"... i don't know the reason, i stayed here all season, nothing to show but this brand new tattoo; ( actually two), they are real cuties, not mexican beauties, and i do know the reason, i do have a clue." lyrics from (sort of ) Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett

i  went back and forth, several times, about whether or not i should write a blog about what i had done yesterday. remember, this is a 3Fer blog- thyroid cancer, breast cancer, and skin cancer. today, i am writing a blog that relates to breast cancer.  this is an intensely personal blog- about an intensely personal subject. i probably should  say " WARNING, MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AUDIENCES ".  with this in mind, however, i decided to blog about this  because i write for two reasons: one, and most importantly, i write to share my experiences with others so hopefully i can be of some help in someone's breast ( or thyroid or skin ) cancer experience.  i was going to say journey, but that word has been a bit over-used, i think. the second reason i write, i will admit, is that it helps me to  deal with my situation(s) by writing about them. i do not advertise, or receive any compensation from my blog posts.

i will give you some background information before i talk about the big reveal. my plastic surgeon is a perfectionist. he did an amazing job with my reconstruction, and as a bonus, he is a really nice person. we have had our "back and forth" conversations about how much saline to add to my expanders, what size breasts i wanted,etc. but we always did it in a friendly way, and in the end,  it was a compromise.( evidently he thinks bigger is better ). the very  last step in breast reconstruction is either nipple reconstruction ( no thank you, i have had enough surgery for a while), do nothing and live with the scars and a blank slate,  OR 3-D nipple and areola tattoos. i thought that i was just fine with my two large scars across my chest- unadorned and, well, just there. every time that i went back to my plastic surgeon for a re-check, he would look at my chest and say," well the reconstruction went well, but how about the 3D tattoos i told you about?" i told him that i was fine. and i thought that i  was- that is until i saw a facebook post of a program that was on the today show a year or so ago. there is a tattoo artist by the name of vinnie myers and he is truly an artist. 3D nipple tattoos and areola tattoos are the only thing that he does now, but in the past he has tattooed some very famous rock stars. vinnie knows his way around instruments for tattooing  might say.

getting back to the program that i watched, vinnie is the only artist that the john hopkins breast cancer  center will send their  patients to for a 3D/areola tattoo. i saw the stories of women- some my age- who had this done, and how it made them feel better about themselves. it changed their lives in a positive way. i did not know that i was crying until my husband handed me some kleenex. i told him, well, i  DO need to do this and i am ready. i talked to my family a bit, and they were all very supportive with my decision. i called and made an appointment for the first available- which would be in six weeks. i was afraid that i would have to wait months. now that i had made my decision, i was ready for this to happen.

the day we left, i was nervously excited. ready, determined, but a little anxious. i had  never been in a tattoo parlor before, and therefore did  not have any tattoos. i am not against tattoos, but they were not popular when i was growing up. well, not unless you were in the armed services, of course.

"Little Vinnie's Tattoos" has two locations for the nipple/areola tattoos. one is in finksburg, maryland and the other is in new orleans, louisiana. did any of my facebook friends wonder why i was in maryland yesterday? actually my husband and i drove up there on tuesday, and my appointment was on wednesday morning. we spent one night in a lovely bed and breakfast in maryland. but that is another story.

so i got to the tattoo parlor. it was very nice inside- sort of a mix of a" living room meets a low key doctor's office " sort of decor.  there was a map on the wall- with push pins showing where women had come from to get a nipple/areola tattoo from vinnie. there were probably a thousand push pins on that map. i put my pin on my state. i was amazed, but sad, that so many women have had to have this done.

vinnie was very professional. he was thorough, and i could tell that  he knew exactly what he was doing. we discussed the placement of the tattoo, but i let him pick out the color. after all, this is what he does all  of the time. maybe it was because his sister is a breast cancer patient, but i think that he was so kind to me because he is just that kind of person. the tattooing took about an hour. people have told me that it did not hurt. well, i will not lie to you- it did hurt a little . more on one side than the other. was it unbearable? no, not at all. would i do it again?, heck, yes. i have sterile pads and an antibiotic ointment to use for 5 days. there are other instructions which i will not bore you with. his assistant came in and talked with me about the aftercare. the assistant was very professional and courteous as well. vinnie probably is uncomfortable with this part, as i am sure it happens quite often,  but when i looked in the mirror, i cried a bit. instead of seeing two large scars across my chest, i saw two beautiful  nipples and two beautiful  areolas. i saw a more normal version of me.

so if this was TMI, sorry. if this helps someone who has been wondering about 3D nipple and areolas tattoos make the right decision for her, then i am happy. please do research on  the tattoo artist is the best piece of advice that  i can give any woman considering this procedure. if at all possible, go see vinnie. maryland is not that far away ( it took us 7 hours to get there) and it was so worth it to me. when  i see my plastic surgeon again in november. i am looking forward to seeing the expression on  his face when i take my drape off! but first and most importantly, i did this for me.

" the heart is a bloom; shoots up through the stony ground... it's a beautiful day, sky falls, you feel like; it's a beautiful day, don't let it get away... it's a beautiful day, don't let it get away, it's a beautiful day. " lyrics from " beautiful day" by U2

i have been in  a pretty dark place for several days now. there have been  two deaths in my family in the space of about  a week. my dear cousin lost his battle with ALS on tuesday of last week. but the shocking death was that of my nephew- a strapping, healthy, wonderful young man of 31. my nephew's death was cruel, and it was sudden. we all knew that my cousin was slipping away. that did not make his death easier, but everyone was somewhat prepared for his passing. my nephew, on the other hand, was just going about his business- working, loving his family, doing all of the things most of us do every day.

i still do not understand the answer to the question " why?" concerning these two wonderful people. i suppose that i never will. but there is a lesson, a reminder to all of us when things like this happen. i had forgotten what that important lesson is  until now. there were viewings, family gatherings, funerals,etc. to get through first. i think that almost everyone, family and friends,  had their brains on "automatic pilot "in order to get through all the rituals that exist so that we who are left behind can deal with loss. i know it is respectful and correct that people do certain things- receiving family and friends,attending  church services, and such, but really a funeral is for those of us still here on earth -a source of comfort, you might say.

having had thyroid cancer, skin cancer, and breast cancer, i have spent quite a bit of time thinking about my life- what is important to me now  and what is not. i know that some people work until they are much older than i am, but that was not the correct decision for me. while i enjoyed my work, and even felt that i made a difference in some people's lives on occasion, i decided that i needed some time for myself. so as i have said before , i retired in january of this year, and my husband retired at the end of february. we are not going to just sit around though. we are involved with our grandchildren, our children- when they need it, and hopefully we will be active in some yet to be determined way for our community. not to be political, but there is much to be done- the environment and civil rights are two important issues for my husband and me.

back to the reminder for all of us. when i get really down, i play music. all types- classical, classic rock, reggae, jazz, folk, world music, etc. in fact my musical tastes are so varied that i think i blew up the computer that amazon uses to make music recommendations for their customers. i have one criteria though- it must be good music. being really depressed today, i put some upbeat classic rock on my CD player. the song from U2 started playing " beautiful day" and those lyrics really resonated with me. yes, today is a beautiful day and we must never, ever forget this fact. it is a beautiful day, and we must not let it get away. our time here on earth is precious. live life to the fullest surrounded by those people you love, doing the things that you love.

" well, it's all right, if you live life as you please...well it's all right, doing the best that you can, long as you lend a hand...i'm just happy to be here, happy to be alive....well, it's all right, even if you are old and gray...you still have something to say." end of the line, by the traveling wilburys

i just read an article about helping cancer patients " get back to normal" in their lives.  as cancer patients, we have a new normal- life has changed for us and will never be quite the same. still, there is a part of us that longs for this sense of normalcy that we had  before the big C.

i have just recently retired. admittedly a little sooner than i had initially  planned. i enjoyed my work- i like helping people- but having had cancer twice, i decided that i needed to 1. reduce some of the stress in my life and  2. enjoy my life- do some things that i had been wanting to do but had not had the time to do. my husband gladly followed suit, so now we are two happy retirees doing some things that we enjoy. it is an adjustment, though. most days one or both of us says" wow, we are really retired, aren't we? this is great!"

i always pictured retirees as  being in their 80s and sitting around the house, on the couch preferably, eating dinner on a TV tray while watching the news. o.k., sometimes we do eat dinner while watching the news ( PBS news hour, to be precise). but my husband and i do not do a whole lot of sitting around, otherwise. getting back to the article on helping cancer patients achieve a more " normal" life,the article stated that  the top thing that we cancer patients do to try to achieve some normalcy from our past lives, is to return to some craft that we loved doing before our illness. strangely enough, i had taken a stained glass course about ten years ago and loved it. then, life became more hectic -(work and family obligations) and there just  was no time for doing stained glass.

i honestly felt a longing to return to stained glass making. i was afraid to try again, i will admit. self doubt kept me from pursing it. but thankfully my daughter would not take any of my objections seriously, and she found a stained glass class for me to take. it was a wonderful experience. no, i am very far from being good at stained glass making, but i am decent enough to have fun with it, and perhaps make a few pieces for my family and friends eventually. this led to my husband deciding to make a " tiny house" stained glass studio outside for me. ( we do not want our grandchildren exposed to the lead based solder or ingesting or stepping on glass shards- believe me, the shards go everywhere!). my husband and i are both enjoying the planning and building of this studio. when it is finished, i will post pictures. joanna gaines will be so jealous, she will have to have chip make one for her!

i also have taken a beeswax candle making class, and have learned to make soap. my husband has two bee hives ( which will eventually provide beeswax for my candles) and is having fun going to local bee keeper meetings. the best thing that my husband and i are  able to do now is  to spend time with our grandchildren. we can also attend school programs. when we were both working, it was nearly impossible to get time off, and then only if you planned about 3 months in advance.

i still enjoy helping people, just in a different format. i think my crafting is helping me feel more "normal". i appreciate all of the time, quality time, that i now  get to spend with my husband, the  rest of my family and my friends.  my daughter looked at my calendar that is posted in our kitchen, and said " mom, you are busier than i am!". when people ask me if i am finding things to do in my retirement, i am ready with answers. a lot of them.