Has anyone taken 'Before' and 'After' pics?
arpie
Mid North Coast, NSWMember Posts: 6,096 ✭
Just wondering if anyone has taken 'before' and 'after' pics - focussing on the actual boob rather than 'me' ....... I took a couple of 'selfies' at the suggestion of my brother .... and then a few during the healing stage after removing the bandages .....
Do you think we should have a private group, to actually show our battle scars? Obviously, some pics will be more confronting than others ..... but if you have to request to join to see them, no-one should be shocked.
It would be a good way to see the results of many different procedures, I think.
But I LOVE what this woman's take on it was ... a real warrior in full battle dress!! Xena - Warrior Princess! She went on to have a DMX
Do you think we should have a private group, to actually show our battle scars? Obviously, some pics will be more confronting than others ..... but if you have to request to join to see them, no-one should be shocked.
It would be a good way to see the results of many different procedures, I think.
But I LOVE what this woman's take on it was ... a real warrior in full battle dress!! Xena - Warrior Princess! She went on to have a DMX
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Comments
I thought the above may have been your 'before' shots - until I read further .....
As an aside, there seem to be more 'private' groups popping up on this forum. Breastcancer.org doesn't have private groups.
I am also in a DIEP flap re instruction Facebook group that was set up in the US that has a policy of not photos but you can private message people .
I personally found just looking at the photos on the private group here a lot easier.
Lots of members don’t include their faces for privacy reasons.
@Emma17 ... Not everyone has had major breast reconstruction or is in that one group that has before & after pics, so can't access them.
Not everyone has as successful a healing as everyone else - maybe if they see the different results before hand, it may help them with their decision-making on what surgery they choose to have. I have had some PMs where members have shown me their pics .... I found it interesting and instructive, as their surgery was far more extensive than my own.
I would think that many women (newbies or not) may be interested in who's had 'what done' and can see how it has turned out. Most haven't seen anything, until they wake up, post op & see their own.
Hmmm ... I am Not sure what Breastcancer.org has to do with this forum - what they do is up to them ....
Yes, there have been more private groups started here in recent months, at the request of members who benefit from them. And because the ARE private - intimate stuff can be shared with like minded people who want to join. Which private group concerns you in particular & why? It is not compulsory to join!
As @Julez1958 says - Faces are not necessary - and only those wanting to join & look would do so - so there won't be any shocking pics that upset people - as some pics may be a tad confronting until full healing has occurred.
Some newbies may not be prepared for the immediate post op 'rawness' of their own wounds, but would be reassured at seeing the healed pics after a few weeks & a few months .... it may actually help their own mental recovery, knowing that it SHOULD get better, as I know that some members are not always happy with their post op 'look'.
My own surgery was done by removing the nipple & the tumour removal done from underneath the skin, breast fat 'moved around' to fill the hole & then the nipple was reattached ..... Some may not be aware that this method may be an option (depending on where their cancer is located.) My own healing has been terrific with minimal scarring and relatively normal nipple sensation.
Your lumpectomy surgery is the standard-of-care by the highly trained oncoplastic breast surgeons of BreastSurgANZ.. Tumour excision and access to lymph nodes is via the area of the removed nipple. The reduction mammoplasty is the 'plastic surgery' aspect, which fills in and reshapes the breast. Access to lymph nodes is via the open nipple so this technique eliminates the underarm excisions that lesser-trained surgeons make in order to biopsy the lymph nodes. Unfortunately, women in rural and regional areas are less likely to have access to a BreastSurgANZ surgeon so may attend a general surgeon instead, without these state-of-art skills. Their cosmetic outcome may not be as good.
Apart from location and financial means, it can also depend on how extensive the cancer and proposed surgery as to what may be required. Add to that the surgeon's preferences ! Some women may look at photos and be looking at what has nothing to do with their specific situation.
The surgeon should be able to provide photo of his/her previous work.
Yes, some regional women, sadly, are convinced to have their surgery done locally by a 'general surgeon' - when the visual results might NOT be the best as the surgeon may not have been trained in breast conserving surgery - and at worst, would preclude future reconstruction even if they wanted it ..... but I wasn't prepared to have a General Surgeon do MY surgery - so I chose to go to Sydney & have (who I consider) to be one of the best, do mine! I am very happy with my own result.
It upsets me to see posts where members (post op) are so very unhappy with their results & can't bear to look at their own bodies, or let their partner see them ... when, if they'd had a REALLY informed decision about their surgery, they may have choses a different route with a better result.
I have a private group on Facebook....I realised I had a number of friends who wanted to ‘see’ but were too afraid in person...I posted my whole experience in photos...up until present day...the good, the bad and the ugly...ALL responses were positive as it was also a learning curve for those who aren’t effected. A lot of people have praised me for ‘showing’ them what it is really like. A lot thought, ‘oh they just take your boobs off and then put new ones in, easy!’ Ummmm, No! My blog showed that things can and do go wrong. It,s not all ‘pink’ and pretty.
i guess it’s a personal choice too, and I understand that seeing pictures can be a trigger...I myself back away from here as I found it overwhelming, and I was nervous to see myself after the surgeries, but sharing our stories, warts and all, is important to spread the word about breast cancer and it’s possible complications.
I plan on having a warriors and gods photo shoot to celebrate my 5 years. (Thanks to COVID I’m yet to do that) I have also been a part of a photo shoot for a breast cancer survivors portfolio to create awareness. I found the whole process very empowering and it inspired the people involved to take charge of their own health. I now have lifelong friends from that experience.
In conclusion, wether you take pics for you alone or share them in a group,
i see it as an integral part of healing.