Page 215 - She's One Crazy Lady!

though most of it would. Therefore, the healthy part of the flap would be “ preserved and the unhealthy part removed and replaced with a muscle
from the back together with an implant to support the new breast. Mr Varma later explained that the reasoning behind the flap being only partially successful was not clear. As most of the flap survived (75%) there were possibly anatomical or physiological variations within the flap. The thought of an implant bothered me and thankfully I was alert enough to tell them that I would prefer not to have one; that I didn’t want a ‘foreign body’ in my body – not after I’d had cancer in there. I had strong feelings about it. They said they would abide by my wishes. The rest of the day was a blur.
It wasn’t until the second day back in my room that I acknowledged the fact I was to have a further operation and I saw the boob for the first time, despite so many people having looked, poked and prodded in the meantime. Liz came to see me early in the morning and she was shocked.
“What have you done?”
“Why have you put yourself through this?”
She took a photo of my boob, but again, I have chosen not to show
it here as I seriously would not like to upset anyone, especially patients who may be considering a breast reconstruction. This was a one-off. A good proportion of the breast was mottled, patchy, deep red and dark blue in colour but still I wasn’t too concerned. Having looked at the photo since, I marvel at how they worked and persevered to get it looking SO good. All I was worried about at that time was the heat and the fact that I couldn’t do ‘anything’ for myself, nurses were needing to move me and change the sheets – very painful experiences!
Marilyn and her daughter, Sarah, drove over to see me and later told me they, like Liz, were upset to think I had to go through it all again and that I looked so ill. Dave and Dusty also called in to see me and said it upset them too. I was completely in Mr Varma’s hands. He came to see me and explained the next operation wouldn’t take as long – perhaps four to five hours.
In my sub-conscious state I was confident and ready to let them do what had to be done.
Take Two...
I heard voices telling me it had gone well this time and that Mr Varma was pleased, so I was pleased – for me and for him. He told me it was the longest reconstruction surgery he had ever performed. A nurse cheerily told me that I was now the owner of a ‘two-tone tit’ – the top half being my tummy, the bottom part, my back!! What was I to say?
The following day – the day I lost it!
Once again I was very hot and very drowsy. I had a raging headache and I was aware of being attached to so many pieces of machinery with wires everywhere. As I lay there I realised I hadn’t eaten anything for
A nurse cheerily told me that
I was now the owner of a ‘two- tone tit’ – the
top half being
my tummy, the bottom part, my back!! ”
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