Thursday, February 17, 2011

My first red lipstick

Today I showed myself I have courage and was brave.  I bought and wore red lipstick.  Much like Geralyn Lucas it seems to be my badge of courage, my war paint.

Today I met with the plastic surgeon.  I was expecting an older man (being that he's a cancer survivor).  Instead I met Dr. V who couldn't be more then 10 years my senior.  He was easy to talk to and handled things with the right balance of matter of factness and humour.  He answered all my questions and joked around with me.  He laughed at the idea of me getting blue star areola tattoos.  "We can do that if you really want it" he said. 
He didn't say a word when I showed him the pictures of the boobs I want, until I made a joke about it being soft core porn.  He laughed and said that he's seen it all and hadn't even noticed.  Ben had to point out it wasn't porn but an Italian film (Cemetery Man). 
I feel very comfortable having him as my plastic surgeon.


My MRI went about as well as a breast MRI could go.  The tech and I had a good laugh because my breasts wouldn't fit through the hole on the table and she had to practically tug them through.  I made jokes and had her laughing pretty hard about it.  She felt bad but it was too funny not to laugh at.


There's so much to think about, type of implant type, size, nipples...
Things that you wouldn't think about on a regular day.  But I have my red lipstick.  I have courage and with that I can do anything.


7 comments:

Unknown said...

It looks fab on you. I've worn red lipstick for years, in various shades, in part because of what you've said: it makes you look confident and glamourous.

What you've said about this reminds me a lot about what I was told in therapy: appearance makes a huge difference in how you feel. When my mum was being treated for cancer, she wore the prettiest, laciest knickers she could find because they made her feel like who she was, not just a cancer patient. It was her red lipstick.

Hopefully, when this is all said and done, it won't be your last red lipstick and you'll be able to wear it as a badge of honour.

Spinal Decompression said...

You look so confident on that red lipstick. It's like screaming "I am a sexy and beautiful woman and no one can ever take this away." What makes you feel beautiful makes you happy!

Barbara L said...

Lipstick looks great on you. When the tube runs out hopefully you will be well on the other side of this part of your journey. The next tube can be your reminder of what a strong, smart, courageous woman you are that you took charge of your own body and life.

findit13 said...

The red looks fab on you! I wore makeup to my mastectomy, not red lipstick, but the normal eye shadow. Didn't someone on Saturday Night Live say "its better to look good then to feel good, baby". I've found looking half way descent can pick up my mood, no matter what. I'd better run out and buy a tube of red, and watch the movie or read the book behind the story. I watched a 7-minute clip on you tube about the author of "why I wore lipstick to my mastectomy", and I'm intrigued.

TeawithFrodo said...

findit13: the book was amazing. Lucas is really poignant in her words.
She went through something similar to what you did. But she wrote so honestly about all her fears.
She wrote that brave women wear red lipstick. I know it was the one color I was never brave enough to wear. Kind of like my dyeing my hair blonde (the color I thought I'd never go).

Barbara L said...

Lipstick looks great on you. When the tube runs out hopefully you will be well on the other side of this part of your journey. The next tube can be your reminder of what a strong, smart, courageous woman you are that you took charge of your own body and life.

Samantha said...

It looks fab on you. I've worn red lipstick for years, in various shades, in part because of what you've said: it makes you look confident and glamourous.

What you've said about this reminds me a lot about what I was told in therapy: appearance makes a huge difference in how you feel. When my mum was being treated for cancer, she wore the prettiest, laciest knickers she could find because they made her feel like who she was, not just a cancer patient. It was her red lipstick.

Hopefully, when this is all said and done, it won't be your last red lipstick and you'll be able to wear it as a badge of honour.