Hi! If you ask to join the "Choosing Breast Reconstruction" group, you can see/hear about the results of almost any possible combinations of surgeries. It was a huge help to me when I had to make these decisions.
I'm 46yo. had a skin sparing (nipple removed) mastectomy on my right side with an immediate over-the-muscle silicone implant reconstruction. I call it my Barbie Boob, lol!
I never had 'no boob' through the process, I went straight from my scary cancer boob to my plastic fantastic boob. So I can't comment on emotions through that.
In all honestly, I only think about my foob when it bothers me. Eg. We were doing some posed in yoga this week laying prone and it doesn't squash down like my other boob. So that's uncomfortable, like my boobs were back in my 20s!
The sensation is hugely varied across the breast. Mostly around my scar, where my nipple was, is completely without feeling. But towards the middle is so sensitive- like it's compensating! My implant is held in place with a titanium mesh, sewn onto the pec muscles. There is a lot of internal scar tissue around there, which feels odd to touch and doesn't stretch much (again, usually only notice in yoga).
In clothes, I look pretty even. You wouldn't notice a difference unless you really looked for a few minutes. My plastic surgeon has said I can get a lift plus some lipo under my arm on the other side to even them up, but I see no point.
I initially thought I would just go flat, but my kids are only 8 and 14, and I wanted to be able to keep doing things like swimming with then without the hassle of floating prosthesis etc. My plan for now is to go flat when the implant is due for replacement (and hopefully both sides for my peace of mind/love of symmetry).
I think that medical professionals tend to err on the side of "we'd rather warn you than not", but I don't think any of us could have predicted how we would feel through any of this. We each have our own unique relationship with our bodies, especially how we relate to our breasts. They've never been a huge part of my identity or femininity, so for me the whole surgery thing was much easier to cope with mentally than than whole cancer thing. Wishing you all the best with these next steps.
