Decisions Decisions

Time to Decide – 4th February 2019

We visit the consultant at the Alex Hospital on the Monday after a heavy weekend of research. 

I’ve read so many blogs and websites to understand the options and risks and now feel as though I have enough information to make the right decision for myself.

Whilst I hate reading books, I like to understand what I’m letting myself in for. I guess it’s because I like to know everything and I like to be prepared. I’m one of those people who will read a set of instructions before unpacking the box. It’s just me. It always has been and always will be.

I once did a management development course called Courageous Success. It was different to other courses because it drew out the things that drive you, the things that really mean a lot to you. Each set of drivers is unique to the individual even down to the description. One of mine was ‘Walk on the Pavement’. This refers to me liking things to be done correctly and making sure that everything has been taken into account. Grass should not be walked over if there is a pavement. I guess it’s about following rules and doing the right thing. This was instilled in my siblings and I when we were young but is also probably down to the fact that I’m accountant – I have to ensure that accounting policies and regulations are followed.

Anyway, back to the ‘main story’…. I guess I only had 2 options but I wanted as much information as possible. I also asked my sister (a dentist so more ‘medical’ orientated) who has a close friend who is a maxillofacial surgeon – she’s a good one to get some impartial medical advice. 

After much reading and looking at several photo’s, I decided to go with the implant and LD flap reconstruction. Whilst the consultant was impartial in terms of which type of implant to have, he did say I would be a good candidate given my current breast shape and size. Not long after I had made this decision, my sister forwarded on a message from her surgeon friend…..

“different surgeons have different preferences but this is from ****….Re flap v implant. Cosmetically better result with flap – drawbacks are much bigger op – complications much more serious if they occur- and if they do happen may delay adjuvant therapy. He says complications with implants are much easier to fix – and for that reason he prefers doing reconstruction with prosthesis . This is the text from breast surgeon who operated on ‘famous person’s’ wife. Very good surgeon, hope it is helpful x”

OK, so this could have thrown a spanner in the works. I knew there were additional risks but there are risks with any surgery. Besides, negative thinking isn’t in my make-up. I would be fine (perhaps this is a little naive but… hey!). I was confident in my consultant who was a specialist in this type of surgery so I decided to continue on my chosen path.

The meeting with the consultant was therefore quick as all I had to tell him was the option that I had chosen. We also agreed on a date for my sentinel node biopsy operation which would determine whether the cancer had spread (the sentinel nodes are the first few lymph nodes into which a tumour drains). Whilst the ultrasounds that I had done hadn’t shown anything, it was obviously best to get them checked out properly.

 

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1 - The Journey Begins click here 
2 - Diagnosis click here 
3 - MRI Scan click here 
4 - Results Confirmation click here 
5 - Biopsy click here 
6 - Reconstruction Options click here 
7 - Time to Decide (you're on this page)  
8 - Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy click here
9 - Lymph Node Biopsy results click here 
10 - The Big Op click here 
11 - Day 1 Post Op click here  
12 - Day 2 Discharge Day click here
13 - Week 1 Post Op click here
14 - Week 2 Post Op click here
15 - Week 3 Post Op click here
16 - Week 4 Post Op click here
17 - Week 5 Post Op click here
18 - Week 6 Post Op click here
19 - Week 7 Post Op click here
20 - Weeks 8-13 Post Op click here
21 - 5 Months Post Op click here