On Monday 26th June 2023 my world was turned upside down. Not only was I told I had breast cancer, but I had bilateral breast cancer. I had two different types of cancers. Oestrogen positive in the left and invasive lobular carcinoma in the right.
My GP was amazing and he got me in to see my breast doctor the next day. I remember going to see her but the rest of the appointment was a blur except the words "double mastectomy". I also had a physio appointment the next day as I was still recovering from knee surgery. Then Thursday was my Pet Scan. Friday was my first oncologist visit. I remember a little bit more at this appointment but was still glad I had someone with me to take everything in. I think I retained about 5% of what I was told. The main thing I remembered is 6 rounds of chemo with the 3 strongest chemo drugs you can take.
The next week went by in a bit of a blur too. I had to have a heart test, see my orthopaedic surgeon, get my catheter port put in, have blood tests and a cancer education session with all that topped off by my first round of chemo on the Friday. A very emotional and busy two weeks to say the least!
I started chemo on the 7th of July and my last was on the 20th October. Luckily, I never had any nauseous or vomiting. But oh my goodness, the dizzy spells, elevated heart rate and tiredness were something I wasn't expecting. I also wasn't expecting the 20 plus kg weight loss, but I definitely took that as a positive.
My doctor has scheduled my double mastectomy for early November. My youngest daughter was graduating Year 12 so I asked to put it off until all her graduation ceremonies etc were over. So my double mastectomy was on November 30. I remember when the bandages came off, I found it so confronting I just cried. Suddenly not having any hair was the least of my problems. The recovery from this surgery was relatively easy with lots of numbness which I still have. I went back into surgery on the 22nd December to have more lymph nodes taken out. My cancers, turned out to be more aggressive than was first thought, and had spread during chemo. I also had issues with drains, which has followed me through my bilateral and reconstructive surgeries. Think average number of days for drains and at least double that for me. I had drains in for eight weeks.
Before I had my bilateral I came across Perfect Again Breast Forms. I had heard lots of stories about the heavy breast prostheses you can buy. I was looking for an alternative when this popped up on my Facebook page. What a life saver they were! They made me feel like a normal woman again. They fitted perfectly into all my bras even my strapless bras, and were very comfortable to wear. They were great for swimming in too. Just be careful that they are in your swimmers properly. I almost lost one when I was wiped out by a wave.
I started my 15 rounds of radiation on the 14th February 2024, finishing on the 8th March. Radiation was easy in comparison to chemo. Two weeks after finishing though the burning and dead skin was terrible. The best thing I did was loofah off the dead skin and it made my chest feel so much better! I had a large red radiation rash from just under where my breasts would have been right up to my collar bone on both sides.
I went to see my plastic surgeon on Monday 25th March. Between him and my breast doctor they wouldn't let me start reconstructive breast surgery until at least 3 months after radiation. They were worried about the effects the radiation had on my skin and wanted me to heal first. I was not happy about this but I also wanted the best results from my reconstructive surgery, so I waited until the 19th June 2024, the day before my birthday. I really did get new boobs for my birthday!
I had the Lat Dorsi procedure with expander put in. Definitely not an easy surgery to recover from. From whatever they tell you, trust me it's harder than that. Easily the hardest recovery from any of my breast cancer journey surgeries.
Again I was in a hurry to get this surgery over and get back to my now normal. The surgeon would not do anything until December. He wanted the skin to repair as much as possible. I had my final reconstructive surgery on 13th December 2024.
Whilst it's been a long and challenging 18 months between being diagnosed and my final surgery I am very proud of myself for coming out the other side still in one piece. I am finally back at work after taking 19 months off. I have returned only part-time, 3 days a week and it's tiring but also good to have some sort of normality back in my life.
Be kind to yourself if you're going through this journey. No two people will ever have the same experience.
Sandi Wild 2025
Thank you Sandi for such a beautifully written and honest story and I'm really glad that our breast forms were able to help you during that awful time...
Julie from Perfect Again
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