Saturday, August 21, 2010

People that don't get it...

I never really understood how long this process was going to take, but I knew I wasn't going to walk in and walk out a perfect person.  When my path crosses someone that isn't normally on my trail I seem to have tripped up on the same set of questions that are beginning to cause a blister.

I thought you already got your boobs done.  Why do you need more surgery?
Hello!  It's not a one stop shop or a drive through; your way right away or something.  It takes time to heal and recreate the breast.  The doctor has to actually sculpt a mound not just enhance what I already had.  They start with a clean slate, a flat board.

Why is it taking so long for you to recover?  My friend got implants and was fine after a few weeks.
Yeah, getting implants and having your breasts REMOVED and then RECONSTRUCTED totally different!  Not at all the same.  My breast tissues were removed, yes, removed; cut off.  In addition, I have a bit of nerve damage that causes a little bit of pain and I still have restriction in my arms and shoulders.  Actually I have small doses of pain everyday, nothing unmanageable.

You don't have nipples?!
Okay, I'm totally lying.  I love it when people find out I don't have any.  It's such a weird concept for them to grasp and watching their face twist with discomfort as they try to imagine what nippleless breasts look like is awesome.

I guess those are the ones that irritate me the most.  Like getting shampoo in your eye; it stings a little, but in the end you are happy to have clean hair.  I like to have the chance to help people understand that it I didn't just get breast augmentation.  I didn't just get implants.  I didn't just want bigger boobs (because these are much smaller).  I did this for my health.  I did this for my family.  I did this for my daughters.  I did this for myself.

3 comments:

Erika said...

I can relate! Luckily I'm surrounded by mostly people who either understand or are smart enough to keep their opinions to themselves! The most irritating comment I've gotten was, "Well, at least you can remove yours (from a guy w/ a barely discernable blood disorder - doesn't require treatment), I have to live with mine." Hello - I'm living *without* breasts & soon *without* ovaries or tubes. I've gone through chemotherapy, horrificly painful surgery, and still have doubts that I'll be ok.

You go girl!!

Unknown said...

How brave you are! People's comments just crack me up. I get them too. Like having perky boobs is all this is about. I wish!!!
Great blog!

Anonymous said...

I totally can relate. When I told people I had to have revision surgery, they were like how could they not do it right the first time? I try to explain it, but no one understands that hasn't been through it. People do think it's just like getting a 'boob job' if they only knew right.