The decision for top surgery ( better known as Double Mastectomy) was and IS a hard one. I could list the various reasons that we are choosing to move forward with this but ultimately, everyone will have an opinion based on their own MORAL (?) compass. This child was not an accident, this child was a WANTED child. I carried and gave birth to another human, beautiful and perfect in every way. Just like any mother, I would do anything to help this child be a successful, fulfilled, happy person.
That being said, he has been so body dysmorphic that it is getting hard for him to focus on anything else. His therapist and I have discussed it at length and we both agree that his mental health will improve greatly the sooner we can arrange to have this done. In our house, it comes up at least a few times a day. At first I thought it might be better to wait until the end of the year, around X-mas, when he had a few weeks off. That way he would have a couple of weeks to recover before going back to school. After the appointment today, Joe and I feel it may actually be better to get it done this summer so that he can have more time to recover and also start senior year in a better frame of mind.
At the end of the consult, we received this little tidbit. $6, 817.00 and our insurance will not be covering one bit of it. Luckily, this doctor does 1 year of follow-up appointments and they are included. As for the doctor, he has done many of these types of surgeries and has a wonderful bedside manner. We all immediately liked him and didn't feel rushed or talked-down to.
So, here's our plan. Alex will raise the initial appointment scheduling fee ($500.00) and when he has it, we will schedule the surgery. We figure he can do it in about 4 weeks working his job at Taco Bell. It will have more meaning if he contributes, at least we think so. (him, not so much, lol.)
As his Mom, I am terrified. For all sorts of reasons. None of which I think I'll post at this moment.
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