single mastectomy vs. bilateral mastectomy?

I chose to have double because I've always had too many cysts on both breats, and after I was diagnosed with cancer, and could not wait for the next appt. to get it out of my body. I did not want to be worried 24/7 to go through the whole thing again. Now I only concentrate on recovery. I am so thankful I made that choice.

A friend of mine had one side done and unless than 6 months she had to get the other side done.

I remember what I said after I found out about her: I don't know if I would have the strength to go through that again, knowing how difficult it was.

I've had multiple unrelated other surgeries, but this was by far, the hardest.

just a tip, since I was not warned until after 10 days. When you shower after the 48 hrs, if they take out lymph nodes, make sure you do not use very warm water under your arms, the pain from the underarms and radiating down almost to the wrist is terrible.

best of luck to you

I had a bi-lateral because I was large breasted and did not want to be uneven while waiting for reconstruction. I also knew I would need radiation. I had intended to eventually do reconstruction on both, but for me, I like the option to be flat at home and running around. At work, I wear a bra with prothesis. In the end I am happy and right now, am not planning on any reconstruction.

Hi, Sophie ~ I had very large fibrocysitic breasts.  If I kept the non-cancerous one, my surgeon wanted me to have a mammogram, then six monthes later an MRI, then six months later a mammogram, then six months later an MRI....and on and on and on, plus I'd probably be having lots of biopsies due to questionable cysts.  And I thought it might be difficult to have all that weight pulling on the one shoulder.

So after much weeping, wailing, praying, mind-changing, more weeping and wailing, I opted to have a double mastectomy.  It wasn't an easy decision, and I won't say I'm "happy" with my choice, but I believe I made the right one FOR ME.  I was 46 at the time.  

I haven't had reconstruction, but am considering it.

Best wishes!
Artemis

Hi Sophie,

My experience is very similar to Wren. I had, what I would say was an easy time with surgery, and recovery, and haven't had any regrets about my decision to have a Umx, with no reconstruction. Like Denise, I wear a prosthesis and have no issues with that.

I never considered having a BMX, or reconstruction. My Mother had BC in '94, so I guess she was a great role model for me. I was used to seeing her scar because I looked after her at home for 3 years before she went into care with dementia.

This is such a difficult time for you. You are a much younger than me, so have very different things to consider.

I wish you all the very best, and wish you the clarity to make the right decision for you.

Sophie,

There are definitelyl posts devoted to why people made this decision.  I'm so sorry I can't remember any well enough to find them for you, but if something pops into my head I'll PM you.

Some con's for bilateral:

1) More surgery, more risk of short and longterm complications.  Depending on whether you have a sentinal node biopsy or not, the risk of lymphedema is either tiny with a simply mastectomy or low with the sentinal node.  But it's not zero either way.  Surgery always creates risk of infection, scars gone wrong, things like that.

2) No reconstruction can recreate nipple sensation, and nipple sparing surgeries don't preserve the sensation.

3) Once a prophylactic mastectomy is done, you can't reconsider the decision.

The pro's, as they were for me:

1) Although the risk of death from breast cancer is the same whether a woman has a bilatera vs. uni with a lot of follow-up on the remaining breast, I knew I personally could not deal with a lifetime of scans and biopsies, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

2) My cancer wasn't visible, even in retrospect, on a routine screening mammo done 8 months before I was diagnosed.  It was rip-roaringly aggressive and was huge on my diagnostic mammo 8 months later.  It doesn't matter what statistics or my brain tell my gut - my gut says I can't trust screening scans.

3) Symmetry.  Although I miss my breasts, in a lot of ways I do kind of enjoy being flat.