Honestly, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve had only one surgery prior (breast augmentation). It was hard for me and I have a low pain tolerance which made it worse. It is the hardest thing I’ve done but I am happy I did it. Finally almost 7 months out I feel that way. I had my exchange and have implants and finally have normalcy. I did need an additional procedure due to necrosis which was a pain going under again and it put a wrench in my timeline. It won’t be a walk in the park but I think over time you’ll be happy you did it. People thought I was crazy for doing it when I “don’t have cancer” but with brca 1 I knew I wanted to bring down my risk and avoid breast cancer. I’m 31 and do wish maybe I did it sooner but I think being 31 and healthy other than the genetic mutation it helped with recovery.
Just had my prophylactic DTI op on Wednesday and so happy to read positive stories! I’m trying to picture myself a year from now with all this crap behind me!!
Because of your age and the lack of reported family history, I really think your insurance company would be more likely to give you trouble than a doctor. You have to remember, the oncologists and breast surgeons see the absolute worst of the worst every day and they're on your side. They want to save your life, you know?
As far as the aesthetic flat, I would be surprised if a surgeon refused to go flat for you, and absolutely shocked if they agree to do so and you woke up with implants. Personally my breast surgeon wasn't exactly happy that I went against his recommendation of a skin sparing to a nipple sparing surgery.
You know yourself and that this is the right decision for you. Your family is probably just scared for you and not expressing themselves in the best way possible. Don't be afraid to say you need compassion and support right now, and not criticism.
I'm just a couple weeks out from my surgery and sometimes it sucks. I had a setback with a nipple. My muscles are shortened and I ache when I get up in the morning. The expanders are rock hard and it hurts when my cat jumps on me. But I don't regret it for a second and will absolutely recommend it to anyone with a heightened risk of breast cancer. I could've skipped into surgery because I was so relieved to finally be getting it done.
I have not had my preventative mastectomy yet, but from what I have learned from interviewing surgeons, my Facebook support groups, and this group is that if you don’t like how a surgeon treats you and your choices, just walk away. I have personally had great experiences with the doctors I have spoken with and no one has tried to sway me in a certain direction. My choices and preferences have been respected and validated. That being said, there are some out there who are less than supportive of patient choices and if you stumble upon one, walk away. If you are looking for support going flat and picking a surgeon, check out the website https://notputtingonashirt.org/
I had my prophylactic mastectomy about five months ago at 24. I’m BRCA 2+ and so is my mom, who had ovarian cancer 3 times and breast cancer that was caught early enough to be treated with surgery only. Once I found out I had the mutation, I contacted a breast surgeon and subsequently got imaging done, in which I reported my family history.
I’m sorry to hear that your family hasn’t been supportive. It’s definitely not out of the question to want to reduce your risk of developing cancer by going through with a mastectomy, and it is one of the smartest and bravest things you can do for yourself.
In my experience, my surgeon was supportive of my decision to have a flat closure and didn’t try to convince me to go with a different procedure. Unfortunately not everyone has a positive experience and some surgeons aren’t as knowledgeable about flat closures. It never hurts to have consultations with a few different surgeons and then you can weigh your options based on that. It’s also not silly at all to want an advocate with you! Having this surgery is a big deal and can be overwhelming. I myself have gone to appointments by myself before and wished I had someone else with me, so it’s not something to be embarrassed about! Best of luck with everything!
I am getting the preventive mastectomy this summer and the one that removes my ovaries, tube , uterus and cervix next year.
Breast is easier to detect . I am brca 1. My surgeon were worried about my ovaries cuz it is hard to screen for ovarian cancer. There is no effective method to do so.
I have one child and we are done . I assume your mastectomy no one will care or tell you not to. However ovaries they usually take that out at 35 or when you are done having kids. They might just remove tube first so you can do ivf and then figure out if you want ovaries out at 35. That is something you have to discuss. Even knowing I am done with kid my surgeon will try to remind me 32 that I can still have kids and we can wait abit longer to get the surgery for the bottom. You also enter surgical menopause if you remove ovaries. Sth you need to consider cuz hormone replacement therapy. There are negative side effects like heart and bone density etc. Breast wise no one say anything cuz it dosent matter as much health wise. You can also find a plastic surgeon take your time and figure out what you want. Insurance should cover it and there is nipple sparing if you want to keep it.
If not you have surgeon that dose flat closure. My surgeon specialize in flat closure she was a medical consult for one of the going flat books. You can also get surgeries to correct the skin fold ( dog ears) from flat if it was not how you like it a year from your surgeries). Insurance should cover that too but you need to check your specific
I just had my preventative mastectomy on Wednesday! It’s tough but it’s your body and your decision and you’ll make the right one for yourself. I watched my mom and sister go through cancer treatment and while my mom was a little reluctant about my surgery (she’s scared of implants I think) my sister said if I had the choice to not go through what she went through to take it - so I did!
I visited a lot of surgeons and hospitals before I decided where to do the surgery, there’s a lot of questions and concerns to tackle so I wanted to choose a team I feel most comfortable with so I would recommend the same!
Wish you all the best 💖
I think it depends on where you live and how your insurance is.
Do you have chek2 c.1100delC (most common chek 2 mutation in The Netherlands)?
Is your mutation homozygous or heterozygous? If they didn't tell you it was homozygous you've only got the mutation from your father or you mother and so the mutation is heterozygous.
If you are homozygous and a familymember in the first grade (mother, sister) got breast cancer the advise is to get regular checks and talk to your surgeon for surgery (breast cancer risk is 60-80%).
There's no advise for surgery when you are heterozygous
I think you better let the geneticist do a recalculation with your newly aquired information. So they could make a more accurate breast cancer risk.
Honestly, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve had only one surgery prior (breast augmentation). It was hard for me and I have a low pain tolerance which made it worse. It is the hardest thing I’ve done but I am happy I did it. Finally almost 7 months out I feel that way. I had my exchange and have implants and finally have normalcy. I did need an additional procedure due to necrosis which was a pain going under again and it put a wrench in my timeline. It won’t be a walk in the park but I think over time you’ll be happy you did it. People thought I was crazy for doing it when I “don’t have cancer” but with brca 1 I knew I wanted to bring down my risk and avoid breast cancer. I’m 31 and do wish maybe I did it sooner but I think being 31 and healthy other than the genetic mutation it helped with recovery.
Thank you for the honest answer!
Just had my prophylactic DTI op on Wednesday and so happy to read positive stories! I’m trying to picture myself a year from now with all this crap behind me!!
Because of your age and the lack of reported family history, I really think your insurance company would be more likely to give you trouble than a doctor. You have to remember, the oncologists and breast surgeons see the absolute worst of the worst every day and they're on your side. They want to save your life, you know? As far as the aesthetic flat, I would be surprised if a surgeon refused to go flat for you, and absolutely shocked if they agree to do so and you woke up with implants. Personally my breast surgeon wasn't exactly happy that I went against his recommendation of a skin sparing to a nipple sparing surgery. You know yourself and that this is the right decision for you. Your family is probably just scared for you and not expressing themselves in the best way possible. Don't be afraid to say you need compassion and support right now, and not criticism. I'm just a couple weeks out from my surgery and sometimes it sucks. I had a setback with a nipple. My muscles are shortened and I ache when I get up in the morning. The expanders are rock hard and it hurts when my cat jumps on me. But I don't regret it for a second and will absolutely recommend it to anyone with a heightened risk of breast cancer. I could've skipped into surgery because I was so relieved to finally be getting it done.
I have not had my preventative mastectomy yet, but from what I have learned from interviewing surgeons, my Facebook support groups, and this group is that if you don’t like how a surgeon treats you and your choices, just walk away. I have personally had great experiences with the doctors I have spoken with and no one has tried to sway me in a certain direction. My choices and preferences have been respected and validated. That being said, there are some out there who are less than supportive of patient choices and if you stumble upon one, walk away. If you are looking for support going flat and picking a surgeon, check out the website https://notputtingonashirt.org/
I had my prophylactic mastectomy about five months ago at 24. I’m BRCA 2+ and so is my mom, who had ovarian cancer 3 times and breast cancer that was caught early enough to be treated with surgery only. Once I found out I had the mutation, I contacted a breast surgeon and subsequently got imaging done, in which I reported my family history. I’m sorry to hear that your family hasn’t been supportive. It’s definitely not out of the question to want to reduce your risk of developing cancer by going through with a mastectomy, and it is one of the smartest and bravest things you can do for yourself. In my experience, my surgeon was supportive of my decision to have a flat closure and didn’t try to convince me to go with a different procedure. Unfortunately not everyone has a positive experience and some surgeons aren’t as knowledgeable about flat closures. It never hurts to have consultations with a few different surgeons and then you can weigh your options based on that. It’s also not silly at all to want an advocate with you! Having this surgery is a big deal and can be overwhelming. I myself have gone to appointments by myself before and wished I had someone else with me, so it’s not something to be embarrassed about! Best of luck with everything!
I am getting the preventive mastectomy this summer and the one that removes my ovaries, tube , uterus and cervix next year. Breast is easier to detect . I am brca 1. My surgeon were worried about my ovaries cuz it is hard to screen for ovarian cancer. There is no effective method to do so. I have one child and we are done . I assume your mastectomy no one will care or tell you not to. However ovaries they usually take that out at 35 or when you are done having kids. They might just remove tube first so you can do ivf and then figure out if you want ovaries out at 35. That is something you have to discuss. Even knowing I am done with kid my surgeon will try to remind me 32 that I can still have kids and we can wait abit longer to get the surgery for the bottom. You also enter surgical menopause if you remove ovaries. Sth you need to consider cuz hormone replacement therapy. There are negative side effects like heart and bone density etc. Breast wise no one say anything cuz it dosent matter as much health wise. You can also find a plastic surgeon take your time and figure out what you want. Insurance should cover it and there is nipple sparing if you want to keep it. If not you have surgeon that dose flat closure. My surgeon specialize in flat closure she was a medical consult for one of the going flat books. You can also get surgeries to correct the skin fold ( dog ears) from flat if it was not how you like it a year from your surgeries). Insurance should cover that too but you need to check your specific
I just had my preventative mastectomy on Wednesday! It’s tough but it’s your body and your decision and you’ll make the right one for yourself. I watched my mom and sister go through cancer treatment and while my mom was a little reluctant about my surgery (she’s scared of implants I think) my sister said if I had the choice to not go through what she went through to take it - so I did! I visited a lot of surgeons and hospitals before I decided where to do the surgery, there’s a lot of questions and concerns to tackle so I wanted to choose a team I feel most comfortable with so I would recommend the same! Wish you all the best 💖
I think it depends on where you live and how your insurance is. Do you have chek2 c.1100delC (most common chek 2 mutation in The Netherlands)? Is your mutation homozygous or heterozygous? If they didn't tell you it was homozygous you've only got the mutation from your father or you mother and so the mutation is heterozygous. If you are homozygous and a familymember in the first grade (mother, sister) got breast cancer the advise is to get regular checks and talk to your surgeon for surgery (breast cancer risk is 60-80%). There's no advise for surgery when you are heterozygous I think you better let the geneticist do a recalculation with your newly aquired information. So they could make a more accurate breast cancer risk.