Category: surgery

Written on February 8, 2018 The day literally snuck up on me. The anniversary. This morning before the sun made its brief appearance on another cloudy day, my eyes suddenly sprang open. The numbers on the clock, 5:50, somehow told me everything I needed to know in that one glance. I hadn’t consciously been thinking about it…

Huge thanks to those of you who have written or checked in after my last post – Part 1 of Annie 2.o! Especially because I occasionally wonder if anyone’s reading my sometimes crazy, sometimes silly, sometimes serious, musings. I know this self reflection is a necessary part of the game right now and I am quite…

Good question! Can you tell me? No, really. Can you? What do you think? Should I go to clown school, be a hand model, or maybe drive the big rigs? Speak right up and don’t be shy. Any and all suggestions/advice will be reviewed and researched in thorough detail by myself and maybe, Callie. As…

Did you know there were such things as stick-on nipples? Like truly lifelike 3-D, flesh colored (Bronze, Almond, Ivory or my personal favorite, Tawny) nipples, that you can put on like jewelry and pretend that you are a normal woman again. (Putting aside for now that there just might be more than four flesh colors out…

It’s kinda funny how cultural stereotypes develop. Some years ago, before I turned 40, Annie would kid me about my impending “old man” status, probably at least partially because I was talking at the time about getting a motorcycle. As we have both been improving our mindfulness/meditation practice, I’ve wondered of late if culturally we…

  I, like many, have been trying to understand. We returned home from a much needed and great post-surgery healing getaway in toasty Arizona recently, so while we had seen bits and pieces of the horrible events going on in our previous hometown for over 11 years of Charlottesville, VA (and where we also still…

Today is the “girls’” birthday, ya’ll! Yup, the well-rounded twins, riding high with (apparently) loads of pride (and silicone), are officially 3 weeks old today!! I can’t believe my surgery was just last month and that it’s already officially August? I know I was out of it for a while, but really, August?! Really? I just wanted…

God may have created the oceans and the land and all the living beings in six days (guessing he sat down for a beer afterward), but it took five whole months for Annie’s tissue expanders to do their job and be on their way. Nonetheless, she approached the clerk at the hospital returns desk (not really, but…

Hallelujah, the day has finally come. My last fills were just about four weeks ago and tomorrow afternoon I get these truly awful turtle shells removed and replaced with my real implants! And, yes, that still sounds weird to say. REAL implants. Ha ha! And now that the expanders are finally settling in and not causing…

I had a great deal of emotional luxury going into this. Annie too came at this feeling like she had options. Many BRCA-positive women do not–their mastectomy’s required due to a cancer diagnosis. There is no other option. There is no waiting until the right time. There is no time to prepare emotionally and mentally. It just happens.…