Hi Alison, Sinclair, Anne and Judith
Many thanks for all your replies - so nice to talk to you all, wish it was under different circumstances.
Sinclair, I feel as you do that I want immediate reconstruction because life is just easier having two breast, although I often wonder what other people think - but it isn’t vanity it has never been about feeling less of a woman it’s all about getting rid of the cancer and I don’t think I would have the courage for surgery further down the line. If there is one thing the cancer has given me it’s the realisation that lots of silly things don’t really matter. Glad to hear you have got your movement back in your arm - I was out weeding in the garden today and tried to throw a slug out of my veg patch with my bad arm and got a really sore shooting pain up my arm - so the slug got the last laugh, it is taking me longer to get full movement back after complete node removal than I thought. Has your chemo finished and are you on to radiotherapy now? XX
Alison, thanks for all the info, I didn’t know about the expander - it just makes it easier to decide having all the info. What stage of your treatment are you at now? Were they able to take enough from your back to make the complete breast or did they also use an implant - I think they said I would have to have an implant as well as the bit from the back. What position did you sleep in at night?
XX
Anne, good luck with your reconstruction, is it the one where they use the back flap - I think that is the only one I have been offered - not sure that they will find much on my back, I am a size 12, but I have plenty they could take from the tummy (could end up like Dolly Parton if they use my tummy). Best of luck. XX
Judith, is your tummy flatter than it was after the operation? Is it strange being back at work and do the people you work with treat you any differently or did it get back to normal quickly? XX
Really lovely talking to you all - I was told by consultant when I had WLE and complete node removal that I would need radiotherapy and chemo, but now that I am having mastectomy and reconstruction they say I don’t need radiotherapy any more as the breast is being removed but some people seem to have both. Do any of you worry about your other breast (I had 2 benign cysts removed from my other breast 28 years ago when I was 16) and have you been offered any scans for it - I had a mammogram on both breasts at my first appointment but not a thing showed up ( even though my lump was 2cm) as they say I have very dense breasts so I don’t have much faith in mammograms (at least not for me). Are you’re children taking it ok, my 15 year old is very unconcerned about my illness to the point of being hurtful and this is just not her, she has always been a very loving daughter so I am putting it down to it just being her way of dealing with it. I am trying not to let my illness dominate our life.
Lovely speaking to you all, take care, Lenise XXX