Diagnosed last week that I had breast cancer and mastectomy booked for this Thursday. Scared about how I will feel looking at scar, any support would be appreciated.
Gina
Hi Gina
I expect you are in shock still after getting this news and it’s all happening very fast with your treatment - which is a good thing. Hope the operation goes well - I’ve had a lumpectomy some years ago so can’t help with the recovery etc after a mastectomy - but wishing you all the best with this and the follow up treatment as well. I’m sure someone else will be along soon to help as well - if not you can ‘bump up’ your post/thread as they tend to disappear rapidly off the front page of ‘latest posts’.
Take care
Nicky x
Gina,
So sorry that you have had to join us.
I was diagnosed 1st of Feb and had surgery 20th of Feb. I was rather large breasted so had a mammoplasty on bad breast and reduction on good. They removed about 2/3rds of both breasts.
It took me two weeks to look or touch my breasts, I was terrified. When I finally got the courage to look, it was no where near as bad as I expected.
I am sure there will be plenty of ladies that will give you advice. Good luck for Thursday
Marguerite
Hi Gina
Welcome to the BCC forums. I have posted a link below to our new resource pack which you may find helpful, it has been designed for those newly diagnosed, just click on the link to access the order form. You can also order more information publications on the same page by clicking on the links under the ‘quick order list’.
If you would like to speak to someone in confidence please do call our helpline on 0808 800 6000, the line is open weekdays 9-5 and Sat 9-2, our team of specialist nurses and trained helpliners can offer you further support and information. Hope this helps.
Best wishes
Lucy
Hello - I am sorry to hear of your diagnosis.
I had a mastectomy a couple of years ago and am due to have the other breast removed next week.
I really don’t mind my scar at all - and medics have complimented my surgeon’s neat handiwork! I am accustomed to having no boob but I hated being lopsided (which is part of the reason why I am having the other boob off.)
When I am in self pitying mood I wil have a groan about being boobless, ovaryless etc - but most of the time I forget about it.
How you feel post-mx all depends on how you viewed your boobs before cancer I think. If you feel your feminity and sexuality are all wrapped up in them then it is a big loss. I never regarded my boobs as an asset, never bothered with flouncy underwear and didn’t even bother with a bra till I was in my 30s. So losing them isn’t too awful for me. But I am aware that for others it is a much bigger deal.
There is a superb website called breastfreeDOTorg which you might want to look at - it gives a refreshingly positive spin on life post-mastectomy.
A mastectomy isn’t the end of the world. I hate hearing women talk about mutilation and all that stuff. The way I see it is my boobs tried to kill me - I am glad to see the back of them - it isn’t like losing a leg or a major organ - they were just some extraneous fat and glands that had a propensity to develop cancer.
But as I said - that is just my point of view. There is no right or wrong with this and we all have to deal with it in our own way.
I am sure you will find your own way through it. You are in the thick of it now with the shock of diagnosis and treatment - but you will come out the other side and everything will settle back to a kind of normality again.
Good luck with all your treatment - I hope everything goes very well.
Thanks everyone for your support. Can’t believe how fast people respond. I am sure at each stage of my treatment I will be asking for more information and this forum and website will help me through.
Gina
Hi Gina - so sorry to hear of your news - this is a great site and the girls will be of great support. As other contributers have said your still in shock and it will go on abit - try and take one step at a time and don’t listen to too many stories so many people have different experiences and outlook - it’s all so individual. Any questions you have will usually get a quick response which is comforting. Stay away from the threads that you are not ready for ( you’ll soon get the gist from the opening lines) they can be abit upsetting especially if you are newly diagnosed. Concentrate on the positive contributions of which there are loads . Love and cyber hugs winging their way to you for tomorrow which will seem like a very long day extra special good luck for Thursday.
Gina
Hope your operation went well on Thursday and it wasnt as bad as you were expecting. I remember how helpless I felt waiting to go down for the operation - the fear of the unknown.
I found I had a desire for more information at each step of the journey. If you need any further guidance or advice - please post on here and I will help if I can.
I am 41, married with 4 year old daughter, and had a mastectomy (without reconstruction) in July 2009. Grade III with 3 nodes involved. After 4 weeks recovery I had a second op to remove all the remaining lymph nodes. Since then I have had 6 months chemo and 15 sessions of radiotheraphy and all treatment now finished. (other than reconstruction - think I’ll have a rest for time being).
Cant quite believe how quickly the time has passed. I can honestly say none of the treatments have been as bad as I was expecting. Its as though it has happened to someone else and I have just been watching. So think positive if you can!
I tried to continue working as much as I could - at least it kept my mind and thoughts busy. 8 weeks off work for the two lots of surgery and start of chemo then I just had days off at the beginning of each of my chemo cycles and 6 weeks off at the end. I worked mornings and went to Christies in the afternoons while having rads every day.
I have had days where I was absolutely exhausted and many people tell me I should have stayed at home resting rather than being at work. I didnt want to sit at home on my own thinking about what ifs! I enjoyed being at work and had some great night outs just when I needed them.
Good luck and let us know how you got on - we are all here to help
Paula
Hi everyone
Gina hope you are more positive now after all these lovely strong comments. Paula you are a breath of fresh air to me this morning. Ihave just had my first tax on Tuesday after having been through 3 FECs and I must say I have been quite fortunate with how I have been feeling. Could I ask you if you had Tax? I am having my mx after treatment so I am taking this from a different angle but we are all or have all went through the same processes. Please keep positive posts coming as some days find me feeling very low.
I had chemo pre surgerey and so had months to get used to the idea of surgery and I couldn’t stand my ‘bad’ breast. I remembervhow scared and nervous I was as I was in hospital waiting for the surgery. In the end, the staff were so kind and caring, comforting me and even able to make to laugh (HOW?!). Afterwards, It was so much easier than I had feared and I faced the surgery results head on - I was suprised at how it affected me less than I had imagined it would. I viewed the sticthes and scar when my dressings were changed and I had the support of a lovely, caring and understanding nurse with me when my stitches came out I accepted the change with some ease and can’t recall ever being sad or sorry to loose the breast - I am still relieved that its gone - I couldn’t stand it being there and being able to feel what was still a big horrible lump. My issues really were more about the surgery and recovery than loosing the breast and having the scar.
I took comfort re my surgery from the large numbers of women who were recovered from their surgery and who had adapted well afterwards. I knew that if so many women could do it and smile still the other side then so could I. I think it also helped that I went to a hospice daycare centre and had met lots of very lovely ladies who shared their experience with me and I had often been in the company of women who were still recovering from their surgery.
I can relate to Mrsmolly having the other breast off. I don’t think its a road I’ll go down but I don’t like being lopsided when undressed though I have got used to it. I sometimes think it would be good to be even again though I like to still have the breast I have. I don’t think I’ll go for recon. I really don’t feel I want to go through that, not yet anyway.
Good luck, be kind to yourself and take your time with things.
Love L x
Mrs M
Ive typed a response to you and cant see it.
Perhaps I should keep it brief this time.
Yes - I have had tax.
Hi Paula
Don’t worry about post. you have definitely given me a boost today and i shall try to stay positive for the two remaining tax and then my surgery.
thanks to everyone again for their reassuring posts.