Hi Everyone.

Hi there and welcome to the forum.   I didn't have a mastectomy myself,  but as am sure one of the lovely folks on here who has will be along soon with some advice.

I just wanted to reply and say hello and let you know that you'll find lots of support in here.  It's pretty normal to appear to be brave and shoulder the sadness alone, but I think helps to talk.   Don't forget, the Macmillan helpline is there to support any time you need to chat and you can call them on 0800 808 0000.  Best wishes. 

Firstly, it is ok to cry and feel cross. This is an absolute rollercoaster, but treatment is excellent these days and long term survival rates very high. I was diagnosed 3 years ago, and am living a normal, healthy life again. Don’t get me wrong I still worry about every ache and pain and struggle with fatigue (possibly because  of tamoxifen) but for the most part don’t really think about cancer anymore. I had a friend who saw right through me pretending to be all strong and in control and just very quietly said to me..even strong people need a hug!  Tell someone how you really feel but stay positive and cry when you need to! 

Good luck with the surgery. I went through it 3 years ago and unfortunately had to start chemo after due to lymph node involvement, so I didn't really get the chance to just focus on recovery, however I would advise to do all the physio they suggest and keep active as soon as you feel able to be. I had reconstruction using my back tissue and was wanting to be able to pick up my then 2 year old as soon as possible so I worked hard to get the use of my arm back. I'm having the same procedure on the other side in January due to carrying the brca gene, so will be going through the recovery again. 

Take care x

It’s tricky . I don’t know how I did it but I stuck my head in the sand and pretended it wasn’t happening to me. I didn’t actually tell anyone ( other than hubby) until the surgery date was close - that was my way of coping. It felt so surreal. When I did eventually tell people, the tears kicked in! I received a big bunch of flowers and broke my heart crying. It’s now over 6 months since diagnosis and over 4 months since surgery ( mastectomy and SLNB followed by radiotherapy) and I still struggle every now and then to accept this is happening to me. It’s ok to cry , it’s ok to be angry, but it’s also ok to say next year at this time, this will just be a ‘bad memory’. Make plans for the future. Hope the surgery goes well. Do the exercises they give you regularly to keep your range of motion, be selfish, and don’t let this take charge. I’m now on holiday in Florida and started swimming a few days ago. My underarm is still tight and a bit sore and swollen but I’ll persevere. I cycled yesterday too ! Baby steps. Setting these challenges for myself is helping.

lots of hugs xxx