Tuesday 2 September 2008

On to the next level

With luck, Doreen (my wonderful wife) will have the last dressing removed today for good. On Thursday we go to see her plastic surgeon to discuss the next stage.

Putting it bluntly, that means they start to inject saline into the temporary prosthesis they gave her at the time of the operation. Over a few weeks, this has the effect of stretching the skin and shaping the breast for the final prosthesis. It also means she should feel a lot more comfortable wearing a bra. Without going into details, any ladies reading this can imagine what ti is like with two different breast sizes.

She also faces another problem this week. She works as a School Meals Assistant, or dinner lady in my parlance, but she earns less than the minimum required to pay National Insurance, so sick pay is at the discretion of her employer. She won't be back to work for a few more weeks yet, so she needs to talk to her boss about what happens.

She wants to get a job as a Teaching Assistant, but until the reconstruction is over she feels that's not possible, as she has to go into a job knowing she'll need time off in the new year. On the other hand, she doesn't want to have to leave her current job for a reason that is not her fault.

As you see, a dilemma. Still, as they say, onwards and upwards!

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