u/BoremUT

Hey everyone, I'm getting surgery in a few days and am on the fence about getting grafts. Currently, I don't really enjoy sensation in my nipples 95% of the time so I'm not concerned with loss of sensation. My main concerns with getting grafts is size and placement not being to my liking, and the possibility of nipples getting erect and poking through shirts. Secondary concerns are a longer/more difficult healing process. I haven't smoked or vaped for a month, so I'm not as concerned with losing a nipple. My surgeon says that since they're disconnecting the grafts from the nipple stalk, they shouldn't get hard anymore so they won't have that headlights thing going on under my clothing.

If you've gone with grafts, what's your experience been like with nipples getting erect, with changes in sensation for better or worse? How was healing for you?

My surgeon's office gave me a date much earlier than I was expecting (got my date towards the end of May). I'm about 2.5 weeks away from top surgery and although I have most of the things I will need for the recovery now, I am feeling VERY underprepared physically for the recovery and am worried that I may not be back to functional after the 2 weeks I am taking off for my recovery for my desk job. I'm afraid it's too late to start exercising to try and improve my core strength. Has anyone else who is sedentary/has a desk job gone in to your surgery without having had the time or energy to put in to strengthening your core etc. before surgery and how did that affect your recovery time? Thanks y'all!

The past few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster, as I'm sure you all can relate. I went in for a mammogram, and they wanted more pictures of my left side. Didn't think much of it, but then was told the doctor wanted to order another mammogram on my left side along with an ultrasound. While they were doing my ultrasound the following week, they started scanning my left armpit/axilla area and taking pictures. My stomach dropped then. After waiting for the radiologist to go over the new scans, I was taken in to a separate room and told that I was being referred for a biopsy of my left side and the axilla area. We made an appointment, and I received my pathology report from the ultrasound soon after: BI-RADS 5. Measurement of the mass in my armpit 5mm (not a good sign). Mass on my left side with indistinct margins/architectural distortions, hypoechoic mass. Everything in the pathology report was pointing to cancer, and I came to accept that this would most likely be my new reality. I went in for the biopsy appointment at the end of last week. While I was there, the doctor explained that they disagreed with the initial measurement in my axilla area and showed me on the screen the area that was measured, and what they thought the technician had measured previously. The doctor didn't think the lymph node was enlarged enough to be of concern, so they didn't sample the area. They took 3 samples of tissue from my left side, and I received my results a couple of days later: benign. I read further in disbelief: "Florid adenosis within a background of pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia, with some glands of adenosis involving adipose tissue and with focal sclerosing adenosis present. There are a few scattered small intraluminal calcifications present." I'm in the 5%! I hope this gives some of you with a BI-RADS 5 classification some hope. Things like this DO happen. But having said that, not everyone is so lucky. Thankfully, breast cancer treatments are very good these days and prognosis is good for a lot of us if caught early enough. Wishing you all the best!