surgery choice regrets??
hi...new here. waiting for a surgery date...really nervous. so did anyone regret having a lumpectomy or mastectomy? Also any small breasted women here who had a lumpectomy? did it still look ok?
thanks.
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Jenna I didn't choose a lumpectomy for several reasons but none of which had to do with how I thought my small (A+) boob might look after. I would have a discussion with your breast surgeon and a consult with a plastic surgeon (if you haven't already) so you can fully comprehend what things will look like. And it is ok to want to understand because it is your body, your self image that can be impacted in only a way that pertains to you. Something that wouldn't bother me might be significant to you or vice versa and that is perfectly normal. Sorry you are feeling anxious but a thorough understanding should help enormously. I remember well when I had an excisional biopsy years ago getting anxious because I wasn't sure what I would look like coming out of surgery. So I called my breast surgeon and had a direct discussion about it and felt so much better.
Best of luck on your upcoming surgery. You will be so glad to get it "out".
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I had a lumpectomy in 2010 and have never regretted it. I wanted to keep my breast. It is a very personal decision.
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Me too racy except mine was in 2011.
Diane
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I am an A-cup. I had surgery on June 16th. I have intense anxiety and was scared to death. I had never had surgery before. After experiencing it I can tell you now that if I had to have surgery again tomorrow I would not be afraid at all.
I was offered a lumpectomy but that would have required radiation. I didn’t want to add 2 or 3 more months of daily radiation onto my 12-month treatment plan. I also just wanted to avoid radiation altogether in general. I chose a single mastectomy but I also opted to remain flat with no reconstruction because I wanted the fastest recovery. I also didn’t like the idea of a foreign object in my body. An implant just didn’t feel right for me.
My recovery has been very swift and there was no pain. My folks and my partner couldn’t believe it. They all expected me to be totally laid out. I took Tylenol and Advil twice. I had fatigue but no pain at all. I’ve healed up nicely and my mobility is great. It’s getting better everyday.
I’m a new kid on this block, and I was worried about trusting my instincts with such a tough decision. I’m so glad I did though. Trust your instincts. You’ll know what’s best for you.
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Jenna: This is not a surgery any of us would want. But it is a result of having been diagnosed with breast cancer. Choices are not only about appearance, but also about recovery and risk of future recurrence. Perhaps you could be more specific about your priorities. I wanted a quick recovery with limited time convalescing. And the least chance of recurrence so I choose a unilateral mastectomy with no reconstruction. After nine years, no regrets. But my priorities were very clear. Please be certain you plan accordingly. Others experiences are only relevant if you share similar outcomes. All the best with whatever you decide.
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It is a very personal decision with no right or wrong answer. I choose a lumpectomy for several reasons. First, because it was an option (which not everyone has). Second, because I like having breasts & knew that I would NOT want to go through reconstruction; which adds time off, more surgeries (as it's rarely a one shot deal), more pain, more everything to the recovery progress). I also wanted the quickest recovery time from surgery as possible (I was a teacher & was back in the classroom after a week). Radiation is annoying but only 6 weeks out of the rest of your life. If you live near your radiation center you can do it before work, after work, at lunchtime. The 'zaps' themselves take only a few minutes. If you live further away and want to keep working you, you can get an early morning, later in the evening appointment, or switch to part or 3/4 time during those weeks. I do look lopsided when naked, but perfectly normal in bras, including sports bras. My surgical nurse friend was diagnosed with BC many decades ago when she was a young mother. The only choice back then was to have a mastectomy. Years later (and after she had had two more children), reconstruction became an option, so she it done. She has seen BC from both sides of the operating table & her advice to me was, "If they offer you a lumpectomy, take it."
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Hi Jenna
I agree with everyone here about this surgery is a very personal choice, one might be right for someone, might not be right for the other. For me, few questions I was asking myself when making the choice between lumpectomy and mastectomy were : do I care about missing one breast, do I want reconstruction or will ok with prosthesis at my age (50)? Do I want radiation on my left breast that is so close to the heart if I go with lumpectomy? What were the risk of recurrence in either options ? I made my decision based on answering those questions myself; my breast surgeon insisted me to talk to plastic surgeon just to learn my reconstruction options, but she never really pushed me one way or the other. Once we had our MRI result, and saw how spread mass was, we knew my decision was right. A year and a half later, I am very happy with my decision, no regret.
Wish you the very best.
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