Good morning — first post (im sure it wont be the last 
).
I’m 40 and have recently been diagnosed with grade 1, but two different areas(same breast)… because obviously one just wouldn’t have been enough!
I’ve decided to go for a mastectomy with implant reconstruction.
I’m pretty open about it all, but being a hairdresser means I basically can’t escape the conversation — and honestly, it’s a bit mentally draining having “the chat” on repeat all day while still trying to keep my work face on. When you’ve had clients for 10+ years, it’s hard to suddenly go all mysterious and quiet!
Also worried about returning to such a physical job.
So — any advice on single implant reconstruction, handling well-meaning but constant client chats, or just getting through this whole situation without losing the plot would be very welcome 
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Hello @cellsgonerouge and welcome to the forum!
Sorry you need to be here but since you are, I’m sure you’ll find it to be a great source of support and information, not to mention there can be a lot of laughs and fun at times too.
I don’t have any experience with your particular treatment and am definitely not skilled in the hair department (I let people like you sort that for me 
), however I am a conversational wizard and the best way I’ve found to handle chat when you don’t really want to talk but do need to keep up relations is to get the other person to talk about themselves.
You can basically partially switch off while they do most of the work and you can keep the conversation up by throwing out low-effort, reactive phrases that encourage them to keep talking such as, “oh really?” and “noooo?!” etc. Might take some practice but it definitely works!
As for getting through the situation without losing the plot. My biggest advice is to take everything one step at a time. I got so much thrown at me in such a short space of time and it seemed like there was just so much to do and I just wanted it all to be done so I could move on. But in reality, I’ve found that getting the very best out of the treatment and dealing with it on other levels, such as emotionally, often involves slowing everything down. Easier said than done a lot of the time, but definitely getting better with practice!
I hope this helps and I wish you all the very best with your surgery and recovery. Take it easy and do let us know if you get any juicy gossip out of your clients. 
x
Hi @cellsgonerouge
So sorry you’re in this situation. Nope im not a hairdresser. But I had a bit of counselling, I didnt know how to deal with people blurting out to me. Oh you’ve got cancer eh!
I was told to have a couple of responses ready that I could use like oh yeah how are you? And divert the conversation back.
You can pick and chose who to have the conversations with and some people you would be able to be open and honest with and basically say that its draining retelling the information on repeat and you would prefer to have your mind on something else.
Others you could just divert the conversation constantly back to them or another subject. It works wonders.
Good.luck with everything xx
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Thank you for your message. Yes, I think that’s exactly it—I really do need to slow down, as the mental load is overwhelming at the moment.
Regarding work, clients, and colleagues, I feel I understand where most people are coming from, and many seem genuinely concerned (though a few are just nosey). Yesterday, when people asked, I simply said that everything feels a bit all-consuming right now and that I’d rather not talk about it. Everyone seemed to respect that.
Note to self….. add in some boundaries!
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I have this on my notes to self list also. 
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