Reconstruction… to be or not to be

Women with breast cancer who are faced with a single or a double mastectomy also have a decision to make on reconstructive surgery, prosthesis or none of the above.
For me at aged 53 and being faced with this choice I chose reconstruction. I couldn’t bear (Bare?)being boobless and I didn’t fancy the prosthesis. I had read many funny and sometimes heartbreaking and embarrassing stories about them that persuaded me to choose the reconstruction.
I had mine done at the same time as the initial double mastectomy where expanders were intoduced and I travellled some 400 ks to get them inflated with saline every so often. (totally painless!)
I found the expanders quite uncomfortable and when I lay on my tummy in bed it felt like I was laying on a pair of tennis balls. They were an odd shape really and I felt I had to be careful what I wore if I opted to go braless at any time.
It was almost a year later when the expanders were removed and the new implants inserted. After the initial discomfort subsided I was relatively pleased with the outcome. They were a little bigger than my original boobs and this was some compensation for me.
I didn’t opt for new nipples as I felt I didn’t really need them. Plus I didn’t like the idea of a further operation and losing some cherished skin off my thigh . But it is an option for all women who face this choice. Besides every oiperation is a risk and I felt I had taken enough risks by now.
Still, it’s a choice and one I do not regret as such. I say no regrets, but of course there is always the regret of losing my breasts. That regret will stay with me for always, but I feel I have minimised them by making this particular decision.
Of course every woman needs to make her very own decisions based on only her self and her wanted outcomes in such a position.It’s not an easy choice for everyone as it was for me.
Should you like to read more about my journey through breast cancer you can by clicking here. All the very best in your personal journey and feel free to add a comment.