Mastectomy & Reconstruction ( with seroma)

Hi I'm new here.

I was diagnosed with DCIS early stage breast cancer in December 2018. I was shocked when I was told the only treatment would be a mastectomy.   Initially I wasn't sure I would accept treatment. On the one hand I was being told it might never develop to invasive cancer, but then it might and the treatment sounded so invasive. But I did go ahead. I had a right side mastectomy & nipple sparing reconstruction early 2019. 

Then I developed a seroma. It covered the entire breast. There were drama's getting it drained but when 200ml was finally drained it was a massive relief. The next day I woke feeling like someone had sat on my chest overnight. I could hardly breathe in. I had several more visits to the hospital that week & a further 100ml+ drained ( it went everywhere so accurate measuring wasn't possible). 

Then when I was at my lowest ebb I looked on this website. There was useful advice, but all I could take in was fellow suffers horror stories. Then I couldn't look again. I vowed to myself that after my one year check up if all was clear I'd ooen an account & share my experience.

In February 2020 I got the 1 year all clear. It's taken until now for me to do it.

I was very low following the surgery. When I looked in the mirror I saw one breast twice the size of the other. I was mortified. I felt like I was mourning for what I'd lost. Eventually, after the draining if the seroma and with time the breast gradually settled down. I had a period of time where I was told to use my arm as little as possible, as movement was causing the fluid to build. I had to wait to join tge pink ribbon pilates, then when I could the next course was fully booked. The following one was cancelled. I ended up having physio & searching YouTube for pink ribbon pilates, until at last I could join a course.

My arm movement gradually improved. I finally regained full movement around 8 months after surgery. My breast shape continued to improve. Now it still feels a bit odd, but it looks 100% better. I am evenly balanced with my natural breast and putting on or losing a little bit of weight has not dramatically changed that.   Something that I was getting very stressed about.  I think it took a full year, maybe a bit more before I felt happy with the shape. I had no idea how long it would take to get to this stage. 

After some mixed messages about bra's ( another thing I was stressed about) I was advised that I could wear any bra. The bra advise I'd received was outdated and modern underwired bra's have plastic rather than wire so as long as it's comfortable I can wear one. So far I bought two. 

I thought it might help some ladies going through the same thing to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I was constantly advised that "everyone is different" with regard to recovery times and I think mine was perhaps longer than for many. But I got there in the end and after a year of avoiding every mention of cancer, I've now felt up to sharing my story in the hope it'll help someone else. 

( I didn't intend this post to be so long - I think I wrote a book).