Jenster's Musings

Monday, February 25, 2008

I've Been Inked

I made a trip into the city today for the final step in my reconstruction - my tattoos. Just like every other phase of the entire breast reconstruction experience it was kind of weird. I didn't get Celtic knots or targets or even a rebel flag and a girl duck (Dixie and Daisy). I chickened out and didn't even ask.

I have to go back in four weeks for touch ups and I'm going to start laser hair removal of my underarms at that time. I'm so excited. I think insurance should pay for that as well since the need is a result of the mastectomy, but they don't see it my way.

Every time I look at my new chest I'm put in mind of hobbits. Why? Because when they were filming the Lord of the Rings movies they used the belly hair of a Yak on the hobbits' feet. When my surgeon grafted skin from my tummy to make a left breast I ended up with belly moles, stretch marks and some hair I hadn't even realized had been on my stomach.

**My boobs don't resemble the feet of hobbits and the hair doesn't look like Yak fur. I don't have Magnum P.I.'s chest now and there is no cleavage plumage or anything like that. Just so you know.**

Having the image of a hobbit pop in your mind when you see yourself in the mirror is a little disconcerting. The technician told me today she would remove that hair without charging me or insurance for it. YEA!

All this excitement has exhausted me so I'm going to bed now. But I leave you with a few snapshots of Valley Forge. I took pictures of my tree but they didn't turn out very well. The sky was too blue and the sun was in the wrong spot to show the contrasting colors of the branches and trunk. I'll have to go back when it's earlier in the day and a little more dreary.

I must have seen 100 deer today and it wasn't even dusk. You have to be very careful driving through Valley Forge because there are herds of them and they will run out in front of you.