I was 50 when I chose to not reconstruct after my BMX in 2013 and I have no regrets. I feel empowered by my decision to buck societal trends and chose comfort and ease of recovery over others expectations. It was a mutual decison for my husband and me. He has fully supported me throughout this journey.

My decision to do reconstruction was based on a couple of things: I'd had a right mystectomy only and didn't want to be uneven forever; I was 50 years old and plan to live a lot longer so I wanted to just get everything over with; but the biggest decider for me was that after the mystectomy I felt violated and insecure, even though my breasts and my look don't define me, it made a huge impact on me.

All of that said, this decision is totally up to you. You can take as long as you want to make it. I'm sorry to say the reconstruction was painful. However, for me it was worth it! (Last surgery was seven days ago)
Hugs to you!!

Dixie is correct, you can make that decision at any time. I am 70 and chose implant reconstruction because of my lifestyle. I take a lot of water aerobic and yoga classes. This just makes everything easier for me. So there are a lot of reasons we choose what we do but I feel the most important one is personal, how do we feel ourselves. What is the right choice in your heart. Good luck with your decision.

Do what feels right for 'you'. Plastic Surgeons can do some amazing work (even if you decide to just clean up a surgeon's mess), but it all really boils down to: How are you most comfortable in your own skin. Some opt for reconstruction, some don't. Its all a personal decision, and the best thing is.. the decision doesn't have to happen right now :) Get rid of the cancer now, of course, but the reconstruction (or not) can happen later.

God Bless you in whatever you decide and I send hugs and prayers for a successful surgery