Realistic Expectations?
My surgery is in 4 days time and I am wondering how many people had realistic expectaions of what they were going to be waking up to?
I have been told that I will loose the nipple and have a line a...
Forum Discussion
You are right-just like our journeys our scars are also all different. I had been well informed by my surgeon (2x pre-op visits) and booked for a left mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy +/- axillary clearance. This meant I was unsure of how extensive the surgery was going to be when I had my op. I was still undecided if re total and partial mastectomy. My surgeon when I saw her the week before the op, told me to contact her if I had any further questions or changed my mind.
If you feel you have more questions, I would suggest getting in touch with your sugeon and asking them. Leave a message with your questions and ask her to contact you at a time convenient to her with the answers. Just because the 'system' is structured that you would not normally see her again or talk to her again until the day of the op, does not mean you cannot.
I have also learnt there are no 'right' or 'wrong' questions; there are just questions. As we process all the information coming to us about our cancer, treatments, prognosis etc, I believe it is really normal for further questions to pop up after you have had time to digest things.
I also think you have the right attitude - being prepared does help in post operative recovery, however there is also a point that the surgeon will not be able to know for sure e.g.how much tissue will be taken until they remove the lump and get clear margins. The uncertainty of this is hard, however the reality is we cannot change that as it is out of our control.
Take care and good luck with your surgery
MLE59