Yesterday I had my appointment to get my areola tattoos at Dr. Mosier's office and it went really well! I went in at 1:10 pm and was done by 2:40 pm but a lot of that time was spent chatting at first and the woman setting up. I learned a lot during my tattoo session that makes me feel so much more informed about tattoos vs. permanent makeup and what she does. I now am so glad that a permanent makeup artist did my tattoos rather than a tattoo artist. She started out in permanent makeup but always wanted to do areola tattoos for women like me and breast cancer survivors going through the reconstruction process. One thing I found fascinating was that she doesn't tattoo as deep as a regular tattoo and she uses color pigments instead of ink. The skin has to have a few days to soak in the pigment and then it becomes permanent.
So let's get down to it! She started on my left breast and I hardly had any feeling at all. It did start to hurt after a while; well actually I'd call it more annoying and tender but not really painful. She didn't end up using any topical pain cream UNTIL she got to my right breast. She barely put that tattoo needle on my skin and I was screamin'. She had to get the base of the tattoo on and then rubbed the pain cream on which did help but not THAT much. It was all looking so good from my bird's eye view and from what I could see in the mirror. The only problem we encountered was the fact that the pain cream added a layer on my skin and so it was hard for her to really tell how the coloring would look. Luckily I have a 6 week touch up appointment where she can fix any color, shading or size issues I may have. That puts me at peace!
When it was all over, she put about 2 TBS of A&D ointment on each tattoo and taped about 8 layers of gauze over them. I squeezed my bra and t-shirt over that lumpy mess and off I went. Kody and I went out for beer and pizza after so luckily I had my long hair to cover my lumpy boob mess! When I got home I bathed but didn't get my gauze wet, well I tried. I took the gauze off a little layer, snapped a pic (see photo gallery) and then bandaged it up again. I stopped at Target on my way home and got some large bandaids. The bandaids don't soak up as much of the ointment as the gauze does so it's a better bet. And it looks normal under my bra and shirt. I took some Ibuprofen and chased it with a glass of red wine and I felt much better. My right breast was VERY sore for most of the night but I woke up this morning and just felt a little tenderness. I took some more Ibuprofen and was just fine today.
I did have my normal pity party last night before bed though. I think after every surgery you feel relief that it's over and you made it through but then all of the strong emotions you have tried to hide just come barreling out. I was and am very happy with how the tattoos look but as you'll see in the picture, the tattoos and nipples are kind of off set to the outside and not as centered as I had hoped for. That really upset me and got me crying but I talked it out with Kody, shed a few more tears and woke up feeling much better. As I was changing the bandages tonight, I noticed that the nipples and tattoos aren't nearly as off set looking as I think they look in the picture. I know they will turn out just great in the end, as all of my surgeries have, but the insecurity and worrying is usually present for about a week after every surgery or procedure. So I am doing my best to keep my chin up and remind myself that this too shall pass.
On a funnier note, today I was at school and needed to change my bandages and add fresh ointment. If the tattoo gets dry and sticks to the bandaid, the pigment will full right off with the bandage and that would not be a good thing. I am trying to keep as much color/pigment as possible! Anywho, I didn't have a chance to change them until the end of the day so I was stressing out and rushing to get it done. I went into the "girls" bathroom in my classroom that has no lock or mirror or table. I set the bandages and ointment on the floor, gross, took off my shirt, hung it on the door handle and lifted my bra up and held it under my chin while I tried to rub ointment on my tattoos. Oh and don't forget the non-locking door which my foot was outstretched trying hold close in case a janitor or co-worker came in. I somehow managed to get the ointment and bandage on, get the bra hooked back on and in place and my shirt back over my head. Somehow I managed to not get any ointment on my clothes or myself in all that mess. It was quite entertaining but also very stressful. I think tomorrow I will try to be more prepared and have my first aid kit ready when I go to lunch. The teacher bathrooms have a mirror and table so that should make it much easier. All I can say is thank gawd no one walked in on me!
And the best news of all....I asked Dr. Mosier about my "tingling" feeling when I run or jump around and he said that's great news because that means the nerves are reconnecting and I will be hopefully regaining feeling in those areas!!!! That is the best news I had heard in quite some time. So yay me!
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About This Blog:This is my journey to beat breast cancer before it beats me, by undergoing a non-nipple sparing, prophylactic bilateral mastectomy. Archives
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