[2023-09-21] World Gratitude Day
Today, I returned to The Ottawa Hospital's General Campus for a follow-up with my plastic surgeon, Dr. Zhang. I am healing well, with no pain and an almost normal range of motion. I'm just a little tighter on the left side, where my implant remains, than on the right side.
Dr. Zhang and I briefly discussed next steps. All options remain on the table. I will meet her for a consultation to discuss the possibilities and their pros and cons. Surgery could occur in the new year, as she would like to wait at least six months since my last operation before doing anything further.
Also today, my mom sent me a knitted knocker. This was the second knocker she had knitted, after the first one proved to be too big. It was my fault, really, as I'm the one who chose the original size. Still, the prototype was useful for my mom to figure out the pattern. I stuffed the new knocker with bamboo batting that my sister had purchased. The resulting knocker is soft, lightweight, easy to shape and highly adaptable. Not quite the same size? Add or remove stuffing. Not quite the same shape? Shift the batting around. I now have two options: the knitted knocker and the stacked foam inserts, which my sister sewed together for me. I'll share more information on my homemade breast prostheses in a future post, after I gain a little more real-world experience with them.
Fittingly, today is World Gratitude Day. I am grateful to my mom and my sister for having knitting and sewing skills that I don't have, and for spending their time and money to source materials for my homemade "foobies" (my nickname for my fake boobies). They persevered with few or no instructions and made multiple attempts. It has made me feel less alone through this whole experience.
Today, I showed my knitted knocker to a third-year medical student who examined me before Dr. Zhang. She had never seen a knitted knocker before. She asked whether I had made it. "No," I replied, "my mom knitted it." I was quite proud.
