No reconstruction- Happy w/your decision?

lisa54,  I work at a hospital and the Durable Medical Equpiment arm of the facility actually has a boutique and breast form fitters for post-mastectomy women.  Maybe checking around at the hospitals in your area might help you find something similar.  i went to see what they offered and they did seem like decent forms.  I still decided to go "flat" but I also has a bilateral, so I didn't have to worry about "matching."  best of luck.  Angie

hi, my story is alot like the rest, but there is just one differenc

i had an infection from the biospy that went on for a month before the mast, by that time so much of my breast had been cut a way it was almost a godsend when i finally had the mast, by that time i did not want to have anymore surgeries, i wear a prot when i am out but at home i don't. if i had known what i know now, i would have had a bil..i am comfortable for the most part the way my body is know and my husband has been so supportive that there seems no reason to have recon. and risk another infection,,hope this has been helpful ..

Climbergirl -

In my opinion, you will not need a camisole right away (unless you want one to put your drain(s) in). They will have you taped up in a big Ace bandage, so just a pajama top that buttons in the front will do you fine when leaving the hospital and for a few days after that.

I had eight days off of work after my mast and I don't think I wore a cami until I went back to work - I pretty much lived in pajamas and lounging clothes. When I did return to work, I wore  nice comfy camis (two nude colored and a black to wear under button down shirts until I received my prothesis).

As far as what to wear with your tank tops, I wore my prosthetic in my regular bra (an A cup) and then tank on top. Now doing yoga and climbing - it might just pop out, so you might be better off just wearing a sports bra under your tank, which is tight enough to hold it in place. That's what I do when I run (if I even wear the "boobs") - put them in the sports bra - they do not move.

Also, a fanny pack is a nice place to hide your grenades from your drain(s) when you have company over, so they can't see it.

Best of luck to you!

Raye

I'll add to what Raye and Marsh said.  You will be taped up tightly for a few days.  I think I wore a cotton button down shirt home from the hospital.

When you are ready (like when the drains are out) I would suggest the Still You camisole.  They have pockets for the fiberfill stuff (which comes with it) and are pretty comfortable.  They are pricey, however but you can wear them long after you recover.  Although, wash them separately.  I washed mine with other clothes (like colors) and they ended up pilling.

As far as exercising- I either wear the Anita sports bra or the Naturalwear (not sure on spelling but it comes in gray) with the Amoena swim form for exercising.  I like wearing the swim form rather than my other every day form when I am physcially active.  I was a B cup before my single mast.  Be aware-mast bras tend to run on the larger size.  So most of mine are A's or AA's.  Yes, sad but true. 

I'm not necassarily happy with my decision, but it's acceptable. During my first Mast., I had an expander put in. It was VERY PAINFUL. I hated it. Two weeks later when my Sent. Node came back positive, I went back under the knife for an Ax Node Dissection. I begged my ps to "pop" in during the dissection and remove the expander. He obliged. Last year I had a Prophyl, so now I'm symmetrical, but VERY FLAT! LOL In fact...I am so flat, that my ribs stick out way further than my ex-boob area! Needless to say, I don't venture out in public without my prosths, but around the house I do with out. When I work out, I wear prosths...I'm too self-conscious not to! Do I wish I had boobs...yes...but again, I've accepted the fact that I don't. Every three months when my Onc examines me, he asks the same question: "So...have you thought anymore about reconstruction?" My answer is always: "NO, NOT YET!" He probably asks me this because of how dreadful a sight my chest is! LOL Poor guy...LOL

Hi Marlee,

I did the expander and recon on the bc breast and regret that I DID THAT. It's more trouble than it's worth and will probably get the implant out during the summer. It's not worth all the crap and hubby doesn't care, just wants me healthy, happy, and in no pain! Good luck in your decision.

Margaret

I'm so grateful to have stumbled onto this thread this morning because it is a wealth of positive comments and suggestions.  I had a left mastectomy with tissue expander in Oct. '08 and then a second surgery to correct necrosed skin and an infection in early November -- I wanted the surgeon to remove the expander then, but he and my BC surgeon decided to leave it in.  Had fills during chemo December -March and exchange surgery in April, '09, followed by radiation.  Implant failed due to capsular contracture and was removed/replaced in December '09.  Second implant developed capsular contracture and will be removed next week.  I'm done and am extremely happy to know that life goes on very nicely for many women who choose not to do reconstruction.  I'll soon be one of you!   

I'm a uni-boober and very happy with it. Though I know others may find it disturbing to see me naked, I actually think I look kind of pretty. Weird, I know. My mx is very "neat" and fairly flat, with not alot of extra skin. My boyfriend thinks I look better than before because it shows that I have been through something. I just think that it is "me" and that it is fine. Of course, being in a long-term relationship and being almost 50 years old (gravity is already doing some damage....) makes it much easier to accept my new body. 

I am a musician and the risk of LE from more surgery made my no-recon decision easy. Adjusting to losing a breast was also much less traumatic than I thought.

Lovemygarden - you hit the BINGO and I did laugh.  Although - I was a heavy chested person (48DDD).  I think my friends thought I'd react badly to zero boobs (had bilateral in Sept 2007), there was surprisingly zero reaction.  My surgeon tucked a little tisuse in a flap formation - in his words "so if you do wanna wear a bra, it won't slap ya in the face".  hahahaha 

Work colleagues now shake their head - ya ya, shut up about you're not wearing boobs.  I don't have to adjust my bra, I don't have gapping in my blouse, I don't sweat in the summer and I'll never have boobs looking at dust bunnies.  I can purchase whatever tops I want and I do not have to wear a camosole if I don't feel like it.  The freedom is oddly happy.

 Realizing that I'm 51 years old now probably also plays a part.  My boobs do not define my being female - my head did that years ago - haha.  I have prosthetics and depending on what I'm wearing, yes, I wear them.  But - it's a choice.  Gee - I love choices!!!

Everyone makes their own decisions and have multiple reasons why .... I am only sharing that at this point anyways - no desire to have more surgery or more thinking about feeling for lumps.  OOOO - excuse me while I do not have to adjust straps or elastic - hahaha.

I had a right side mastectomy in Dec. 09 no reconstruction.  My decision was an easy one for me, I felt I didn't need my breast (real or fake) to identify who I am.  I am not involved with anyone at this time, nor was I before my dx.  If I do find someone they will have to except me the way I am.

Laura-Vic, oh you're so right -- how could I forget about the "traveling bra-strap issue", LOL! And I was forever having to pull mine up .... oh gosh yes, let's see I'm 60+ now, so that was what, 45 years of strap-adjusting (and often, in summertime, actually pinning the top of the bra straps to the inside of whatever sleeveless top I was wearing; isn't it ridiculous, the things we thought were 'code-red critical' back then?!)

Ironically, I used to avoid button-down cotton shirts because of the gapping, but now that I'm flat I love them: Not only are they great for subtly camoflaging flatness (you can poof them out a bit and they'll stay that way) but I can really appreciate the comfortable-ness of the fabric itself.

Absolutely OK with no reconstruction.  Heard SO many women talking about months of reconstruction surgeries, expanders, implants, having to massage out lumps, infections, additional surgeries, nipples with no feeling ... I had a mast and was out walking around on day 3.

Because I'm uni-boob, I drop a "breast enhancer" from Wal-Mart ($15 for two) in the flat side of my stretch bra (when I remember) 

Lauri:  I had a left mast. in June- no recon.  Difficult decision for sure, but I have had no problems accepting my uni-boob look.  I, like you, bought breast enhancers from Walmart and just stick them in my bra (my other side is 38C - so I just doubled the enhancers!).  So far, this has worked quite well - maybe early in 2011 I'll go and get fitted for a prosthetic.

I never wanted to go thru the hassle of more surgeries & such - there is more to life than boobs and when my treatments are all over (I only have 5 more rads to go!), I just want to put all this behind me and move on.

Do I miss my breast?  Not really.  Sure, it would be nice to have both of them, but my dh is OK with it, and so am I.

Just over 3 weeks out from my left masectomy, had consulted with plastics before surgery as well as the Radiologic Oncologist(I have invasive breast cancer) and it was decided to wait to have any redconstruction until after radiation therapy-because of many potential concerns. After reading so many posts-mostly more recent posts, it truly does make me wonder if reconstruction and all the potential complications(and of course, I would be the one with the complications) will be a consideration when all things are healed and treatments are completed. I had asked about bilateral masectomy-and they did not feel it was needed. I am a big person, but comfortable with the surgery that was done, and now with more things to think about including reconstruction. I am not missing that left breast at this time-glad they got (hopefully) all the cancer. Once the drains were out, and the staples out..found comfort in a tank top with a shelf bra. Now in casual clothes and yes, it is fall in New England..we do wear layers---I am comfortable with the unequality in size of my chest. Not sure how it will play out when I need to get into professional office attire, or interview attire in the future. So thanks to all input in this column-you have given me many things to think about...and since this will be the only time since this journey began, it is nice to have choices...as one person said, her breasts did not define who she is/was. So thanks for all the comments. The jury so to speak is still out.