Do you remember when you gave birth to your first child? While in the hospital, I remember being slightly afraid to hold my daughter, thinking I might drop or break her. I was so envious of the nurses who held the babies with such confidence and authority, swaddling them like little tortillas in their hospital blankets. They knew the babies wouldn’t break.
So… here I am 14 years later having the same fear over my new (yet temporary) breasts. Six weeks after surgery, I finally got the courage to lie on my side, still worrying that I would wake up and the “tissue expander” (AKA temporary implant) would collapse, break or rupture.
I use body wash in the shower … the rest of my body gets slopped around like it was an old rag, but I gingerly wash my new breasts the way I imagine somebody would dust the Hope Diamond.
When I sneeze too hard I look down to make sure they haven’t fallen off. I stop for a second and make sure saline hasn’t ruptured throughout my body.
Recently, on the one day the temperature cracked above 32 degrees, I got the courage to go out for a morning run. To be fair, it was mostly a walk with a few blocks of running. Still ‘n all, I have great news to share: they didn’t fall off. They didn’t slip down my belly and wind up in my fanny pack. They’re still firmly attached and giving me some sense of normalcy until I can get my permanent implants this summer and start this whole fear of breakage again……………
One Response
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Don’t worry – they won’t break!!!!!!
The bright side is that in the 32 degree weather you won’t get as cold as you used to!!!
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