I had a left mastectomy back in 2004 (at 29 years old) and have lived lopsided ever since as I could never find the time in my life for reconstruction and the only op available to me was high risk of failure, long recovery time.
I’ve now got secondary BC and finding ways of making life easier for myself. After struggling with clothing etc for the last 7 years I now hate wearing bras and it’s made worse as the vertebra where the bra strap goes has collapsed.
So I was thinking of asking for a second mastectomy then I could go bra free when at home, sport etc and us contact prostethis etc when out and about.
Snap!! Well, nearly. I was diagnosed 4 yrs ago with bone mets at same time as primary, had chemo, mx and full anc, then rads. Was 42 at time and honestly losing one breast wasn’t an issue for me - I thought it was better than the alternative! My spine mets got a bit worse late last year so I had a one-off zap that helped lots. However, I have been thinking over the last few months that perhaps I should ask for a 2nd mx to balance me up. I wondered if it may take a bit of pressure off my spine as I am leaning towards the right-hand side where I still have my breast. I asked at my last checkup which was with the bc nurse and she said she could see the logic and was certain the surgeon would be ‘happy’ to do it for me. I haven’t pursued it any further at the mo as I am too busy enjoying myself but think it may be a winter thing to do as it would take a chunk out of my life with recovery etc. I’m back at onc in Sept too after a routine bone scan so the results from that will obviously have a bearing in case it’s got any worse and I need more rads or spine strengthening cement.
It’s a dilemma but I’m going to see how things go the next few months and make further enquiries and take it from there.
I had a double mx done at time of diagnosis and I’m really pleased I did. On one side this was a risk reducing mx. My surgeon was happy to do it for a number of reasons including because I was very big busted and he thought it would have been difficult for me to manage.
Since then I have opted to have very small prostheses so they are lighter and I don’t have so much weight on my shoulders. I had shoulder and back problems long before my diagnosis so it made sense to me. I think those problems were in no small part due to the weight of my breasts. Glad I did as I have developed a bigger shoulder problem following all the surgery.
I wear my prostheses when I’m out but at home in the evenings etc I don’t and it’s great not to have to wear a bra.
The only thing I would say having spoken to physios since is that the body then needs time to shift and readjust. I don’t know how this would be for you with the bone mets and whether it would help ease things straight away or would make it a bit more uncomfortable initially.
Perhaps it might be an idea to have a chat with someone on the helpline who has the knowledge and expertise?
Interesting thread! I had my mx done this Jan, but I am big busted, also TN and after talking to BN last month, she has booked me in to see surgeon in sept to discuss having other one off, felt relieved after talking to her, as worry about reacurrance as been a concern, but also the visual look, can’t find bras that fit comfy etc.
If you could get 2 ops done at the same time that would be a bonus Is !!!
Yep, the bra thing is a pain - wouldn’t have believed it was so difficult to get one to fit and look half-decent and not let the prosthesis move too much. I always look lopsided as none of the prosthesis I’ve had fill in enough as I had a lot of tissue/chest wall taken too.
If I did go ahead, I would be hopeful the same physio services would be there as were first time round. The surgeon would be the same one who did my original op and he was so good I would insist on him doing it again.
I had MX on one side in 2009 - I am quite small chested so I have not found it too bad and I bought the swimming prosthesis from Amoena which i wear all the time as it is lighter than the NHS issued one, I can imagine if you are big breasted the weight must be enormous!
I am considering a 2nd MX to reduce the risk of recurrence and will discuss with Dr next week, but does anyone have any idea how likely this is to reduce my risk?
Hi Iswiz
im in a similar situation at the moment. i am 31 with bone mets and another tumour in remaining breast. up until now my consultant has refused to do mast as he said there was very little evidence to say i would benefit. however 2 week ago he said that its 6 of one and half a dozen of the other and said i can go ahead if thats what i want!! I would be interrested to know what your consultant views are as i really want it done but worry im putting myself at risk for not much benefit. does any one else have any words of wisdom?
thanks
Sarah
My consultant was very firm with me that it wouldn’t reduce any risks with the disease as if it came back in that breast it would be a new DX. I did it purely for symmetry reasons so that I match the side of the MX 7 years ago.
He wouldn’t do the op till I got the disease stable and I’ve had two clear scans since the end of chemo so he sanctioned it.
Also the fact that I was having an op to remove the ovaries anyway meant he was happier as I was having general anesthetic anyway.
Hi There girls
ive got something on my mind and hope i can get some feedback of you lovely ladies . I had my MX on 28th september, basicaly ime worried about the state of my MX site , has any of you ladies got issues like this , it still looks horrible , all lumpy and uneven and very concaved , ime not sure how it should look but i dont think it should look this untidy . it isnt in any way neat surgery and my scar is all over the place.
Mx scars do take a while to settle down. They will look different depending on the type of mx. Mine was black and blue (and yellow and green) from bruising for quite a long time and even when that was gone was still far from aesthetically pleasing! And yes, my scar was crooked, looked like a depressed mouth! Yours may still be settling, but have you mentioned it at a check up? If it is a real problem there may be something they can do… all the best, Mo x
Sorry, also wanted to say that I have been thinking of a 2nd mx for ages, never seems to be the right time, but I might still go for it as it would be great not to be lopsided any more - like Iswhiz have been like it since 2004 + further surgery on same side after recurrence.
Interesting to see this thread again as I have finally got round to ringing the breast care unit here and asked to see the surgeon to discuss mx with him. The nurse did ask on the phone if I was wanting recon too but that’s a big no-no for me. I just want to even and balanced and have the option of having a cleavage or not. Have an appointment on 12th Dec. Fingers crossed he won’t say anything that will put me off. I’ll then be able to plan when to do some mini city breaks and fit the surgery around that.
If anyone has any questions they think may be useful/relevant/something I’ve not thought of, I would be most grateful to hear from you. I do have bone mets so this surgery is purely a balancing-up exercise!!!
So here I am 6 weeks after surgery and yet to wear a bra! I love it… Always hated wearing bra’s anyway :o)
I did shed a tear or two when I finally took the bandage off and saw the scar in the mirror for the first time but that is to be expected and after that I’m happy again!
Friends still find it a bit strange but I just say two boobs - great, one boob - not so, so no boobs best! But they will never fully understand how,after breast cancer your boobs never mean the same to you again.
Was going to search for this post to report back! Iswhiz - I am so pleased you are very happy with your surgery.
Saw the surgeon y’day and he will do mx. He checked what treatment I am on and that my bone mets appear stable. He could see my logic in balancing myself up and agrees it may help my posture and spine. So it was a matter of when did I want it doing - he’s away second half of Dec and I’m away mid-Jan for a few days so it looks like it will be towards the end of Jan. I asked about recovery time and when I might be able to fly again (city breaks/short trips away to plan!!) and he said if it all goes ok and as well as last time - that was after 6 months chemo - then about 4 weeks. Good enough for me!!
So it’s all systems go now and I’m looking forward to being even again.
Keep letting us know how you are getting on Iswhiz and I’ll do the same.
Had a letter today with date for my pre-op appt with surgeon and it is on Jan 16th so that has been dealt with speedily. I imagine the surgery will be the following week if everything is ok. Good news!!
Great news on getting the appointment, make sure you keep us posted on how you get on. I’m still so happy and have only worn prothesis twice! To be honest can’t be arsed the rest of the time, I have found that wearing flouncy scarves hides the missing boobs to most people and this includes going to the office!
Always hated bra’s so not sure why I would wear them now I don’t need to!
Been to see surgeon this morning and signed the consent forms as my onc had also agreed I could have the mx at a MDT meeting. Given usual warnings plus those that say I will be at higher risk of infection/dvt etc because I have secondaries but they will give me higher doses of drugs to be on safe side and monitor me a bit closer. Have to go to pre-op assessment unit next Monday for their tests and then wait. Apparently the bc unit was very busy with urgent cases before Xmas so they are fully booked til March but if there is a cancellation beforehand, my name is there. If I haven’t heard within 2 weeks, then give them a call - certainly will !!! - as they expect a vacancy before mid-Feb. Sooner the better in my book so I can start planning my social life again…