me of my post-reduction surgery, I was so scared to touch my boobs for so long, lol. Happy healing!

hahaha I was the opposite! I just wanted to look at them and touch them all day! Thank you so much!

I read somewhere that boob jobs are the #1 gift given to girls as a graduation gift. So, not that uncommon.

I guess I meant uncommon in the sense that I don't personally know anyone else my age with a boob job. I'm sure there are many people though!

I believe I have the same issue. Been struggling with it for years but never consulted a doctor about it after puberty. Thanks for being brave and informing me of something I should look into about myself. Cheers.

If it's something that really affects how you feel about yourself I'd recommend looking into it! I'm really glad I could help through my story! Best of luck (:

Breast of luck* FTFY

but in all seriousness, you're awesome for trying to help people out

hahaha that's hilarious! Thank you so much! Breast of luck to you as well!

o_0

^{_^}

Use a \

before the ^

to prevent ^_^

from turning into

^{_^}

THANK YOU! I was wondering what was happening there

Oddly appropriate, though, isn't it?

Yes!

You are going to have a bitchin' rack when that all heals up completely.

hahaha LETS HOPE!

Going to require updates on the bitchin'-ness.

^{For science, of course...}

hahahahahaha I now understand this for science thing!

My first daughter was born with Polands. She is almost 7 now. When she came out and the dr. threw her on my ex wifes chest, her hand smacked my wife right in the face. Thats when we noticed it was smaller and all the fingers were webbed, like one big finger. We said whats that, the nurse said "oh looks like shes got a little something going on". And right then my mother in law burst into the room all happy and shouts "let me see those ten little fingers and ten little toes". This all happened in about 1 minute. The good natured comment from the mother in law and what it must have felt like when she realized what we said in response was pretty distracting from the situation.

They immedialty started doing scans on the baby, took her away a few times, then sent a genetisist from childrens hospital to talk to us. We were told it was Polands within a few hours of birth.

After going through the major tests for problems with organs and heart we were able to go home. We had an appointment at childrens hospital a few days later. They told us all they could find was the hand deformity and that she was missing her right pectoral major muscle. In her hand she had all the bones, but she had no joints in her fingers, just her thumb. And the skin and muscle was all fused as one peice of flesh, like the palm of a hand. The small hand is about half the size of the other. After a few more appointments they scheduled her first surgery. At 6 months old they seperated her thumb and pinky. She had her 5th and last surgery for now when she was 4. She now has 5 fingers that bend at the palm, all 5 nails, and can use it without much difficulty. Still no joints in the fingers so grabbing large or round objects can be hard.

Each surgery was very scary for us. Not for her. She had trouble waking up once. About 2 weeks after her last surgery, she got a sliver in her toe from a picnic table at a beach. From it a month later she had a staff/strep infection in her blood and heart which damaged a valve. This caused juvanile rhymatoid arthritous. She had to be on steroids and all sorts of stuff a couple times daily. They wanted to amputate her leg at one time. Luckily it has been knocked down enough that she has no problems from it besides sore joints occationaly. But she will have complications for ever. She does have strength issues with her arm and chest, cant do a pushup. She is smart, active in sports and dance, well off socially, and seems to always be the "alpha" in her groups.

So after all those shannanigans in her early life, what scares me shitless and the most out of any of it is that her right chest is litterally sunk in and her mom had large breasts early in life. She handles people saying things about her hand just fine. Even when other kids pick on her. But I am petrified that as she gets older being made fun of will alter her personallity and take away all that she is now. I have accepted that in 10 years im going to go to jail for punching the shit out of some punk kid that breaks her soul.

However, seeing that you made it through your teens with one breast and judging by your comments you are not a social hermit and have a bright outlook on life, I have a renewed hope for her quality of life. Seriously, thank you for your post. It has settled a fathers mind. Thank you.

Btw, yes, Polands is somewhat considered genetic because some families will have generations with it. And with a different mother I have had another daughter and another daughter due next month. It was intense waiting to see that one come out and find nothing wrong, and just as intense waiting for this one.

Wow!!! Your daughters story is so much more serious than mine but I'm really glad that everything is going well for her! Honestly if you can teach her that looks aren't everything and that she has a personality to die for and regardless of what anyone else thinks she is beautiful I know your daughter will live a wonderful and happy life like I have! I can tell by your post that you are a great father and that she will be just fine! Congrats on having such an awesomely unique kid! If she can get through school she can do anything! Congrats on your newest child! I hope everything works out wonderfully for you and your family!

What does Poland have to do with only having one breast?

well Poland syndrome deals with the circulation while babies are developing. The issue is the flow from the chest to the hand which can lead to underdeveloped breasts.

I meant the country Poland. Sorry for the bad joke.

hahah that was my first thought... but I didn't want to respond that way if you hadn't meant it! It was a good joke!

you're so adorably new to Reddit, aren't you.

yessssss TT_TT

Leave while you still have your innocence.

haha but it seems so fun~

That is how it starts...

seems worth it

I am a 21 year old male with this on my right hand side. It has always occurred to me how much of a bigger deal this must be for girls. I forget I have it until someone reminds me. Glad you feel better now!

Thanks so much! I hope you haven't had any major issues with it either!

Haha, it's nothing really. Felt very lucky when I found out how it affects other people.

me too! I am definitely on the side of it being really mild!

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hahahaha

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS Ever since I joined reddit I've contemplated doing an AMA on this, but frankly I was too afraid. I also have Poland syndrome, but it sounds as though a lot of what I've gone through has been quite different from you. I hope you don't mind if I share my experience to give another perspective :)

Prior to surgery, I was less than flat on the right side. Picture starving African child ribs and you'll have an idea of what it looked like. I also don't have a nipple or mammary glands. In an attempt to appear normal, I wore prostheses during my adolescence. I made the mistake, however, of telling a "friend" when I was about 8, who later spread it to other girls. So I was bullied, and it really fucking sucked. I had zero confidence and hated my body. But it did help me learn to pick better friends.

When I was 19, my plastic surgeon decided I was ready for surgery. Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you're my boyfriend) my natural breast is rather large so trying to make both sides even has been a challenge. In just over two years I have had five surgeries (yay Canadian health care system, haven't paid a cent.)

Ever since I began my reconstruction, my confidence has skyrocketed. I was also lucky enough to find an amazing boyfriend who couldn't care less, and I think that has also played a large part in helping me love myself. I've come to terms with the fact that I will always be different, but that doesn't mean I'm not beautiful.

Oh and I also let my friends that know about my implant touch it haha I would be curious too if I were them! Thanks again for posting and best of luck with your new rack! :)

Thank you so much for sharing your story! I'm sorry that you had a harder time with it growing up but it's great that you are happy with your results now! Also props to your boyfriend for being so understanding! I know it is really nice having someone to love you for you!

You could have been a champion archer prior to the surgery. Sigh.

Question: any idea on if this affects your ability to nurse should you ever want to have a child and breastfeed that child?

Could I? haha My surgeon told me that it shouldn't affect anything with nursing when the time comes. I still do have one natural breast so I would imagine that if I can't on the underdeveloped side that I would be able to on the normal side.. hopefully that makes sense.

I think it was a reference to female warriors that would deliberately amputate one breast to fire a bow better. Ancient thing. Can't recall the culture it originates from.

Ah! Thanks for telling me... being new to reddit and apparently random information I definitely answer things inappropriately!

i hadn't even thought of this, does Poland effect the mammary glands or is it only the pectoral muscle? And if the condition only effected the muscle did the surgery effect the glands? I guess its really only a big deal if you have twins that are hungry at the same time though.

I was told that it only affected the pectoral muscle. All else with the glands should be a-ok! As far as the surgery goes they said that I should still be able to breast feed. Also, thank goodness for breast pumps!

Do they make informational pamphlets for breast augmentation to correct Poland syndrome, and if so, what are they like? Maybe I'm just a horribly deranged person after midnight but I envision it would go something like this:

One breast,

Two breasts,

Old breasts,

New breasts.

Cut breasts,

Bruised breasts,

Black and blue breasts.

This one has a little scar.

That one's almost healed by far.

Say! What a lot of boobs there are.

Yes. Some are big. And some are small.

Some are short. And some are tall.

Some hang low. And some are tight.

And some are very, very white.

Why are they tight and small and white?

That is only the one on the right.

Some are thin. And some are round.

The left one has a shapely mound.

From there to here, from here to there,

different boobs are everywhere.

Here are some who like to wiggle.

When the girl runs they give a jiggle.

Oh me! Oh my! Oh me! Oh my!

What a lot of bouncy jugs go by.

Some have two bumps and some have four.

Some have six bumps and some have more.

Where do they come from? I can’t say.

But I think they're perfectly fine that way.

Say!

Look at her nipples! One...two...three?

How many nipples do I see?

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

She has eleven! Eleven! This is something new.

I wish I had eleven, too!

Why are they that way?

I cannot say?

But society has come a long, long way!

Boobs will come, and boobs will go,

They stay the same or they will grow.

Some are far apart, and some almost connect.

Some seem like their nipples are always erect.

Some have splotches and some are flecked,

But there is no such thing as boobs that are "perfect".

It's okay to reshape your boobies anew,

But you should only aim to please one person; that's you!

(To be fair I've been going through a bit of a Dr. Seuss phase lately...I should get some sleep.)

You have a gift my friend!

Good for you to raise awareness. :) Hope you are happy with your surgery.

I definitely am! Thanks so much (:

Just curious: were you given an option to have the right breast reduced, instead?

Edit: I mean this as a serious question about the possible medical interventions for Poland syndrome.

I went in to the plastic surgeons office wanting an implant so I didn't even ask about the other option. I'd rather have full B cups than AA!

Do you think you'll enjoy being motorboated?

I know I do :D

http://i.imgur.com/jgKpa.gif

hahahahhaa

I too am a female that was born with Poland syndrome! I have 2 breasts but am pretty concave on my left side (missing side) the doctors aren't sure what the breast tissue has attached it self too but we aren't complaining! I also have an extra rib or two, and my spine is fused- only 6 vertebrae but it makes things interesting none the less. These are all related as Poland syndrome is kind of a catch all for various deformities. I'm very athletic and active so I definitely feel the lack of strength in my left side but have never let it stop me! So awesome to meet someone else that understands!

That is really awesome! I'm glad you haven't let it stop you from doing anything. Hopefully our stories can help other people do the same (: It's great meeting people who have similar cases!

Totally! Your awesome for being such a strong woman! When they diagnosed me at around age 7 the nurse (total bitch) looked at my mom and said "well she'll never wear an evening gown". When I was a Frosh in highschool I went to my first dance and damned if I didn't wear an evening gown!

haha I'm glad you stuck it to her! It's great meeting people who can get over appearance and live a happy life regardless of these things. I hope you continue to live your life to the fullest!

Did you ever feel "less womanly?" because of this? A lot of people, men & women both, put a lot of stock in the size of a woman's breasts. I personally think that is a silly idea.

I definitely felt less confident in myself because of it. I was really worried that men wouldn't find me attractive for it if they noticed or if I were ever in a situation with my shirt off. As far as women go they didn't really care. I feel much sexier after the surgery and I think I could confidently take off my shirt even with the scars.

In the end, it's really all about how YOU feel. Thank you for sharing such an intimate part of yourself. As a lady, they look great.

Thank you very much (:

In the least creepy non sexual way imaginable, I get the vibe that you're cute. I'm glad you've got the confidence now and I hope everything works out for you kiddo.

Not creepy at all! I appreciate the positive vibes! Thank you

you should never feel less than other people. you are you, and they are them. be yourself and to hell with those that judge you. so you were born with a condition. most people have SOME form of condition or abnormality. yours just so happened to be a bit more noticeable. doesnt make you any less of a human being.

chin up beautiful. be confident in yourself, or fake it if you have to. sooner or later others may catch on...

Thanks so much! Your kind words are very uplifting to a young woman!

I know you probably won't get to read this..but your story sounds exactly like mine (even down to your age and the timing of the operation) except I was never diagnosed and am making payments on my surgery. I knew there was a syndrome of some sort but when I asked my plastic surgeon if there was any way insurance would pay for it he said there wasn't. I posted a few months ago asking opinions on my surgery before I had it, and everyone dogged on me for wanting to change myself. I went ahead with it and am much happier, but now frustrated that I'm a college student paying for a surgery that should have been paid for. If you know any other information from doctors about this condition, could you let me know? I'd at least like to have some knowledge of it. Then, maybe, I can mention it to my surgeon at my next check up and see what he says.

That is really such a bummer that your surgeon didn't know about it. The first surgeon I saw also had no idea what it was and didn't mention it at all! Luckily my mom being a nurse wanted a second opinion and that is really the first time I'd heard about it. Even still today I'm really not that educated on what it is because the only problem it gave me I had fixed. I hope that you can discuss it with your surgeon and maybe there is something that could be done? Best of luck!

Obligatory plug for /r/ABraThatFits, especially now that you've had surgery and may need different bras.

Any idea how detectable it is in males? Obviously for girls we've got breasts and notice the difference, but guys don't really grow unless they're working out. Also, was there any sign of this before puberty?

As far as males go I only have googled pictures. It is also pretty noticeable for them. Most of the pictures of google you can tell because of nipple placement or the other muscle is bigger. I honestly didn't notice anything before puberty seeing that I was flat chested all around at that time.

F1 2x World Champion Fernando Alonso also has Poland Syndrome

I didn't know that! Thanks for sharing!

Do they feel similar to each other, or are they noticeably different?

They feel really different. My plastic surgeon said that with time the saline implant will eventually feel softer (I have to massage it). Even though they feel different I think they are more pleasing to the eye which helps a lot with confidence.

You look great. Good work.

Thank you very much!

Are they still slightly different sizes and shapes?

The shape is the biggest difference visually. My natural boob obviously sags more and implants aren't all the way sunk in until a year is up. So for now my implant is still a little higher but nothing a bra can't fix!

I didn't know implants did that. Thank you

Yeah in the pictures you can see that the implant looked like really ridiculous after the surgery but it seriously drops little by little over time. You're welcome!

It does look better already! Good luck with your drooping!

hahaha only with the left side! The right can stop drooping and I'd be REALLY content. Thank you!

I'm sure you're aware that most girls have different sized/shaped breasts anyway, so it really wouldn't be that noticeable from the perspective of a lover

My case was really severe and honestly I got it done more for myself not for others.

Pretty much every pair of breasts are slightly different sizes. At least every pair I've ever seen...

Yeah that is what I've heard but in my case it was very extreme. A lot of people I told didn't really understand the severity of it so they would just tell me that every has different sized boobs.

Oh yeah, I know. What I meant was, don't worry if they're still slightly different sizes after surgery, because that's perfectly normal.

well thank you very much for the consolation!

My younger sister also has Poland syndrome and is considering getting an implant. Thank you for doing this!!

You're welcome! Please share my story with her and let her know it really is worth it if you are self conscious about it!

awesome ama. So the people who know you and your conidition, do you they ever call you biggie smalls?

I WISH! I need an awesome nickname! My sister once called me strawberries and pancakes... because it looked like a strawberry on top of a pancake.

Ill tag you as biggie smalls and you can use it all you'd like haha

whoop whoop! NOTORIOUS!

How has this affected your relationships? Especially after your surgery. Thanks!

As far as relationships go I've only had one boyfriend and he really didn't mind the difference. He actually told me he would prefer if I didn't have the surgery but that relationship didn't last. Now I have an on going joke that I'm the best of both worlds.

Thanks for the answer and good luck with your future relationships!

Thank you :)

I have/had the same thing. I didn't get the free lift! Medical covered the implant, but lifting the other and resizing the areola was deemed cosmetic and wasn't covered. You're lucky.

Yeah I was really really lucky!

Is one more sensitive than the other?

The left side with the implant is much more sensitive!

Not to troll, but is your ass symmetrical? What parts aren't?

haha everything else is symmetrical! It only affected my boobs.

You sound confident, so I won't ask for proof.

I appreciate that! haha

I don't believe you.

this seems to be a common thought! I guess you'll never know then!

Making a joke about the post about pierced nipples.

All jokes aside. It's a possible future adventure!

Pierced nipples for everyone!

holllaaa!

My fiancee has something similar to this. She has one A cup breast and one C, almost D cup. Never knew there was a name for it.

She has no desire to get an implant or anything. She's fine with it and so am I.

I call it the "best of both worlds".

the breast of both worlds!!! Thanks for sharing!

Wow. The bruised up pics gave me chills. I was like, "ohhhh you poor baby!!"

Seems like you're doing good, though. I'm happy for you. Congrats on reaching your goal. :D

Haha it looks worse than it felt! I'm doing great! Thank you very much!

Thanks for the post! It was an interesting read. It's always cool learn about something new especially with a good out come. My family has a rare genetic abnormality called hht that also goes un diagnosed. Good luck in your journeys!

I'd be interested to hear about it! I'm glad you gained something from my post! Thanks and you too!

Before discovering you had this, did you ever find that exercise requiring the use of your left pectoral muscles seemed harder on that side than on the right? Did you achieve the same amount soreness after say, doing a lot of push-ups, or none at all?

Well I mean I am definitely weaker on my left side... but I honestly believed that it was because my right side is my dominant side. I can't really confirm if that were the case or if I felt weaker because of Poland syndrome. In terms of exercise I generally felt the same amount of soreness (:

Haha that's good! I just had this dreaded image of being in a gym class and not being able to do something and well...kids be mean. Thanks for answering and best of luck in everything!

Thank you!

Ugh, the internet has ruined me and I can't help thinking, "You forgot Poland!" You also forgot a breast, God.

Thanks for teaching me something new today. Here's to everything turning out right for ya, lady.

(now excuse me while I look up why it's called Poland syndrome and not Amazonian syndrome)

hahaha thank you! I'm happy to have shared my story! Thanks for taking the time to learn about it!

Damn it, for some reason I thought that meant you had one breast in the middle of your chest like a cyclops.

A lot of people seem to think this... I guess the title was slightly misleading!

My Wife was born with three. One on the back, two in the front. It was weird at first, but then I realized it was great for slow dancing. Thanks, Evolution!

Seriously though. Most people have one kid. Seems like your ahead of the curve biologically speaking, OP.

Shame on everyone who thought Hitler invaded this fine future boob.

hahah your wife sounds frickin awesome! Thanks for the sense of humor! It's always nice to hear!

One of my ex-girlfriends had a breast that was significantly smaller than the other and was self-conscious about it, though I told her it didn't other me at all. I didn't realize until I saw your post just how seriously it can affect your self-esteem and body image.

My only question was going to be about whether you had the hand abnormalities or not, but looking below, it seems like you didn't have any of that, thankfully. I hope your recovery continues to go well!

Thanks so much! Yeah.. it's really more of a personal self esteem thing! I'm sure your not caring helped console her! Thanks for being non judgmental!

I knew a girl like you. We slept together. She was super cool.

that's very interesting! I'm glad you enjoyed her

If you like, i can confirm if you too are super cool. You know... For science!

hahahaha this for science thing gets funnier every time!

I had a few questions but I've read the comments and they've already been answered. Think you looked very unique before the surgery. In a good way. Glad you're open minded about it. Go boobies!!

Well thank you! GO BOOBIES!

Does it feel any different after having the surgery? And good for you on raising awareness

They do feel different but I think it was worth it. Also it's really weird having an implant because I can occasionally feel the implant move >.< Thank you!

How much do you hate the movie total recall

Would it be shameful to say I've never seen it?

I went a'Googling to figure out why it's called Poland Syndrome. FYI http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland_syndrome#History

very interesting! Thank you for contributing that information! I've learned something new.

Based on what you've seen how often is Poland syndrome as mild a case as yours?

Also just imagine, if you would have ended up with webbed finger you could be the best swimmer ever! I have 2 of my toes webbed on both feet sadly not enough to help with swimming.

Honestly, the only cases I've seen other than my own have been more extreme. I'm not really certain how many people have such a mild case because I think even amongst many people and even plastic surgeons it isn't known. The first surgeon I went to didn't say anything about Poland syndrome so I'm assuming it isn't very well studied.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOzmq9C6aos

hahahaha I wonder if that is actually a disappointment....

I knew monoboobs existed!!!!

haha you're in luck!

Ate you able to do push ups or any other excersises using both pectorals?

Haha I think the only reason I'm not really capable is because my upper body is just pretty weak! I have however been able to successfully do push ups and any other upper body exercises. I think my struggles are just from being out of shape (:

my roommate freshman year of college didnt have a right pectoral muscle, or possibly it was underdeveloped like yours is. he had a lot of issues with kidney and liver diseases (I wish i could remember exactly what they were). Did you have anything connected to your case like this?

I fortunately haven't had any other issues related to Poland syndrome. I'm pretty sure my case is extremely mild. I guess I'm very lucky in that sense!

Look on the bright side... you have half the chance of getting breast cancer!

I'll add it to the list! Thank you :D

How did this affect your balance?

In all seriousness, I didn't know this was a thing so thanks for posting. Happy recovery!

I don't think it did at all! You're welcome! Thanks for taking the time to learn about Poland syndrome!

Has your interaction with men increased since your surgery? Are you more apt to allow someone to touch your breasts? What's changed emotionally?

I recently got out of a long term relationship so my interaction with men hasn't really increased yet. If someone is interested I don't mind if someone takes a quick poke because I know if the tables were turned I'd also be curious. Emotionally I feel more confident in myself and am also more outgoing.

Why did he operate on your right breast, as opposed to only altering the left one?

He did operate on my right breast. He did a slight lift and also changed the size of my areola because it would have been different even after the implant was placed on the left. Basically he did his best to make sure they would look as similar as possible in the end.

Very interesting. Was anything else effect by Poland Syndrome as well?

Also, it is my understanding that kids, girls in particular, can be quite mean about physical differences. Did you find this to be the case?

For me the only things affected were my pectoral muscle and my breast development. For other people there can be issues with hand development and that can include smaller fingers or webbed fingers. As far as people being mean I never experienced it. A lot of people didn't notice or didn't tell me so I never experienced any cases of bullying or anything.. luckily!

Do people in everyday life notice? I ask because I honestly couldn't really tell when you had a shirt on.

People don't really say anything to me about it. Before my surgery I would tell my closest friends and then they would notice. I had a few guys ask me about it so I'm assuming people noticed.

Was your recovery painful ?

Recovery was tolerable. I had pain pills so it was really just very tight. I think being young it was easier for me. It felt a lot like someone had my left arm strapped to my body because lifting it was near impossible because of the tightness(because the implant is under the muscle).

Has the surgery increased your confidence?

Oh 100% I feel way better about myself. It's nice being able to wear clothes and not having to worry about the twins.