Double Mastectomy next week

Hi there

I'm having Masectomy on the 16th next Wednesday on my left breast and like you I'm terrified I have er+ and Pr+ hers2 negative early stage 1 I'm not sure how I'm going to manage I hate operations and this is the worst ever, I'm trying to think positive but the closer the days come the worse I feel.

Any advise 

Best to all xxx

Hello. I had a mastectomy in October last year, just on left breast. I don’t really miss my breast as I was very small anyway and I knew it was for the best. I cried before the anaesthetic went in but everyone was so nice to me. Recovery was better than I thought it would be, I had numbness but that did subside. I did the exercises they told me to do and I did recover quickly, I was out walking the next day and wasn’t on the painkillers for long. I did have a drain in for a week which I hated but I bought a bag which went around my waist to put it in so it was better than the cross body one the hospital gave me and I just wore baggy tops over it. 

If you have any further questions just let me know and I’ll help as best I can x 

Hi there. I had a bilateral mastectomy without reconstruction in January, after biopsies and an MRI showed a mix of invasive lobular and ductal cancers found in both. I'm er+ and pr+ and HER2-.

Like you, I was very anxious before the operation, and was struggling with how I'd feel about looking at myself afterwards. I'd never had any kind of operation b4, so I was pretty scared.

However, I can honestly say I found both the op and the recovery much easier than I could have imagined. Yes, the drains were a pain (I had them in for a week) and I was sore under my arms after having sentinel nodes removed too, but the wound was less painful than I thought it would be and I was able to look at the wound (and myself) sooner than I'd thought. I won't lie, there were a few tears at my new shape at first, but I soon focused on the fact that the cancer was now gone.

The hospital gave me cross body bags for the 2 drains and also 2 heart shaped cushions which were invaluable under my arms, especially at night. I also bought a seatbelt cushion...I didn't use it for long, but helped me feel more confident in the car. As you need to sleep on your back for a while (which wasn't natural for me at all!), I did use a v pillow for a while, then just moved to extra pillows.

I didn't feel the need for bed rest, but did take it easy for the first few weeks. Once the drains were removed, I felt more confident to go out and about and started driving again after about 5 weeks. I did managed to disconnect one of the drains accidentally, so just make sure you don't get the tubes caught on anything (I'm a bit clumsy!).

I found it invaluable to talk to my cancer nurse about how I was feeling. She was so supportive, and make me feel like everything I was feeling was absolutely normal.

Please feel free to ask me anything.

All the best xx

Hi Chrissy, I know it’s such a scary time but we ll get through it - wishing you all the best for Wednesday xxx

Thank you so much for sharing your story - how are you feeling now? Did you have radiotherapy? I know it’s silly but my biggest fear is that I wont wake up after the surgery .. I have 2 young children and they are all I can think about xx 

thank you for sharing your story - amazing that your recovery was better than expected. My biggest fear is the anaesthesia and not waking up! How are you feeling now? 

Hi. I had my surgery just over 2 weeks ago (lumpectomy and 2 lymph nodes) , and my main fear was not waking up too.  I had never had surgery in my life at the age of 64.  The ward and theatre staff were fabulous and so reassuring and kind, also telling me that "no one had ever  not woken up on their watch", making me laugh.. 

Recovery has been great, with soreness hitting a couple of days afterwards, but decreasing day by day-along with being a bit tired. I know I've done a bit too much today pottering in the garden for an hour or so-as i can feel it, but your body will tell you what's right and what isn't.

Just be careful to take it nice and easy xxx

I know my op wasn't the same as yours (and no drains) but you will be well taken care of.

Completely get it. I'd never had anesthetic before and was worried I'd take ages to come round or feel sick. My children ard older, but as a Mum, you cant help but worry how everyone around you is fairing.

I would recommend you talking about your fears to you breast cancer nurse. My nurse was brilliant in helping me through the pre op stage (,and still), and kept telling me that, though this was my first time, it wasn't the surgical teams and they know what they are doing. And she was right...I met all the team pre surgery and they put me at ease.

Unfortunately, the post surgery pathology showed more cancer than they'd seen on the mri and that it had spread to my the first 2 sentinel nodes on both sides. So I'm currently having 6 cycles of chemotherapy which will be followed by radiotherapy, a drug called abemaciclib and endocrine therapy. It was a blow to hear I needed chemo,  but I know everything I'm being offered is to give me the best chance against future recurrence and that they operation removed all the cancer xx