BREAST CANCER: SUMMARY OF RECONSTRUCTION DECISIONS
? There are both advantages and disadvantages to having simultaneous or immediate reconstruction.
? Advantages include having only one surgery, which also means one general anesthesia, one hospitalization, one recovery period, and not ever having to live without a breast.
? Disadvantages include having to make a complicated decision in the middle of a period of high anxiety and the small but real chance that the rest of your cancer treatment—for example, chemotherapy—might have to be delayed if there are unexpected surgical complications. It is best to begin chemotherapy when you have healed from your surgery. This is important because chemotherapy kills fast-growing cells and would impede your natural healing from surgery.
? Some women are very pleased with the cosmetic results of reconstruction. Others are not. It may be helpful to think of your reconstructed breast as a “fashion accessory” rather than as a breast. It will not feel like a part of you for a long while. Anticipate an adjustment period of months or even years as you get used to this new body part, which will feel different both from the outside and on the inside. Be aware that a reconstructed breast following a mastectomy will neither have nor be able to register any sensation. It will be a permanently numb add-on.
*45\109\8*
