The FOOBS Have Entered the Body!
Originally published at bcvsbc.blogspot.com on 11/18/18
From the moment this entire situation started I knew that I was not going to let cancer take control of my life or my body which meant I was not going to lose my breasts forever. It was never an option for me. Ironically I don't think I felt like I had this huge attachment to my breast before but when you are told that you might lose them for the rest of your life, well, things change. In a day where men and women look more androgynous, I guess I am old school. I want to look feminine and that is ridiculous because I am not a small petite beautiful woman (in fact if I had a quarter for every time someone told me I had an "athletic" build, I'd be rich) . I love that Scott is significantly taller than me because he makes me feel like I am a small petite beautiful woman. And right there is why I so desperately wanted to have breasts attached to my body, even if they were 100% fake.
On Tuesday the 13th, seven months after my diagnosis, Scott and I headed off to the hospital to have my expanders exchanged for implants. We got scheduled for the first surgery so it was an early day getting us up before 5 and my mom coming then to stay with the kids. It was silly but I was nervous for the surgery.
We didn't have to wait long before the nurse came and grabbed me to go get ready. I got to sport the newest in hospital fashion by modeling the yellow canary gowns with red socks. Kaiser is going to new gowns and socks for patients that are at risk of falling. Now if you go under anesthetic for a surgery you will get these fabulous gowns to wear and one day matching yellow socks.
My plastic surgeon came back and we went back over the surgery. I had already met with him twice before so I felt really comfortable about what was going to happen. What was happening was not just a boob job which people are always happy to tell me I am getting. It frustrates the hell out of me when people say that. What he had to do for me was completely recreate breasts inside of my skin. The first step had been surgically installing the expanders and cadaver skin. Next was the physical saline fills to stretch the skin. Last is the exchange surgery to form the fake breasts inside me. So using the space provided by the expanders he would have to take fat from other parts of my body to put around the silicone implant. This is called fat grafting and it essentially allows him to build a fake breast that looks and feels more like a real breast. Since he has a lot of little things he needs to do to create these for me we go into the operating room with three sizes of implants. He doesn't know which size will fit in the actual space until he has me open. I left the type of implant up to him since I honestly had no clue what was best. After tons of discussion about what I hoped to achieve and what he felt comfortable being able to create we went with a high profile silicone implant. That is at the end of this picture. It will hopefully offer me the most projection. If a woman with breast got this type of implant it would be a whole heck of a lot of cleavage because it pushes everything out. Since I don't have any of that it offers the best chance to have a breast that pushes forward and looks less flat. I honestly have no idea and just hope for something pushing forward.
I got all marked up with where he would have to be making injections and cuts, which places he would be taking things and replacing things so in the end I looked like the pig in Secret Life of Pets. However I trust my doctor fully and know that he will make me look as good as he can.
Shortly after I was taken into the operating room where I helped them get me in position and my arm strapped down. Then I was out until I woke up in recovery. The entire procedure took a little over three hours and aside from the doctor telling me everything went well I do not remember much until we got home.
That is me still high as a kite from the meds administered during surgery. I didn't realize until that night I never asked what size implants we were able to get in! Wednesday when I go back to the doctors office we will find out so there is something to look forward to. I am actually really excited to see what they look like as well. Already my chest feels lighter and softer with the expanders gone.