In Episode 4 of the BRCA & Beyond Breast Cancer Awareness Month series, Marisa talks about body image after mastectomy and breast surgery, including the first time you see your chest, the uncomfortable in between of recovery, and the emotional process of learning to feel at home in your body again.
After her risk-reducing double mastectomy, Marisa avoided looking at her chest for weeks. Photos felt easier than the mirror because she could separate herself from what she was seeing. Then came tissue expanders, surgical drains, numbness, scars, implant exchange, changes in sensation, and the question underneath all of it: Will I ever feel like myself again?
This episode explores the parts of mastectomy recovery and breast reconstruction that can be difficult to understand until you experience them.
Marisa shares her experience with tissue expanders and implant reconstruction while recognizing that there is no single path after breast surgery. Reconstruction with implants or your own tissue, going flat, lumpectomy, radiation, and delayed reconstruction can all change the way someone sees and experiences their body.
Nearly three years after her mastectomy, Marisa reflects on what making peace with her body actually looks like. Not one dramatic moment of acceptance, but small, ordinary moments mixed with days when the loss still feels heavy.
Because physical healing and emotional healing do not always happen on the same timeline.
There is no deadline for looking. There is no right way to feel about your scars. And having a hard day after you thought you had made peace with your body does not erase the healing that came before it.
National Cancer Institute: Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy
https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/treatment/surgery/breast-reconstruction
National Cancer Institute: Mastectomy
https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/treatment/surgery/mastectomy
National Cancer Institute: Living with Breast Cancer & Survivorship
https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/breast-cancer-survivorship
American Cancer Society: Mastectomy for Breast Cancer
American Cancer Society: Breast Reconstruction Surgery
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/reconstruction-surgery.html
Breastcancer.org: Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy or Other Surgery
https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/breast-reconstruction
American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Breast Reconstruction
https://www.plasticsurgery.org/reconstructive-procedures/breast-reconstruction
If looking in the mirror, getting dressed, showering, intimacy, or adjusting to your body after breast surgery continues to feel overwhelming, consider talking with your oncology team, an oncology social worker, or a mental health professional experienced in cancer and body image.
BRCA & Beyond is a hereditary cancer podcast exploring BRCA1, BRCA2 and other inherited cancer risks through honest conversations about prevention, treatment, survivorship, surgery, mental health and life beyond a genetic test result.
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