Anyone NOT recommend reconstruction?

MonarchLover

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1692682#Comment_1692682

I feel less lonely already!!

☺️

MonarchLover

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1692637#Comment_1692637

Sounds like our bladders are related. I haven't had to deal with prolapse, although my mother-in-law did and it sounded dreadful. Years ago I had several sling surgeries using mesh, then surgery to replace mesh that my body was rejecting through my vaginal wall.....Happy ending though. I can sneeze, laugh, cough, and no leakage. Worth going thru it. Still, I'm grateful all THAT is in my rearview mirror too.

My experience with radiation was mild compared to some I've read. I learned tattoos aren't for me. The tiny ones they did for lining up the radiation machine stung like hell. No. thank. you. After the initial setup, driving to and from the radiation appt. took longer than the appt. itself. In and out very quick. I didn't even notice any sun burn like reaction until probably 3/4 of the way through the treatments. Creams and ointments helped. It also helped me to remember that it was a temporary thing. Scary? Absolutely, the unknown always is for me. But what has also always been true, is that I got through it. Whatever "it" was at the time.

I'm learning support is always right here on this site. I hope you keep finding it here as well. ☮️💕

woodstock99

Hi - I happened to stumble on this thread accidentally as I ended up on forum home page as I am currently (unfortunately) active in the uterine cancer thread but I had BC 6 years ago with a small stage 1 tumor in left breast and signs of DCIS in right. I actually had my 6 year checkup last Tuesday and am still NED.

However I chose to not do reconstruction at the time of my double mastectomy and while there have been a few moments of regret they have been few and I know I made the right decision for me. I was 62 at the time and might have made a different decision if I had been younger but for me my primary objective was to have the best outcome with the least risk and I wanted to get back to my life as soon as I could and I did not want to have any more surgeries or procedures.

I got a lot of push-back at the time when I was getting 2nd opinion as well as with plastic surgeon consults but I am a pretty string-willed and determined person and I knew once I had made up my mind that I was 100% good with my decision and I had the support of my husband.

I was very self-conscious for months and wore scarves and shawls a lot. I had been a 38C. I also got a pair of light weight forms and knitted knockers but they were too heavy and uncomfortable for me. After awhile I realized no one even noticed and honestly for the past 5 years I have just been me. I did not radically change my wardrobe. Every now and then I think about trying forms again but I have gotten used to my body the way it is now.

I worked with an excellent physical therapist who was also LANA certified for lymphedema as I worried about that with having some lymph nodes removed and she helped with the scar tissue and some nerve issues. It has dissipated over the years.

In retrospect the only thing I would have done differently if possible was to have insisted on having a plastic surgeon as part of the surgical team so that physically the results were better aesthetically. My surgeon did a great job but how I looked was not her focus. For me at where I am right now I am thrilled to have had another NED checkup and now instead of every 6 months I can move to a year and today I had a 3 month check-up (total 7 months since surgery) for my UC and I am NED as well. So a very good day for me today.

Do what you think it right for you and don't let anyone make your decisions for you. Wishing you all the best whatever you decide.

gmamac

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1692749#Comment_1692749

Congratulations and I pray you stay NED and continue to inspire other cancer survivors to make the best decisions for themselves with the information they have available at that time. Thank you for sharing. Gayle

aleshad

I had a double mastectomy without reconstruction last year, and it was definitely the right choice for me. I feel like I healed more quickly and had less complications even with an extensive chemo and radiation regimen. It's been hard to get my head around sometimes, especially since my primary tumor was very deep and so I'm concaved (I'm not sure why I thought it would just be smooth). Honestly, unless I'm wearing a shirt that is tailored for someone who has breasts, no one can tell that I don't have them! I'm told I just look athletic. Swimsuits with spaces for padding are a problem for me since I'm concaved, they dimple in when I take the pads out. So are yoga tops and tank tops that have spaces for pads. If you try "just take the pads out" and it looks bad, don't give up! I have found that Nike, TYR, and Speedo all make women's swimsuits (even a workout bikini) that are smooth in the front/have no space for pads. I was swimming in a one piece and people didn't even know I was a cancer survivor (I was several months post chemo/radiation and had gotten a few inches of my hair back). When my daughter was married, I wore a strapless dress that had a fold of fabric over the chest area. Nordstrom tailored it so it stayed up, looked great, and there were no pads or prosetheses. I wish there was a line of clothing for women who have gone flat - would be great to easily find clothes for work and working out. Any suggestions? Finally going back to work in person.

woodstock99

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1692848#Comment_1692848

I am not very concave but I am not even and I have some excess skin kind of in the middle. I contemplated having plastic surgery done to make me look better but that would have meant another surgery and all the risks that go with it so I just put it behind me. I have grown into my new body and am very much ok with myself now. I bought some 1-piece bathing suits and swim shirts from Lands End about 5 years that worked for me. Take care.