Emotional speed bumps

Good luck with your surgery. A single mastectomy is often quite straight forward - sounds and feels (emotionally) worse than it is. You may come home with drains, a bit of a pain but clothes with pockets or a shoulder carried bag to put them in can help. You'll be given a list of exercises to assist mobility - how much that is affected depends a lot on the degree of surgery and the individual - I had an axillary clearance (17 nodes) as well as a mastectomy, but my mobility was very good, almost from the start. I am large breasted so I wasn't keen on just staying as I was post surgery - just too obvious and did nothing for clothes. I used a soft pad at first, tucked into my usual bra (some may need a new bra, depending on the line of surgery) but finally got a prosthesis fitted. If I had been small breasted, I may well have considered doing nothing. As arpie has noted, reconstruction is always an option, even some considerable time after your surgery. I chose not to, but it's been a welcome next step for some. As she also says, cancer can mess with your brain. It's a highly emotional thing, a brush with mortality and can bring old wounds to the surface too. I found a short time with a really good counsellor invaluable. Your doctor can provide a referral - for some it helps with dealing with cancer, for me it was a splendid time to re-view my (happy) life and how I made decisions, particularly for the future.