Profilatic mascetomy

I'm terrified :/ I wish that it wasn't such a long wait , 16 weeks all up. I don't care about losing my other one it will head south soon anyway.if when I woke that was it I think it wouldn't feel so big. But it's really the start of it all. My breast is to dense to see through it so the docs would have to do a MRI every yr instead of a mammogram.im not sure how real they will look , I've read about having fat injections at the end to make them appear more like a real breast.i did read a great quote a few mths ago from a lady that went through the same thing. She had a tee shirt made that said " Yes they r fake my real ones tried to kill me" I thought that was funny. Keep in touch girls xxxxxxx can't really end with " save the Ta Ta's " ;)

Hi Ladies, I too have had a prophylactic mastectomy and reconstruction at the same time. Because a mammogram failed to pick up my BC, I felt it would be hard to fully trust a mammogram in the future, so after one mastectomy, and chemo, I went back 9 months later to have the second one off and have tissue expanders added. I never had genetic testing, as there is no breast cancer in our family, but still didn't want the risk of getting BC twice. You only have to read these blogs to know that many, many women get BC more than once. I am very happy with my decision, and the results of my reconstruction. Love Chris xx

Hi Ladies, I too have had a prophylactic mastectomy and reconstruction at the same time. Because a mammogram failed to pick up my BC, I felt it would be hard to fully trust a mammogram in the future, so after one mastectomy, and chemo, I went back 9 months later to have the second one off and have tissue expanders added. I never had genetic testing, as there is no breast cancer in our family, but still didn't want the risk of getting BC twice. You only have to read these blogs to know that many, many women get BC more than once. I am very happy with my decision, and the results of my reconstruction. Love Chris xx

Hi girls, I go back to plastic surgeon (Dr rod cooter who was on the project tonight talking bout the implants that have the industrial grade silicon) on Fri this week 1st June to tell him that I want to go ahead with left prophylactic mastectomy and immediate bilateral recon. Am going to do the expanders and implants option and not the lat dorsi as he suggested. Hope I am making the right decision! How does it feel Kell that you now have a date for the surgery? I am nervous about it all actually...not looking forward to losing my last original boob...I quite liked them! Goodluck for the surgery. Love Sam xxx

Hi heather, I'm 39 now sounds the same re left mastectomy chemo and rads. I'm booked in on the 23rd of July to have second mastectomy and expanders put in on both sides.i thought I would have to have a lat dorsi but he feels enough skin has been left to use implants , so of we go. Keep in touch :) kell xx

Hi Ladies,

It's encouraging to read from you as I am in the same boat too (I think it must be a very big boat!). I was diagonsed in August last year and have had a mastectomy of my left and chemo and radio and am now on Tamoxifen. My mum died from secondary breast cancer two years ago and my grandma 10 years before that from cancer too. I have had the genetic testing and came up clear for the two they test for but it's my gut feeling that theres some sore of familial link.

I have decided to have the right one removed too. It'll reduce my risk to zero, and I don't see much point in it hanging around if the other side doesn't match. I currently have an expancer in the left and it get pretty uncomfortable. Consequently I am booked reconstructive surgery on 16th July with Dr Pennington in Sydney. He will do a DIEP for the left but I don't have enough fat for him to do the right too. I will need to have an implant on the right. I feel funny having different techniques on both sides but at least I will minimise possible risk of capsular contracture on the left. 

 

I'd love to hear how you all are. I am 38 and have four young children.

Heather

 

Hi Ladies,

It's encouraging to read from you as I am in the same boat too (I think it must be a very big boat!). I was diagonsed in August last year and have had a mastectomy of my left and chemo and radio and am now on Tamoxifen. My mum died from secondary breast cancer two years ago and my grandma 10 years before that from cancer too. I have had the genetic testing and came up clear for the two they test for but it's my gut feeling that theres some sore of familial link.

I have decided to have the right one removed too. It'll reduce my risk to zero, and I don't see much point in it hanging around if the other side doesn't match. I currently have an expancer in the left and it get pretty uncomfortable. Consequently I am booked reconstructive surgery on 16th July with Dr Pennington in Sydney. He will do a DIEP for the left but I don't have enough fat for him to do the right too. I will need to have an implant on the right. I feel funny having different techniques on both sides but at least I will minimise possible risk of capsular contracture on the left. 

 

I'd love to hear how you all are. I am 38 and have four young children.

Heather

 

Hi Sam , thanks for your thoughts I just love reading what other women in similar situation are thinking. I have to have a lat lorsi dru to the rays. Unfortunately I was asking to have ultrasounds for quite a few yrs as I felt there was something off. The machines didn't pick it up as it was in situ and they couldn't see it. Even up till my diagnosis they were saying 98% sure it was no. When I was in my 20's and 30's I used to say to my girlfriends, if they ever find anything I'm getting them cut off!!! Never really believing it would come to this.i know if I can go through with it I will be able to " take a breath" I'm sure u know what I mean. It will also give me the opportunity when my kids a much older, to tell them that I done every I possibly could to make sure it wasn't coming back. Love kel xxxxxx

Hi Emma , I think we r in the identical boat!! Minus me having boys and yourself girls. I must admit when I read your post I read it through teary eyes. I think mostly because having someone with exactly the same experience, fears etc is for one thing sad because u know what they r going through, and secondly the fact that your own emotions r validated. I'm going down to c my surgeons on the 4th of April to discuss my options and to talk about what I should expect. Because I had rays I will have to have a lat dorsi which is using your back muscles, but I'm hoping they can just put a implant on the other side to save cutting into my back twice. I'm nervous that's for sure but like I said to my husband, if it was internal there would b nothing I could do about it. But it's not, it's on the outside so I feel to give me the best outcome and chance of it not coming back, I owe it to myself and my family to through everything at it. I finished my last rays b4 Xmas 2011, so it's been just over 14mths. After I finished everything I said I wasn't doing a recon, but I think it was more to do with having enough of everything!!! Gradually I've grown sick of the high necks and chicken fillets, I'm sure u sympathize!!! So I started firstly with my fitness, I was always a healthy eater, never smoked or drank so I didn't need to change those. So I started boxfit / cross fit , which has been great for not only my fitness but my peace of mind to know that I can get through these next lot of ops. If u want to keep writing that's cool and it does help ALOT . I'll let u know what the docs say, I can barely wait to c them. I'm also having my second yearly mammogram, it will b 2yrs in June since I had the mastectomy . Hopefully that's all ok too.. Love to u and your family .xxxx

Hi Kel,

Thank you for your post as I too am thinking about having my other breast removed.  I was diagnosed in June last year (at the age of 34) and had an immediate mastectomy and following this surgery I had my lymph nodes removed, as cancer was detected.  I went on to have 6 sessions of chemo, 5 weeks of radiation and am now on Tamoxifen.

My next goal is reconstructive surgery.  I am giving my body a good 7/8 months break (I finished radiation in January) and hope to have my other breast removed and a double reconstruction at the same time.  I have 2 little girls and I also want to eliminate the risk factor.

I know exactly how you are feeling right now - so many decisions.  I have started the gene testing process and will find out my results around July however despite the results, I know that I will still have my other breast removed.  It is more out of fear than anything else - just don't want it to come back ever!

Thinking of you

x