Should I get a preventative mastectomy
I am very high risk for breast cancer. My mother and 4 aunts and multiple cousins have been diagnosed with breast cancer. My sister had a preventative mastectomy. I know in my brain, that I should choose this option. However, I am struggling with the mental, physical and financial costs of putting myself through surgery.
Deciding whether to have a mastectomy to prevent breast cancer is an absolute journey. It's not something that should be decided lightheartedly. Unfortunately, one person's decision cannot and should not influence another's decision because we all have unique bodies and genetics. However, I think that it is important to hear from other's experiences as part of the informed decision process. I will tell you my journey because at the time of my decision I wished that I could have talked to someone who had made a similar decision.
In 2012, I woke up one morning and discovered a small lump while doing a self breast exam...something I rarely did but that morning something prompted me to do it. To make a long story short, I ended up at the St. Luke's High Risk Breast Clinic as my sister had recently gone through Stage IV breast cancer treatment. What I found turned out to be benign; but, in the process of all the scans I found out that I had highly dense and cystic breasts which meant mammographies and even MRIs might not catch a malignancy. From 2012 thru 2018, I had regular visits to the High Risk Breast Clinic with mammography, ultrasound, and a yearly MRI. I had several biopsies done throughout this time and had an intraductal papilloma removed. In 2017, the results of my MRI indicated that it would be beneficial for me to have an MRI every 6 months vs every 12 months. It was at this point that I seriously considered a double mastectomy. I had thought about it in the past but this time was different. I felt like I was bidding my time before a cancer diagnosis. I had my sister, who was thankfully almost 10 years out from her cancer treatment, give me her advice after reviewing my results. I was all over the place with my decision. Was I being too radical with the results of my MRI? Should I just hedge my bets and keep my breasts? What's the big deal about a mastectomy, it's not like I'd be losing much (I was an A cup). In the end, I decided to have a nipple sparing double mastectomy with implant reconstruction in January 2018. I would never know for sure whether or not cancer would have developed in my breasts but in the end I determined that with the density and cystic nature of the my tissue and my sister's breast cancer history that I was better off without them. Have I had regrets? Sure. I don't think you cannot ever ask "but what if I would have never developed breast cancer?" Unfortunately, that's a question without an answer and you eventually stop asking it. I am thankful that I have reduced my risk of breast cancer as much that I can. I am thankful for my surgeons Drs. Neblock-Beirne and Spencer Egan and their wonderful staff. I am thankful for the care and guidance of Donna O'Reilly RN WHNP at the St. Luke's High Risk Breast Clinic who left no stones unturned when looking for suspicious lumps and never forced the idea of a prophylactic mastectomy. In the end, my implants and me were not a perfect match so in 2022 I decided to have an explant. So now I am flatty unless I decide to wear a prosthetic in my bra. And you know, it's actually kind of freeing! And that's a whole different journey! In the end, I think you just kind of know when it's time. When you've had enough with the scanning and prodding and uncertainty. There is life without breast tissue. You are more than your cup size! I'll be praying for you in your decision making.