Topic: large breast mastectomy

Dear Viktoria,

I too was large breasted; a 42D.  Not as large as you, but large enough.  I had a Mastectomy and did not have reconstruction.  It all depends on you and your husband.  I chose not to have reconstruction because I was 48 at the time of my mastectomy and had chemotherapy immediately after.  I am now 50 and have not regretted my choice.  I don't feel lopsided as I have a good prosthesis by "Amoena" that is lightweight.  You have to ask for the lightweight model and not everyone you go to will know what you mean.  I brought pictures of the Amoena product I wanted and they ordered it for me.  If you are young, I would do reconstruction.  I still wish I had my breast, but I value my life more and if I'm still breathing that is a good thing.  My husband did not marry me for my breast as he says, but because he loved me.   He says that breasts on a woman are nice, but not a necessity.  Women and Men should love each other for who they are, not what they look like. 

I don't know if I helped you or not, but if I had a third lump, I would probably have a mastectomy.  I wouldn't like the odds!

Good luck on your decision.

I was very well endowed (freak of nature huge, to be accurate)before my diagnosis.  I jumped at the chance to have a mastectomy.

I wore a prosthesis for six months.  However, the asymmetry between the side with the mastectomy and the side left with Big Bertha caused me to have neck , shoulder and back pain that was worse than before the mastectomy.

Luckily, I had a chance to have a simple mastectomy of the left side and went for it.  I have not had reconstruction and have no plans to do so.

My prostheses are A cup size.

I have to say it is wonderful being flat-chested.  I can breath better (you are not aware how much large heavy breasts stop you from breathing deeply until they are gone).  I can exercise freely and without pain from my shoulders or from my breasts bouncing.

And the clothes - I nearly cried the first time I put on a top that didn't need to hang off my shoulders because I needed the larger size for breast space.

People (men) look me in the eye when talking to me for the first time in 40 years.

If there is a blessing that comes with breast cancer, for me, it was the bilateral mastectomies.

I had a unilateral simple mastectomy.  Prior to surgery I was 38 G.  I chose to not have reconstruction and am experiencing asymetry and balance issues.  I am exploring the possibility of reduction on the contralateral side.  I have an appt 3/25 to meet with a PS.  Insurance will cover if I decide to go ahead.

My problem is that saying yes to the mastectomy seemed easy compared to this decision.  I know that I don't want reconstruction but am also afraid to mess with the good breast. I'm not sure how a large reduction will affect future monitoring and also afraid that surgery won't be successful.  I actually am sorry that I didn't discuss a bilateral originally.  It would have solved these issues . 

I'm not sure I was much help here but I do understand your concerns.  My prayers are with you.  God Bless. ~S

Hi Viktoria! i was not as big as you describe, but close, I was DD cup. I also am VERY physically active. I went with a double mastectomy and so far, I could not be happier. I say so far, because I am still in the reconstruction mode. I do know that I am very happy to be rid of my breasts and cutting my risk down to nil. It has not been an easy road, what with the expansion process and muscle aches/spasms. I still would not have chosen a different path, though. Been there, done that, with the lumpectomies. I just wanted to eliminate that worry. I will have my exchange to my final silicone implants in June, and although my new "breasts" won't be the real deal, they will look fabulous and I won't sag anymore. I cannot express how exciting it is to be able to do things like jumping and dancing and NOT BOUNCE!!!! You just have to experience it for yourself to understand. Good luck to you and please do not hesitate to PM me if you want more information.

Anne

I decided to do a reduction on the good breast (DDD) along with a unilateral mastectomy - if possible, in the same surgery (not yet scheduled).  Like others here I was happy to have a reason to get a reduction!  I see 3 benefits:  1) I think it will make recovery more comfortable, esp. as I may need radiation after the mast. and reconstruction could be delayed for a year; 2) if I can get it in the same surgery that's one less time to go under anesthesia; and 3) the tissue they take out for the reduction will be sent to the lab as a routine and they can check it for cancer.  Imaging shows that breast to be clear, but imaging also failed me on the cancerous breast so I still worry.

There are some other threads about what to say to your children.  I have a 2 year old - not sure yet how I will explain.

i had 2 lumpectomies with not-clear margins so i decided to have a right mastectomy.  I wear a DDD cup.  I had an implant that got infected and was removed and now i wear a prosthesis.   The bras i wear are not traditional mastectomy bras, they are much sexier and have the pocket sewn in by Nordstrom's where i get the bras.  Once the bra is on, i cannot feel or tell that i have a prosthesis on unless i bump against something with that side.  I feel totally normal, look totally normal, and i work-out 3 times a week wearing that bra and form and have no problems.

I don't have kids so can't address the other issue.

I am very glad that i had the mastectomy instead of another lumpectomy.  I would have never gotten any sleep worrying if they got it all. 

I was a DD and just had bilat mastec w/ SND on 2/29/08.  i also opted for immediate tram-flap reconstruction so i woke up with nice sized breasts!  i am still very swollen so i have no idea what size i'll be after swelling goes down...they seem huge! (PS surgeon thinks a full C)

Hi Viktoria -- I'm another one with large DDD breasts, and after two surgeries without clean margins I'm going to have a mastectomy next month.  I'm also fairly young (41) with a 7-year-old son.  After much research and reflection, I've decided that I'm going to have a unilateral mast with an immediate reduction on the other side, then radiation, and then a DIEP reconstruction after the skin heals.  This way I'll be able to have regular sensation in the reduced breast and a close-to-regular appearance in the reconstructed one.  My concerns weren't sexual so much as about feeling normal and comfortable in clothes and out -- I'd like to live my life without having to worry about a prosthesis every day (although I have utmost respect for women who make a different decision, it's all very personal and we all have to do what is right for us).

I have a few questions for you.  First of all, are you choosing bilateral mastectomy because of concern about risk, or because some evidence of cancer or pre-cancer has been found in the other breast?  I did a lot of research about the chances for a second cancer in the opposite breast, and finally decided that while the risk is higher than for a woman who has never had bc, it's still small and I think I can live with it.  However, by having the reduction done, they will take a look at the tissue that is removed and tell me if it looks totally clear or suspicious.  If it's suspicious at all then I will consider a mast on that side as well.   I'm not saying this because I want to influence your decision - I  just want to make sure that  you've considered all the factors and all the options, since having a breast with sensation seems to be an important concern for you.

Also, I don't know if what the surgeon said re: immediate reconstruction is entirely accurate.  A lot of women have an immediate DIEP reconstruction at the time of mastectomy.  If you are going to have post-mast radiation, that is an issue for many plastic surgeons, since a lot of them are concerned about how the radiation might affect the results of recon.  But I've never heard that the surgery is "too long" to do immediate reconstruction.  And I don't think the size of your breasts should figure into the calculation at all -- I asked my breast surgeon about this at my last appointment.  I thought that maybe the size of my breast would make the surgery or recovery more complicated, but she said that this is NOT the case.

A lot of people have more experience and info about reconstruction than I do (you should check out BethNYC's website!) but I just wanted to give you my thoughts since our situations are sort of similar, and I think it's important to have all the info before making a decision. 

By the way, I still haven't decided what I'm going to tell my son about the mastectomy.  I may just tell him I'm having surgery, and not actually show him the results.  I'm not all that modest and I'm usually very honest with him, but in this case I'm worried that seeing me with a missing breast might be really upsetting/traumatic to him. 

Good luck with your decisions and surgery!

Sassa has read my mind.

I was a 34D, but looked bigger because I have a small frame/bone structure, so it always liked like I was "all boob."

Yes, for the first time in my life, people look at my face when speaking to me, I can walk past a bunch of guys by the coffee machine and not have the conversation stop to watch me walk by, I can exercise, sleep on my chest...(I opted for bilaterals with no recon)...and I don't wear any forms.  I go flat and if people notice or want to make comments, they haven't.  I am beyond thrilled not to have to find bras that "work" for my small frame and big boobs.  I am thrilled not to endure any more mammograms (which never found the cancer anyway), and tho I am not used to looking at my ribs sticking out, not carrying the extra boobage is freeing and wonderful.

I have to echo Sassa that breast cancer is shitty and nasty and unfair to get, but if you end up with it, the only 2 benefits I have gotten is the flat chest and tamoxifen--NO PERIODS!.

Hello LorenaB,

I did decide on the bilateral because my Mom had breast cancer when she was 28 and then in the other breast 2 years ago at age 60. And two close friends from work and breast cancer and one found it in the other breast 6 months after treatment and the other 1 year after finishing Tamoxifen and even though I know this is not the norm I don't want to waste another year fighting cancer just because I left the good breast around for pleasure reasons.  But with my family history of cancer Dad died at 61 from stomach Ca, 2 aunts died in their 40's from breast ca and 3 aunts are breast ca survivors, and another aunt has had 3 brain surgeries from Melanoma with mets. and a brother with Skin cancer. I really want to be safe and lower my risk as much as possible.

     My boys 3 and 6, are taking the news well but as I cut my hair shorter and shorter they keep asking me If I'm turning into a Boy and the youngest one checked me out while I was using the bathroom just to see if I was a Boy.  I told them I would be losing my breasts after the 3rd failed surgery, they asked a few question but then just went out to play. I'm justing thinking it would be more traumatic if they saw me after wards and they weren't expecting it. They seems to accept me being tired, forgetful, sore, going to the doctors all the time because I did explain as much as possible. With your son being 7 I'm guessing he would be able to understand but probably will give you more privacy then my guys.

     My oncoligist said after my Chemo I wont need any radiation so thats why I thought have the reconstruion right after wards but I do need to stop procratinating and call the plastic surgeon who does it in my state and get his opinion. I just finished #2 of 6 chemo so 12 weeks to go. 

    I'm looking forward to checking out all the sites your gals mentioned. I've learned alot but not enough to feel comfortable about all of this.  Thanks for all the positive suggestions, I also love the idea of going smaller and getting a tummy tuck as I have gained alot of weight having my sons and now with the chemo I just see my weight going up and up. 

     Good luck with your up coming surgery. Praying everything goes well.