Two, actually! And they didn't hurt at all! Well, one hurt just a tiny bit, but pretty much I had no feeling at all! The coloring has been tattooed on both breasts. Sorry to disappoint those who thought I had finally gone and gotten something cool! Although that is on my agenda! (a pink ribbon but the actual design and placement are still undecided)
Last week I had an appointment with Sue Hayden, who works with my plastic surgeon to have the tattoos done. What an experience! We used washers to decide on the size of the aureola and lots of cotton tipped applicators to try out all different shades of colors. I had no idea that there were so many different shades you could choose from. Since my last post one of the nipples has flattened. This is a possibility any time you have the surgery done, so at my appointment we discussed options. One is to have the surgery done again, and the second was to try using different shades to give a 3D effect. We decided to try coloring first to see how it turned out and if that doesn't give me the look I want then I can always go back and have the surgery done again. So far I must say that I am IMPRESSED with the overall outcome of the tattoos! Since my reconstruction surgery I have had a difficult time with the way things looked as far as the scars were concerned, and I can't believe the difference that the tattoos have made. Your eyes don't even see the scars anymore. The side that flattened will need some touch up once everything has had a chance to heal, which takes about 4-6 weeks. Once we do touch-ups I will then be able to decide if I am happy with the way things are or if I want to have the surgery redone.
My three month check-up with Dr. Zagar was also last week and I am so happy to report that all is well! No concerns or problems that they are concerned about! I am so lucky to have the best group of doctors! I am still on a three month check and that will continue for a while still but that is OK!
Over the past six months I have had another issue going on. For those of you who keep up with me on facebook, you are already aware. My right hip was diagnosed with having a labrial tear. That in itself wasn't so bad, as surgery would fix it, but after further evaluations it was also determined that I have hip dysplasia. I won't go into all the details now, but will just say that the "fix" for that is much more involved. After several doctors and different answers, I landed up at Duke. The doctor there wanted to try injections and physical therapy. And although my gut instinct was that it wouldn't help and we were wasting time, I decided to give it a try. The injections weren't as bad as I imagined they would be. Physical therapy started with Kristen Harris from Ocracoke, and after only a few appointments I noticed a huge change. I am super excited to say that less than three months from the injections and starting physical therapy I almost have no pain at all. The numbness and tingling has almost completely disappeared as well! Yay!!! Another answered prayer!
Sorry the posts have been few and far between! Occasionally I sit down to write and end up leaving with a blank page... not because there is nothing to say but more that I can't find the words to express what is in my heart. With that said I will try harder to post more often! This is actually a sort of therapy for me. I often pull up the blog and read past posts. They remind me of the strength that I possess and the blessings that I have been a part of. I can only hope that they touch others as much as they touch me when I read them!
