(The Rack is usually a weekly Friday column by fit model, bartender/waitress, musician and future superstar, Tammy.  Because of the holiday weekend and Tammy’s exciting news, we’re publishing it today instead.)

Well, it’s really happening. After 6 months of consideration, 2 consults, 4 weeks of physical therapy and a lot of waiting, the date for my breast reduction surgery is set for June 21. I’ve been working non-stop, pulling 4-5 shifts at a new restaurant and devoting every spare moment to making music and working out, so I haven’t had as much time to reflect as I would have liked. I searched “breast reduction surgery” on YouTube the other day and watched a couple of videos of the procedure I’m about to have, and while the images of breasts being sliced open and trimmed down were gruesome, they didn’t shake my confidence that this is the best choice for me. My frustration with my breasts at a 34F far outweighs any of my concerns about the surgery– but there are a couple of things I’m scared about!

1. Recovery Time
My doctor said I’ll be able to go back to work in a week, but I’m worried that I won’t be ready to lift heavy trays and bus bins at my job with just a week of recovery time! I can’t really afford to take more than a week off, and since I just started this job, I’m not looking forward to explaining to my manager that in addition to the week off I requested after only working there for a week, there’s a chance I’ll need more time. I also don’t want to endanger my health, obviously. I plan to talk to my doctor about this more when I go for my pre-surgery bloodwork and health check on June 6.

2. Working Out
My doctor explained that I would need to stop exercising for 6 weeks following my surgery–that means no spin classes, no pilates, and definitely no kettlebell boot camp. Will my muscles turn to jelly in 6 weeks? My current plan is to eat nothing but salad until I’m allowed to work out again–but I plan to ask the doctor if I’ll be able to ease my way back into working out sooner– if I can at least work my lower half with squats and lunges and a LOT of walking, my muscles won’t atrophy completely.

3. Wardrobe
What am I going to wear!? On my list of things to save money for is the ever-important category of clothing. I’ll need all new bras (which will hopefully be less expensive), bathing suits, and probably some tops–most everything I own is stretchy, but it would be nice to be able to welcome my new breasts with some things that were purchased with my post-surgery shape in mind.

With three weeks to go, I’ll be working hard to save money, eat right, and spend lots of time at the gym! I will keep you all updated every step of the way.