Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Frankenboob

It's almost Halloween, which I find fitting for talking about my possible reconstruction surgery. Dude and I met with the plastic surgeon this morning bright and early at 7:00. I'm not sure if there's a difference in the terms "plastic surgeon" vs. "cosmetic surgeon" but I always preferred the latter because I like to think of the whole thing as getting pretty rather than being handled like Tupperware. But it seems that the term "plastic surgeon" is used more often. Anyway, I'm leaning toward having a bilateral mastectomy (meaning, both boobs will be whacked) with a tram flap reconstruction. Why bilateral? Well, I have to talk more with the oncology surgeon before I make a final decision, but from what I've read, the recurrence of cancer for someone like me (without getting into what "someone like me" means) is not completely unlikely. That's not to say that if I get a bilateral mastectomy that I can't get breast cancer again either. Breast cancer can come back in scar tissue as well. But as with stuff like this, we're always speaking a language of chances.

A tram flap reconstruction is where they take the tissue and muscles from the abdomen and reconstruct the breast. So rather than using implants, I'm using my own tissue--and I get a tummy tuck in the process. The big downside is that it's way more complicated to do it this way, the recovery time is longer, and I won't be able to do sit-ups ever again. Darn.

It's kinda freaky to think that my stomach could become my boobies. I should have asked the surgeon if that means I should be pigging out like hard fucking core, but I didn't. She said I have enough tissue and fat to make two breasts the same size I am now, which kinda sucks. I wanted monster jugs. And apparently, in the process, the black widow tattoo on my stomach will migrate down to my pubic area. That's kinda cool. The things they can do...

4 comments:

Unknown said...

frankenboobies sounds so goth! you are so hardcore, dude.

do you get frankennipples too or do they save those?

Cancerfuckingsucks.blogspot.com said...

yeah, what's weird is that i won't have nipples for 6 months! the boobs gotta heal, then they tattoo on the nips!

Unknown said...

you should get nipples in the shapes of swirls. everyone who gets a peak will be hypnotized!

Vicki aka Mamapajama said...

oh you young'uns! I'd be happy with no nipples, there'd be no worry about them peeking out of sweaters on chilly days.... and it's not like I'm gonna be nursing any time soon.
I'm still ready, willing and able to donate a crapload of abdomen fat if you want monster boobs, just let me know ;)