Dear Sal,

I am a young woman in her twenties with a one year old baby girl who is the light of my life. I have not had a relationship with my father for about four years. He disowned me because of our differences in opinion. Since the birth of my daughter, I have tried to re-establish contact with him so that my child can have a grandpa. I have sent emails, pictures, and invited him to her one year old birthday party, which he did come to. However, he is still uninvolved, does not correspond back, and does nothing to establish a connection. Should I keep trying?

Looking for Grandpa

Dear Looking for Grandpa,

Stop looking! I know it must be heart-breaking, but the ball is in his court. You have been very generous to try and make a connection in spite of your past hurts for the sake of your daughter. He is very lucky you are so forgiving and giving him a chance to have a relationship with his granddaughter. If he turns his back on this precious opportunity, let him go. It is his loss. Perhaps you will find a surrogate grandpa one day that will love and appreciate your daughter and yourself.

Dear Sal,

Recently I had to go in for an MRI. I was surprised to learn that because I had a nipple ring, I could not have the procedure because the magnetizing of the metal would rip it from my body! After I tried to remove the nipple ring without success, the technician also tried in vain to open it with needle nose pliers. A second technician joined us with wire cutters. Even that did not work! The ring was an expensive gift complete with a jewel from a former boyfriend; unfortunately the ring lasted way longer than he did. Sal, I had to suck up the embarrassment and reschedule my MRI ! I have to get this ring out! Where do I go?

Signed,
Past, Pierced, and Presently Puzzled

Dear Past, Pierced, and Presently Puzzled,

I am sure there are many in your position that did not realize the gravity of a body piercing when it comes to medical procedures. I went on a quest and learned that a nipple ring can also lead to serious burns or melt if in case of a heart attack and if defibrillator is needed! There are rings that unscrew at one end that makes removal easy. In your case, I learned that the piercing expert in our community will remove nipple rings free of charge for both MRI and Mammograms. She also said that a nipple piercing will begin to swell shut within twenty minutes of removal. She has the patient bring the ring back to her right after the procedure, and she reinstalls it free of charge, because it is to difficult in many cases to reinstall because of the swelling. She assured me that it is pretty painless!

So call your local expert and good luck with your MRI!

Yours truly,
Sal