Thanks ALL for your LOVE!!

When I was ranting yesterday!!  It was just a tough day...but in the end my pryaers were answered and my grandson's father was served with papers....FINALLY!!! I had my plastic surfeon consult last Fri. and all is set in my mind for my double mastectomy!!  When I was diagnosed I had a lumpectomy but since then have had genetic councling and my oncotype score has come back determining my chance of recurrance to be a 75% chance within 10 years.  I really am ok with having the breasts removed but to be honest with you I HATE the thought of going under the knife again!!  SCARED to death!!  I've been hospitalized so many times the past few months and have had 5 surgeries!!!  Does anyone have any ideas HOW to get these babies off without a knife or anesthetic??  The other thing I need to decide is whether I have immediate recon..  Up till now I had NO intention of having them replaced but some of my loved ones seem to think I will eventually and I WON'T do it because of the "going under again" thing!! Please tell me what you would do and why...I really value ALL of your opinions!! Thanks gals!!  Love ya!!

Rants are a nessessary part of life, and I for one am glad to have this place where I know I can do it safely and that the people here actually care about what happens to me. Having said that if it were me in your position I think I'd want people to tell me that healing from one thing at a time is enough. It sounds like from your post that your not even sure you WANT replacement tata's. IMO I think plastics of any kind are a very personal choice and that family and friends shouldn't be allowed to pressure you into doing them or not doing them. I would say to do some soul searching and decide if you really want them right now.. if the answer is no fine don't do it... you can always change your mind later. Good luch to you honey, it sounds like you have come such a long way and fought well, do not let this choice .. to have tata's to not have tata's be something that causes you stress right now. Hope this helps some. Hugs  L.

Hey there again, gorgeous - To boob, or not to boob - THAT is the question.  Lisa's right, only YOU can answer it.  Others who shove their opinions in your face have probably not faced this decision on their own.  Maybe, but probably not.  So you have to figure it out for yourself.  How to do that?  Consider all the pro's and con's of not doing it, of doing it now, or of doing it sometime down the road.  Those seem to be your choices.  Will you ever want them back?  That's your first question to answer.  If it's "no", then you're done.   If it's "yes, probably" - then proceed to figuring out if you want it done now, or later. Now?  One less trip to la-la land by way of anesthesia.  Personally, I've had more than my share of surgeries in my lifetime as well, and for me, the IV is the absolute WORST part of it!  Once that's in, they can pump me with happy juice and I don't give a crap 'til it's over!  And even then, I heal pretty well.  Do you heal up well after your surgeries?  I mean, do you feel like you take it pretty well?  Having been through all the cancer treatment already, maybe you don't?  Think about that.  Maybe getting it all over with NOW, in one fell swoop, would be a good thing? Later?  Well, you can wear prosthetic bras in the meantime, if you feel the need.  You can take more time to heal up and get your body in condition to handle the reconstructive surgery at a later date.  But it would still mean another trip to the OR.  Ugh.  (sorry, personal opinion showing there...) You just do what feels right to YOU!!!  'cuz ultimately, YOU are the one that will have to live with it!   No matter WHAT you decide, people will be staring at your chest.  So be sure to have some good, smart-ass tee-shirts ready!  You know, like "I'm up HERE!!"  Or...  "My boobs don't speak for me".  Or...  "Yes, they're gone!"  Or... "Yes, they're MINE, I paid for them!"  Oh hell, this could be party, coming up with snotty tee-shirt boob sayings!!! WE will love you REGARDLESS, Ronda!!! 

Hi Ronda, We all have to rant sometimes and you are really dealing with added stress.   I have not personally had to go through what you are going through, but as you know, my mother just went through this and I was with her every step of the way.  I felt and saw her every emotion, she ran all her ideas and thoughts by or at me, I talked with all her doctors and was by her side when she went under and was by her side when she woke up.  My mother made the decision to have a double, which was last August, and had the reconstruction started during that same procedure.  Like you she was scared because she had been through so many painful procedures up until then she really didn't know if she could go under the knife again.  But I can tell you, the decision was the hardest part for her.  Once she decided to have the reconstruction and because it was started during the masectomy, it was a litle easier for her to handle.  After surgery was very hard, but I don't want to go into all of that (unles you want me to and you can contact me).  My mother just had the second part of the surgery a couple weeks ago, which is the implants and that is just a day surgery.  She was in and out of the clinic in less that 4 hours and she was only off work for 1 week.  She has one more surgery to go, but that will be day surgery as well.  I can tell you now, my mother is very happy with her decision because she has new boobs.  See my mother lost 150lbs prior to being diagnosed with breast cancer so she was always complaining about her boobs headed south.  So now she has youthful, upright ta-ta's (that's what she calls them).  And she has started smiling again. She says since she had to go through this, she might as well get somthing good out of it.  And she got to pick the size and shape this time around. So this is a decision you have to make, and a hard one at that.  But I wish you the best and whatever decision you make I'm sure you will be happy with and we will all love you just the same.

Hello Ronda...I am with everyone here...you need to make that decision on your own...don't let others do that for you. You are beautiful in side and out and tata's or no tata's doesn't change that! Hugs and love,  connie d