2nd Diagnosis

Hi Linda, thought I too could give you further insight into bilat mastectomy. Two weeks ago I had bilat mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with implants. I had what they call skin & nipple saving reconstruction which is possible in some BC cases. Mine was DCIS in the right breast and was initially recommended lumpectomy for it. however after a weeks' pondering and researching I myself opted for bilat mastectomy instead. My surgeons (breast & plastic surgeon) were okay with my decision and did not try to talk me out of it even though it was a drastic change to the initial treatment plan. I just felt like it was the right  thing for me to do, I did not even want to think about having cancer in my breasts again. And I'm now even more convinced it was the right choice since having the post surg pathology report; they found a small DCIS in my left breast which had gone unnoticed in the ultrasound.

I feel the same as Louise and Chris here, have not regrets. I am actually rather surprised how quickly and well I have recovered from the surgery and my boobies look pretty much like they did before, even my 8 yr old can't tell the difference (he doesn't know I have implants). The only major difference is that I am numb in my chest area and have unusual sensations occasionally in my breasts which are not painful but just something I've never had before. My surgon also said that some sensitivity to touch will eventually come back to the chest but the amount varies between patients. I also discussed the other options for "fillers" with my plastic surgeon but felt that implants were the easiest, both in amount of surgery and recovery time. I did not have enough fat on my tummy either for flap reconstruct. But anyway, so far all's gone pretty well and I'm happy with the surgery result, both visually and mentally.

I hope you find the right decision for yourself and  wish you all the best whatever you decide to do. Good luck - /Annie