First time post, I’ve recently been diagnosed with HER2 negative and ER positive breast cancer. Due to my age (36) my consultant has mentioned a double mastectomy is worth it as may have a dodgy gene somewhere had all CTs and MRIs done and luckily it’s no where else in my body but it is in my lymph nodes too so they are doing a full clearance too!
They did say there was a speckle in my other breast too but my surgeon and oncologist were happy to proceed with surgery first and just get both breasts gone!
Bit of a nerve wracking time if I’m honest and nervous about surgery too! X
Goodness what a lot to process! I’m so sorry you have had this news. I am very early into my breast cancer journey, only newly diagnosed and no treatment plan yet but I wanted to say hello and well done for finding this forum. There is a fountain of knowledge, experience and support here
Hello ladies, its difficult to process isn’t it, ive just been diagnosed with DCIS and I’m having a double mastectomy on 3rd December. It’s all very surreal at the moment, the thought of waking up that day with boobs and coming home with none, throwing all my bras in the bin, thinking about not being able to shower for a while, scared of the possible pain etc etc etc
I’m getting reconstructive at the same time with my mastectomy….i don’t have any treatment plan for after it but they are thinking chemo, radiotherapy and hormone therapy too but will only know when it’s out of me further tests have been done
It’s a rubbish time for sure, but hoping to have at least a normal Christmas before treatment starts
You can shower! I was in and out of hospital on the same day and had a shower on day 3. I made a shower cape out of an Iceland (frozen food) shop plastic bag. They are (hope it’s not they were) huge and quite thick so I easily fashioned it around me by cutting the bottom seam for my head to go through. Have your shower head low and don’t have the highest water pressure coming out and don’t stand under the flow all the time - perhaps back to the water. I had a right mastectomy so perhaps a little easier for me to avoid the flow.
Good luck and enjoy feeling clean - a small win in the grand scheme of things x
Perhaps on op day. Again not something I had to give up. I never used a spray deodorant as I think you tend to spray everything around you as well as under your arms. I was always a roll-on or stick girl. For the purposes of post-op recovery, as I had a full auxiliary node clearance, I changed to a crystal stick, that I am still using - Salt of the Earth from Holland and Barrett or Amazon. It doesn’t stop you sweating but prevents bacteria, that cause the smell, from multiplying. I used to sweat like a pig up to my 30s but it dived off a cliff so works a treat for me. I’m even nice to know after a couple of days in bed with a dose of flu! x
had all CTs and MRIs done and luckily it’s no where else in my body 
but it is in my lymph nodes too so they are doing a full clearance too!
as I’ve been advised to not wear Deodorant either!!