"It'll slough off in the shower"

One morning the doctor came (the hospital Registrar) came and looked under the dressings. "Your right nipple hasn't taken," she informed me. "Doctor would have explained how that can happen. Not enough blood supply. But don't worry, it will just slough off in the shower some time in the next few weeks, and we'll construct a new one for you from your own skin. Also, you are going to develop 'dog ears', large tags of excess skin that doctor will have to remove in another operation later on."  

Slough off in the shower. What a delightful thought. Yes I knew this could happen but doesn't everyone think "It can't happen to me"? Of course I thought it couldn't. I thought the worst that might happen would be a lot of pain. I didn't get any pain at all really. 

So one day I'll be showering and my right nipple is going to come right off and go down the drain hole. How bloody marvellous.

I am not a person who gets depressed. I am usually very cheerful. But what with the drains, no sleep, the bleeding, the mess, being unable to shower or even wash properly, being unable to wash my hair and feeling very filthy and now this, I was seriously depressed, and started to cry most of the time.

"Don't ever do this", I wanted to tell anyone who'd listen. "This is a horrible, vile, disgusting operation and you have to try and do without it."

So far, I wish I had not had it done. I find that the information on the internet, even on people's blogs, which should be straightforward and honest, is just not true, or it wasn't true for me.

Nothing I had read had painted a picture of what it would be like, the sheer horror of it all. 

Is there some conspiracy to keep the truth from public gaze? I know breast reduction is a big industry.

But I hope my blog will make people wonder if they really do need to be chopped up, or whether they could just buy a bra that will flatten them somewhat and a huge tent dress.

They sell great tent dresses in Fiji, New Caledonia and The Solomons, where ladies are meant to be big. But you can't buy them that size on the Mainland.