Bilateral Mastectomy for TNBC stage 2

Hi Sukanya,

I was in a very similar position to you but I found out about my brca1 mutation just after I completed radiotherapy, so I had no choice and was told to wait for at least 12 months before having a mastectomy and took olaparib during this time.

Personally, I felt a big benefit in having a year to prepare myself. I had had 3 operations prior (lumpectomy, further margins and further lymph nodes), plus jaw surgery the year before that and I was pretty exhausted after chemo/radio so it was a relief to not have to rush into another operation. It was nice to take a breather and allow my body to heal a little. Taking olaprib gave me reassurance to protect against a recurrence and once my body adjusted to it (a couple of weeks), I had barely any noticeable side effects. In the beginning, I was all for going down the standard route of immediate reconstruction with implants because that's all that was presented to me, but the reflection time gave me time to research and think about what I truly wanted and I ended up opting to stay flat. It was nice too that I had time to plan for the operation including choosing what time of year I wanted it, planning the time off work, etc. - I suppose it made me feel a bit more in control of the situation. My oncologist actually advised me to get it done in early spring so that I would be healed by the time summer came along and not have to be too uncomfortable with dressings and things in the summer heat, which I thought was quite sage advice! 

I suppose it depends a lot on how you're feeling after chemo, if you feel confident in what type of reconstruction you want and are mentally prepared for the operation now? I can see benefits in both options.

xx

Hey Rose ! 

Thank you so much for replying - it helps me a lot to make this decision and gives me a lot of strength and hope !  

Thank you again for sharing this - means a lot ! 

Happy Easter weekend ! :) 

Oh good, I’m happy to help, if you have any other questions that I can help with don’t hesitate to ask! Have a nice Easter weekend too x