I've been to many doctor offices over the years, and the waiting rooms pretty much all look the same. That was until my consultation with a plastic surgeon this past week. I can safely say that it was by far the swankiest waiting room I've seen. Plastic surgery must be very lucrative. For starters, there were the floor-to-ceiling mosaics featuring what appears to be some kind of mermaid, very peaceful and happy with her perky, symmetrical breasts. The rest of the large airy room was minimally furnished with comfy modern chairs and tables. Large windows offer a great view of Austin, and a plate of fresh pastries and bottles of cold water are yours for the taking. And probably because a dermatologist is part of the same practice, there's a big basket of skin care samples at the reception desk. I love free stuff!
After meeting with the doctors' assistant (who revealed she had been treated for triple negative breast cancer as well), the plastic surgeon entered the exam room. Mr. Pincushion and I had the same first impression, which was..."smarmy." With his long, pomade-slicked hair, an expensive summer suit and wingtip shoes, this doc looks looked like someone better suited to sell us a used car than new breasts. I guarantee he drives a fancy BMW or Porshe, and spends a lot of time in front of the mirror.
Despite appearances, he turned out to be very nice, and took all the time we needed to discuss reconstructive surgery and answer my questions. His forte is a procedure called the "DIEP flap," in which skin and tissue are removed from the lower abdomen and used to form a new breast. This option is often advised for women who will be undergoing radiation because conventional implants have a high risk for complications in these cases (like infections or a total rejection). In addition, implants need to be swapped out for new ones every seven years or so. While the recovery time is longer with DIEP than with implants, there's less risk of complications because the new breast would be made out of my own tissue. Plus, not only would I get a new boob, I would get a tummy tuck as well (I told you I love free stuff)! The down side is that apparently I don't have enough available tissue in my abdomen for those double D's I was hoping for. There goes my dreams of being a stripper!
Oh, I almost forgot–the doctor also showed us a scrap book full of breasts that he's done, pre-surgery and after surgery. Most of these women appeared to be older and larger than me (both in overall weight and in breast size). And they all bore some pretty large scars from the DEIP flap procedure, too. I think this was the first time I'd seen pictures of women post-mastectomy and pre-reconstructive surgery. Not a pretty sight. Soon enough, that will be me. Which left me feeling slightly scared and depressed.
0 comments:
Post a Comment