If you put all the sentence in inverted commas it means that you said all the phrase, in this case with past or present, it is the same because it has anyway a meaning e.g. I said:"Give me the strenght to make the breast disappear! Ok, the breast disappeard/ are disappearing" While if it is I said:"Give me the strenght to make the breast disappear!". Ok, the breast disappeard/ was disappearing You have to use the past because -I seni non c'erano più- is referred to the same time of I said (past)