Flaps and slats and an anecdote

Learn about flaps and slats at NASA

I promised an anecdote. And this is my absolute favorite exchange that has happened since this whole thing started.

Surgeon: "...and you don't need radiation."

Me: "Yay!"

Surgeon: "Well, the radiation oncologist's name is Dr. Yay." (no, that's not how it's spelled but jokes are always funnier when you explain them.) 

At the surgery follow-up appointment this week, she checked all the incisions and my healing progress (my drain holes finally closed after the gauze kept closing INTO one of them so I had to yoink it out in the shower, re-opening it. I had to hang out on the couch for an hour post-shower without any wraps to let it dry. A few days of that finally did the trick). She felt bad that my skin likes to be difficult, but hell, it's my skin.

I had a couple of bits of swelling that I wasn't sure would go down or what; it turns out there is a bit of extra skin. Flaps, if you will (but not in the medical sense. Google that shit at your peril). It's kind of funny because it makes me look a little like I have the tiniest bit of cleavage. They are really pretty small, but it feels weird. So while she has already informed me (jokingly) that she has no interest in ever operating on me again, she said she could remove the flappy bits if I wanted. 

It has been just a couple of days since I've been out of compression and so everything seems weird and new still, so I don't want to rush to any decisions, but a few things are on my mind.

• The flappy bits just feel weird af now, but they may just become normal?
• Whether I want to do this will be very much informed by how invasive a procedure it is. If it is as simple as a little skin removal and stitch that shit back up? General anesthesia? What does this look like? I need information.
• Timing. If you've been following along at all, you know one of my life's motivating factors is to get back in the air. And this will knock me out again. So if I can do it sooner rather than later, I think I'd prefer that, if I'm going to do it, but also, I'm going to guess there is such a thing as too soon? I don't know, I'm not a real doctor. 

and more. I have a list. I've already sent it to the doctor to ask her. Because in the words of the great PJ Harvey, she's not rid of me yet.

Other than that, I'm really happy with the surgery, which a lot of people seem to find hard to believe, but it's true. It will take a long time before my reflection stops surprising me, but it's not bothering me at all, clothed or unclothed, even with the flappy bits. I am really happy with the choices I made, which is a good feeling, since there's no going back now. (Not true, I could opt into a reconstruction any time if I wanted to.)