You found the lump in one of your breasts. You have spoken with your doctor, and now you have decisions to make. Do I have a double mastectomy or just on the breast that has the lump?
What do I do about the other breast? That one is fine, has feeling, is normal, what about that one?
This question is posed from many perspectives, and many women have often wondered if they made the right choice. Well…it really depends on you and your situation.
Over the years as I have spoken and shared my story in groups of women, I have had the honor of hearing their stories; intimate details and thoughts from women who have had breast cancer
Their gut-wrenching and tough decisions that were made almost on a moment’s notice, have brought me to conclude a very important truth; No matter what decision you make – you will always seem to wonder what would have been if you chose the other way.
It is heavy stuff.
Most doctors won’t even touch the emotional side. You sit there and cry, searching for answers in the eyes of a stranger who before the lump, never knew you and has no history with you or your life. It is so overwhelming draining, and exhausting.
You look around and feel lost and helpless and wonder, does anyone understand what I am thinking and feeling?
Absolutely! Yes! We are here to hold your hand and walk through it with you. With the help of, co-workers, women in your church, and even friends who you may be surprised to find out had breast cancer, you will find yourself surrounded by loving and caring women.
You are not alone.
It is okay to cry, share and talk about your thoughts and your feelings. Give permission to family and friends to ask questions and be there to help with whatever they can. Ask for their support, prayers and encouragement – they have no idea what is going on in your head – you need to talk or not, give them opportunity to grieve with you – do not alienate yourself!
Remember, even now more than ever – YOU are a Winning Woman and you will come through it a Winner.
The decision as to whether you will have a single or double mastectomy is exclusively yours, and no one should push you into it. Take time to ask other women, seek counsel from wise friends and research to find out what other women have said about their choice.
It is personal, and it does affect your emotions, your view of yourself physically, your perspective psychologically. How you approach and handle this will convey to those around you including your family. Your attitude and your family’s attitude and responses bounce off of yours. Be open and willing to let them in to go through this together.
So what about that other breast? Well, I made a decision to have a radical mastectomy on the breast with the lump and had 22 lymph nodes removed. I kept the other breast intact and am content and satisfied that I resolved to make this my choice. And I am glad that I did. I call the implant my “softball” as it sometimes rests nice and round atop it’s perch. My other breast is still holding up pretty well and has years left on it. (breast humor) But, I would not choose otherwise, unless I had lumps on both sides.
Ultimately, it comes down to this – they are your breasts. One has been violated and now you choose their destiny. If you are still sexually active and want the feeling in one of your breasts, then a single might be the right choice for you, provided there are no issues with the other breast.
If you have a double, there will be no feeling in your breasts, no nipples that are sensitive to the touch, nothing. They will be any size you want, and you can flaunt them or hide them, whatever you want to do, but you won’t have them part of your sex-life as before due to the lack of sensation.
This point is not usually at the top of the list to talk about, but it is important. Of course, your health is of utmost important and that comes first. Sharing with your husband or partner the side effects of not having a nipple that has any feeling can create a bit of frustration for both of you, however, you can overcome that too. We’ll talk about that one at another time.
Right now, the key decision is about the other breast.
What is your choice? What are your options?
Discuss, pray, talk, seek counsel from other women who have been through it and finally make your decision and know that it is the right one for YOU.
Fight the battle, win the war – You are a Winning Woman!
Founder & First Lady of The Winning Woman Network, Monika Shaw has been a CEO over a multi-million dollar company, an Entrepreneur with several Businesses, won the battle over Breast Cancer, and a mentor to women.
Her passionate vision is for women to be empowered with positive validation in their own hearts and minds, therefore knowing that each woman is special to God.
From her personal and business experiences, she shares rich encouragement and refreshment to the spirits of women who need to hear that they can be who God designed them to be – a Winning Woman!
An Author, Speaker, Coach, and mentor to many women over the years, she brings a message of hope, potential with the possibilities that each woman has within to be a Winning Woman!
For more information click on http://thewinningwomannetwork.com.
There are no posts related to What About the OTHER Breast?.
