Hi i have been newly diagnosed with grade 1 breast cancer I have a lumpectomy booked in for January and also lymph nodes to be looked at Following surgery the plan is to have a course of radiotherapy I have started on medication as the cancer thrives on reston As you can tell i am unfamiliar with the correct terminology and even though i have a supportive family i feel they are many questions they can’t answer such as what will i look like after surgery as they have no plans to reconstruct Have i made the right choice to save the breast and how the heck will i get through this
Hi Mildred,
I’m really glad you reached out, a new diagnosis turns your whole world upside down, and it’s completely normal to feel lost in the terminology and overwhelmed by the “what happens next” questions. Every single one of us here has stood exactly where you are now.
At the end of June I had a wide local excision lumpectomy with symmetry surgery (breast conserving surgery on both breasts) basically so I didn’t look lopsided! Plus lymph node removal on the affected side, my lymph nodes were checked for spread and then sent to California to be checked for recurrence probabilities.
On the 27th October I started two weeks of radiotherapy, with one of those weeks being an intensive booster week, so I wanted to share a bit of reassurance from someone who’s just walked that path.
The surgery itself was far more manageable than I feared. The build up was honestly worse than the day itself. I think the waiting, scans and appts prior were the worst part for me.
The teams doing breast surgery are incredibly skilled and gentle they guide you through every step, and you’re not expected to know the language or ask the “right” questions. They explain things as many times as you need.
Radiotherapy sounds scary but is very routine once you’re in it, I can assure you of that at least. I feared this more than the surgery, no rhyme or reason, the prospect of it just terrified me.
It’s quick, the staff become familiar faces, and most people tolerate it better than they expect. I think fatigue has been my biggest issue, more so because I’m usually always on the go!, I had some slight skin changes such as itching, slight discolouration etc, but nothing like the unknown you’re imagining right now. My biggest bit of advice here is to stock up on natural moisturising creams and bio oil. I used a combination of Aloe Vera creams, cocoa butter and bio oil, to keep the skin well moisturised and supple which definitely helped no end in staving off some of the side effects they tell you about. My scarring is now very minimal and I would say will not be noticeable eventually.
As for appearance after surgery I promise the fear is bigger than the reality. Even without reconstruction, the results after a lumpectomy can be surprisingly neat, and over time you stop seeing it as something frightening and start seeing it as part of what saved you.
I had breast conserving and symmetry surgery, and I can tell you now, people pay thousands for what I have ended up with! They did a fantastic job.
And the biggest thing I learned:
You absolutely will get through this. Not because you feel brave (none of us do going through this), but because it’s done in small, supported steps. One appointment, one conversation, one day at a time. Don’t flood yourself with information like I did, you will overwhelm yourself.
I am now learning to navigate ‘the after’ which is a different beast entirely emotionally I think. During all the above I was quite detached and robotic, just going through the motions. I thought I was broken because I was just numb, I didn’t feel anything. I now know it was my body and brain going into protective mode. So also know, everyone reacts and experiences their diagnosis and treatment differently, you are not doing it wrong!
If you ever need to ask anything, practical or emotional, there are so many of us here who understand far more than Google ever could.
You’re not alone in this.
One step at a time is enough.
Jo x 
