My breasts weigh 4st why won’t the NHS help me live a normal life?
A WOMAN whose 38L breasts weigh two stone each has described being in so much pain she struggles to stand to wash the pots at her kitchen sink.
Charlotte Rowley-Stennings, 26, has had bigger boobs ever since she hit puberty and was bullied at school as a result.
She’s desperate for a breast reduction with the NHS, not just to relieve her physical pain, but to ease her anxiety.
However, just weeks ago, her application was rejected and is now in the process of appealing the decision with the help of her GP, as she cannot afford the £9,000 operation privately.
Charlotte, from Burnage, has to fork out hundreds of pounds on bras each year, which can sometimes break after just a month of wear. If her breasts grow just one further cup size, she will have to get them specially made at a cost of up to £140 per bra.
She tries to cover up when she leaves her house, but can’t help attracting attention from men, she says, which makes her self-conscious.
“I was heartbroken when I found out I was rejected,” Charlotte told the M.E.N.
“It’s not for aesthetic reasons, my back is in bits. I’m trying to gather as much evidence as possible to appeal. I have the support from my GP and the Wythenshawe breast clinic, who weighed my boobs, and I’m about to have an X-ray to see the impact they have on my spine.
“I’m on medication for my anxiety because it affects me mentally. I find it horrific how a boob reduction can cost £9k but a boob job is £6k.
“It’s not fair. I understand why women would want to get a boob job if they had really small boobs, but I can’t understand why women would want to go massively over the top with a boob job. I have that naturally and I wish I hadn’t. People say ‘it’s great having big boobs’ but it really isn’t.”
Charlotte suffers from skin irritation, cysts and sores that form under her breasts, which can worsen in the warmer months and create an odour.
She has difficulty in her job too, working with young children in reception at a primary school, which often involves lifting the kids.
As early as Year 7 at Levenshulme High School for Girls, Charlotte, then a cup-size C, felt different and was labelled ‘fat’ by other pupils.
She said: “By around Year 10 I tried to lose weight. I wouldn’t eat properly, I would skip meals and say I was full.”
Charlotte has now been with her current partner for four years, and when she goes on nights out with her friends, she feels the need to wear a pretend engagement ring to detract unwelcome attention from men.
She said: “I went on a night out recently with girls from work, and I could feel eyes looking at me, men looking at me, you could hear them making certain comments telling their mates to look at me. I can’t ever find anything to wear that I feel comfortable in. I went to an event with my boyfriend and bought a new top for the occasion, and I felt good in myself. But once I was out, I changed my mind, I was so self-conscious I kept pulling it up.”
At the age of 16, Charlotte was cup size F, at 18 JJ, at 21 KK, and from 22, she became an L cup.
She said: “I struggle to exercise. I struggle to go for a run, or a jog, I’d have to wear two sports bras and it’s hard enough to find one that fits.”
Charlotte dreams of being a D-F cup, and argues the reduction operation would change her life. “I’d be over the moon,” she said. “It is a health issue. It’s affecting my job, my lifestyle, and my mental health. I had an anxiety attack last year in my car and now receive therapy. The NHS should provide for bigboobed women – we haven’t asked for this, we come how we are, and I’m not happy with the fact I have big boobs. You pay your taxes so you’d hope the NHS would help you out.”
She has begun documenting her journey on Instagram – at chaz.br – sharing her experiences of the reduction application process. Manchester Health and Care Commissioning was approached for comment.