#33 Mother's Day Classic.......

Well it's only been 2.5 weeks since my nipples were created, but it feels like so much longer. After having the procedure, I was told not do exercise other than an easy walk. I had signed up to do the "Mothers Day Classic" two days after my procedure, so I wasn't sure if I'd be able to walk it or not. "The Mother's Day Classic" is an event you can run or walk 8km to raise money for Breast Cancer Research.  So I'm sure you can all understand that I was passionate about doing this. So when mother's day came along I dragged the boys off into South Bank Brisbane for the event! It was an early start and a bit fresh to say the least, but a lovely morning with the sun shining. I felt like I could manage the walk, so we went ahead and did the 8km. There were so many people there dressed up in various costumes as well as just team T-shirts like we had. It was a very up beat event.  Afterward, we had a lovely brunch at South Bank before heading home! I had a great Mother's Day!

My three boys & I before the event!

We even got on the Today show with this shot! :-)

At the finish line!

That evening I managed to get water under my dressings and had to head into the hospital the next day to have them re dressed. This gave me an opportunity to see what they were looking like. They looked surprisingly good. I was very bruised but otherwise all looked good.

A week later I had the dressings removed, finally, and was given some spongy things to put over my nips so they don't get squashed. These I have to wear for about 4 weeks. They are horrible as they leave indents on my breasts (Flaps) and show through my clothing. So at the moment I am being very selective about what I wear. It's a pain in the arse, but will be over with soon. Tattooing will happen in a couple of months.

All in all the nipples look pretty real, but I will definitely look "excited to see you" on a permanent basis! Could be embarrassing.....................

#32 Nips

Well it has finally happened!
I tripped off to see my plastic fantastic yesterday, where I sat in his waiting room for what seemed like hours. I always seem to be waiting in Doctor's rooms these days. Fortunately I had Kerri Sackville's book "When my husband does the dishes" to keep me occupied.  I was sitting there laughing to myself and hubby would keep asking what was so funny! My response annoyed him "secret woman's business"! But I digress... Just buy the book and you will know what I mean!

I watched an array of people coming out of his room with noses covered in bandages, arms in slings, leaving me wondering if I was in the correct place to have new nipples made! Finally my name was called and in I went to a familiar room where I had to strip off my top half & hop on the bed. There were two nurses there, the lovely Laura who has been at most of my appointment & another. I was given some local anesthetic to numb my breasts and then a sheet with a hole in it was put over my breast as they prepared me for the procedure. As he began I could feel him cutting into me (Not in a painful way) just the pressure it was weird, then came the stitching. They chattered amongst themselves (the nurses & Dr) throughout most of the procedure asking me the occasional question. I asked about the tattooing that would come after my nipples have healed and the Dr asked if i wanted to meet the lady who does it, as she was around at the time. So in comes this lovely woman, who asks if I mind her being there during my procedure. Which I didn't at all. She had never seen the procedure done, even though she does the tattooing, which I thought was interesting.
We chattered while the Dr did the second nipple. She was telling me how she has tattooed flowers on some women, she said she should learn how to do other tattoo's in case someone wanted something different. I think by the look on my face she realised that wasn't going to be me, she laughed and said she could just do a nipple... Phew!!

When he the plastic surgeon had finished I was allowed to look at my lovely new nipples with a mirror before they applied the dressings. Not really sure what I thought, everyone was saying what a wonderful job he had done, all I could think of was wow, all those stitches and blood....and these little nobs! I hope they look better next week when the dressings come off!

I had a list of do's and don't s given to me & away I went. I  needed a wine tonight!

#31 Lumps and bumps................

Visited my GP three times in the last two months.  Not because I was ill, I have just had other business to attend to. Yes, even after all the cancer crap, other stuff is still going on!

Haemochromatosis, for instance, I have to keep a check of my Iron levels, making sure they do not get too high. Pap smear, still have to go there as well, luckily we can still locate my Vjayjay...not that it's moved :-)  Then there is the bulge! Somewhere between my stomach scar and my Vjayjay (I love that word).  The appearance of this bulge had my GP thinking it may have been a hernia.  She had sent me off for an Ultra Sound, which found nothing. Personally I think it may be my old belly button trying to escape! She said that things internally will have been moved around a bit & she won't always know where things are anymore!!  So I need to speak with my surgeon about the bulge.

Talking with her, we discussed my surgery, I told her that if I had known exactly what I would go through in the short term I may have chosen another form of reconstruction. She agreed that knowing what can happen and what can get moved around internally, she probably would not go through with this surgery herself! She would have had the mastectomy & then had implants at a later stage!

NOW SHE TELLS ME!!

I'm not saying that this surgery was the wrong thing to do, and certainly in the long term I'm sure I will look back and wonder what was I banging on about! Anyone looking at having this procedure should just go in with their eyes open, knowing that muscle is taken from you and will never be replaced. 12 months is a long recovery and I didn't realise how long that would seem, or how frustrating it would be. I have met a woman who is four years post surgery and she is very happy with everything.

So onward I go, about to have new nipples and tattooing. I've secretly always wanted a tattoo. I look forward to my future. I just hope my old belly button doesn't pop out. Having two would just be embarrassing! :-)