I'm totally the opposite. I don't want reminders of anything and just want to be done with it all. Just having breasts again is so wonderful, not to have to look at the mess that was my chest in the  mirror when I get changed.
I'll definitely follow through to the end. I got so tired of feeling like a freak in the changing room at the gym, I'll just be relieved to even remotely blend in.
My new boobs are so fab I think that if I do go all the way to the final stages, they won't look any different from the rest from a distance. Yes, we are very lucky to have Jeremy here. He does wonderful work.

I had my tatooing done in Wellington in March and I'm so glad that I decided to "complete" the reconstruction.  Even though I'd got used to seeing my reconstructed breasts without the areola, I just didn't feel comfortable in public changing rooms. The result is absolutely amazing and looks so real.  Totally worth it.

Hi HRB - the insurance situation is really confusing and random. There seems to be no really sound reason, most of the time, for why the approve or don't approve people. My DIEP was covered by ACC (always makes medical people frown trying to work it out and provokes endless speculation - did you fall over and break them?!) because my implant reconstruction got infected & had to be taken out, so it was a medical treatment injury. However Southern Cross (who did pay for the mastectomies and implants on special application) were willing to cover a private DIEP. I think you just have to make a good medical case for that vs any other procedure.
I was successful in getting both my ooph and initial mx/recon covered by Southern Cross with a relatively small family history and no BRCA status but I've since talked to other people with way 'worse' family histories than mine who have been turned down by the same insurer (and others). It is very frustrating. If only we could crack the code!
Work really does need to be done with insurers, and it's one of the things that GOK has at the top of its list in terms of priorities.
The best bet meantime is to get every medical person you come into contact with to write to your insurer explaining why your mx/recon is 'medically necessary' and have the specialists advocate for you. With Southern Cross you need to go beyond the usual pre-approval process to the Chief  Medical Officer (at least that was my experience 2 years ago: my policy specifically excludes prophylactic surgeries but they do consider it on special application).
Please keep us posted and let us know how you're getting on - we need to start collecting stories.

I know this question was posted some time ago but there may be others out there now who want to know the same thing. I was diagnosed BRCA2 positive in 2011. There was no evidence of exisiting cancer.  My medical insurer, Southern Cross, agreed to pay a one off grant towards a bilateral masectomy with tram flap reconstruction and salpingo oopherectomy. This grant was a few thousand dollars short of the overall cost. Southern Cross stress that this is a one off payment and no further claims regarding BRCA2 will be accepted.