new and future flat sister, with questions

3 hours of ironing? ouch, havent done that for years. I just iron as neededbut used to do much more. Sounds like you have a great machine to make it easy tho.

A new dog Bobo? how will the real Bobo react? hope another dog isnt adding to your already overloaded schedule. Need pics.

She's getting so big!!  Can't wait to hear more about the new dog.

OMD she's getting so big!!!!

Did you guys see Bobo's email.. how cute is that dog.... I wonder if his tongue always stays out and how he eats. I can't believe he was supposed to be euthanized.. that's just heartbreaking.

So cute.I was wondering how he ate....but he is 12, so he must eat somehow. Thanks for the pics Bobo!

And what exactly is a "Lesbian Pet Store"??

Wren, I'll PM you.

Hi everyone new to this forum but not new to BCO. I found this forum very informative and helpful. I am going for mastectomy in August i am 3 years out of treatment. Reason for mastectomy is due to extensive radiation damage which I am aware that it is not at all common. I have concerns about the healing process among other concerns to do with already damaged tissue etc. I wondered if there was anyone else out there who would have had this experience. I thought long and hard wether to post these questions as I didn,t want to scare anyone off from treatment. Thank you for your time Ro_berta

ro-berta:  You may want to start another thread on your topic. I've had a mastectomy and can tell you all about it, but I didn't have rads so I'm no help on that department. There may be others who are in a similar place that you are and it would be easier for them to find you if you start another thread with an appropriate title explaining your situation.  **radiation damage--now need Mastectomy**  something like that perhaps?  

Best of luck to you.

This thread hasn’t been active for years.

You will get more responses if you start a new thread.

Hi Candice - I am 46 years old and had a double mastectomy without reconstruction in May of this year. Although it has been a little over 5 months now, I still feel like a newbie on the whole experience, however I would be happy to answer any questions that I can.

Candice, I'm a similar age to you and I had a prophylactic double mastectomy in June without reconstruction. I don't regret not getting reconstruction at all. It's certainly a quicker and less painful process to have surgery without reconstruction with much less recovery time. The outcome of reconstruction can be unpredictable (in terms of the shape and size a woman's breasts end up) but if you don't get reconstruction, you can choose what size prostheses to wear or to go flat, or alternate. You can also not do reconstruction at the moment and then choose it later down the track. Please feel free to ask more specific questions that are of concern to you.

Thanks for your reply. I’m freaking out a bit in terms of what to expect post surgery. I got a call Friday to say surgery is scheduled for the 31st. So there is not much time to mentally prepare. I don’t have a strong support network here where I live. So it’s nice to be able to talk with people with similar circumstances. It sucks that we have to be in these circumstances to begin with but I know there are many women facing this. I’d like to talk to you about how you felt post surgery and how you told family and friends why you chose to do a double mastectomy without reconstruction. I have family members who don’t really understand why I’ve chosen to do this. So I feel a bit pressured to change my course of action but I’m running out of time but I still feel I’ve made the right choice for me.

Candice

Hi Candice. I chose a bilateral mastectomy with no reconstruction 5 months ago and I know I made the right choice for me. The plastic surgeon I saw was honest: 30 percent chance of complications; implants need to be replaced every 10 years. And the women I know who’ve had problems from surgery were the ones having reconstruction. Plus it’s a much longer surgery and recovery with more pain. I wear “the girls” sometimes but mostly I’m flat. And I’m fine with it. It’s actually kind of liberating in a strange way. Know that whatever choice you make, it’s the right one for YOU.

I’ve posted some care tips for after mastectomy surgery on a new website, BCCT.ngo. That’s Beyond Conventional Cancer Therapies. Look in the blog section. I hope they’re helpful for you.

Candice - I was originally only diagnosed with cancer on my right side, but my husband and I decided together that I would have the bilateral mastectomy. Our 2 big deciding factors were that we wanted to do everything we could to avoid having to go through this again and I have Sensory Processing Disorder and felt that I just wouldn't be able to handle being lop-sided. I decided not to have reconstruction due to the SPD, and wanting to avoid future surgeries, and a long drawn out recovery. After my surgery, the pathology showed that DCIS was found on my left side, so I have felt even better on my decision.

I was originally small busted and not overly attached to my breasts to begin with so I have not had too much of an issue with the visible part of them being gone, although my first look was a little tentative. It really isn't that noticable in my situation and those that have asked if I had reconstruction seem supportive right away when I say I haven't. I have had a lot of issues with chest tightness following my surgery, so I am doubly glad I didn't have reconstruction.

Thinking of you!