Single or double mastectomy?
On the 27th of March this year I was manning a stand at the Every Woman Expo. Our stand was right next to the breast screen truck. I’m 46 years old, no family history and had been told in a health ass...
Forum Discussion
There is a lot of good information in everyone’s responses. It is a very individual decision, but it is such a good idea to get as much information as you can to help you. I used the ‘BRECONDA’ site to help get some clarity. My path was - ILC left breast, neoadjuvent chemo, BMX with expanders which were swapped out for implants in Dec, 2020.
I talked it all through with a fabulous psychologist who helped me immensely. Pathology showed clear nodes, no LVI, but my right breast (the ‘good’ breast) showed some ‘abnormal cells’ - not cancer, but my doctor said that they would have needed monitoring. Turns out the BMX was a very good decision. My doctor supported my decision for the BMX from the start. My breasts were very large - DD and I no longer trusted them.
I want to add something which has taken me a while to make peace with. I had dense breasts and cysts so I was used to biopsies etc over many years (I am 54) and at my last check at a private breast clinic, the doctor referred my on to a breast specialist to chat about starting tamoxifen as a preventative measure and to start annual MRIs. I was shocked as it seemed like things had become a lot more serious. Little did I know what was looming. I spoke to my GP and he suggested a BMX as a preventative - something I thought about but had not articulated as I didn’t want to be ‘judged’ as overreacting and doing something extreme. As it turns out, if I did have a preventative BMX, I would have been diagnosed anyway. I try mot to get bogged down in the what could have been, but focus on what I can control moving forward.
My point is, do what you need to do for your ongoing health, both in the physical and mental sense. Take care x
I talked it all through with a fabulous psychologist who helped me immensely. Pathology showed clear nodes, no LVI, but my right breast (the ‘good’ breast) showed some ‘abnormal cells’ - not cancer, but my doctor said that they would have needed monitoring. Turns out the BMX was a very good decision. My doctor supported my decision for the BMX from the start. My breasts were very large - DD and I no longer trusted them.
I want to add something which has taken me a while to make peace with. I had dense breasts and cysts so I was used to biopsies etc over many years (I am 54) and at my last check at a private breast clinic, the doctor referred my on to a breast specialist to chat about starting tamoxifen as a preventative measure and to start annual MRIs. I was shocked as it seemed like things had become a lot more serious. Little did I know what was looming. I spoke to my GP and he suggested a BMX as a preventative - something I thought about but had not articulated as I didn’t want to be ‘judged’ as overreacting and doing something extreme. As it turns out, if I did have a preventative BMX, I would have been diagnosed anyway. I try mot to get bogged down in the what could have been, but focus on what I can control moving forward.
My point is, do what you need to do for your ongoing health, both in the physical and mental sense. Take care x