Simple Mastectomy Wednesday

I am very sorry for what you have gone through and are still going through. I often felt like I was alone on a raft in the middle of the deep blue sea when I was first diagnosed and it was terrifying. I have no advice. Just want to say "I hear you" and I am sending you a big cyber hug.

Glennie, is so right.  You will love Ariom, she is the best!!!!!  I understand you feeling completely lost, as it is a hard decision to make.  I cried for days and then decided that I would rather live with no boobs than not live at all.  My husband stood beside me every doctor's appointment, every test and held the Kleenex box for me every time I tried to talk about having a BMX. He has been my rock, my soulmate, and my partner for 32 years.  He always told me that he didn't marry me for my boobs (I was no Kate Upton anyway), and as long as I was alive to grow old with him he was happy.  I didn't think I would ever be okay with no real breasts, but I really don't miss them.  I come home after work, take my "girls" off, take my hat/wig off and get comfortable.  I have even gotten to the point where I can stay flat in front of my son and his wife and sometimes I run errands that way as well.  I am sorry you are going through such a tough time, but it really does get better.  Ariom can give you a website where she is their fashion model.  She looks great!!!! 

Hello home4lreb! I am so terribly sorry you find yourself feeling this way. None of us actually know just how we are going to react to the tough decisions, we are forced to make. Simple Mx, indeed, a man must have named that surgical procedure!

I have to thank Glennie and nomatterwhat for the vote of confidence in my interest in foob, boob, form and prosthesis, camis, clothes and pocketed bras. The truth is I am a shopaholic, who happens to be a Uni! LOL Ask anything, and I will try to help, if i can.

There is also a website which as started and is maintained by one of our members, Erica. It is called breastfree.org and there are stories and photos about women who have had Umx and Bmx surgery and have opted not to have reconstruction. Take a look if you want to get more of an idea of how the end result could look.

Once you familiarize yourself with this site. you'll probably be surprised to see, how many of us there are. There are threads dedicated to Living without reconstruction.

You can see by the responses you have received so far, that the women here will reach out to you and offer support and advice, should you want it. We understand how you feel, it isn't easy, your world has been turned upside down. Farmerlucy puts it so well, when she says she felt like she was alone on a raft, on the deep blue sea.

I was probably fortunate, in that my Mother was a Uni too, she had a radical Mx in '94, just 4 months after my Father passed away. I was my Mother's carer and must have processed the way she handled the whole transition by osmosis. She was a really sophisticated woman who handled it all with such grace, but she had a wicked sense of humor about it, too.

I had to spend the evening before my Umx surgery, in a motel, because the Hospital was over an hour away from where I live and I had an early SNB. Although, this probably sounds really weird, I felt like I had to disengage from my right breast, so I actually spoke to it. I said, "You've let me down, you have to go!" That really calmed me down, not for everyone, but it worked for me.

It's great that you have great support from family .I had the same and my husband, is a rock for me too. He hadn't the slightest negative reaction to my decision to have my breast removed and his comment, when he saw my chest the day after surgery set me on a positive course from day 1. He looked at my scar and said "That will heal really well and you don't need 2 boobs, to be gorgeous!" I can't tell you how great that was for me.

I am 14 months out, from my surgery now and although it probably sounds strange, even flippant, of me, I really just don't think about it that much now. Like Glennie, I even go half flat occasionally and I have a "D" cup on my remaining side. nomatterwhat goes flat occasionally too, there's a whole group of women who call themselves Flat and Fabulous, there's even a FaceBook page dedicated to them.

I know you feel like you're the only one and that you feel alone right now, but you'll never be alone here. Come here often and ask anything.

Hugs to you!

My college boyfriend named my breasts Twinkie and Pinkie (can't remember why,, we were young,, you know how it is )   So Pinkie is the one who got cancer. My close friends knew about the names and we spent the couple weeks before surgery saying good bye to Pinkie.  I went on a long planned vacation to North Dakota.  The destination may sound weird but I had been to 49 of the 50 states and it was the last one.  So there were comments like:  At least Pinkie made it to all 50 states.  Glad Pinkie made it to Custer State Park, etc etc,  I was dx on 6/27,, had surg on 8/8, so it was a few weeks of saying good-bye and taking Pinkie here and there for one last visit!   

So it is NOT silly to say good-bye. Have your own ritual.

We are here to help with questions!  Don't let the drains scare you. They are manageable.  I put a link below in case you want to order one of these.  I lived in it post surgery.  It is a nice soft cami with pockets inside for the drains. It opens in front with velcro,,, front opening is important cuz you wont be able to put shirts over your head for a while. So you will need some button down the front kind of shirts.   You can also secure the drains to your shirt with a big safety pin,,, attach them to a lanyard around your neck,, or go to Home Depot and get a Nail Pouch,,, it has 3 pockets, ties around your waist and costs like 2 bucks.  Can't beat it.  I got one for a male friend with BC,, he had a double and had 3 drains,, it was perfect,, pocket for each drain. And he wore a button down shirt over it, not tucked in,, and you couldn't see it.     It is not very comfortable to have them just hanging,, and the hospital may have some ideas for you too. I've seen some women on here get all kinds of things from their hospital or doctors,,, me,,, I was left to deal with it all myself.

!http://www.tlcdirect.org/Post-Surgery-Mastectomy-Camisole-Bra-American-Cancer-Society-TLC-Direct?did=65

M: you are longer than 14 months from surg,, you are 26 months!!  I remember your 2 year anniversary!  I am now 18 months post surg.

a doctor friend of mine once said, the only minor surgery, or in this case, simple surgery, is the one being done on somebody else.

Time flies when you are having "fun"!   Did I never tell my Pinkie story before?  Well, now you've heard it!  LOL!!

Congrats on that good news!

YAY for clear margins!  Congrats!

I have never seen such a bra,, but if anyone finds it, I'd love to see a pic or a link too!