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| Size c prosthesis and bra |
Having both breasts removed was extremely difficult for me,
but amid all the negatives accompanying breast cancer and surgery, there have
also been some positives. I’d like to share one of those positives with you
today. I’m hoping I won’t offend anyone. I’m sharing this with my tongue in my cheek
because after all, we do need to look for some humor along our journey, don’t
we? I don’t know about you, but I get tired of all the seriousness of breast
cancer in my life. I’ve started looking for some more light hearted moments and
today, I found one!
It was time for my check up with the oncologist. I’d made my
appointment for the earliest part of the day because that’s when I’m most
energetic. I wandered into my walk in closet and selected the clothing I’d wear
to the appointment. I tried to find something lightweight and cool. After
making my selections, I lay my clothing across the bed while I went into the
bathroom to shower. I dried off and prepared to dress. Since having my surgery,
I always start with the lower half of my body because the top half usually
takes a little more time to get ready. Wiggling into my pants, I began to think
about the day. I wondered what the Doc would have to say and what tests he
might run. Finally, the bottom half of me was ready and I shifted my focus to
the top half. I’d already picked out a blouse but hadn’t chosen a bra or
prostheses yet. Smiling to myself, I suddenly realized I had the power to
choose and not just the power to choose a bra, but the power to choose the size
of my boobs!
The insurance company allows me to have a new set of
prostheses every two years. When I chose my first pair of prostheses, I chose
the smallest pair available. I’d always been small chested so why would I even
think about choosing a bigger size, it would be unnatural…well, sort of. The
fitter at the boutique advised me to remember my scars were fresh and my wounds
were tender. She thought my choice of a smaller, lighter weight boobs was best.
I was proud of my little size A fake boobs and took them home with care
instructions. The majority of the time, I didn’t even wear them unless I was
going out in public. It was more comfortable to remain flat chested at home. Two
years passed quickly and I got excited when I found it was time for an upgrade.
I returned to the boutique and asked the fitter to help me find a more
substantial set of boobs. She asked my preference, B, C, D. I thought for a few
minutes and picked a happy medium. I’d always wanted to be a C and now was my
chance. After trying them on for size, I was overjoyed and left with my new bosoms.
In my chest of drawers were two sets of pink zippered cases.
Inside each of these little round cases were my prostheses. In the top drawer
were my little size A boobs. In the drawer just below it were my size Cs.
Decisions, decisions. Did I want to wear the smaller, more comfortable boobs or
did I want to really stand out and wear the heavier size Cs? I had the power to
choose! I opened the cases for both sets of prostheses and lay them on my bed.
I pulled out a size A bra and a size C bra. I stood staring at the boobs for a
few minutes and decided today was a size C day! As I slid my C boobs into the
bra a big ol’ Cheshire grin crossed my face. Cancer had taken so much away from
me but now I got to choose. It was a really little choice, but it was mine
nonetheless.
It’s so hard to deal with a post cancer body image. The
scars and after effects of chemo and radiation leave such permanent marks on
our bodies. Just knowing we have a tiny bit of power to choose how we look is
amazing! I’m so thankful I was able to choose between two different sizes of
prostheses and believe me, there’s a huge difference between size A and size C
prostheses! HUGE!
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