3
Aug 30, 2012
I am 24 years old - turning 25 next week - and I have breast cancer.
I recently had a lumpectomy and although that surgery went well, my doctor couldn't get all the affected tissue, so she recommends a mastectomy. Oof. It's not scheduled yet, but it will probably happen within a month or so.
Right now, I'm faced with a few tough decisions. I could have surgery and reconstruction on my right, then have a reduction on my left a few months later, or I could have a double mastectomy and reconstruction all at once. I also need to choose either implants or a GAP flap for reconstruction (my doctor and I settled on those as the 2 best options for me).
I've been busty my entire life and currently fill out a 32G. I'd always planned to have a breast reduction at some point in my life, so I'm content with being a smaller size eventually! It's just the idea of not having my natural breast(s) that hits me hard. My new breasts will undoubtedly be a huge adjustment (or, rather, a 'smaller' adjustment, ha!), but if I can avoid more needles and surgeries in the coming decades, it'll be worth it.
Plus, I rather look forward to bra shopping and not spending $60+ per bra! (I encourage women to spend good money on comfortable, supportive bras if they can; I spent $120 and $90 on 2 bras, respectively, right before my diagnosis, and although I hated parting with my hard-earned money, they are worth every penny. The quality is amazing, and they keep me looking and feeling good even post-lumpectomy.) In addition to simple, utilitarian bras that I purchase for support, I really lust after sexy and/or feminine bras. Some of the most beautiful bras are only made in smaller cup sizes, so I'm excited to finally be able to walk into a department store and find my size! (I've gotten the whole online ordering thing down, for sure.)
I'll hopefully be either a 32C or 32D when this ordeal is over... I was a D cup in early high school and a C cup in middle school. Never really got the chance to wear Victoria's Secret Pink or anything else in neon colors!
6 comments
I'm very sorry to read about your diagnosis. It is tough and hope they caught it early enough. I've never had to face the decisions you are facing now, but since I work with bras on a daily basis I have read up on breast cancer and on implants a bit. I think that if I was in your situation I would go with a mastectomy on both sides plus a reconstruction method without implants. Reason one: mastectomy on both sides seems to me the best and safest way to combat the cancer. Reason two: implants have their own risk plus they need to be replaced after a while, usually after 10 years. You might live to be a hundred, not having a foreign object with a limited warranty in your body seems to be an advantage to me.
*hugs* You're going through a rough time and I hope everything goes well from now on...
My only real input is that if you decide for the reduction, if you say that you want to be a "D-cup" you will most likely not end up as a D-cup, as I so far haven't seen anyone doing reductions or putting in implants that has any clue of bra sizing... So, make sure that you make your vision clear. :)
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