Three Months and Counting

It's been three months today since my bilateral mastectomy with tram flap reconstruction (also known as the tit-ectomy and tummy tuck to some). In some ways, it seems like it's been much longer than that; in others, it seems like only yesterday.

The majority of the healing was quick and not terribly painful. But the parts that are still healing? Ouchie! For example, I was at a water park with the kids, playing my favorite people-watching game of "Fat or Pregnant?" when the heat (106 degrees of it) finally became unbearable. I decided to get in the wave pool while the waves weren't waving and get wet, including my hair. I walked out to the deep end and prepared to lie back and douse my head up to my forehead, but before I had leaned back more than an inch or two, I had to stagger back up. Those tight-as-a-drum tummy muscles don't allow me to lean backwards anymore. Huh. Who knew? I had to bend my knees and dunk myself all the way under the water in order to get the job done, which caused water to stream down into my eyes and the part in my hair to become totally jacked. Totally. 

My tummy incision still pulls when I stand up, as do those stomach muscles, so I still look like half a parenthesis when I first rise, although I straighten up faster and, well, straighter, than I have been. It is still numb across the front of my stomach, and the ends of the incision, above my hip bones in the back, sometimes itch like crazy. The new boobies are also still mostly numb. However, I have had an itch deep inside the right one, but I can't scratch it, because everything between the scratch and the itch is numb.  I mean, I CAN and DO scratch it, but the scratch can't soak through to the itch. Maddening!

The nipples are looking quite lovely, I must say. I was a bit of a nattering nabob on that when I first saw them, but I will admit that Dr. Geter was right and they ARE shrinking to a normal size and no longer resembling cockleburs. I'll tell you what, when I had my first consultation with him, and he told me when the reconstruction was complete, no one would be able to tell they were fake if I were in a wet t-shirt contest, I was excited. Then, after seeing the massive cocklebur nipples, I thought he was going to prove to be a big ol' liar. Now, I think I'm going to have to take it back. (In fact, if he's right and I'm wrong, I'll take a picture of them inside a wet t-shirt and post it on here. Consider yourself warned.)

So many friends are still sending thoughts and prayers my way for continuing recovery, and I can not begin to tell you what that means to me. My deepest, warmest thanks for that.