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Anyone feel devasted about how you look & feel? And guilty too?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: May 30, 2023 | Replies (61)Comment receiving replies
Hi @gina5009
When I was a kid and I first heard about radical mastectomies, it freaked me out, but not for the usual reason. I was born unusually strong for a girl and I was so happy for that gift especially since I only had brothers so it allowed me to keep up with them in sports. So I worried my whole life about getting breast cancer and losing my strength. When that fear started, I didn't even have breasts yet so I was too young to relate to that part of it.
Ultimately, I had a double mastectomy at 54, but luckily the simple mastectomies of today's medical mindset. Difficult for sure, but I was happy I wouldn't lose strength. Then when my cancer came back in chest wall and pectoral muscle, and on my dominant side, there was that fear of losing strength again that might leave me feeling weak and helpless. They only had to take a small amount of my pectoral muscle and it didn't go all the way through. I did have side effects including loss of range of motion, but no real noticeable loss of strength. Then again, I was 61 for that surgery and not nearly as strong as I used to be anyway.
Gina - My question to you, if you don't mind me asking, is how did the radical mastectomy affect your strength and daily living activities? Is/was it as hard as I imagined?
Replies to "Hi @gina5009 When I was a kid and I first heard about radical mastectomies, it freaked..."
I think I may have told you I was 36 when I had the surgery and I am sure this probably had a great deal to do with my excellent recovery. It took one year for me to be able to raise my arm straight up in the air, and gradually I regained full strength but it took a lot of work with Rehab to get there. Unfortunatley about 10 years ago (age 80) I took a fall at Wal Mart) and fractured my right shoulder in three places).. I now have an artificial shoulder replacement and cannot reach very far or place my arm behind my back or lift the arm above shoulder height. I do manage quite well with a metal grabber and my left arm (radical mastectomy arm) is excellent. I have learned to use it almost as well as my right arm use to be. I think I did mention to you, my Radical involved taking all the way to the chest, and enough muscle into the arm pit. They were able to stretch this muscle, (over time, this is part of why it took about a year to regain the use of this arm). Believe it or not, my doctor told me to get a brush and to brush and brush. Best therapy for that arm. As I also mentioned, I am 92 and beginning to loose strength in both arms(old age), but I have large bottles of distilled water and I use them as weights to lift each time I need to use them and I think this has helped to keep the arms strong.
I know when I tell people about my surgery, they are almost horrified at the extent of the surgery, but the one thing they cannot know about is Cancer in 1968 was almost a death sentence. There were no lompectomies, radiation (only if lymph involvement) and definitely no Chemotherapy. It was a one shot deal. I tell everyone, "YOU CAN'T FAULT SUCCESS'.
So after all of that, Your arm will be fine, just takes a little work. Smile, God is good, The Sun is Shinning, and you have a very long life ahead of you.
Gina5009
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Hello. My question to you is how did they find that the cancer had returned to your chest wall and pectoral muscle? My tumor was stuck to my chest wall and I can't stop worrying that it will return in that area. My oncologist even, calmly, pointed to my right chest and lung, as one of the sites where cancer could return. My one year check- ups consists of a nurse feeling around my right mastectomy site and asking me if I have any new pain. Then a left diagnostic mammogram. No Scans on my right side, no CTC, circulating tumor cell blood test. NOTHING.