Today, the wonderful Christina talks about the complications she suffered after her mastectomy surgery and how this affected her recovery. We are always grateful to those who write blogs for us, but sharing your story when it hasn’t been straight forward is super brave.

When Things Don’t Go Smoothly  

The path to receiving my surgery was not straightforward. I faced numerous obstacles, including the cancellation of Welsh screening programs for BRCA carriers, which meant that essential services were no longer available to me. I made countless phone calls and experienced many disappointments along the way, but I persisted. Eventually, I was approved for preventive surgery. I was fortunate to meet a compassionate surgeon who fully understood my concerns and the importance of feeling safe. She scheduled my surgery for the following October, and I was extremely grateful for her support.  

 
The procedure itself was a challenging one—a seven-hour double mastectomy with nipple-sparing reconstruction. Thankfully, it was successful, and the tissue removed was tested and confirmed to be cancer-free. I felt incredibly fortunate. Following the surgery, I spent one night in Bangor Hospital to recover, but the road to healing was not easy.  

 
For the first 12 hours, I was unable to walk or care for myself, which was difficult. My heart rate was dangerously high, and I struggled to stand without collapsing, which was both frightening and painful. However, with time, I adjusted to the pain and learned how to manage it with the prescribed medication.

 

A week later, while watching a film with my mum, I experienced an intense, unfamiliar pain. My breast began to swell dramatically, and I noticed blood along my side. It was terrifying and incredibly painful. I was rushed to A&E, where I collapsed when I arrived. It turned out that I had developed a hematoma bleed, and I spent the weekend back in the hospital. At that point, my breast looked as if it had been kicked around a football pitch.  

 

A month later, I had to undergo another surgery to address the issue. The hematoma had transformed into a seroma, and they were unable to manually drain it. Though my breast is not the same as it was, I plan to undergo further surgery in the future to replace the implant once everything settles. I learned that the complication occurred because I had inadvertently dislodged my drain by leaning on it, which caused blood to pool.  

 

I’m sharing this experience to help others who may face similar challenges. I want people to know that, while complications can arise, they can often be resolved, and everything can work out in the end.  

 

Although I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve returned to my surgeon, I am incredibly grateful for her expertise and for the safety and peace of mind this surgery has provided me. I feel more secure now than I did before the procedure, and I am deeply thankful for this life-changing opportunity.