there is life after breast surgery

8/12/2019 There is Life After Breast Surgery

1/3

'There is life after breast surgery'

Amanda Allen was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. Here she talks about having a

mastectomy and breast reconstruction, and how it changed her life.

"I was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2005. After my mother died in December 2004 and

my grandmother in January 2005, both from haing breast cancer, I became !aranoid that I woud getit. I#d been to see a genetic team about getting tested for a fauty gene, but hadn#t been tested yet."

inding out

"In February 2005 my right ni!!e became infamed and I made an a!!ointment at the breast cinic.

$hey gae me a mammogram on both breasts and sur!risingy found nothing wrong with the right

breast, but there was something showing u! in the eft. I had a !robe bio!sy and the same day was

diagnosed withD%I& 'duct carcinoma in situ(,the same diagnosis my mother had. I was )) years od.

"I#d !re!ared for the worst, and said straight away that I wanted to hae my breasts remoed. I had it

in my mind that I woud hae a doube mastectomy in the ne*t few years anyway, as a !reentatie

measure. +y surgeon adised a doube mastectomy with reconstruction. $hey woud tae musce from

my bac, bring it u! under the arm!it and then down across to the breast, where they woud fan it out

and attach it into !osition to create a !ocet to !ut the im!ant in."

!efore the o"eration

"$he hos!ita !ut me in touch with a woman who had had the same ind of o!eration so that I coud

ta to her about it. I owned a horse, and it turned out that she had a horse too - I was more worried

about being abe to ride again than anything ese at that !oint. &he said riding was fine. I didn#t hae to

thin twice about haing the surgery. $here was fantastic su!!ort from the breast cancer su!!ort

nurses.

"I had my eft breast remoed in +arch 2005, and the right in June 2005. efore the first o!eration I

obiousy fet a bit worried, but in a funny way I was ooing forward to haing it sorted out. /hen I

woe u! after four hours in surgery, I fet sic and in a itte !ain, but once that was under contro I was

uite comfortabe. I was gad it was a oer. I wanted to see what my breast ooed ie, but coud ony

see the dressing. I first saw my new breast soon afterwards, when I had to !ut on a cro! to! for e*tra

su!!ort. I was ama1ed at how natura the breast ooed."

#ecovering from surgery

!reakthrough !reast $ancer has a free information "hone line on 0%0%0 &00 200

"I was in hos!ita for fie days. $he area where I fet the most !ain was my bac, where they#d

remoed the musce. I had troube !ressing down on my eft ebow to raise mysef u! in bed. eneray
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cancer-of-the-breast-female/Pages/Introduction.aspxhttp://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cancer-of-the-breast-female/Pages/Introduction.aspx


2/3

I didn#t find the recoery too bad, !robaby because of my age. +ost of the women I saw at my hydro

!oo !hysio sessions after surgery were much oder than me.

"/hen I got home I was reay ooing forward to riding again, and aso to driing the brand new s!orts

car I#d bought mysef as a treat. It was sitting on the drieway waiting for me to drie it - nowing it

was there he!ed me get through those wees. It was a month before I was ready to drie and change

gear with my eft arm, but when I did, oh - it was ama1ing. I ony !ooted around sma distances at

first, but it was oey to get bac out."

!ack to running and riding

"After about si* wees I went bac to my 3ob in accounts and !ayro. I started bac running and riding

again, and carrying hay around at the stabes, which he!ed to buid u! the musces in my bac. $hen,

0 wees after my first o!eration, I was bac in again to get my right breast done. $he thought of not

being abe to ride or go running was awfu, and I was uite determined to get bac home and recoer

uicy.

"$he second surgery went fine. y the end of 2005 I#d had a third o!eration - to cut and sew u! the

areoa area in such a way as to create ni!!es. nce the new ni!!es were tattooed with a ight !inish

coour, they ooed ama1ing."

carring

"I#e come out with !retty much a !erfect !air of boobs. I went for the same si1e as I was normay,

and they oo a bit fuer and rounder than they did naturay. I#m !roud of them, and I#e been nown

to sunbathe to!ess on hoiday. $he scars hae reay faded oer the years, and athough I#e got

seen6inch scars on my bac, they#re thin and coered by my bra or biini stra!s. n my front, there#s

a tiny scar around the areoa 'made from sin from my bac( and a scar from my arm!it towards the

areoa.

"$he doctors had tod me not to e*!ect to get any sensation in my breasts, but some feeing has sowy

come bac. I didn#t fee anything when I first had the tattooing done, but in ater years when I#e gone

for tattoo to!6u!s I#e been abe to fee it.

"I didn#t hae any other cancer treatment, such as chemothera!y,because the cancer hadn#t s!read. I

was ery reieed to hear that after my first o!eration. $hey were abe to remoe a the affected tissue

during the mastectomies. In 202 I had an o!eration to re!ace the im!ant in my eft breast, because I

had some !ain and the doctors thought the im!ant might hae ru!tured. It actuay wasn#t ru!tured,

but I#m gad they re!aced it."(ife after breast surgery

"I ie to !romote breast reconstruction surgery to women. I do modeing for arious bras and things,

and I#e done !hotoshoots and fashion shows. I#m ha!!y to ta to women who are considering breast

reconstruction, and ha!!y to et them oo at mine and fee them. 7ou can#t get a !ro!er idea of how

they oo and fee from a !hotogra!h - they fee uite norma.

"I haen#t got chidren and I haen#t got any sisters to worry about the ris of breast cancer.

"&ince haing my new breasts I#e had a second chance in ife. I#m fairy confident and woud try most

new things gien the o!!ortunity. 8hysicay I might be a bit ess strong, but I#m more determined and

there#s nothing I can#t now do. I#e been roc cimbing, and I#e done a sy die to raise money forreathrough reast %ancer. $hereisife after breast cancer surgery."
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chemotherapy/pages/definition.aspxhttp://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chemotherapy/pages/definition.aspxhttp://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chemotherapy/pages/definition.aspx


3/3

Amanda had her breast reconstruction in 2005. $reatments offered today might not be e*acty the

same. Find out more about breast cancer treatment.

8age ast reiewed9 20::202

;e*t reiew due9 20::204
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cancer-of-the-breast-female/Pages/Treatment.aspxhttp://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cancer-of-the-breast-female/Pages/Treatment.aspx

there is life after breast surgery

Documents