The important thing is to get rid of the cancer, so if you haven't figured out what you want to do reconstruction wise then go ahead and get your mastectomy done and have the reconstruction surgery later. If you go this route just be aware that if you require radiation and you have that done prior to your reconstructive surgery you may not be able to have implants installed. This is because your skin can lose elasticity after radiation and not stretch enough to accommodate an implant. If you go through that scenario then you would need to have some sort of flap surgery in order to have reconstruction.

As far as medication allergies go, I am quite familiar. A couple years ago my doctor congratulated me when I reached the point of having 50 medications I am allergic to listed on my chart. I am allergic to most pain medications as well. For me I can take three different pain medications. The first is called hydromorphone otherwise known as Dilaudid, the second is Demerol, and the third is Fentanyl. Be sure to let your doctors, anesthesiologist, and nurses know what pain medicines and other medications you are allergic to. If you are aware of any pain medications you can take without an allergic reaction you should give them that information as well. There are enough pain medications out there that they should be able to find at least one that you can tolerate. You may also experience muscle spasms so ask the doctor to give you a prescription for muscle relaxers. You might want to have some nausea medicine because sometimes you can be nauseous after surgery or nauseous from pain. If you get backed up from pain medications then you should also have some sort of laxative on hand like colace. Good luck with your surgery ❤️

Hi Joanne- I had the single mastectomy, aesthetic flat closure (no plan for reconstruction). While I had an Rx for pain, I found the Extra Strength Tylenol worked just as well. I did keep ice packs handy for those times when I fell asleep and the Tylenol wore off- the ice pack ( on and off a few seconds at a time) was a great time way to bridge that time gap until the next dose kicked in. Honestly, the incision for removing the lymph nodes was the more uncomfortable of the two! They cut through so many nerves during the mastectomy that a lot of those pain messages just don't make it to the brain.

Since I did the single, I just pop a prosthetic in the bra and roll on with my life! Keeping you in prayers as you consider all the information and your emotions to make the decisions that are right for you! Hugs!