Choosing to have a Mastectomy

This has been a very challenging month for me, but I have been expecting it for a long time. After my hysterectomy last October, many people congratulated me saying that they were so glad that I was now cancer free. I couldn't bring myself to say that I had only completed phase one. A month ago, I knew I was now strong enough for phase two. The time has come for me to have the double mastectomy I knew I would have to have. Don't worry. There is no sign of cancer, but because I have the BRCA2 gene mutation, I need to have this preventative surgery. I had wanted to wait, hopefully for years, until I actually started to develop lumps, but I can't. 

Second Week after Laparoscopic Hysterectomy for Ovarian Cancer

Two weeks down! I still have a long way to fully recover, but I can move around the house, put laundry away, and I am no longer anxious (that's a big plus!). I think I was seriously exhausted last week. Having a full hysterectomy, or any major surgery, when you are in your seventies is quite wearing.  Especially, when I also had a twelve hour round trip by car to get to the hospital and home again which was made more tiring by my four spinal injuries. All this was on top of four rounds of Chemo, having cancer and ascites (abdomen swelling with liquid; I had three months ago). I don't think that it is surprising that I was exhausted.