Everyone is afraid of being left with IT. What is IT? IT is the mastectomy scar.
At first I was afraid to look at my chest. I didn't want to see that vacant spot where once I had a breast. My eyes avoided my chest whenever the nurses changed the dressings. If I didn't see it, it didn't exist. Right?
Realilty was a different story. The incision started at my shoulder and traveled down below the breast area. The stitches formed a neat little row. There was no muscle left. The skin stretched tight over the rib cage.
Because the nerve endings had been disturbed, for awhile I could feel hot or cold drinks as if the drinks were dribbling down the outside of my chest. That was a new experience and lasted until the nerves were healed.
The scar was only the beginning of the road I was to travel.
