Finally getting my nipples and finally feeling like I have breasts again!
On October 16th, I drove to Pittsburgh to pick up my cousin, Jen, for NipFest '13. As I drove away from home, I had a mild panic attack that I didn't have any kids in my backseat and had recurrences throughout the drive. It was so strange being alone in my quiet car with full control over what I listened to, when I needed to pull over, and well generally everything. I got so lonely, I couldn't wait to pick up Jen!
About 30 minutes into my trip the scheduler called! With a date! I had been harassing them all week explaining that I will be traveling for a while a much harder to reach, and that it would be such a relief to have a date before I had to leave town. I think that the scheduler and I are buddies now because when she called she apologized profusely for interrupting my travels, but thought that I really, really wanted a date. Yes, I do! It's December 19th. Cutting it pretty close, but so relieved!
Arrived in Pittsburgh, loaded up Jen, and off to Baltimore! Well, Finksburg. We never officially made it into Baltimore. We grabbed some dinner at a Bob Evans on the way and pulled into our hotel at about 11pm. It was a long day and the hotel couldn't have looked more inviting. And it was pretty much your standard motel, actually. Nothing fancy at all, but it was family owned and the staff were extremely pleasant.
We stayed up late into the night sharing a bottle of wine and gossiping about family. Jen gave me this wonderful, beautiful bracelet. I didn't make the connection when we scheduled our appointments, but October is breast cancer awareness month. As we traveled, support seemed to be all around us, almost following us. The bracelet was no exception - limited edition for the month. Perfect timing, really. We were lucky to celebrate together with the final step of our reconstruction completed together, and most importantly, both cancer-free together.
The following morning we were both sleep deprived, but both of us had to get up and get some work done before my 9:30am appointment. Needless to say, I was desperate to find a Starbucks. Luckily, we both finished working in plenty of time and there was a Starbucks on the way. I know Jen would agree, that shopping plaza really needs to rethink their parking lot. We circled it more times than I care to admit just trying to get back on the road! Finally out of the parking lot and we were off to meet Vinnie.
When we pulled up to Little Vinnie's, I think that we were both a little...shocked. I really don't know what either of us were expecting, but it was just an ordinary tattoo shop in a shopping strip. Vinnie is the only artist there that does the 3D nipple technique, but there were quite a few other artists there that do regular tattoos. Someone could be getting a dragon tattooed on their forearm while you were getting your nipples. Ricky, Vinnie's assistant, was super nice and truly a pleasure to talk to. For a while it was just Ricky, Jen, and me, so we filled out forms and chatted until Vinnie arrived.
We also got pushpins to place on a map to reflect how far we traveled. They had two huge maps, one of the United States and the other of the world. They had just hung them up about two weeks ago and already every state except for two were represented, plus numerous countries. It was amazing to see how many people's lives Vinnie has impacted. People will travel from all over for this opportunity. I am still kicking myself for not taking any pictures of those maps!
After Vinnie arrived, we went into his private room and had a quick consultation. Jen and I are both pretty easy since neither of us has actually ever battled cancer, the questions usually go rather quickly. After that it was shirt off and deciding placement. Tattooing quickly followed.
Vinnie is such an amazing guy, I really can't say enough about him. He is extremely professional and willing to work with you. We tried several different placements (drawn on with a marker) before I decided on one, and of course I went with his original recommendation! Just patient and caring and amazing. He told so many interesting stories of his adventures since he started exclusively doing nipples. He's been flown to amazing places, met so many different people, and has just had so many unbelievable experiences. The tattooing didn't hurt, but even if it did, his stories would definitely take your mind off of it.
The actual tattooing went quick. Jen's appointment was even quicker because he didn't have nearly as many interruptions during hers. He did amazing work on both of us and I don't think that either of us are even slightly disappointed. It was a great experience with awesome results! They even gave us cute bags full of all of our aftercare essentials to take with us. Of course "Tattoo the Ta Tas" is printed on the bag! I have to admit, I was sad to say goodbye to Vinnie and his crew!
We were both pretty desperate for some food, so we asked them to recommend a restaurant and soon found ourselves ordering cream of crab soup at The Full Moon Pub and Grill. Yum! After lunch, we were on our way back to Pittsburgh. Lucky for us, there was a great outlet mall on our route. We got a nice break from the car and scored some good deals. I loved shopping together. I forget how much I miss Jen until we have these amazing moments together!
The trip back was uneventful and just felt long. I think by then we were just both so sick of the car and ready to hug our kids again. At least, I know that I was. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to Jen. Especially since now that I have this surgery date, I probably won't see her over Christmas. The next morning I headed back to Ohio, anxious to see my boys and excited to show off my new nipples.
Seriously, I can't stop looking at them. I hope that I don't get caught peeking down my shirt at work! I couldn't be happier with this decision. If anyone is deciding on nipples and just doesn't want to go through with nipple reconstruction or isn't sure, go to Vinnie Myers (he's worth the wait)! You won't regret it! Feel free to contact me. I'm more than happy to answer any question and share more about my experience.
Thank you so much Vinnie (and Ricky) for making me so happy with my body. I am so blessed to have the chance to get my tattooing done by you. I wouldn't change a thing!
The countdown to my FINAL surgery: 44 days!
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