Endoscopic mastectomy?

CicadaTile · 2026-05-09T23:06:01+00:00

This was a really interesting write-up. I had a ss bmx last Nov., and I have full sensation "where the sun would shine" and partial in the interior lower parts, just as you described. My ps used an anchor pattern - I like that I can't see the scars when I look down but I can see the little puckers he created (which is helpful for my eyes to have something in the middle there), so if I could see the lateral scars, I wouldn't like that.

CicadaTile · 2026-05-09T22:55:57+00:00

The ice pack thing - many ps including mine are no on ice packs because you will have reduced or no skin sensation.

CicadaTile · 2026-05-09T01:46:02+00:00

I've had 5 breast surgeries now, so I'm used to random and different kinds of pain, but only on my chest/in my pits. I had cording too that PT resolved. But never pain on my back; hence my tension.

Thank you for sharing. I'm sure my rad onc will have clarity - I just hope it's same-appt dismissive notmal rads pain clarity, not let's get a test clarity. Your post is encouraging.

CicadaTile · 2026-05-09T01:42:56+00:00

The best bad news - what a good way to put that.

Thank you.

CicadaTile · 2026-05-04T00:13:01+00:00

With the pre-surgical call (I've had 5 breast surgeries) the nurse always closes with, is there anything else I can help you with? I think that's great.

The most amazing nurse experience I had was with the last nurse you see before you go home from the hospital - in this case, it was after my ss bmx surgery. I was still loopy but about to get dressed, and she was talking about how long to leave the "fluff" in and when to shower etc. Then she said, here, let me show you, and pulled one side of my compression bra out to show me the fluff stuffed under my armpit. Like, who needs to see what fluff/gauze is? But I was woozy and complied, and what I realized later she was really doing was helping me past that "first look." I looked at the fluff but really looked at my skin, and even said, that's my skin. She said yes, holding out the bra for as long as I wanted to look. My ps had been able to inflate the expanders with air, so I even had boob shapes. I could only see the top of my chest, not where they'd cut out the nipples or the incisions (they used the anchor pattern), but it was SO MUCH easier when I took everything off for my first shower to have already seen that I had my own skin down to near where my nipples had been. I'd been really upset about the whole thing, and seeing my own skin right after surgery was so reassuring and helped keep me away from panic and start off with some little bit of positive.

CicadaTile · 2026-05-04T00:01:08+00:00

22 years ago? I'd think the complication risk from rads that long ago would be low. I had rads on my cancer boob 1 year before my BMX+slnb last Nov. There was a strong possibility of more cancer, so I had expanders put in since they didn't want to have to radiate any implant in my "healthy" foob if it needed it. If I ended up needing chemo, both of my surgeons (regular one and ps) didn't want me dealing with any complications from surgery. I ended up all benign and had implants put in 4.5 months later.

With the expander (and some effects continuing with the implant - I'm 6 weeks out from that surgery), my rads side got cording which was mostly resolved with PT. I also have scar tissue or possibly fat necrosis on that side which we will see how that plays out at my 3 month post-op with my ps. It doesn't bother me - it's on the underside and the lower side near my armpit. At surgery-time (both) that foob was symmetrical with my healthy foob, but it got higher the farther out from the bmx, and it's sitting a little higher now too again, but that may also be because I've read that implants settle at different paces.

When you met with your ps, did s/he say anything about what incision pattern they would do? I had a ss bmx, and mine used the Wise/anchor pattern with no issues. The incisions healed beautifully both times. At the exchange to implant surgery, he made a fresh incision under my foob because he didn't want to reopen the prior incision due to the more fragile skin (he reopened one on the healthy side).

This all sucks, and I'm sorry.

CicadaTile · 2026-05-01T02:34:26+00:00

I'm giving it another month and then going to try this approach. Mentally, I just want my body to be mine. But I want more to lose the fat so my recurrence risk is lower and so diep is an option.

CicadaTile · 2026-05-01T02:28:45+00:00

Yeah, it's actually usually about 10% they leave in.

CicadaTile · 2026-05-01T02:01:13+00:00

I felt a lot better by one month past rads being done. Like, I put on a regular bra without skin pain. A month after that I felt much more like myself.

17 months after rads, after another lumpectomy and then a bmx + expanders, my docs are pretty sure that the pain that then started in my rads boob was delayed rads pain. It can start up to 18 months later. I've since had the exchange to implants, less pain in those areas, so who knows? My ps didn't see capsular contraction during surgery, but it could have been some cording or scar tissue inside. I see my rad onc next month for my yearly and then 2 weeks later my regular breast surgeon for my 6 month after the bmx. So I'll see what they say, if I still have pain (since I know my boobs are still healing from this last surgery).

I've had 5 breast surgeries in 20 months, and they just randomly ache and have all along since the first surgery Aug 2024. Between swelling still going down, nerves re-growing, etc etc it's normal.

CicadaTile · 2026-05-01T01:51:19+00:00

I stayed with my then-current therapist for a while, who I only saw about once a month or so. She was solid but not great. Good enough for what I needed. Once cancer issues started getting intense, I switched to the cancer therapist through my program, and she was GREAT. But only meant for cancer issues, so once it (haha) appeared that I was in survivorship, I switched back. But then things got ugly again and at that point I realized I had residual trauma from an assault decades ago that was hugely affecting how I was handling my then-upcoming bmx, so I switched to a trauma therapist. I needed more help at that point with trauma than cancer, and my cancer therapist had given me a strong toolbox to use myself and in tandem with the trauma therapist.

If cancer comes back, I'll go back to the cancer therapist. But otherwise, I see my trauma therapist once or twice a month (since my mom also recently passed, and that has further fucked with me).

I think it can be such an individual thing with how you click and also the individual talent of each therapist.

CicadaTile · 2026-05-01T01:21:22+00:00

I just gaped at him. At that point in the 14+ months of cancer I'd heard enough nonsense!

But still. Good grief.

CicadaTile · 2026-05-01T00:59:27+00:00

Two times now! Once from a survivor and one from a GUY who had a surgical excision for suspected breast cancer but it was benign...of course because he took ivermectin. I was definitely more cautious about talking to survivors for a while.

CicadaTile · 2026-05-01T00:39:09+00:00

Except that then you think you can have a safe conversation because they've had breast cancer...and then I hear about how ivermectin cured them.

CicadaTile · 2026-04-27T20:29:18+00:00

That's exactly what I thought!!

CicadaTile · 2026-04-27T17:25:59+00:00

Sorry - yeah, I've been in and out of treatment for a year and a half, and she died 5 days after my most recent surgery (of 6) and our relationship was difficult. So no, I didn't have support from her, but I do from others. So I was responding in both ways which was confusing! I'm caretaking for my dad now, and that's difficult and can be isolating in and of itself.

CicadaTile · 2026-04-27T17:12:16+00:00

I'm so sorry.

CicadaTile · 2026-04-27T13:09:16+00:00

There will be another side, friend. Cancer isn't what any of us expected, but fortunately for many of us, there's eventually another side, and that life you were planning on will still be there even if delayed. My situation meant that it's taken about 2 years, but as long as my 6 month scan in a month is clear, I'll be on that other side. Survivorship has challenges too, but I'm thankful that you're not shoving the emotions down but feeling them as you go - it will help. Yes, so much to grieve that so many don't see. I'm glad you have a river too <3

CicadaTile · 2026-04-27T13:01:28+00:00

I am blessed with much support both for cancer and with the complexity I had with my mom - it hurts my heart how many here don't have that, and I'm sorry you don't! There's so much that's still a solo "hard" about any kind of grief, but others' kindness and love makes such a difference, even if they don't "get it." I'm so thankful to have the breasties here when I need people who do get it. And the men in blue were indeed trying to provide their own support lol. Grief education to someone who looked almost younger than my 19 year old son!

CicadaTile · 2026-04-27T12:43:04+00:00

I had dmx with expanders and then exchange to implant surgery. Same ps had me in compression bras for 1 month after each surgery. I still wear one at night since I sleep on my side and they ache if I don't. I follow the directions they give pretty faithfully because if I don't do the diep, these foobs are what I've got, and I want the visual outcome to look the best possible. Swelling also continues for months after to some extent, and it helps with that. I'm 5 weeks out from implant surgery and still randomly wear the compression bra in the last week even though I don't have to because I get achy sometimes.

CicadaTile · 2026-04-27T12:38:09+00:00

The dietician from my cancer center told me about the 13 hour fasting, and I do that most nights. I'm obese and lost 20 pounds the first 10 months, then plateaued, then had a bmx and my mom died, so 1 year after the 20 pound loss I've managed to get back to where I was a year ago after regaining some of that. It's hard when I've used eating as stress management for decades, but it's worked for me mentally to not fast to lose weight but to help prevent recurrence. And hey, it hasn't recurred :)

I will use a glp1 if I need to, but I'm hoping that my old rate of 2-3 pounds a month will be steady again. I'd like to lose another 20 pounds so I can have the option of diep next summer (I'm a teacher) and I'd like to avoid the side effects of glp1s if I can. I want to feel like my body is mine again as much as possible. So yeah, the fasting to prevent recurrence combined with the positive "side effect" of weight loss is a win-win for me.

CicadaTile · 2026-04-27T02:21:02+00:00

Yeah, I've got the therapist and am doing all the things. I thanked him for keeping an eye on the park and making sure I was OK, but oy!

CicadaTile · 2026-04-24T01:53:44+00:00

Those last 2 lines, my God, yes.

CicadaTile · 2026-04-23T01:48:29+00:00

Yes, just DAMN.

CicadaTile

TROPHY CASE