Can you look ok after unilateral mastectomy?

Oceangirl, I had a uni but can't tell you yet how it all turns out. Had my mastectomy in July and am scheduled for exchange this coming Friday. I do plan to have a lift on the natural side, although this has been something I have struggled with. I do see the need for it if I want to have them match but I am not looking forward to having both sides sore. I had planned to have a lumpectomy but the MRI showed more things than orig. known and I wound up having to have a mastectomy.. At the time, I could not think of doing both sides but I admit now, I do sometimes think I should have done both. I recently had to have a 6 month mammogram on the natural side and had to suffer through all of that fear again, but, I guess turthfully, even if I had both, I will still have to worry at every check up.I can tell you the mastectomy was not as hard as I feared it would be.

Luckydog42, I said no reconstruction when I found out I was having mastectomy but my surgeon said at least talk to the plastic surgeon, and I did and decided, ok, I think I'll do it. I haven't had my exchange yet, but I an not sorry I had reconstruction because even this tissue expander is more comforting to me than having nothing there. I know its personal choice and I admire those that choose not to do that but its not for me. I am 58 and overweight, so sure not thinking of showing any of it to people but I just did not want to face having to deal with that padded bra side forever. So, I too said no lift, I'm not trying to be hurting on both sides but as time has gone on and I have forced myself to look in the mirror I do see that it is needed because my expander is way higher than my natural side and it drives me crazy trying to hide that fact. My doctor said I can try but I can't make the new one look like a 58 year old one. So, Friday is the day and I have agreed to the exchange and the lift and I told him, I don't care if they are smaller than the orig. ones but at least lets get them close to matching.

I was going to have a lumpectomy but things the MRI found, made that a poor choice and once I had the mastectomy, my doctor told me, it was a good thing I had done that because they would likely have never been able to get clear margins with the lumpectomy. As I said, I didn't have lumpectomy but I've seen some ladies on here who were not very happy with the results they had if they had to remove very much so thats also something to think about. My doctor had said, it will leave you disfigured and I said, compared to what? I mean, really? But, in the end, the mastectomy was the best choice for me Actually, the nipple was not why I didn't do bilateral. I didn't do that because I was really so upset over the whole idea of a mastectomy that I could not even fact that idea and the idea of both sides hurting and all that. Now, I wish I had done both because I would not to have to deal with quite as much ongoing fear, even though, that would not guarantee me that it would not or has not spread. You are right, none of the options seem ok at all and I can tell you, reconstruction is not a party either.

I did. Now keep in mind, I had issues on both sides. On the right, I had two tumors, had biopsy and both were cancer but very small. I also had the calcifications in the left breast, biopsied and no, that side was not cancer. The MRI, showed a papilloma on the right and an area of DCIS, so I did have a mastectomy on the right, to remove those two tumors, the papilloma and the DCIS. I am glad I had the MRI because had they not done that, I would have had the lumpectomy based on the mammograms and would not have known about the other issues that would have caused problems later. And, it also backed up the mammogram for the left, that had shown only the calcifications.

I had a unilateral mastectomy and after reconstruction and a lift to the "healthy" breast and a 3D nipple tattoo on the reconstructed side, I think I look fairly " normal". Don't get me wrong, the reconstructed side looks different, there is a scar which the tattoo covered nicely, you can hardly see it now. If I were at the gym changing clothes no one would really notice a difference. Now of course if you really study the area you can tell something is not quite right. Yes with a lift there is a chance of losing nipple sensation, but that didn't happen to me thank goodness. It's amazing what a good plastic surgeon can do. I don't regret keeping my "healthy" breast, I do get a little stressed come mammogram time, but I wouldn't go back and do things different. Unfortunately with breast cancer it just seems to be one sucky choice after another.

I was referred to him by my breast surgeons nurse. He was fresh out of residency and had just opened his practice through the hospital. He was awesome the first time I met him. He explained everything, drew pictures to show me things, treated me like a person not a number. He and his staff made a difficult situation a lot easier for me. Have you spoke with a plastic surgeon yet?

Good luck! Ask lots of questions and if you aren't happy go get a second or third opinion. I only had an hour drive for my Drs., man 21/2 that stinks, but if you find a great Dr. it will be worth it. I had seen another plastic surgeon and he was like, "this is what I will do and you will be fine. Have The scheduler get with the other Drs. scheduler and we will see you then." He had no bedside manner. Let me know how it goes.

I'm so happy for you, that has to be somewhat of a relief. I hope all goes well. Take care!