🧱 How I Got Ready for Breast Reduction Surgery (5 Steps)

Preparing for breast reduction means creating space for healing — body, mind, and spirit. Sometimes, it starts with the quietest moments.

Honoring the season of preparation

There’s something tender about the season right before surgery. The date is set. The decision is made. But life hasn’t changed yet.

In that space — between the old chapter and the new — it can feel so easy to rush. To distract. To brace yourself for what’s coming.

But as my own breast reduction drew closer, I realized that wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to just “get through it.” I wanted to enter this season with intention. I wanted to prepare — not perfectly, but faithfully — so my body and heart would feel supported to heal.

Nourishing from the inside out

One of the first ways I prepared was through how I nourished my body.

I had already been eating keto and carnivore for about ten months. I knew how certain foods triggered inflammation in me — and how a high-fat, healing approach left me feeling calm and steady.

In those final weeks before surgery, I leaned into what I already knew served me. I kept my meals simple: fatty cuts of meat, plenty of hydration with electrolytes, and intentional supplements to give my body what it needed.

I used the HealFast Pre-Op Formula leading up to surgery, then switched to their Post-Op blend to support tissue repair and immune balance. I added Arnica pellets to help with bruising and swelling, Liposomal Vitamin C for collagen production, and kept up my Vitamin D3 and K2 — simple choices that worked gently together to help my body feel strong and prepared. You can explore all of these supplements on my Recovery Favorites page for more details.

It wasn’t about doing it perfectly. It was about showing up for my body — partnering with it, not pushing it — so it could trust me through what was ahead.

Clearing space — in life and in spirit

I also knew that my calendar needed to match the season my body was about to enter.

I cleared my schedule in the days leading up to surgery — not just for the appointments or the to-dos, but to give myself margin. Time to breathe. To prepare my space. To move more slowly.

I prepped my recovery space with thoughtful care: pillows to support me, a post-op “nest” that felt calming and safe. I created a spreadsheet for medications and supplements so my husband could help me stay on track without stress. I scheduled peace-of-mind appointments — like a mammogram — so I could enter surgery steady and informed.

It was more than logistics. It was about making room — practically and emotionally — so my body could feel safe to rest.

Softening toward my body

One of the most meaningful shifts came when I realized how much quiet resentment I had been holding in my body.

Years of discomfort. Of hiding. Of carrying weight — physically and emotionally — that no longer served me.

As the surgery approached, I began to speak to my body differently. I would stand in front of the mirror, gently pressing on my chest, and whisper, “Not much longer.”

Not with judgment. Not with shame. But with tenderness. Gratitude. Hope.

I began to see my body as a friend — not something to resent, but something to care for and partner with through healing.

That softening changed everything.

Learning to receive help

And finally, I had to face the part of this journey that was hardest for me: letting people in.

I’ve always been the one who can handle things. The one who figures it out, pushes through.

But this season asked for something different. It asked me to trust.

To let my husband care for me.

To ask my sister to drive me to appointments.

To entrust my horse to someone else’s care for six whole weeks.

None of it came easily. But in saying yes to help — in letting others hold pieces of what I normally carried alone — I found healing in places I hadn’t expected.

Because you don’t have to heal alone. And sometimes, the greatest strength is knowing when to receive.

Preparing as an act of kindness

Looking back, preparing for breast reduction wasn’t about checking every box.

It was about approaching this season with care. Nourishing my body. Creating space for rest. Softening toward my story. Welcoming the support of others.

Not perfectly. But faithfully.

And healing can begin long before you enter the operating room.

If you’d like gentle support for your journey, I’d love to invite you to the Off the Rack Facebook group, or browse the Preparing for Surgery playlist on YouTube. You don’t have to do this alone.

Wherever you are in your own journey — preparing, healing, or simply beginning to imagine what’s next — may this be a season of kindness toward yourself.

Be gentle with your heart.

Be kind to your body.

And remember: Every small act of preparation is an act of healing.

Warmly,

Shelley 💛