I was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in February 2022. I went through chemotherapy which made me very ill. I had to have 15 blood transfusions. I had mastectomy in October and radiotherapy in December. This week I had my first appointment with the plastic surgeon. He made me feel worthless. My BMI is just under 40 and I am no way disillusioned that I need to lose weight and am ready to do so as I was told during cancer treatment not to try to Lise weight. This plastic surgeon didn't even examine me and said he would not consider to put me on the waiting list until I weighed 100 lbs or less. This would put bordering healthy and unhealthy on the BMI chart. He did not examine me or even know what type of breast cancer I had. He said he would write to GP. I was a 38G so my body is starting to make me lopsided and I asked him what could be done and he said pointing at me you choose to have radiotherapy so that rules out implants. He said if I could get a mastectomy that would rule me out for any plastic surgery. I left in Florida of tears not knowing how I am going to be able to cope with the weight on one side.
I'm so sorry to hear of everything you have been through, then to have an obnoxious Plastic Surgeon on top really is just the pits.
Firstly, try & contact your local NHS Cancer Support Group, they often have an administrator who can work on some of these problems for you. Such as advising if: 1/ there is a different route available for Plastic Surgery (& help you navigate it), 2/ what are the nationally recognised BMI/surgery weight guidelines (did the surgeon mean weigh 100 lb less, or weigh less than 100 lb, which indeed would be underweight), 3/ that there is a delay in radiotherapy to plastic surgery (not that RT rules out PS altogether).
Secondly, it may be worth in the short term looking at prosthetics, which may help with the lop-sidedness. These can be anything from fancy silicone bra inserts to knitted knockers (aqua knockers are available too). My local NHS Cancer Support Centre has a basket of all these options, just so ladies can look & feel to see what they fancy, before purchasing their own.
Lastly there may well be specific cancer weight loss groups in your area.
Personally, I'm now on Slim-Fast shakes. I'm only 8 lb down in 3 weeks, but we all have to start somewhere.
Best wishes, T.
p.s. I was a 36J
A healthy BMI is 20-25, if he's advising you weigh less than that, talk to your GP. It may be interesting to find out what he has written to your GP. Unfortunately a BMI over 30 increases the risk of surgery & reconstructive surgery is sadly just classed as "cosmetic" when it is so much more than that. Life saving surgery they will do over 30 BMI, cosmetic they won't.
Find your local MHS / MacMillan Support Group, get whatever help you can, look at prosthetics for the shorter term, get access to your Consultants report from your GP (get the irrefutable facts in black & white), then consider complaining to the relevant NHS Trust or Health Board/Authority.
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