HRO

My boobs are big. They are too big for my body, and they hurt. I can't take a shower without holding my boobs, literally. I've seen a lot of doctors. Most told me to lose weight, to stop drinking coffee, stop eating dark chocolate, etc. I lost fifteen pounds within the last year, only to find that my boobs had gotten bigger. I decided I was sick of people telling me this was something I could control, and I wanted to deal with the discomfort as soon as possible. On my third consultation for a breast reduction, the surgeon informed me that I would need to send a picture of my tits, first and foremost, to the insurance company to see if they deemed them "big enough" for my surgery to be "medically relevant." Yes, you read correctly. Not only do I need to send a literal nudie-pic to some unknown person, who is not a doctor, to determine whether or not they think I should have smaller boobs, but I also needed to document that I have tried to deal with my boob-issue multiple other ways. One of the examples most insurance companies give is, "consulting a bra specialist," as if I haven't figured out what type of bra to wear with 30FF/30G tits. Seriously, like I have many options.

I have had mammograms, ultrasounds, acupuncture, physical therapy, massage therapy, you fucking name it...but apparently it hasn't been enough to show that I've tried to deal with my breast pain in a nonsurgical way. Instead, if I want my breast reduction to be covered by insurance, I need to take painkillers for a year to document that I've tried to deal with the pain via medication, rather than surgery.

What really pisses me off, is that I’m expected to wait for someone, who isn’t a doctor, to tell me if they think my boobs are appropriately sized for my body and therefore if the pain I’m experiencing is enough. On top of that, I know a seventy year old man could have the government pay for ED treatment, which causes less physical pain and no more psychological pain than that of a 16 year old in high school being told that if she were only a little skinnier, maybe her boobs wouldn't be so big.

What Are Big Tits?

So here are some examples of breast reductions that have been covered by insurance, similar to those offered to me in the doctor's office as examples:

DEAR INSURANCE COMPANIES,

My boobs don't look like this. And this may be what you're used to seeing as "too big," but mine are too big by my standards. They hurt enough, I've documented that enough, and I will not dignify this system with a picture of my rack so that you can tell me what is enough.

Insurance companies need to get their shit together. Did you know that most insurance companies, including medicare, cover everything but the copay in a "penile implant procedure"..? So if a sixty five year old man has erectile dysfunction, he can have a surgery to have a literal pump put inside of his penis to help him get it up...

Medical insurers cover this cost because erectile dysfunction is considered to be a "medical condition" ... but erectile dysfunction doesn't cause physical pain, and it doesn't interfere with daily life outside of sexual intercourse. The symptoms are psychological. I'm not trying to argue that ED isn't an issue--it is, and it affects men all over the world. The issue I take with this topic is that while penile implant procedures are covered by insurance, so many issues that apply to women and are far more disruptive to every day life, are not. While ED is deemed "medically relevant," so many issues having to do with women's appearance are not--despite any psychological or physical symptoms they may inflict.

THIS IS PATRIARCHY, AND THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF ITS CONTINUOUS REIGN.

Dear Everyone Else,

Don't tell me "I wish I had your problem" because you think it would be nice to have tits like Kim Kardashian or Audrina Patridge.

While I'm not a thirty-year old woman with two kids, I'm also not a sex icon, please don't compare my situation to theirs. My body is my body and I'd apprecciate it if patriarchy would step down and let me work with my doctors to make my own judgements,.. because I really don't want or need the opinion of the mass public in determining what is or is not enough.

Helena Victor