Jody and others,
I am so sorry if I offended anyone in any way.
I agree with you about not knowing how I'd be unless I was there. I wanted to
know if there was a specific type of cancer that made bilateral mastectomy
advisable, such as inflammatory breast cancer.
I also meant that taking them both off at once seemed a drastic step to me.
Perserving the breast for the sake of "looks" or vanity never crossed my
mind.
I have met women who have asked for a bilateral mastectomy because of a
cancer history in the family. It always seemed extreme to me (no cancer
diagnosis yet, just preventitive). But then I'm the one asked the doctor to
amputate my leg because of my bad hip (which already keeps me wheelchair
bound and dislocates 3 + times a week). The doctor made a psychiatric
referral. The whole idea seemed totally logical to me at the time. If I
didn't have the hip I wouldn't have a problem. Kathy Dettwyler and I had
several discussions on the topic. However no one would even consider an "if
thy eye offend thee, pluck it out" approach to the problem. Now that the
sciatic nerve is recovering from being severed and I am able to move my toes
a little, I am glad that everyone though I was crazy and I still have my leg.
Who knows if I had breast cancer I might feel that way about my breasts too.
Marie Davis, RN, IBCLC

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