Our lovely Anonymous Previvor shares her mastectomy journey with us. Over the muscle, 6 months post op, age 39. Thank you!
I found the decision to have a prophylactic mastectomy very difficult. While faced with the facts that my risk of breast cancer was so high, it was an easy decision in theory. Better to do it preventatively than to live with the anxiety, then likely have to go through breast cancer treatment and have the surgery anyway. But in practice it never felt easy. Saying yes to a mastectomy felt so hard.
I felt alone when I found out about my BRCA2 mutation. My grandmother and my aunt had breast cancer either before I was born or when I was really young and were no longer here because of this mutation.
I was the only woman in my large family to test positive. And at 38 years old, I didn’t have any friends who had been through anything like this. Connecting with women who had been through it was the most helpful thing for me. They helped me realize that it was possible to have this surgery and to be okay on the other side.
Although I knew that having a mastectomy was the right decision for me, I was still afraid. What is going to happen to me? Will I have complications? How will I feel, what will I look like? How will I feel about what I look like?
I talked with a new friend who went through breast cancer treatment and about these fears and she said “Yeah, but you should do it anyway.” And this mantra of “Be afraid and do it anyway” is what carried me through.
I felt strongly about having over the muscle reconstruction done after talking with women who had this procedure and reading about it online. The plastic surgeon I initially met with in my region only offered under the muscle reconstruction, so I found another surgeon outside of my city who does over the muscle reconstruction and travelled 2 hours to get the type of reconstruction I wanted, which was worth the drive for me.
In the end, I found that actually living through a mastectomy and reconstruction was so much easier than the fear and unknowns of it. My surgery and recovery went very smoothly, and I’m so happy with my reconstruction result. Adjusting to having implants has been manageable for me. I have no limitations in what I can do and I still feel good about my body.
Thank you to Anon 9, we find hearing first hand how others feel REALLY helps you prepare. Don’t forget to leave any comments and likes below.
