On Choosing Radical Cancer Surgery (Elective Double Mastectomy in Today's Washington Post)

Hey PJ,

As always, an incredibly thoughtful and illuminating piece, complete with facts to clear up so much of the confusion.  Thanks for this. 

Due to a strong family history of breast cancer and numermous lumpectomies, I chose to have an elective bilateral mastecomy with total reconstruction.  Every year for the past 10 years I have worried from the time I had my mammogram to the next year.  Each year it started off with a basic mammogram to a diagnostic, to a sonogram, to a biopsy to a lumpectomy.  By this time 6 months has passed and more of my family members were being diagnosed with breast cancer.  I felt like I was playing Russian Roultee and that I would soon run out of luck.

Through much soul searching and conversations with my Dr. and husband, I decided to have the surgery.  I had the mastectomy with expanders inserted.  Six months later I had the reconstruction and saline breast implants.  4 months later I had the nipple reconstructed and last week I had my tatoos (smile).  This process took a little over a year, but it was all worth it.