Thursday, May 20, 2010

Second Opinion

I went to see another plastic surgeon, this week, for a second opinion on the nipple failure. I suppose that it was helpful. He did not say that Dr. Dreyfuss was a hack, so that's good. Sometimes, surgeries just don't have the expected results and I am unfortunately one of those cases, this time. (Thumbs down.) He also didn't say that there is a miracle pill to make my nipples miraculously regenerate, so that's not so good. He did tell me that another surgery down the road may be possible, depending on how I heal from this most recent debacle. (A reconstruction of the reconstruction, if you will.)

I should probably clarify that the debacle to which I am referring has resulted in weeping, open wounds on each breast, where the incisions didn't heal properly. One of my friends described them as "skinned boobs." She said that it is as though I fell while skateboarding ... and I wasn't wearing a shirt. Nice image, yes?

Anyway, in a month or so I should be able to stop wearing aquaphor and two piles of gauze under my bra. Yay. AND, once the scars thicken a little, then we will be able to see if a corrective surgery will be possible. This would require a skin transplant from my legs or stomach. Oh, also, they can't do the transplant in the same location as the first surgery, due to compromised blood flow. So, the nipples would be "about half an inch off from where they should be."

Well, that sounds awesome.

My other option is to skip this step and just go with the original plan of tattooing. Because of the unexpected scarring, though, the tattoos will need to be a little more creative than we thought. The damaged tissue will not accept ink in the same way as the surrounding skin.

My opinion is that this is crap.

My second opinion is that this is crap.

5 comments:

The Wills Family said...

I third.

jdoughe3 said...

I believe we have a quorum. So it's official, it is formally crap.

Boo hiss.

Annie

Heather Peterson said...

I'm so sorry, Lizzie. Sorry that you have to deal with more doctors, and pain, and disappointment on top of the, well, doctors pain and disappointment.

We're all coming to town next weekend. Maybe we (or I) can see you?

xo
Heather

Margaret said...

Crap-tastic. Sorry Liz. Love you a lot.

Anonymous said...

Liz, I am so sorry to hear about what you have been dealing with for far too long. I have been following your blog for a long time. I log on everynight to see if you have posted anything. What I have learned by reading your blog is how much I miss your incredible sense of humor! I think of you often and I will continue to pray for you and your family. Miss You! Amy Volkman