8 Years after Double Mastectomy- An Update

Anonymous

Just wanted to give a progress report from someone who had a lumpectomy then a double mastectomy the next year. I did not have recon and am doing great. My chest does not concave. My surgeon did a great job of just making it flat no dog ears. I still would go with no recon. I have worn prosthesis so long now they feel and look natural. I would encourage those looking at prosthesis to try a smaller size rather than larger. The expert who measured me had me in a size 4 and I now wear a size one which is comfortable.

Love and encouragement to all.

Thistle

Thank you so much for your advice! I had my bl.mastectomy 7 months ago, and I will not get the recon. surgery. I had another surgery to remove the dog ears 4 days ago, they removed 4Lb of skin. I used to have large breasts, so when I went to get my prosthesis I was looking for something similar just smaller...well now I know I got the wrong ones because they are still too heavy! The two weighs about 3 Lb! So I hardly ever wear them. I will have to get a much lighter one next time.

Erica3681

Hi Aug242007,

Great to hear from you and thanks for the update. I, too, have gravitated to smaller sized breast forms than originally recommended by the first fitter I went to (my surgery was in October, 2006).

I do have one question -- I've never been able to wear silicone forms comfortably for extended periods because I tend to perspire under the forms. Not constantly, but enough so that it's uncomfortable and sometimes even causes a rash. Has that ever been a problem for you? If so, do you have any suggestions for dealing with the issue?

My solution has been to wear unweighted or lightly-weighted non-silicone forms (usually foam) in a camisole for daily use. I save the silicone forms for evenings out or other times when I'll only be wearing them for a few hours. Honestly, the foam forms look fine, but I do like the feel of the silicone against my body (much more lifelike), EXCEPT for the perspiration.

I'm always looking for solutions to this, so far without success. You may be one of the lucky ones not affected by this problem. In general, I barely sweat at all, so it caught me totally by surprise that wearing silicone would cause this.

Anonymous

Hi Erica, I too wear the unweighted forms at times. I like to spend several hours per day with nothing and it seems to help. The silicone does tend to make you sweat more.