Before You Donate
Think very seriously before donating to any breastcancer organization, or fundraising program until you read their Annual Report to see who their top contributors are, and if they have a product that appears frequently in the message the organization sends to the public. That would be unethical and its illegal. The same applies to a request that the public buys products, but does not receive a "donor receipt" for tax-deductible purpose. Read any and all food labels that breastcancer "non-profits" are promoting to raise money. Some organizations tell the public to help them raise money by asking you to visit their websites, but that only gives them "hits" to increase their sponsors.
Another tip, "signing" an online Petition is not acceptable, so don't fall for such antics. An ethical non-profit, or professional will not request your visit to their website, nor use "cookies" placed on your computer when you visit their site.
Purchase the Breastcancer Postage Stamp, the Post Office will always give you your charitable deduction receipt. Its a valid form of fund raising.
Music on these pages
Experiences—What To Expect
And What To Avoid
BREAST SURGERY
This is an important decision to be made with your breast surgeon. However, you are the one who must 'go with your gut,' and continue to seek consultation and advise until you are comfortable. I think we get inner peace when we've hit upon the right decision. I, personally, wanted a mastectomy, as I've related elsewhere, due to the cells size, multiple sites, and family history. I also knew if the cancer showed up on my mammogram, it had been growing for several decades before it can be detected on mammograms, and my immune system was fighting for a long time. I did NOT know I had two annual mammograms that had faulty readings, at that time.
My partial mastectomy was much more painful than my mastectomy—but I did not know I was going to only have a partial mastectomy until many days after the surgery.
A simple mastectomy isn’t at all the surgery that "Reconstruction," is, so hold off, if you can, on reconstruction until you are past the cancer crisis. If I had to repeat this, I would ask my oncologist how he/she viewed my future treatment needs in relation to good healing of my surgical site, before I made any decisions.
Remember, "Reconstruction" only starts with mastectomy. It requires more procedures. Every woman I spoke to told me she wished she had not had reconstruction done at the same time. "The Breast Cancer Companion," by Kathy LaTour, has an excellent article on reconstruction by a most realistic plastic surgeon.
Women with larger size breasts may consider a reduction in the opposite breast to relieve the shoulder and neck muscles of the imbalance. This is not nearly the procedure that reconstruction is however there is still more discomfort after surgery than with a simple mastectomy. Do discuss this with your surgeon, at least two breast radiologists, and a plastic surgeon. REMEMBER: if you are considering anything done except breast cancer surgery, you will be seeing two surgeons prior to and after surgery. Some surgical reshaping of the breasts makes it very difficult for radiological detection of tumor growths, and radiologists especially have told me that reconstruction make it difficult to 'view' the chest wall where women who've had mastectomy most often may have the next tumor growth.
reviewed: 12/07/05 webmaster
