"Before I got the breast reduction, I would be in a lot of pain – lower back pain, upper back pain, neck pain," Mark, 40, told PEOPLE. "It was debilitating."
And sadly, the pain she suffered wasn't only physical.
"I would get ridiculed and stared at, because while I could mask or conceal [my breasts] to a certain degree, they pretty much just stuck out from the rest of my body," says the Texas resident, who was larger than a 36N bra size prior to her surgery. "I was having a rough time finding clothing and bras that fit."
Mark suffers from gigantomastia, a rare hormonal condition that causes excessive breast growth. She decided to get a breast reduction after finding a lump in her underarm area.
"This summer I noticed a lump, and I didn't know if it was cancerous or not," she explains. A mammogram revealed that it was not cancerous. "[The doctor] said, 'This is breast tissue that has formed under your armpit because it had nowhere else to go.' "
Although Mark doesn't know if the surgery – during which Houston-based plastic surgeon Dr. Franklin Rose removed 15 lbs. of breast tissue – will prevent excess tissue from growing back, for now she's enjoying her smaller chest size of 36DDD.
"My quality of life has improved drastically," she says. "I'm able to sleep better at night, and overall I'm just happier as a person. I don't feel ostracized, or like people are constantly staring at me. I just feel normal."
While Mark is still getting used to her post-surgery body – the procedure was done only six weeks ago – she's looking forward to shopping for her new figure.
"I'm excited to buy new bras and shirts," she says. "I haven't gone out and purchased anything yet because I still have to wear a healing compression bra for eight weeks."
Even though she's still recovering from surgery, Mark is already getting excited reactions from friends and family.
"I forget that people haven't seen me in months, so when they see me for the first time, the reaction is always screaming and jumping up and down!"
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