February 22, 2017: Mastectomy Day
On February 22, 2017, one day shy of the anniversary of my mother's death, I underwent a bilateral mastectomy (i.e. "double" mastectomy). The photo above is the last photo of my breasts.
Below is post-mastectomy. I got out of the rigid hospital gown as quickly as I could and I changed into some more comfortable open-front pajamas.
First, I'll tell you about the surgery. The surgery I had was a radical bilateral mastectomy without nipple sparing, with expander placement. Expanders are shown in the diagram below, on the left side. The surgeons removed my breasts and placed expanders below the muscles in my chest. The surgeon added 500 CC of saline to each expander during the surgery, and has since added another 100 CC of saline to each expander. When saline is added, it is called a "fill" of the expanders. Saline will be routinely added until the expanders have created enough space for me to feel "natural" again, and then I will undergo another surgery to remove the expanders and place implants in the space created.
The expanders are quite uncomfortable. They are hard as rocks and make my chest feel like I have on a really tight bra that I can NEVER. TAKE. OFF. It's hard to breathe deep, it's hard to sleep comfortably, and it's hard to lift my hands over my head.
During my surgery, the doctor removed 2 lymph nodes for testing on the cancerous side, which is the left side for me. One of those lymph nodes came up positive for cancer. Having one positive lymph node meant the surgeon had to remove as many lymph nodes as he could, the routine practice in oncology when any lymph nodes are positive. The surgeon removed 16 lymph nodes. Removal of lymph nodes interferes with the function of the lymphatic system. This can lead to lymphedema. I've been battling lymphedema since surgery.
After the surgery, I went home with 4 drains coming out of my sides. I felt like a science experiment. The drains are painful when they touch anything. The first one to be removed hurt so bad that I screamed. It was in nerve endings for some reason and very painful, which is not normal. The other three were not as painful. They each got removed one by one until I finally had no more tubes come out of my body!!
I'm not shy about sharing the photos of this experience. I'm happy to share more "detailed" photos in hopes that another woman, somewhere, may be inspired to have a little more courage and a little less fear about what it's like to lose your breasts, especially young women. As I grow and heal, I'll share more photos!
Below is post-mastectomy. I got out of the rigid hospital gown as quickly as I could and I changed into some more comfortable open-front pajamas.
First, I'll tell you about the surgery. The surgery I had was a radical bilateral mastectomy without nipple sparing, with expander placement. Expanders are shown in the diagram below, on the left side. The surgeons removed my breasts and placed expanders below the muscles in my chest. The surgeon added 500 CC of saline to each expander during the surgery, and has since added another 100 CC of saline to each expander. When saline is added, it is called a "fill" of the expanders. Saline will be routinely added until the expanders have created enough space for me to feel "natural" again, and then I will undergo another surgery to remove the expanders and place implants in the space created.
The expanders are quite uncomfortable. They are hard as rocks and make my chest feel like I have on a really tight bra that I can NEVER. TAKE. OFF. It's hard to breathe deep, it's hard to sleep comfortably, and it's hard to lift my hands over my head.
During my surgery, the doctor removed 2 lymph nodes for testing on the cancerous side, which is the left side for me. One of those lymph nodes came up positive for cancer. Having one positive lymph node meant the surgeon had to remove as many lymph nodes as he could, the routine practice in oncology when any lymph nodes are positive. The surgeon removed 16 lymph nodes. Removal of lymph nodes interferes with the function of the lymphatic system. This can lead to lymphedema. I've been battling lymphedema since surgery.
After the surgery, I went home with 4 drains coming out of my sides. I felt like a science experiment. The drains are painful when they touch anything. The first one to be removed hurt so bad that I screamed. It was in nerve endings for some reason and very painful, which is not normal. The other three were not as painful. They each got removed one by one until I finally had no more tubes come out of my body!!
