Happy Easter

Happy Easter, friends! Death, where is thy victory? Grave, where is thy sting?

This is a day we celebrate the greatest milestone of our faith, and lately I've been celebrating a much smaller and more personal milestone of my own, which really has nothing to do with Easter, but now is as good a time as any to tell you about it.

I'm thrilled (so beyond thrilled) to report that I have had my last saline injection for the tissue expanders in my chest. For those who haven't seen them ... well, they are a sight, unfortunately. Recently I heard a line in a comedy that describes me well right now.

Two men were discussing a woman's physique (ahem, i.e., that she was a little too well-endowed). And one man said to the other: "A body like that just doesn't look structurally sound."

That would be me. Not structurally sound. I've had a ton of pain the last month of this process as I grow more skin for the doctor to work with.

But the good news is that the tissue expansion is DONE. On May 12, just 2 days short of my one year mastectomy anniversary, I'll get these ugly squarish, uncomfortable tissue expander things out of me (hallelujah!) and they'll be replaced with small, silicone breast implants. (Sorry for the details, but everyone asks, so there it is.)

This surgery in May won't be my last surgery, but will be the last one I have to be under anesthesia for. So this is a huge milestone in the reconstruction process (which won't be totally finished until around Christmas).

I know you are probably thinking: "Isn't she done already?" But this is just a really long process, unfortunately.

Lucky and few are those who naturally have enough skin to go around. For once in my life, it would have really paid off to be chunky.


photo by Tim Snell (flickr.com)