Thea Unchained - A Breast Reduction Blog

If anyone is interested you can see my before and after pictures from my head shaving charity event.

 

 

 

 

Hey everyone!

 

So, Friday April 3rd marked the 2nd anniversary of my breast reduction.  I still consider it one of the best things that I've ever done for myself.  Nothing really new to report.  I'm still a C-cup and I still have occasional pangs and itchies.  They're mildly annoying and they're becoming more and more infrequent.  Just a part of my life now but I'm sure eventually, I won't experience them at all. 

 

 

On April 19th of this year, I will be attending a St. Baldrick's event (www.stbaldricks.org).  St. Baldrick's is a charitable organization which raises money for pediatric cancer research.  They raise money by hosting events where individuals get pledges for shaving their heads in honor of pediatric cancer patients.  My mother is currently undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer and has lost her hair.  I wanted to shave my head in solidarity.  When I learned about St. Baldrick's, I figured I could kill two birds with one stone.  If you would like to learn more or donate to the cause, here's my link...

 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Thea

 

 

Between months 3 and 12 Post-Op there were few changes but my body still liked to remind me that I had had major surgery.  My shape did change a little.  My breasts rounded out and were less triangular and the areolas dropped to a more natural position.  One thing I do regret is not taking more pictures at various intervals, having more documentation of the changes.  Throughout at period I still had plenty of booby pains.  Not zingers but throbby aches.  This could be quite uncomfortable and often stun you a little because they are not gradual, they come out of nowhere and catch you off guard.  I still get these after a year and a half post-op but they are very infrequent and much less intense.  But even the worst of these of aches and pains don't even come close to the discomfort of carrying around DDD all day long.  So I ain't complainin', I'm just explainin'!

 

During this time I also developed these strange little itchy spots.  They look and feel just like mosquito bites (I still get these also, but only occasionally).  I would feel a spot get a little itchy, then it would raise up like a bump, itch more intensely and then after a few minutes go away.  These usually popped up along the incision sites either under the breasts or along the areola. When I had my 1 year post-op evaluation, I mentioned these to my plastic surgeon.  He said that it was most likely my body's reaction to lingering pieces of internal stitches.  My body was probably attacking them causing mild reactions on the surface.  They're annoying but nothing to be alarmed about.  My surgeon also said that my scars looked great (he said I barely had any).  I rarely used scar cream because I didn't like the way they felt (kind of greasy) however, I always sure to moisturize with regular lotion. 

 

So right now, after a year and a half I am a C cup, still have minor itchies and pains and my right areola is a little smaller and sits just a tad higher than my left one, but hell, who's perfect?!  And I wouldn't trade these ta ta's for the world!

 

Peace Everybody

Thea

I've been away too long.  Here is a 3-month (wow!!) booby update.  Just to back track a little, I had my 6 week post-op check up back on May 17th.  My plastic surgeon (PS) told me that everything looked great and that I could resume all regular activity as long as I did not feel pain.  If something did give me pain, then I should just not do it as yet and give myself a little more time before doing that particular activity.  He also said that I would not need another check up for another whole year.  That surprised me a little, but I know those decisions are made at the discretion of the PS and since I presented with no problems, I guess he felt that timeline was sufficient. 

So since then I've been living normally.  I can wear bras with underwires, I don't have to sleep with a bra anymore, although I still find that more comfortable because I have mild discomfort in the morning if I've been laying in a way that made my breasts pull on the incision sites.  I've been a C now for the last couple of months (started out a D because of swelling) and I even had to buy one bra in a B cup, it was cut rather full.  My mother was with me and when I tried on the C, I told her, through the door, that it didn't fit and that I needed a B cup.  She didn't respond right away, so I covered myself and opened the door to see what was wrong.  She was just standing there staring at me with her mouth hanging open. I guess a B did seem a little unbelievable when considering where I had come from. I've also started excercises again, and let me tell you, it's like another world!!  Oh, the joy of not slapping yourself in the face with your own tits!  It's a beautiful thing!

 

As far as physical feelings...  I don't really have zingers anymore (although I did have a rather random one about a week ago, hadn't had one in a while).  But when the zingers (which felt alot like electrical stimuli) stopped, I started having these sharp pinprick pains, like the booby gnome was back, but instead of sticking me with a cattle prod, he was sticking me with a hat pin.  I really wish those would stop, they don't hurt THAT much, but they are very uncomfortable and they come out of NOWHERE.  I instinctively grab the spot when those happen, so unfortunately I still sometimes look like a crazy lady who grabs her tits.

 

Lastly, I got copies of my "before" photos from my PS.  They made me cry.  I couldn't believe how big I was, especially seeing them naked.  I looked like I had elephantitis.  Then I cried even harder when I realized just how quickly I had forgotten because 3 months is not a long time at all.  I'm debating whether to post more "revealing" before and after photos, but doing it in a way where viewers would only see them if they wanted to.  But I'm sill not sure how I feel about that.  Maybe, maybe not.

 

Lata y'all,

 

Thea

 

 

 

because she keeps pointing out that she has not yet seen the new "girls".  I think she's feeling a little jealous especially since some people have already seen them naked!  So I took some pictures.  Amazingly, I had on no bra.  Take a look at the "before" pic with me in the blue terry wrap, no bra on in that pic.  The difference is just a little ridiculous.  I went from having 72 year old boobs to having 28 year old boobs.

 

Here's a video! 

 

 

So I've run a couple of times recently (had to wait til I was good and healed before I could exert myself) , not a jog or an exercise run, but you know, running a little to catch a bus or to get across the street before the light changes.   Good Lord!  The bouncelessness was AMAZING!!!! No movement... none.  Unbelievable!!!

Before, jogging 5 steps felt like an eternity and I used to fear being slapped in the face.  Wow!!  I think all I can really say is Wow!!

Bouncelessness is definitely going to become a new and often used word in my vocabulary.  I don't care if it ain't in Websters. 

 

Oh dear god! What in the hell was I thinking?  Ok, so sometimes I sub for the early childhood center in the temple building where my after school is housed.  And Monday night was the teacher appreciation dinner.  I was sitting around yaking with my two early childhood bosses and a few co-workers and we were discussing my boobs.  This is a common workplace subject at the moment cuz I'm just so damn happy, I talk about it AAALLLL the time.  One says to me, I'd like you to explain the procedure to me someday. And I said (mind you I had had either 3 or 4 glasses of Sangria, which is not much, but I haven't had anything serious to drink in about 3 months), "why don't you just look at my blog", then my boss says, "You have a blog!? How do I find it?!",  I thought "oh shit".  And I tell her how to find it while frantically searching the inner recesses of my brain, trying to remember what I've put here in the last few months that's going to get me into trouble. I realized I'm fine, nothing bad here and I'm fairly sure one of two bosses will read and I'm really putting this here for her benefit. 

But the real kicker is, before we discussed my blog I was showing them pictures from digital camera.  I said don't go to picture 332, because that was a pic of my naked post-op boobs.  Yes, I took this picture.  Of course a couple of the ladies did not heed my warning and then others said they wanted to see.  They asked if it was ok.  It was a very strange feeling.  I was not embarrassed by them seeing, but I was embarrassed about actively showing them.  I'm not sure if that makes sense.  Eventually I realized that in the last 6-months or so, my breasts have been photographed, shaken, written on, cut up,  stitched, glued, poked, etc., if they wanted to see, oh why the hell not!!  Besides I had been drinkin'!!  I had an excuse, what was theirs?   

Of course, as soon as I got home I had to check the blog, I knew there was nothing on here, but I got paranoid.  And I still can't stop thinking, "Oh my god... they saw my boobies". My after school boss is probably going to be jealous.

Why? Because I submitted my thesis on Friday!!!  Now I graduate on May 31st.  I don't necessarily want to go.  It's going to be huge, a couple thousand of graduates at Radio City Music Hall.  My high school and college were both very small, with nice small, short, intimate ceremonies.  This is going to be one of those stand-up and sit-down jammies.  Oh well, Ma really wants to go so she can scream like a fool.  After my thesis defense, I took a few days off so that my brain could decompress.  Then I had to get crackin' on my revisions.  Of course I had a few issues. I had to add some graphs and some additional info to all of the graphs.  I definitely learned some valuable lessons about formatting graphs between Microsoft Word and Excel.  I especially had problems trying to print 3 copies of a 55 page paper on thick, high quality, acid free, 100% cotton, 24 lb. blah blah blah, paper.  The printer in my research lab is painfully slow and it kept picking up the pages two at a time, thus f%$king up the print.  And that paper was expensive!!  One box of 100 pages for $13.50.  I had to print at work using the laser jet printer.  I offered to pay my boss for all the toner I had to use, but she was pretty cool about it.  I think she was just so glad to not see me looking like I was going to vomit all the time.  Needless to say, even though the defense went well and I was told many times over that it was very good (my prof actually said that the other thesis she had to read was "shit", yes her word was "shit", compared to mine), I was still terribly stressed out, at least that's what my stomach keeps telling me.  And being told that it was really good was almost a bad thing because then I became paranoid about making it perfect.  I had to give up that dream for my own well-being. 

 

 

Well Tuesday it will be the 6-week anniversary since my booby reduction. Can you believe it?  I can't!  My second post-op is this Thursday the 17th.  I'll be sure to share the experience. 

 

Lata!!

 

Well I passed my thesis defense on Tuesday!!  Woo Hoo!  I still have some "tweaks" in the actual paper, but my committee felt that it was good enough to pass it on the spot. They were very complimentary about the study itself and the paper, which felt nice, especially since I usually felt that I was pulling stuff out my ass 3 quaters of the time.  The grad department head was also there. She forgot to send out a mass e-mail about my defense so she was there and my two committee members were there, and that was it.  That was much more relaxing, not having a bunch of other people there (not that many show up).  I have the signatures of my second reader and once I make the revisions, my thesis sponsor will sign and then I can submit it to the Dean's office.  I have to do this by May 11th.  I'd say my timeline was looking pretty good especially since there are quite a few students in the department that haven't even defended yet.  I'm so relieved.  When I was in Baltimore recovering after the surgery and was trying to finish up my paper at the same time, I was really beginning to stress and think that maybe I was nuts for trying to do that all at once.  But now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I'm catching up on missed sleep.  Hopefully I can just enjoy the next few months. 

I knew that having graduation on my birthday was a good omen!!

 

Lata Folks!!

about the long absence.  The last few days of my recovery time in Baltimore were very eventful. (Just a reminder or maybe I never said, I had my reduction done at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore even though I live in Brooklyn, NY. My mother works there, recovery with her was prefered.)  After my first post-op appointment.  I took a shower (my mother finally let me, since they told her it was ok) and next day my incision sites were ridiculously itchy. This was around the 12th/13th of April.  I was actually dancing like I had ants in my pants, just to get relief.  I e-mailed the nurse practitioner for some suggestions (she gave me a couple) and assured me that itching was a good thing, a sign of healing.  Later that day, I realized that my thighs were also itchy, but figured it was just dry skin, since I hadn't showered in a while and didn't moisturize that well afterwards.  By that Friday night when a few of my Hoodie friends visited, my chest had broken out, figured it was due to not using my usual acne products on my shoulders and chest.  We all went out to dinner, and at the restaurant my chest and back and upper arms starting itching.  When we all got home it looked as if I was breaking out in a rash.  Mind you, I had been on a very large dose of a broad spectrum antibiotic.  So naturally, we assumed that it was an allergic reaction.  Ma called the Plastic Surgeon on call and he suggested benedryl.  That didn't work and by 5pm Saturday that rash had spread all down my back, my butt, my thighs, my upper arms, my ears and the sides of face.  I was so itchy I would just drop my pants right in the middle of conversations and start scratchin', I didn't care who I mooned.  And unbeknowst to me, my friends and mother noticed that it was starting to spread around my mouth (but they just whispered about that behind my back so I wouldn't get freaked out). Finally the time had come for the emergency room, it took us a while to come to this decision because we were waiting for the numerous doses of benedryl to kick in and on Saturday the rash spread extremely fast.  So I say goodbye to my Hoodie girls and Ma and I head to the Johns Hopkins ER.  During triage, I make sure to mention that I had JUST had surgery there and that I had redness around the incision.  I elaborated a little, but I wanted to get seen fast, and I figured that would put a fire under their ass especially since crap like that looks bad when it happens to their own patients.  After a couple of hours, I saw one of the plastic surgery docs (the ER called them down to check me out), and he told me that the incisions looked fine, they weren't infected or anything and the rash was not affecting them.  Another ER doc comes in finally and takes one look at me and says "Oh Honey, that yeast!".  Apparently (I never knew this, wish someone had told me) that antiobiotics lower your body's pH, making you more susceptible to yeast.  While I had taken those antibiotics, I had not eaten any yogurt and I had not drank any coffee or juice or other acidic things, because I was trying to stay hydrated with water.  If I had eaten some of those things it would have helped. Well, it would seem that when I finally showered (lowered my outer body's pH, by making it clean) and got my body warm and wet, the yeast spread all over like the plague.  The itching started under the boobs cuz that had been a somewhat warm and moist area because of the surgical pads.  I had to take Diflucan (that one time yeast infection pill) and I spent $80, if not more on Lotrimin cream, because I went through one tube a day (and that stuff in expensive) putting it all my body.  I didn't write here because I was so miserable, it took about 5 days to clear up completely.  I even had to delay my return to work because I looked like a walking STD.  I couldn't be around children looking like that.  The the past week I've been putting the finishing touches on my thesis. 

 

Well now that the yeast has cleared up I feel much better (that may have been worse than my first two days post-op, maybe even worse than the constipation).  The boobs look better but still not great.  About 90% of my glue is gone (having that fall off was actually kind of nasty, a crusty mixture of glue and scab) and I don't see any scar around the areola area.  Yay!  They're still itchy, normal itchy though and sore.  They're very tender and they throb when I get moving and my circulation gets more blood pumping to that area.  The worse part right now is nipple sensitivity.  I'm still wearing gauze pads over them because I can't stand the rubbing. There are even some jackets I had to stop wearing because the rubbing and the weight from the jacket was too uncomfortable.  I'm more used to them now, I'm not constantly looking at my chest anymore.  Three people (who didn't know I was doing this procedure) have commented that I was losing weight because I looked thinner.  Ha Ha, fooled them didn't I?

 

Woo, that's alot!  I'll update more soon.

Got my pathology report today. All breast tissue and skin removed was benign (well I figured that but it's good to hear it officially and all breast tissue removed is always checked) and I found out that... ok here we go... that 709.2 grams were removed from my right breast and 564.3 grams were removed from my left breast.  One pound is roughly 450grams... you do the math.  Ok, so I had my first post-op appointment today.  It went well.  The nurse practitioner said that everything looked great (even though they look real funny still).  I can shower now, where a regular bra (just can't have an underwire and must have good support) and do most activity as long as it doesn't involve heavy lifting, pulling or pushing. 

I received some interesting information about my procedure.  It would seem that I did not have some kind of new fangled magic y-inicision procedure but had a pedicle technique (when the nipple stays attached to the tissues and nerve endings as opposed to when you're really big and a free nipple graft is done when the nipple and areola complex is completely removed sustained in some kind of saline solution and then reattached).  This http://www.smartbreastreduction.com/breastreduction.html#BP illustrates a pedicle well.

Also, I have no external stitches or staples just loads of internal stitches which will dissolve and some kind of wound superglue which will eventually come off as well. 

So far everything is going well and as expected, but I will so say this,  reports that I've read have not done the zingers justice.  Those damn things are no joke!!  I don't like feeling that I have a boob gnome sticking me with a cattle prod every so often.  Not fun... yet oddly interesting. 

 

Lata eveybody!

Thea

 

Feelin' pretty good.  My body feels much better, everything is flowing as it should be.  The wound sites, especially the ones that run underneath each breast still feel really tight sometimes and being so tightly strapped in this compression bra makes the whole breast itchy. And the zingers pack a punch from time to time.  One of the hardest parts now is sleeping.  I'm tired of having to sleep on my back so lately I've been waking up in the middle of the night and it takes me some time to get comfortable and fall asleep again.  Also lately, I've had to walk around the house to get my circulation going before I go to sleep.  Now I know why other women have suggested valium or PM pain meds because sleeping eventually gets difficult.  I may have to resort to some Tylenol PM or some sleepy time tea. 

Now my right breast is starting to look more like a normal boob, it's rounder now, not quite as swollen (frozen vegetables under the armpits really do help).   The left one still feels a little hard and it's got a pointy almost triangular look above the nipple.  I'll be real happy when that one starts to look normal.  I know I'll have to wait about 6 months before they really start to take their final shape and size but it's nice to see some improvement now.  Helps me keep things in perspective. 

 

I'll probably update again on Wednesday after my first post-op appointment. 

 

Thanks for reading, everybody.

 

Thea

Not feeling as good today.  My stitches are itching like crazy (this is a good thing though).  I'm also constipated (I know, TMI, but it goes with the territory).  I think the antibiotics I'm on are affecting my digestion,  I'm not moving around as much and the position I have to sleep in is keeping me from really moving food through.  I felt so clogged that I have terrible headaches and mild nausea.  Last night and this morning may have been the worst I've felt since I've come home.  I guess sometimes you go a little backwards to go forwards.  I had really been enjoying eating, my Ma cooks really well and my appetite had not been affected but today I haven't felt like eating... I just want to POOP!! 

I went out last night to K-mart with Ma.  I was ready to leave the house (was getting pretty bored) but my head was hurting so bad I didn't enjoy it.  Maybe this weekend I feel up to excursion again. 

 

No other changes to report right now. 

 

Thanks for reading!!

Oh and I just say that momintraining^2 gave birth to 1-month old baby (Aidan Michael is huge!! and unwrinkled!! and real cute!)

 

I haven't showered yet and my face feels like it's been slathered in bacon grease.   Also, my hair is a rat's nest, my mother definitely has to brush it tonight.  I really wanted to see if I could get someone to give me some braids (corn rows), but I never got around to it.

 

I haven't taken any Roxicet (the heavy duty painkiller) yet.  I don't know if this is because my cuts aren't as bad as some other women's or if I have a high pain tolerance.  I have however, twice given in to the temptation of tylenol. 

 

My wound sites are still sore but they don't feel as bad as the first couple of days.  I think some of my swelling has gone down.  Put some frozen broccoli and frozen peas under my arm pits today which helped with the soreness.  I also kept waking up with swelling on my right side, I realized that my medical bra strap on that side felt really tight. Ma agreed when she looked at it and loosened it.  Something to look out for.  We thought, what a pisser it would be if I came out of this fine with two perfect boobs but ended up loosing my arm cuz of the damn medical bra.  I know totally not funny.

 

I'm not taking the Roxicet because those were as needed but I am taking these horsepill antibiotics.  OMG!!  These things suck!! Three pills four times a day!  And they put me to sleep sometimes.  I also think they're making me a bit constipated and I'm retaining water as my belly is very bloated and my face appears a little swollen.  So actually it's the side effects of having gone through surgery and needing to take pills, etc. that is more uncomfortable than the boobs themselves.  I'm taking a shower and getting my dressings changed tonight.  We'll see how that goes.  It may lead to a different outlook. 

 

This experience ain't terrible, but any woman who wants it better REALLY want it, cuz it ain't no walk in the park either.

So I've been home for about 24 hours now.  Everything went really well.  I don't even have drainage tubes which makes a big difference in terms of comfort level.  However, these wound sites still hurt like a son of a bitch.  Was given Roxicet for the pain, but I haven't given in to those (I've taken tylenol though) because I was tired of that groggy, muddle headed feeling. My surgeon told my mother that when he sat me up when he was done, I looked like a full C.  Woo Hoo! 

I had my first zinger today (WTF), that really hurt.  However it's a good sign that my nerves are jumpin' around already trying to regenerate.  It was right behind the nipple so I figured that was a good sign too.  Most women claim to get zingers a few days after surgery, so I guess I'm ahead of schedule.

 

Well that's all for now.  Typing is starting to hurt a little.  Catch everyone later!!

 

Ma took some post-op pictures of me all passed out.  I'll post those soon.

 

Oh and I took my pink bingo troll with me for luck.  I took a picture with her in the waiting room (for all my Hoodie girls)!!!

I've been really busy the last week with thesis work and my sinuses have been bothering me quite a bit.  I was afraid that I was getting sick so I tried to slow down alot, because if I got sick no booby reducing.  I still have a little congestion in the mornings, and my Ma says that shouldn't hinder anything.   Just found out the other day that my college's commencement will be on my birthday, May 31st.  I'm hoping that's a good omen. 

 

Congratulations to my homie govflygirl (momintraining^2).  She had her baby boy Aidan on Thursday.  Can't wait to see my new little muffin. 

 

Well tomorrow is the big day.  I'll be reporting to Johns Hopkins at 5:30am (good lord!!).  Thanks to all my Hoodie girls for their interest and support!!!  You guys are priceless!!

 

Ma will be in touch tomorrow!  And I will post an update as soon as my head is unclouded and I can think straight, which should be around Thursday. 

 

Bye Bye Boobies!!!   (Hello bruises and swelling  but it will be worth it)

 

 

 

 

So Mom In Training ^2 wanted to know...

 

My pre-op appointment will include a chest x-ray, an EKG, blood work, a PTT (a bleeding test essentially, to make sure that I clot well so that I don't lose too much blood during surgery) and possibly a mammogram (since I'm under 35 years old, maybe not, but considering my mother's history, maybe)

 

I will have at least 500 grams removed from each breast which is about 1 lb. each, which should bring me down to a full C/small D. 

 

Also, I really have to start my clean livin' now.  No alcohol, low sodium, lots of leafy vegetables, more vitamin C, no aspirin or motrin (they have blood thinning properties) and a calm state of mind (which could be very difficult since my boss is about to go on vacation for a week and a half!) 

 

And no Cola, you cannot uncross your fingers... not until April 4th!

 

Gotta go get some psych articles now.  God, I wish my thesis was on breast reductions!!

I now have a pre-op appointment.  March 22nd at 7:frickin' 45 AM.  WOO!  The good thing is, I'll probably be too exhausted to be nervous.  Nothing more to report at the moment, got to go get some writing done!

 

PS

 

Just wanted you all to know that everyone's e-mails and message/comments are deeply appreciated!  They really help keep me in a positive state of mind! 

 

 

So my procedure is 3 weeks from Tuesday (OMG!!)  And since my original date for March 16th was rescheduled, I did not go to my March 1st pre-op appointment.  E-mailed my surgeon's assistant and requested a date for a new one.  Well, I haven't heard from her yet (she's been very bad with communications since the beginning), I called her direct line as well as the main desk for the plastic surgery department (they said that she had been out sick for a few days).  I DO NOT have a new pre-op date set yet and I'm kind of freakin' out about it.  I could schedule my pre-op for here in Brooklyn and just have the results faxed to them, but Ma's being all paranoid about the quality of the labs that would be used and she wants everything done at Hopkins.  I guess she's right though.  But I could sure use the peace of mind of having a date set.

 

Also, today I told my father about this happening for sure.  He had been against it early on, but Ma laid it all out for him.  Even though he stopped pushing his opinion (had to make him understand that they were DDD 40 lbs ago and they're DDD now!), I never thought that he truly accepted it and secretly hoped that I would not go through with it.  When I told him tonight that it was final we didn't get into an argument which I was prepared for.  He took it rather quietly, and I'm not really sure if I preferred that or not.  I don't want him to be silently suffering.  My father is such a fatalist (as well as mistrustful of the medical profession) that I'm sure he's convinced that something will go wrong.  I sure don't need that vibe.  I swear waiting for this is starting to become worse than the unfulfilled desire of wanting it.

 

 

 

I feel slightly less and  and  today.  Still real happy though.  The good news has really lit a fire under my ass to get crackin' with my thesis.  I also have less time during the day since I now work from 9am to 12pm moderating an infant/toddler play space. I know how I am, the less time I have to do something the more motivated I am to get it done.  More so than before I've chipped away every day instead to saving it all for the weekend.  Although not having to worry about camp preparations is making a big difference with my stress level and being able to focus on other things.  I would love to have everything written by April and then defend after I come back from vacation/post-operative healing time. 

 

I am however starting to obsess/be paranoid about my weight, which I'm not to happy about, don't like the way it feels, the obsession that is.  Motivated by my impending procedure, I started a "lifestyle change" about 2 months ago and so far I've lost about 13 pounds.  I feel really good, I don't have any sense of deprivation or anything like that, but now that I've had some success I find that I'm always thinking about what my menu for the day will be, what will I eat the next day, when will I fit in my cardio...  It's a little unnerving sometimes.  I guess I just need to get a grip.  Hopefully, it will become a part of who I am and I won't THINK about it as much. 

Received a letter last night that stated (and it was confirmed today) that Oxford Health Plans will be covering 100% of my Breast Reduction procedure.  I have an authorization number and everything.  My hospital co-pay will $150.  I thought that I would be writing this huge entry tonight because of the enormity of this news, but now I realize that I don't even have anything else to say. I don't feel that I can sufficiently express how this makes me feel (my chest is tight and I want to cry again).  A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders figuretively and soon to be literally. 

 

When I'm a little less emotional, I'll describe everything that I went through with the doctors and the insurance company so that other women who want to do this can learn from my experience. 

I still haven't heard anything from the frickin' dickin' insurance company. AARRGGHHH!!

 

Well everyone else has given Christmas updates so I guess I will too.

 

My Christmas stunk!  The Friday before x-mas I woke up at 5am with nausea and cramps so bad that I wondered what I had done to deserve the wrath of God.  Within the following 15 minutes I had some explosions occur at both ends of my body.  I thought maybe it would be one of those just puke once and you'll feel better situations... uh... NO!

 

8am.... Explosions!!!  9:30am Explosions!!

 

And finally at 11am, explosion! 

 

I had to call my prof to cancel our 10:30am meeting while silently praying that I wouldn't barf while we spoke on the phone and I had to call out of work.

 

Saturday I had explosions but only in the basement.  Was starving and weak, desperate to eat something but scared to death to even try.  My diet consisted of gatorade, frozen seltzer water (I was craving ice) and unsalted saltines.

 

Sunday I finally took in some real food (oatmeal and soup), but I had gas so bad I could have cleared out an airplane hanger. 

 

Attempted to eat Christmas dinner (my Ma told me I had to be sure not to over eat even if I felt better, because my stomach had to adjust slowly to getting food again) and even though I was careful I still bumbled, rumbled, and grumbled afterwards.  I couldn't eat a meal without any discomfort until Wednesday. 

 

And the whole experience led me to believe that something crawled into my body and DIED!!

 

If I knew then what I know now... I never would have complained about my rogue eyelash!!!!!

 

On a happier note.  All my data is entered and next week I should be starting the wonderful experience of analysis.

Woo Hoo!!!!