Flat, Floppy & Keeping It Real

Flat, Floppy & Keeping It Real

🌼 Date: Friday, March 13, 2026

⚡ Energy: Improving… slightly less cranky

❣️ Status: Pancake boob era

😉 Outlook: Healing, patience, and radical honesty

Today I’m happy to report that my pectoral muscle has started calming down a bit after Wednesday’s Deflate Gate Olympics. I can move a little easier today, which is a huge win.

But…

I am not a fan of the aftermath.

Let’s just say my right side has officially entered what I am now calling the Pancake Phase.

And when I say pancake, I mean flat, floppy, and slightly confusing to look at.

In fact, I’m pretty sure that if the plastic expander bag wasn’t still sitting in there, I could probably roll the whole thing up like a sock and tuck it into my bra.

You know that sucked-dry, completely emptied out boob that suddenly looks like it has given up on life and relocated closer to your belly button than your neckline?

Yeah.

That.

Now imagine that… but with a plastic expander shell still sitting underneath it.

Cancer reconstruction is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

Now before anyone wonders why they would intentionally deflate the opposite side before radiation, there actually is a very good reason for it.

Radiation therapy is extremely precise. The doctors are aiming powerful radiation beams at a very specific target area in order to destroy any microscopic cancer cells that might still be hanging around.

If the expander stays fully inflated, it can:

• Push tissue into the radiation field
• Block or scatter part of the radiation beam
• Make it harder for the radiation team to target the exact area they need

By deflating the expander, it allows the skin and tissue to lay flatter against the chest wall so the radiation oncologists can accurately aim the treatment where it needs to go.

So, while my boob currently resembles something that could be folded like laundry, it’s actually helping the radiation team do their job better.

And if it helps kill cancer cells?

Then pancake boob it is.

Now in the spirit of keeping it real, I’m including a couple photos today.

Not because I enjoy sharing my weird science experiment chest with the world… but because this is what this journey actually looks like.

Cancer isn’t always pink ribbons and inspirational quotes.

Sometimes it’s:

• concave boobs
• alien-edge expanders
• dry-brushing skin blizzards
• and learning to laugh at things you never imagined you’d be discussing publicly.

But if sharing the real parts of this helps even one other woman feel less alone, then it’s worth it.

Besides…

Someday when this whole adventure is behind me, these photos will just be proof that this badass body survived one hell of a fight.

And that’s something I’m pretty proud of.

💗 Tina –
One Badass Day at a Time