Hello Rier In a lot of pain today. Swelling is getting me down too. Booked in for 4th aspiration of fluid on Monday. Spoke to my Mum today and she said it's all over now but I get my biopsy results Wednesday so it might not be. I guess she is trying to make me feel better/not worry me. When is your surgery? How are you feeling? xxx
I’m telling you to be strong you will be okay . Im thinking of you now not me and you are going to be okay. Things have come on so much now. With all the donations of cancer charity they will help you.
my initial concern was over self esteem and about what type of reconstruction was possible.i think I was in denial about the health impact, but I wasn’t given a choice The surgeon said he’d try his best to save what he could of the breast and I could decide at a later date what to do cosmetically. When it was opened up unfortunately there were 2 tumours. A pea sized one on top of a rather large one underneath. He took away what was called 2 quartiles, ( basically the inner side of my breast) and retained the nipple (pointing in an odd direction) to use if I decided to opt for reconstruction later. I also had lymph nodes removed because the cancer was spreading. I then had 7 months of chemotherapy followed by 6 weeks of radiotherapy. By the end of all that I could not face reconstruction. I wore a prosthesis for a while but because it was cleavage that was missing it was difficult to get one that either wouldn’t show or would fall out of my bra. I returned to the surgeon who advised not to have reconstructive surgery because it would make mammograms and check ups more difficult and any new problems could be missed. On the positive side I have now lived with it for 27 years. My cousin always says remember our breasts are sisters not twins”. If I had my time to do again I would let the surgeon choose for me. Food for thought but it really is a personal decision. Best wishes.
I am sorry that you haven't received a reply sooner. I have only just noticed your post and I hope that my reply is not too late for you.
This is always a tricky question and only you, with the guidance of your surgeon, can decide what is best for you. This will depend upon the type of breast cancer you have and what stage it is. I have had both a lumpectomy and then a double mastectomy, a year later. Surprisingly, I recovered quicker from the double mastectomy than I did from the lumpectomy. You do not say what age you are. Are you planning reconstruction if you have a mastectomy? As Blackburnden has said, this can make future mammograms more difficult. Some people also feel a bit lopsided when they have had a single mastectomy, although surgeons do their best to match the two breasts up.
It is also worth considering, whether your surgeon intends to do any reconstruction straight away or decides to do it at a later date. There is usually a wait of 1-2 years to get this done, along with a second surgery.
Unfortunately, I was not a suitable candidate for reconstruction, due to previous non-cancerous surgery, but I manage fairly well with an assortment of prostheses for different activities. I originally had large breasts which were my pride and joy, so was not keen to go totally flat. However, I lost my mum to secondary breast cancer before this and didn't want to take the same route. I do miss my cleavage and have to adjust most V neck clothing to close a little further up.
Draw up a list of questions for your surgeon and take this with you to your next appointment. Remember that no question is too insignificant to ask. I am now 16 years on from diagnosis, so I am happy that I took this decision and, with the benefit of hindsight, it was the right one for me. I hope that you sincerely hpe that you can make the right one for you too.
Please keep in touch and let us know what you decide. We are always here for you,
