The Bitch That Bites!
Well today is officially the last day that 'the bitch that bites' (tbtb) - my left breast gets to stay.
Today is my birthday. And in a strange way it feels like tomorrow will be like a second birthd...
Forum Discussion
Hi wndsrfn, sounds like you have had a series of nasty surprises and surgeries. I hope all went well with your surgery, and that you have a profound sense of relief now the breast with cancer is gone. Are you in Perth and looking at joining our local dragonboat group, or in another area with a similar group? Where are you getting your treatment?
I am finding that these new unexpected changes to my body image, and what it means to lose a breast and to be a one-breasted woman, and to wear or not wear a prosthesis and to consider breast reconstruction or not is complex and complicated.
There is the safety/health-risks issue, there is the issue of wanting to look good in my clothes, there is the issue of wanting to feel beautiful, sexy and attractive enough with my husband that we can have some sort of sexlife again, there is the issue of wanting to be proud of me as I am, there is the grief at having had to go through all of this, there is the complications a prosthesis adds (wearing a bra, washing the prosthesis, putting it into its cradle), there is the complications having a reconstruction adds(surgery, healing, extra surgery, complications, pain, expense). The body has been attacked, and the body has attacked, and for me it takes time to start to be comfortable with it all.
For myself, I have decided to leave the question of reconstructive surgery or not till after I have finished all my treatment ie about a year. During that time, I want to lose weight and get down to my ideal weight ie about 12kg lighter, which will mean a smaller breast size too, so either a new prosthesis or a . I also want to get tests done on breast cancer markers etc, to get as much info as I can on my personal risks of breast and ovarian cancers, so I know if I should be having the other breast and possibly my ovaries removed. Or not.
Like you, I also want to get strong and healthy, to turn my body back into a trusted friend I can depend on, and to have a lifestyle that will help protect me from further cancer.
I think the dragonboat group is a lovely place to start, turning a bad experience into something good is a profoundly positive response: I admire your strength and courage in the face of adversity.