I Had Double Mastectomy with Tissue Expanders Placed on March 5, 2014 Due to Stage Two Breast Cancer - Berkeley Heights, NJ

I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in July 2013 when I was 39 years old. I had no family history and tested negative for the breast cancer genes. I had not decided at that point what my ultimate treatment was going to be so I started with a lumpectomy to get the cancer out of my body in August 2013. After five months of chemotherapy I decided to have a double mastectomy with implant reconstruction. I am a registered nurse and I have cared for many women who had a history of breast cancer who started with lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy and later had either a reoccurrence of cancer or developed a new cancer on the opposite side. After radiation, reconstruction, if needed is difficult to get good cosmetic results. I was concerned given my age that I could develop a new cancer or have a reoccurrence so I chose double mastectomy. I went with implant reconstruction instead of flap reconstruction because it was an easier surgery to recover from, I felt I did not have enough extra tissue to get the size in both breasts that I wanted (full C) without using multiple sites and I could not go down to New Orleans to have the surgery done by the best flap reconstruction surgeons. When I first started trying to decide on what treatment plan I would go with I thought implant reconstruction would give me two perfect looking breasts. When I looked on-line at pictures I was initially disappointed in what I saw. Reconstructed breasts do not look perfect. Because I started with a lumpectomy, I had scar tissue. When you have a mastectomy, the fatty tissue and functional breast tissue is removed. When the implant is placed under the muscle, there is no longer soft pillowy natural padding between the skin and muscle. When you move you see the muscles flex so even though there is an implant there it still looks distorted. That being said, I survived cancer and that is the most important thing. If my surgery was purely for cosmetic reasons I would not be happy with the results but considering what my surgeon had to work with (lumpectomy scar and double mastectomy) I am very satisfied. When I am dressed or even in a bathing suit my new breasts look much better than before having cancer. The surgical process is not easy but it is manageable and now I have a greater peace of mind knowing I did the best I could to lower my risks of having breast cancer return. My mastectomy was in March and final reconstruction was in June. By July I was intensely training for my first marathon which I completed on November 2 and I must say my breasts looked fantastic in my running tank top.