'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 ha ing breast cancer, I became !aranoid that I wou"d get it. I#d been to see a genetic team about getting tested for a fau"ty gene, but hadn#t been tested yet."

inding out
"In February 2005 my right ni!!"e became inf"amed and I made an a!!ointment at the breast c"inic. $hey ga e me a mammogram on both breasts and sur!rising"y 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 with D%I& 'duct carcinoma in situ(, the same diagnosis my mother had. I was )) years o"d. "I#d !re!ared for the worst, and said straight away that I wanted to ha e my breasts remo ed. I had it in my mind that I wou"d ha e a doub"e mastectomy in the ne*t few years anyway, as a !re entati e measure. +y surgeon ad ised a doub"e mastectomy with reconstruction. $hey wou"d ta,e musc"e from my bac,, bring it u! under the arm!it and then down across to the breast, where they wou"d fan it out and attach it into !osition to create a !oc,et 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 cou"d 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 ab"e to ride again than anything e"se at that !oint. &he said riding was fine. I didn#t ha e to thin, twice about ha ing the surgery. $here was fantastic su!!ort from the breast cancer su!!ort nurses. "I had my "eft breast remo ed in +arch 2005, and the right in June 2005. .efore the first o!eration I ob ious"y fe"t a bit worried, but in a funny way I was "oo,ing forward to ha ing it sorted out. /hen I wo,e u! after four hours in surgery, I fe"t sic, and in a "itt"e !ain, but once that was under contro" I was 0uite comfortab"e. I was g"ad it was a"" o er. I wanted to see what my breast "oo,ed "i,e, but cou"d on"y 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 "oo,ed."

#ecovering from surgery

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"I was in hos!ita" for fi e days. $he area where I fe"t the most !ain was my bac,, where they#d remo ed the musc"e. I had troub"e !ressing down on my "eft e"bow to raise myse"f u! in bed. 2enera""y

I didn#t find the reco ery too bad, !robab"y because of my age. +ost of the women I saw at my hydro !oo" !hysio sessions after surgery were much o"der than me. "/hen I got home I was rea""y "oo,ing forward to riding again, and a"so to dri ing the brand new s!orts car I#d bought myse"f as a treat. It was sitting on the dri eway waiting for me to dri e it - ,nowing it was there he"!ed me get through those wee,s. It was a month before I was ready to dri e and change gear with my "eft arm, but when I did, oh - it was ama1ing. I on"y !oot"ed around sma"" distances at first, but it was "o e"y to get bac, out."

!ack to running and riding

"After about si* wee,s I went bac, to my 3ob in accounts and !ayro"". I started bac, running and riding again, and carrying hay around at the stab"es, which he"!ed to bui"d u! the musc"es in my bac,. $hen, 40 wee,s after my first o!eration, I was bac, in again to get my right breast done. $he thought of not being ab"e to ride or go running was awfu", and I was 0uite determined to get bac, home and reco er 0uic,"y. "$he second surgery went fine. .y the end of 2005 I#d had a third o!eration - to cut and sew u! the areo"a area in such a way as to create ni!!"es. 5nce the new ni!!"es were tattooed with a "ight !in,ish co"our, they "oo,ed ama1ing."

'carring
"I# e come out with !retty much a !erfect !air of boobs. I went for the same si1e as I was norma""y, and they "oo, a bit fu""er and rounder than they did natura""y. I#m !roud of them, and I# e been ,nown to sunbathe to!"ess on ho"iday. $he scars ha e rea""y faded o er the years, and a"though I# e got se en6inch scars on my bac,, they#re thin and co ered by my bra or bi,ini stra!s. 5n my front, there#s a tiny scar around the areo"a 'made from s,in from my bac,( and a scar from my arm!it towards the areo"a. "$he doctors had to"d me not to e*!ect to get any sensation in my breasts, but some fee"ing has s"ow"y 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 ab"e to fee" it. "I didn#t ha e any other cancer treatment, such as chemothera!y, because the cancer hadn#t s!read. I was ery re"ie ed to hear that after my first o!eration. $hey were ab"e to remo e a"" the affected tissue during the mastectomies. In 2042 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 ha e ru!tured. It actua""y wasn#t ru!tured, but I#m g"ad they re!"aced it."

(ife after breast surgery

"I "i,e to !romote breast reconstruction surgery to women. I do mode""ing 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" 0uite norma". "I ha en#t got chi"dren and I ha en#t got any sisters to worry about the ris, of breast cancer. "&ince ha ing my new breasts I# e had a second chance in "ife. I#m fair"y confident and wou"d try most new things gi en the o!!ortunity. 8hysica""y 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, c"imbing, and I# e done a s,y di e to raise money for .rea,through .reast %ancer. $here is "ife after breast cancer surgery."

Amanda had her breast reconstruction in 2005. $reatments offered today might not be e*act"y the same. Find out more about breast cancer treatment.
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