Reconstruction or double mastectomy

Hi Oket,

It’s Megan here from Macmillan’s Online Community team. I saw your post and wanted to offer some support whilst you are waiting for other group members to reply.

Making treatment decisions is hard and it's understandable that you want to have more information so you can make the right decision for you.

With you having questions about your treatment options, you may wish to chat with our Nurses here at Macmillan. They can provide trusted information and reassurance, alongside talking through your concerns.

To get in touch with the Nurses, you can post a question in our Ask an expert section on the Community or contact the Macmillan Support Line.

The Support Line is open from 8am to 8pm every day and to get in touch, please call 0808 808 00 00. There’s also the options to send an email or use live webchat during the opening hours.

When you get in touch with the Support Line there will be options to speak to the Information Nurse Specialists and Support Advisers alongside the Money and Work teams. If you need a listening ear, then the teams are here for this too as sometimes it can be helpful to talk to someone who is there to listen.

There’s also support information in our Making treatment decisions blog which you may find helpful to read.

I’m sure others who feel comfortable sharing their personal experiences will reply soon. In the meantime, you may wish to search the group for similar discussions. You can use the search bar at the top of the page to search keywords and phrases.

I hope the above information can be useful and if you need any help using the Community, please don’t hesitate to get back in touch. You can email community@macmillan.org.uk or send a private message to the Moderator account.

Hi

I had a mastectomy and immediate recon by DIEP on one side - fat taken from tummy. To be fair, there is a small risk of infection with all surgery. With a DIEP there is a small risk of issues with the tissue and this could be enhanced if you have any kind of underlying issues. For me, being able to put my bikini on etc as I did before was a big pull for a DIEP as it gave the most 'natural' outcome (in appearance and not having to have it replaced further down the line as with an implant) especially as I was having a mastectomy on one side. Good luck with your decision.XXxxx

Many thanks for your reply. One I can ponder on as the swimming is the issue for me. Hope alls ok with you now. Xx