Hi,
I’ve just joined and will be having a WLE on the 21st and will find out 2 weeks later if I need any treatment. Due to my family history I am being advised to have a double mastectomy (and reconstruction if I want) soon, this summer at the latest. I’m still trying to get my head around it all. I feel pretty ready for the WLE, but am struggling to envisage this major surgery. My kids are 18months and six. I’m not too worried about the six year old, as she copes well as long as she knows what’s going on, but I can’t imagine being apart from my son for so long and then being very limited with contact for a few weeks after the surgery. If there’s anyone who has gone through this surgery with a toddler - please let me know how you coped!
I’m pretty sure I want to have the Lat Dorsi flap reconstruction, but the op sounds so major, how do you sleep with all sides sore?! I’m lucky that I do had both grandmothers on hand to help with the kids, so I suppose my WLE will give me a small insight. I shouldn’t complain, my Mum had BC when I was 12 and there was 5 of us with the youngest only being one. She coped, I should be able to too. She had a mastecomy on one side, then implants, and an elective one on the other side in 2006.
If my son was older, I’d just go ahead, but I want rid of this, and being 29 am concerned about any new cancers turning up if I keep any breast tissue. I know there’s alot of women who go through this with young kids… sorry for rambling on, but it feels really good to talk about this here, where everyone understands you.
Hi Jedal
I had my mastectomy in March last year, my daughter was 4 at the time and my son 7 months old. I think I was so caught up in the whirlwind of being diagnosed that I didn’t have time to think much about how we would all cope but all I can say is we did. I had a WLE first and then three weeks later had a mastectomy and recon with a Becker implant on my right side, I was out of action for a while, and it was hard not to pick my son up and cuddle him but every so often my husband would put him on my knee for a cuddle. My daughter took it all in her stride, she was told that mummy had a sore booby and that was fine by her. I am now booking in to have a second mastectomy on my ‘good’ side as I don’t want the risk of this horrid thing coming back again, I think the op will take place in about eight weeks time. My son is 17 months now and very active but I want this op doing for them as well as for me. All I can say is take all the help that is offered - last time I lay on the sofa while my mum was doing the ironing! and you will get through it.
Hi Debs,
I have been thinking about maybe seperate mastectomys, bad side first, good side next year! I’m just worried about being sore everywhere and my kids love their cuddles, especially my son, so it would be good if I could cuddle him on one side at least…
I think I’ll ask my consultant and nurse about it,
Thanks,
Jeda
I have a 5 yr old girl and a 21 month old little boy. I had a Bi-Lat Mastectomy with tissue expanders at the end of November. I was in hospital for a week and then at my Mum’s for a week - only then did I feel ready to go home (unfortunatley I had to go back in for another op on my armpit at this point, so my recovery was a little slower). By Christmas (4 weeks post surgery) I was feeling alot stronger and able to lift little man onto the sofa with me. After about 6 weeks I could pick him up and carry him (carefully!). My biggest problem has been getting him in and out of the car and also supermarket trolleys too. Because of the implants, I had to be careful not to overstretch my chest muscle so that has made it harder. Much better now thank goodness!
It sounds as though you have lots of help, which is great - it is very very frustrating trying to watch everyone do everything (and at a slower pace than you would normally be doing things) but take whatever help you can get.
As for the recon, although it made the surgery longer and recovery slower, I have found that psycologically I feel pretty good about my boobs and my shape, personally I would not have coped so well without the recon.