Both breasts removed at the same time?

Ramesis

Hi. I'm interested in hearing how many of you out there opted to have a double mastectomy and whether you got both breasts removed at the same time or whether they were each removed in separate operations? Did you have any problems doing it this way?

PV123

Hi @Ramesis

i initially had a lumpectomy in one breast.  I was meant to have radiation after the lumpectomy but decided instead to have a bilateral mastectomy. i have dense breasts and have always had issues with mammograms, usually i had to have an ultrasound as well.

I had one drain removed at the hospital and the other one removed after about 11 days.  I did need help with many tasks as both sides have stitches.  I couldn’t lift my arms and had to depend on my husband for many everyday tasks.  I had to have seroma drained a couple of times on both sides but other than that i did not have any other issues.

All the best with your treatment.

Mazbeth

Hi @Ramesis I had both removed at the same time. Both my surgeon and plastic surgeon said the drains would be coming out after 7 days max. I had them out on the 7th day and came home. Thankfully I had no issues and everything went smoothly. I had expanders put in at the time of the BMX and have since got them replaced with implants. I had tricky mammograms and ultrasounds as I had dense breasts. I knew that after years of anxiety every time I had a mammogram, the BMX was the right choice for me. I also had large breasts, so symmetry and comfort were also an important consideration for me. 
You will have restricted movement and doing the exercises that are prescribed is really important. 
It is a very individual decision and one that needs a lot of thought. All the best with your decision. Take care. 

Pru

Hi @Ramesis  I had both breasts removed on the 8th December.  In the months prior I had two unsuccessful wide excision surgeries and auxiliary clearance of the lymph nodes on the left side and it was necessary to have the left breast removed.  I elected to have the bilateral mastectomy for a number of reasons one of which was my desire to reduce the odds of future further surgery in the event of a recurrence.    The recovery from the double mastectomy was a bit easier than the auxiliary clearance of the lymph node but I had complications from that one.  I elected to stay in hospital for 7 days to ensure pain and drains were well managed and to reduce the amount of time family members were caring for me at home.  I'm very content with the choice I made to have the bilateral mastectomy without reconstruction.  Best of luck with your decision -  I go with the philosophy that whatever is the right choice for you at the time is the right choice x

Ramesis

Hi all. Thanks for the replies. My doc was trying to tell me that removing both breasts at the same time is too 'complicated' and it is better to have them done one at a time. I thought that that sounded a bit odd. Thanks for confirming my suspicions.

FLClover

@Ramesis I had both of mine removed at the same time, and also had expanders inserted in them. So it’s definitely a possible and good option. I’d hate to have to have two separate procedures when you can easily have the one and save so much hassle. If your doctor disagrees, change him. 

Good luck ♥️

sooziqu

I had both removed on 11/12/20 after a diagnosis of 2 malignant lumps in the left and 1 benign lump in the right. I didn't want the worry of what the right breast could do and I wanted a diep flap reconstruction anyway.  So I had both done and reconstructed at the same time.  It was the best decision for me.  I have symmetry and have eliminated the worry.  My BS said I had a 3 times higher chance of getting BC in the right chest and he supported my decision.