Category: Momma Talk

I understand fully that I am that friend. I am the friend that always seems to have a story. There is always some crazy thing that is going on with me. I always seem to have the most bizarre things going on in my life.   I am really not quite sure why this is really.

I got my first blackhead a few years back. It was located on the right side of my left breast. Right where an underwire might hit. It looked just like a large clogged pore with a black dot in the middle. I get routine skin checks at my dermatologist so I asked her about it during one of my exams. She explained that it was a blackhead and she used a tool that basically pushes down on all the surrounding area to force it up. I know sexy, right? It sure hurt but she got it out. She had me apply cream on it after and told me not to pick at it or bother it.

Well, of course it came back and it would bother me every so often. One day I was at a beauty supply store and I saw that same tool she used in the office! Perfect! I can take care of it myself next time and rid this “thing” as I needed to. I remember even telling my sister about my newfound treasure! I would say about every 6 months or so I would take care of it on my own. It wasn’t often but from time to time it would clog back up.

In September of 2015 I noticed something had changed with my blackhead. There was a lump underneath. About the size of a pea and it was hard. My husband noticed it too and when I put on nightshirts or pajamas I could see the outline of it through my clothes when I wasn’t wearing a bra. I was happy I had my skin check coming up in a few weeks at my dermatologist’s office. I should mention I get regular 6 month skin exams since Basal- Cell Skin Cancer runs in my family and it has been determined I have cancerous susceptible cells. As my doctor was completing my body exam I showed her my lump. I explained to her what I had been doing and taking care of my blackhead. She was kind but not happy. She explained to me that the tool she uses was a few hundred dollars and that she has the proper training to use it while I did not. She was concerned for the lump and the possible chance that if I did not leave it alone it could one day abscess and that she didn’t want that to happen especially since it was on my breast. She gave me a topical cream that she was hoping to shrink it with and I was to check back in 6 months.

I sure left it alone. I could tell she was very concerned over this. I applied the cream as needed but it really did nothing. I have come to accept that this pea size lump on my breast is now a part of me. It doesn’t help that I had experienced the “Great Deflate” after breastfeeding. My incredibly tiny breasts now have something sticking out of one of them while fairly small looks fairly large in comparison to its host.

A couple of weeks back I started noticing something going on with my breasts. They started to feel different. At least the one on the left with the lump. I remember squeezing the one slightly to see if it was making milk? It was just an odd sensation. I noticed the lump was feeling a bit different and I started to apply the cream again. Was it the bra that seemed to not fit right that I disposed of the other day? I remember it kept coming unbuckled. Maybe it bothered my breast? Did something irritate it?

Then it happened. It grew. My pea size lump turned into a red, warm to touch golf ball. It concerned me. I didn’t call my dermatologist right away. I called my OB right away to make sure I really was taking care of this how I should be. She assured me that Dermatology was in fact the correct place to start. I called my Dermatologist quickly after. I explained that I had a 6-month check up in 2 weeks but I was afraid to wait. It was a Monday morning and I know how busy their office was. I was sure they wouldn’t be able to get me in until my appointment. I was thankful I at least had one in two weeks. I received a call back within the hour asking me to come to the office right away to see the surgeon. I was very fortunate my husband was able to come home and watch my son for me so I could head over to the appointment after taking my daughter to preschool.

I learned that day that my blackhead had developed a cyst behind it and that cyst had abscessed. I had to have an antibiotic injection and was put on a 10-day oral antibiotic to knock out any possible infection. They would also need to do a surgical procedure to extract the cyst in 2 months once it had enough time to shrink down. I would not be able to lift anything for 10 days! 10 days? Not lift? How do you tell a mom of a 2 year old, 4 year old and new puppy they can’t lift anything for 10 days?

I was informed that this was not a tumor or life threatening in any way. While I told my family, I really didn’t tell my friends about this right away. The whole thing had truly scared me and I was so grateful and felt blessed that this was truly all it was.

On the way to that appointment that day I had dropped my daughter off at school. I stopped at my church’s Adoration Chapel and I prayed. I prayed hard. No woman ever likes to feel a lump on her breast and for that period of unknowing what was lurking in my breast brought me incredible fear. You know the fear I speak of. It is the fear that takes my breath away to think about and makes my stomach turn. I feel really lucky that it was just a cyst from a blackhead but it was scary to say the least. While I had the injection into my breast I remember feeling thankful for what was happening. Thankful to God that this was all it was. I am not afraid for the upcoming extraction surgery in May. Just thankful that all it is, is a cyst. I am so thankful to God for that.   It is so hard to imagine that from a tiny blackhead came an abscessed cyst.   What should you take away from this story? Leave your blackheads to your dermatologist to deal with. Learn from my crazy experience, especially if it is on your breast. Who would have thought right? From a blackhead? Just another wild story to add to my list I guess.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Some of these were provided by my “Momma Allys”

When you are having a day. You need someone to do a quick vent with. The ones who get “it” are the ones who have kiddos and are crazy busy. You don’t want to bother them. You know they are changing a pooh diaper, calming a tantrum, snuggling on the couch with a lil one who just fell asleep in their arms. You need to find your “Momma Ally”. Someone to quickly text/call and in 5 minutes or less vent your motherhood frustrations for the day. Just someone to quickly remind you, “it’s not you.”  Someone to quickly change your mood, so you can jump back on the positive motherhood horse and go on with your day. We love motherhood but there are rough momma minutes. Your “Momma Ally” needs to be on the same page. She is your no-pressure friend. The one you don’t feel you need to have a clean house for. The one you could tell anything to and she is going to tell you something far worse to make you feel better!  There is no competition between you and your “Momma Ally”. Just laughs. She is the one you could tell anything to. You need to be sending each other funny text messages and pictures to make each other laugh. You need to be sharing your rough times so she can share hers. Save a funny or uplifting picture you saw on Facebook or Pinterest just so you can be prepared to send it to her when you know she is having a day. A little laughter from a friend when you are having a rough momma minute can make all the difference in the world!  A BIG “Thank you” to my Momma Allies.  I have two.   They know who they are 😉  I appreciate you both and our chats more than you will ever know.

The bra on the right is my new bra.  The bra on the left is my old bra from my pregnancy and nursing days.  Why does my old bra look like it could eat my new bra?  Sad.  Can’t I at least keep the girls?

This is to all the mommas out there with little ones. You know that feeling. You are driving, starving, haven’t had the chance to eat yet for the day. You go through the dreaded fast food/drive through options in your head so you don’t have to go in. You remember the last time you went in to pick up and you were the one with the toddler who spilled the smoothie on the floor as you waited for your food. Now this time you have a new baby in a carrier and a toddler. I think to myself, there is no way I can carry it all. Well today I did it. Instead of a drive through I went to a restaurant that doesn’t have drive thru or carry out and called from my car. I simply asked the employee if she was allowed to bring the momma in the minivan her food rather than me go in and she did! Greatest lunch ever and one happy momma! What a break through! No more drive thrus for this momma! Apparently people do this? She said people do it all the time! I did give her a nice tip.

The above tip is especially helpful when you are hungry and you have little ones sleeping in the car. You get creative. I once went to Chipotle, drove around the parking lot and bought a girl lunch if she would bring me out food. My son was sleeping in the car after a long doctor appointment and I was starving, as I usually was from nursing. I can’t tell you how many places I have called and asked them if I could pay an employee to run my order out. Jimmy Johns, Little Caesar’s and Quiznos are great about this and deserve a little shout out. Chipotle turned me down however. That is a big x against them for a while. Or at least until I get hungry again. HAHA!!