Expanders to Implants 8.2

Advice to newcomers: You will get through this. You will learn to accept and love your body. It will take time, but that is the beauty of this journey, you get more TIME. 

I was 22 when I was diagnosed with BRCA1.

22yr old diagnosed with BRCA1

When I was 28yo I decided to get my double mastectomy at the strong urging of my doctor.

 

28yo Double Mastectomy

After my surgery I got an infection which I battled for about two months. I found out I was pregnant right after losing my right expander to the infection.  

Mastectomy infection under breast
Mastectomy after pregnancy

I chose to have my son instead of continuing with my breast reconstruction and waited until after I had healed from labor to put the right expander back in.

Nipple removed mastectomy scars

COVID postponed my plans to have the reconstruction surgery for a while but my doctor was an angel and eventually replaced the expanders with saline implants despite it not being an urgent procedure during the pandemic.

31yo after mastectomy in bikini

As of now, I am 31 years old and fully recovered from the reconstruction. Because of the infection, my right breast is a bit uneven and I’m still missing nipples but you can’t really tell with clothes on. As soon as my doctor is able to, I want to have another surgery to make my chest even and then I do plan on getting tattooed nipples. It was hard for me to see what I looked like after my initial surgery. I honestly cried for days because no one prepared me for what I might look like. I still have moments where I’m sad about my missing nipples, or I feel embarrassed/ashamed of my uneven breasts but I am ALIVE and I got my beautiful son out of this experience.  I lost my mom to cancer so to be given the chance to live and not suffer the way she did, is priceless.