Hi Marital,
Thank you so much for sharing a bit more with me about why you made your decision for a mastectomy. 💜 Definitely sounds like you made a great decision and went with your gut. I did speak with a radiologist oncologist last night since my regular one was on vacation and she was so much better and help me with different things to do for the pain and even ways to treat it homeopathically as well. She was so kind and such a great support with everything which I really needed. She recommended that I continue with the completion of radiation and then if down the road I decide I want to remove the breast I can do it at that point. She also told me that the 20% chance of a new breast cancer would be totally reduced with a good diet, exercise and overall lifestyle change which helped me feel much better too! She explained that the reason I got cancer is because my immune system was broken and if you can strengthen your immune system by doing the right things you don't give cancer much of a chance to survive in that environment. It's amazing how the right doctor can help you so much more than another! 🌺

@A MyBCTeam Member yes, one reason I opted for mastectomy was that I didn’t want radiation. I already have some other health issues and even though I was assured by the radiation oncologist that it was safe, I didn’t want it near my heart and lung. The second reason I chose mastectomy was my fear of recurrence. Once again, even though I was assured by the nurse navigator and surgeon that the recurrence rates are basically the same, I realized I was going to keep worrying about it anyway. I’m a big believer in science, and I don’t dispute what the experts say. But I finally decided to go with my gut on this one. I feel very happy with my decision, since when they got in there it turned out that I had not one but two areas of IDC, plus DCIS and “lymphovascular invasion.” More than was apparent on the imaging. It had not reached the nodes, but was on its way. So I probably would have ended up with a mastectomy anyway.

Sorry to hear radiation is hurting you. I see a lot of ladies here with good advice about what works for them, so maybe you can get some relief while you’re deciding?

Would your 20% odds of getting more cancer change if you get the mastectomy?

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A MyBCTea...

I did the single mastectomy, flat closure. The hospital gave me pain meds, and when it came time to redose, I asked for T
ylenol. And since I could not tell a difference, I stuck with the Tylenol. They cut through so many nerves, a lot of the area is numb anyway. I had no complications with healing, and started chemo a few weeks later. My oncologist would not release me to come back to work until I had at least two chemos completed. So, between surgery recovery, and the two chemos, I was out for a total of 8 weeks, then worked full time after that, taking off a day every three weeks for chemo. I was 62 at the time. Hugs!

Hi Leanne, I had a mastectomy last August. It was by no means pleasant, except for the anesthesia (haha), but it wasn’t as bad as I feared. The worst part for me was the drains. They were very sore where they exited my armpit, annoying to get comfortable sleeping with, and awkward to manage in the shower. But they are temporary and necessary, and not excruciating. My breast itself is totally numb so not terribly painful, the main thing were the sizzles/shocks from nerves being cut, but they were quick and not like constant pain, and eventually wore off after about a month. I was very tired and sore for 4-6 weeks,. Emotionally it was hard at first seeing my breast and nipple gone, it took about a month not to be shocked every time I saw it, but I gradually got used to it. I had a tissue expander placed at the time, and over the next month had it filled back up to my original size. Reconstruction about 6 months later, which I’m recovering from now. I had a lift on the other side, and although I’m bruised and stitched, I think after I heal my boobs are going to look better than before, except for the missing nipple. Sometimes they can save the nipple just not in my case. So I feel lucky to end up looking pretty good after all is said and done, without too terribly much pain. More soreness and fatigue than anything. Also blessed to have escaped chemo, and no radiation which was part of my rationale for choosing mastectomy over lumpectomy. That’s my story! Emotionally the hardest part of the whole thing was deciding what to do. It’s a crappy situation, I didn’t like any of the choices, but once I finally decided and had a plan, I felt much better. Good luck and keep me posted how it’s going for you. 💕

Hi Marital,
Thank you so much for getting back to me and sharing your story with me. I was curious if a large part of the reason that you opted for a mastectomy is a concern of not only a local recurrence but a new breast cancer. I am currently at my 9th session of radiation and it has become quite painful, more so than the surgery that I had for lumpectomy. I know that when you have radiation your odds of an infection are higher if you decide to have a mastectomy so I'm really struggling with this and if I should just pull the plug on radiation and go for a mastectomy. My radiologist oncologist told me that due to my history of breast cancer of having had breast cancer, having extremely dense breasts, not having any children and starting my period at age 10 my odds of ever developing a new breast cancer would be at about 20%. This has been really Weighing on my mind and heart as I too was very blessed not to have to go through chemo therapy and the thought of ever having something happen again in the future having it be more aggressive like so many people have and needing chemo really scares me. 😔