A Pound of Flesh

During my first follow up appointment after surgery over five years ago, my surgeon, Dr. George, recommended I look into breast reconstruction. For the next two years, I heard the same suggestion but every time, I pooh-poohed the idea. Even though OHIP covers the cost for breast cancer survivors, I denied myself this opportunity for many reasons: I did not want to go under the knife again; I considered myself too old for reconstruction; I feared putting foreign substances like silicone into my body.

Dr. Ralph George

Finally, in January of 2012, I agreed to meet with a plastic surgeon to learn what would be involved in order to repair the left breast. Dr. Melinda Musgrave went over a procedure called "lipofill" with me, and I was intrigued. Fat is suctioned from the belly, and after it is separated in a vial, the best fat tissue is injected into the breast to plump it up. This seemed less intrusive than I expected, since it would introduce no foreign tissue into the body - no silicone would leak and then need to be removed 10 years later. And losing some belly fat would be a welcome bonus! This seemed a win-win prospect. Also, Dr. Musgrave can be very persuasive. Here is a link to an article in Forbes magazine where she is featured.

http://www.uoftplasticsurgery.ca/dr-melinda-musgrave-breast-cancer-survivors-feel-selfish-about-reconstructive-surgery/

So, in February that year, I opted for breast reconstruction, a day surgery, just as my lumpectomy had been some three years before. The procedure went very smoothly (so I was told), and although the anesthetic made me nauseous upon waking, within a few hours of surgery I was headed home to recover.

I expected my breast to be very tender over the next several days, but I was surprised that my gut was so sore - and technicolour! I had pink, yellow, and blue bruising, very dramatic looking. It took about two weeks for my skin to return to its normal hue. Meanwhile I felt very little pain in my left breast, but I was not entirely pleased with its shape after surgery.

When I saw Dr. Musgrave at a follow-up appointment, I learned how to massage the new tissue to break it up. Fatty tissue from the belly is very different in texture from breast tissue, and it was my job to blend them. Even so, I was a little disappointed with the result of the surgery, and so was the doctor.

As a result, a little over a year later, on April 1st, 2013, I decided to repeat the procedure. This time, I asked for something to prevent nausea post-surgery. This made the recovery even easier than the previous experience.

Another year has passed. I am now satisfied with Dr. Musgrave's work and so is she. I have heard from Dr. George that she would be "never satisfied", but I guess that is not the case.

Unfortunately, the belly fat I hoped to lose through two sessions of lipofill, that "pound of flesh", never materialized. I will have to lose weight the hard way, I guess.