Pardon me, have you seen my nipple?

(With thanks to Jeanne for suggesting an alternate way to punctuate the title. I have decided that that will be the title of my boob jokes collection!)

Warning - this is a story about the mastectomy/reconstruction part of my treatment . . . it will make you groan! Don't read it if you're queasy or offended by really frank talk.

So, on the left, non-cancerous side, I opted for a "skin-sparing mastectomy". Well, skin-sparing on both, but on the left, we tried to save the nipple, too. So my surgeons didn't take the areola and nipple on that side. Well, there was apparently not enough blood flow to that area, so that nipple gradually started to dry up. So, here's this little quarter-inch tall scabby nipple there. My plastic surgeon said that the skin underneath it needed to heal, so we'll just leave it be.

About three weeks ago, when I got out of the shower, I realized that the nipple-scab had fallen off. Never noticed it (still don't and may never have any sensation in that area)!! I have no idea when it fell out! I didn't see it anywhere. You know what Scott said when I told him it fell off and I don't know where it went? "I bet your cat found the nipple laying around on the floor and bit into it - and then wondered, 'what the hell was that'?" We both got a laugh out of that picturing the cat chewing but sorta sticking our her tongue wondering what the hell she bit into!!!

I told you it was bad! But you can't deny that it wasn't also funny! : )

@ Deanna Kingston 2008