Preparing for breast cancer surgery was all-consuming once I found out I had an invasive ductal carcinoma in my left breast. I never stopped to think about what might be part of recovery from the nipple-sparing and skin-sparing mastectomy until I was in the recovery room. Then I learned the skin on my left breast was potentially going to be at risk for impaired healing or tissue death. My plastic surgeon had a solution for mitigating this at-risk situation.

In this episode, I am sharing how I spent the hours and days after the mastectomy, leading up to hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This is a series that goes through the process of this (aggressive) wound care approach to “save my flap”. Spoiler alert: The skin healed mostly beautifully and and quickly, but not without a few side-effects I was not expecting.

The content of this podcast is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a healthcare professional regarding your healthcare questions and concerns. This podcast contains opinions of the host.

If you’d like to be the first to receive updates and exclusive content from the upcoming Breast Cancer Life newsletter, please email me at connect@breastcancerlife.org. I’d love to have you on the list!

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I had a choice in terms of what would be the best option to remove the invasive ductal carcinoma that I had just learned was in my left breast. I had recently had a biopsy in a different part of my left breast. Given that there were 2 places that had the potential or were actually problematic, I opted for a mastectomy. I thought that if there were 2 problem areas, there were likely to be more problem areas in that breast. I did not want to take any chances on having more cancer. I also wanted to avoid needing radiation. By removing my left breast via a mastectomy, I was not likely to need radiation to the breast or chest. In addition to being convinced that there was a storm brewing in my left breast and even possibly other places that could be cancer (there were not), I wanted to avoid any radiation effects on the heart and lung tissues, which were situated nearby the left breast.

I share my personal assessment of the situation and why I chose to have a mastectomy in this episode. I also talk about my experience of looking back and wondering if the mastectomy was the right decision, nearly 2 years later and given the more in-deptch screening that I know have, knowing my risk for developing breast cancer. .

The content of this podcast is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a healthcare professional regarding your healthcare questions and concerns. This podcast contains opinions of the host.

If you’d like to be the first to receive updates and exclusive content from the upcoming Breast Cancer Lifenewsletter, please email me at connect@breastcancerlife.org . I’d love to have you on the list!

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In 2023, when I had my cancer surgery, there was a non-cancerous spot on the right that was recommended for a biopsy. At the time, I did not ask any questions about why take out =NORMAL! breast tissue? Hindsight is 2020. On screening MRIs for the right breast in 2024, the same “non-mass enhancement” that was seen in 2023 (before any breast surgery) keeps showing up in the imaging report.

The content of this podcast is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a healthcare professional regarding your healthcare questions and concerns. This podcast contains the opinions of the host.

If you’d like to be the first to receive updates and exclusive content from the upcoming Breast Cancer Life newsletter, please email me at connect@breastcancerlife.org . I’d love to have you on the list!

LET'S CONNECT:

connect@breastcancerlife.org

Find me on Pinterest