Surgery waiting times - BRCA2 mastectomy

Hi, 

I think it can vary. You will have to tick a few boxes first. They would not set my date until I had done a number of things. A couple don’t sound like they would apply to you, so your process may be much quicker than mine. In total for me I had my first surgeon appointment in Feb 23 and my Op was done in Nov 24 but I did postpone myself due to personal reasons. 

• I was a smoker  big no no! I had to be 6 months nicotine free before they would even consider it. That includes vaping. No nicotine at all. 
• My BMI was to high. I had to get my BMI between 25 - 30 so I had to lose a stone and a half. 
  
  
• I had to be signed up for regular MRI scans which it sounds like you already do but they will need updated images before op to know what they are dealing with. 
  
  
• I had to have an appointment with a clinical psychologist to make sure I was of sound mind to make the decision to have the op. (Don’t worry unless you have body image issues or eating disorders this should be relatively painless, in fact I loved the psychologist I spoke to most helpful person during a very difficult time for me)  this is what can take some time I think my appointment was in the May, so waited about 3 months.
• You will probably then meet with your surgeon again to discuss the operation, to make sure you fully understand what is involved. 
  
  
• Then you will meet with the Breast care team. They will go through pictures and discuss recovery. I got a little care pack but this may just be me. Drain bags and support cushions. 
• Then I got my appointment date.
• Then I had My pre-op
• Then I was in. 
  
  This probably sounds like a lot and a long time but I had pretty much wrote off the whole of 23 because 2 weeks after coming out of my 1st appointment I was told my mums treatment had stopped working and she didn’t have long left. I then spent most of that year caring for my mum until she passed in the Nov. So assuming you do not smoke and you are not over weight and already having annual MRI scans it should take around 3 months for phycology review. Maybe a month or so to meet back up with your surgeon, a few weeks to meet with breast team. Maybe about 6 months in total. Actually booking the appointment was nothing really. There was no waiting list. It was just finding a date that suited me and both surgeons. I finally met with my surgeon to set the date in sep 24. He asked me when I would like to have it done. I said end of Oct to beginning of Nov. I then met with Breast care team 3 weeks later and then got a call at the end of October telling me they can book me in for the 19th of Nov. Had my pre op 4 days before the op. The only thing they say with the appointment is obviously if they have an emergency case come in they may have to bump you but this never happened to me. 
  Hope this helps and makes sense.

kez

Hi,

As Kez said, i think it can vary with where you are. I was diagnosed with BRCA2 in Feb 2023 after my mum found out she was positive after her sister had breast cancer - and then eventually ovarian cancer). So I was scheduled for annual MRIs and also ultrasounds for the ovaries (and blood tests, but don't make the mistake I did and have that done when you are on your period because it gives a false reading!).

I saw my breast surgeon in Aug 2023 and as the Kez mentioned I also had to comply to criteria, no smoking ( i had already quit 1 month before) and lose weight, thankfully my surgeon out me on the waiting list because he said it was 12 months waiting at least anyway. I chose the DIEP flap reconstruction because thankfully I had plenty of excess but recovery was hard, (only just getting back to bootcamp 5 months after).

So I was already having annual MRI's and after my second one in 2024 they called me and said now that I was 40 (said at least 3 times during the call) I could have annual mammograms. My first one and they found something, so I got to have a biopsy and turns out I had high grade DCIS. Called my breast surgeon straight away and he put me to the top of the list and I had my surgery 22 Sept 2024.

I have just been to see my gynae surgeon yesterday about the ovary surgery, as he said to wait until after the breast surgery and until I'm in my 40s. I am hoping this surgery will be done before July.

Hope it all goes well for you x

Vix

Waiting for surgery can be such a drag, especially when you're ready to take control of your health. It’s wild how timelines vary depending on where you are and personal factors like BMI or smoking status. But props to everyone sharing their journeys—it’s inspiring to see people navigating this with strength and determination. You’ve got this!