Electing to have double mastectomy?
I apologise in advance for not necessarily knowing all the correct terms when I am asking this question! I was diagnosed three weeks ago with invasive lobular cancer in my right breast. I also had on...
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I am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis, it’s such an overwhelming time. I have just come out of a double mastectomy with DIEP surgery and I’m currently day 14 post-op.
I was diagnosed with TNBC in my right breast with 3 nodes involved on my right as well. My left side was and is completely clear. I chose to do a double mastectomy because TNBC is aggressive and at 43 years old I’m considered young in the cancer world. Plus I have 2 young daughters to look after. I balked at the idea of a single mastectomy let alone a double. I wanted a lumpectomy but it wasn’t an option for me. Eventually I decided on a double as I never want to go through this journey again if I can help it. So off I went and did 6 months of chemotherapy and have just now finished my surgery. I was lucky I was a perfect candidate for a DIEP. When my surgeon first opened up my gown post surgery my husband and I did an audible “woah” 😂 that’s because the breasts looked so natural you couldn’t tell my new boobs from my old (besides the obvious swelling).
Happy to answer any other questions you may have! It’s a very personal decision but for me I just knew I want this thing out of me and never want it back ever and I was willing to go through a double of that’s what it took.
Thanks MonP,
I too am sorry you have ended up on the Forum, who ever thought we would get here. BC always seemed like something that other people got! Being younger and with younger children must be terribly confronting but the amazing scientific advances being made almost daily in this area are wonderful.
Do you mind me asking if you had a tissue expander put in? I had one put in just over 4 weeks ago when they did the mastectomy on the right side - it was put there as they were unsure if I would need radiation treatment - so said they wanted to buy time. I have to say that I am unsure if I would have pushed harder for an immediate reconstruction had I known how painful and uncomfortable the tissue expander is! If you did have one, did your incision site look quite ugly (for want of a better term)? And based on your comments, I am assuming the finished product is far more visually appealing :) Did you do the nipple reconstruction at the same time?
Also wondering how you are going at 14 days - my reconstruction is now booked for the end of 2026 as my youngest daughter is about to do year 12 and I don’t want to add any extra stress to the year for her. This Christmas has been hard enough, to write off another one next year is kind of depressing!
Like you I never want to go through this again so am doing anything and everything I can to minimise my risk so am happy to go through the double - it’s more that I feel that I was in denial a bit before my surgery and am now wanting to be a bit more prepared.