"At least you'll get a boob job out of it!"
This particular comment is THE WORST! I get sick to my stomach when I hear it. It shows a complete lack of understanding about what a mastectomy is.
A boob job is an incision under the breast, where the scar won't be seen, and inserting an implant. Nothing is removed. The look and feel of the woman's breast tissue is still there. Nipples remain. Sensation remains. I'm not sure about pain or recovery time, but I believe it's generally minimal. At least that's what the radio ads say.
A mastectomy surgery actually removes ALL the breast tissue. And possibly the nipples. This leaves the woman with skin and empty pockets (if she has skin sparing surgery). Some women choose to not have breast reconstruction, in which case they get stitched up and live their life without breasts. If a woman chooses reconstruction, there are multiple follow up doctor appointments and surgeries. Filling tissue expanders (slowly, a week at a time), pain from stretching the chest muscle that the implant will eventually fit beneath, drains that remove fluid from the cavity as healing takes place, limited arm mobility and use, exchange surgery to replace expanders with the implants, surgeries to correct symmetry, fat grafting to help with skin ripples, possible nipple reconstruction, nipple tattoos, dealing with a variety of complications and infections, scarring from incisions that aren't hidden, and a future of implant replacement every 10 years or so. Plus, the womans breasts, nipples, and chest wall are now numb, forever.
If a woman who is having a mastectomy chooses to be excited about reconstruction and getting implants, good for her. But let HER say that. I, on the other hand, am mourning the loss of my natural breasts and would prefer to just keep them, as they are.
"Hey, no more periods! Or birth control!"
I feel very fortunate that I was able to have my 3 beautiful babies while I was young. I was also blessed with peace and knowledge that our family was complete after our third child. It wasn't very difficult for me to cope with losing my fertility. But, most women are not so lucky.
Many women wrestle with the right timing to remove their ovaries. They live with fear of getting cancer, with doctors telling them the dangers or keeping their ovaries past 35. They know they can't do much to screen for ovarian cancer. But they desire to have babies. This is especially difficult for women who haven't married yet. They also have to make tough decisions about harvesting and preserving their eggs. Which is difficult, expensive, and not always successful in producing a future baby.
I FEEL for these women!!! I can't imagine never having felt a child grow inside me. Or the exhilaration of birthing my babies. Most women consider periods a welcome nuisance in exchange for the opportunity to be pregnant someday.
