22. My "Franken-chest." Or… Dr D. does GOOD work.

“Okay, let’s just do it,“ I said to Collin, opening my bra and starting to pull the gauze off. The drains had been removed, but we had pretty much avoided looking at my “Franken-chest” because of what I warned you all about before: GOOGLE.

Yes, the inventory of completely mangled chests from having mastectomies is a vast and deep hole that is incredibly easy to fall into. It is enough to make you bide your time before looking at what remains of your previous chest. As I’ve stated previously, I’ve never had an overly large attachment to my breasts. Objectively, they were more than adequate. Not so big as to be bothersome while doing any of the physical activities I participated in, but enough with the right “push-up bra” that it wasn’t “false advertising”. Honestly, in the current front zip sport bra they are housed in, I barely recognize that they are gone.

Which was weird. I mean, they were not there, but not entirely not there. Anyway, it seemed like the right time to take a look.

I pull the gauze off my chest, and stand looking in the mirror. The sutures are not very big and, in comparison to my GOOGLE findings, while noticeable, hardly the stuff of horror movies.

Relieved that it wasn’t a disaster (not that I had expected one) I started to examine the craftsmanship. (yup, cause plastics is indeed an artistry). I was struck that the incisions I had were less like a traditional mastectomy, with the incisions running parallel across where the nipple had been, and much more like a “breast lift” with the incisions running perpendicular from the top of the nipple to the bottom of my breast and intersecting with another incision that went parallel under it.

“Look,“ I pointed to the incisions. “When it’s all done it will basically be hidden.”

Collin nodded, “He does good work.“

We told him as much a few days later when I was getting my “bolsters” out. (a gauze roll to help stretch the skin for after the implant placement.)

“The healing looks good,” Dr D said.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “ When you get finished my new boobs are gonna look much better than my old ones.”

“Yes. They will,” he says without skipping a beat. Cocky? Not really.

But as the saying goes, it ain’t bragging if you can do it.