posted Thursday, 9 March 2006
Today was another follow-up appointment with Dr Borah. At my last appointment, two weeks ago, we discussed beginning to fill up the expander on the right side. Since I was heading out to Denver for the conference that weekend, I decided to hold off (plus, I didn't want to risk losing that expander too, by stretching the skin too quickly). Today, we began.
First, Dr Borah took this small plastic contraption that had a small magnet hanging from a string in the middle of it. He slid the doo-dad around on my skin until the magnet was hanging straight down, signifying that it was directly over the metal port in the expander under my skin. He approached it from several directions, marking up the spot with a purple marker. Finally, we were ready to begin. An IV bag was hanging behind me, filled with saline. The tube led down to a split -- one direction went to a syringe and the other direction went to a needle. He filled the syringe with 50 cc's of saline and then stuck the needle through my chest into the port. It felt very strange. Not really painful... just weird. Like pressure. He slowly pushed in the syringe, forcing the saline into the expander that is burried under my pec. Weird! He told me that we would stop as soon as I felt "vague discomfort". I stopped him almost immediately... he called my bluff. We finally agreed to push in the entire 50 cc's and even added 10 cc's more. I probably stopped him too early, but I am travelling to Minneapolis for a wedding this weekend and really don't want to be uncomfortable. Plus, I'm really not in a rush, seeing as how the left side is going to take another surgery... so slow and steady...
Oh! I almost forgot to tell you all about my trip to the Totally You boutique down by the shore... Charlene's cousin owns the store and we went down a week ago to look at prosthetic breasts. Yes - it's true... after all these years, I have finally decided to start stuffing my bra! I didn't mind being small... but I at least want to be even (at least when I am out in public). Since I was unsure about how long I would be uneven for (whether I am going to have the surgery in May or wait until next winter), I didn't want to spend too much on a prosthetic. They range from ~$45 for a foam insert... to $400 for a realistic looking silicone breast. They sell bras, camisoles & swimsuits with pockets in them to hold the prosthetic. In the end, I settled for a weighted foam prosthetic (it's weighted so that it doesn't ride up in your shirt). It was pretty weird to wear at first, but I am getting used to it. If I decide to hold off on surgery, I think I will go back and get a nicer piece... but this will do for now. I've decided that she needs a name though... any suggestions (keep in mind, my grandparents read this blog, so keep it clean, will ya!)?
So anyways, between my A cup prosthetic and my slightly inflated expander, I am almost even... in fact, I would be surprised (and curious as to why they are staring) if anybody could really tell the difference. Now that I am getting used to wearing it, I feel nearly 100% comfortable and natural, which is really a great thing.
First, Dr Borah took this small plastic contraption that had a small magnet hanging from a string in the middle of it. He slid the doo-dad around on my skin until the magnet was hanging straight down, signifying that it was directly over the metal port in the expander under my skin. He approached it from several directions, marking up the spot with a purple marker. Finally, we were ready to begin. An IV bag was hanging behind me, filled with saline. The tube led down to a split -- one direction went to a syringe and the other direction went to a needle. He filled the syringe with 50 cc's of saline and then stuck the needle through my chest into the port. It felt very strange. Not really painful... just weird. Like pressure. He slowly pushed in the syringe, forcing the saline into the expander that is burried under my pec. Weird! He told me that we would stop as soon as I felt "vague discomfort". I stopped him almost immediately... he called my bluff. We finally agreed to push in the entire 50 cc's and even added 10 cc's more. I probably stopped him too early, but I am travelling to Minneapolis for a wedding this weekend and really don't want to be uncomfortable. Plus, I'm really not in a rush, seeing as how the left side is going to take another surgery... so slow and steady...
Oh! I almost forgot to tell you all about my trip to the Totally You boutique down by the shore... Charlene's cousin owns the store and we went down a week ago to look at prosthetic breasts. Yes - it's true... after all these years, I have finally decided to start stuffing my bra! I didn't mind being small... but I at least want to be even (at least when I am out in public). Since I was unsure about how long I would be uneven for (whether I am going to have the surgery in May or wait until next winter), I didn't want to spend too much on a prosthetic. They range from ~$45 for a foam insert... to $400 for a realistic looking silicone breast. They sell bras, camisoles & swimsuits with pockets in them to hold the prosthetic. In the end, I settled for a weighted foam prosthetic (it's weighted so that it doesn't ride up in your shirt). It was pretty weird to wear at first, but I am getting used to it. If I decide to hold off on surgery, I think I will go back and get a nicer piece... but this will do for now. I've decided that she needs a name though... any suggestions (keep in mind, my grandparents read this blog, so keep it clean, will ya!)?
So anyways, between my A cup prosthetic and my slightly inflated expander, I am almost even... in fact, I would be surprised (and curious as to why they are staring) if anybody could really tell the difference. Now that I am getting used to wearing it, I feel nearly 100% comfortable and natural, which is really a great thing.
Comments:
1. susie left...
Thursday, 23 March 2006 8:05 pm
how about Patti, kind of like "paddy"--get it, like a padded bra?
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