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Lisa1962 · 08-01-2007, 07:27 AM

When I first saw the surgeon with my lump we immediately spoke of mastectomy and reconstruction - it was all so overwhelming and there was so much information.

Well, it turned out that I was Stage IV from the onset - so we scrapped the immediate surgery and went to immediate systemic treatment. Now over two years later and two years of NED - I keep having odd mammograms - "slight progression of calcifications" while the rest of my body seems to be pretty darn good. So my doctors and I are considering mastectomy again. I just want to get the darn things off - they tried to kill me once - who said that they won't try again.

During these two years I've thought over and over what I'd do - and I keep coming back to having reconstruction - it's not even a hard choice for me - although I know it will make the recovery a bit harder. I was a 42 year old mom of a 5 year old when this started. I was young acting and looking and active. I still want to approximate that - it helps me emotionally to still see "me" when I look in the mirror.

Now I have to figure out one-sided or bilateral - and which kind of reconstruction. I'm a DD cup now - and I'll want to go smaller if I'm going to do this.

That's what I've been thinking about this. I'm glad I've had the time to mull this over rather than having to decide quickly.

08-01-2007, 07:27 AM	#12
Lisa1962 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 41	I've been thinking about this for 2.5 years When I first saw the surgeon with my lump we immediately spoke of mastectomy and reconstruction - it was all so overwhelming and there was so much information. Well, it turned out that I was Stage IV from the onset - so we scrapped the immediate surgery and went to immediate systemic treatment. Now over two years later and two years of NED - I keep having odd mammograms - "slight progression of calcifications" while the rest of my body seems to be pretty darn good. So my doctors and I are considering mastectomy again. I just want to get the darn things off - they tried to kill me once - who said that they won't try again. During these two years I've thought over and over what I'd do - and I keep coming back to having reconstruction - it's not even a hard choice for me - although I know it will make the recovery a bit harder. I was a 42 year old mom of a 5 year old when this started. I was young acting and looking and active. I still want to approximate that - it helps me emotionally to still see "me" when I look in the mirror. Now I have to figure out one-sided or bilateral - and which kind of reconstruction. I'm a DD cup now - and I'll want to go smaller if I'm going to do this. That's what I've been thinking about this. I'm glad I've had the time to mull this over rather than having to decide quickly.