Life After Mastectomy

Life without the girls. No more tatas. Adios to the twins.

About 80,000 women every year have one or both breasts removed. Some of these are after breast cancer, and some of these follow a pre-diagnosis.

For those dealing with a diagnosis of breast cancer the options for treatment aren’t always clear-cut.  One surgeon may recommend a lumpectomy with radiation and another doctor may suggest a mastectomy.

“Mastectomy is not a hard and fast choice,” said Helen Cuccia, a registered nurse (RN) with the non-profit home care based in Mamaroneck.

Some of the different factors influencing treatment are the cancer cell type, whether or not there are cancerous lymph nodes involved and the pathology of biopsied tissue.

“Women tend to generalize,” said Cuccia, adding that certain non-invasive cancers such as ductal carcinoma may be caught early and treated with lumpectomy.

The results for life after mastectomies differ in every way physically, socially, economically and emotionally. Some survivors are just plain thankful for the potentially deadly body parts to be gone, while others are devastated by the pain or by their new appearance.

Tobey Young chose a double mastectomy several years ago after testing positive for the gene associated with high-risk breast cancer. She had lost her mother 18 years earlier to breast cancer, and another relative had been recently diagnosed.

“I had a decision to make. I talked to my doctors and my recently diagnosed relative. I smacked myself in the head and said… female parts or my life?” Young, of Oceanside, NY, also had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.

“After you get past the fact that you are going to lose your breasts, don’t look back,” Young said. She endured the surgeries, the pain, the inconvenience, the loss of income for five weeks as a dental hygienist and the recovery process.

“It was not fun,” she said. “But it’s done.”

Young founded a support group for previvors and survivors in Long Island. “I just felt so driven to help other women because I didn’t really have anyone helping me.”

Some athletes worry about not being to continue with their sport and some mothers worry about not being able to lift their children.

For women who decide on reconstruction, there are several options: saline and silicone implants, using tissue and muscle from the stomach or other areas, or a combination of these.

After a mastectomy, it may be difficult to find clothes that fit. There may be sensitivity, tightness or pain. Some may choose bra inserts.

Some post-mastectomy patients blog about the individuality of this process.

Self image issues can develop, said Cuccia, since women can’t be completely prepared for all the changes that take place.

“It’s another thing to look at yourself after the bandages come off,” she said.

Irene Healy, a sculptor and anaplastologist in Toronto, creates breast prosthesis by using laser scanning and modeling software. Her company, New Attitude, uses technology to match, shape, tone and nipple.

Young says that despite the negatives that come along with mastectomies, there are some positives, too.

“You get to live. No more mammograms. You can have perfect, gorgeous breasts, and you may never have to wear a bra again.”

For women that have beat breast cancer, many are invigorated to take on new challenges and support others with cancer, having conquered their worst fears, said Cuccia. 

“Women can be very supportive and caring of others after they’ve been through it,” she said.