Myself: Together Again

This picture shows Debbie roughly 6 weeks after double mastectomy surgery, while she had already begun the first of her chemotherapy treatments. Debbie looked quite different when she first came out of surgery; the scars on her chest were more defined, and she was in the hospital for 4 days. When she returned home to heal she still had drains in which you will see in another picture with a brief description of why drains are necessary after surgery. Here, the drains are out. The rounded area below her collarbone is called a port, a device inserted during the mastectomy through which Debbie received chemotherapy medicines. Debbie and the photographer waited until she was feeling stronger and had healed a bit before taking these first pictures.

Debbie, who was considered high-risk for breast cancer due to a strong family history, had been getting mammograms since she was 28 years old. Still, nothing can prepare you for the shock of a cancer diagnosis. At the time these photos were taken, she was still struggling to come to terms with her new reality emotionally. She had begun to lose her hair from chemotherapy treatments, which she had started about four weeks after double mastectomy surgery. Also, she delayed her upcoming wedding so that she could feel better about her health and how she looked.

Debbie opted for delayed reconstruction, which meant waiting about four to five months to begin reconstruction. Some women prefer to begin reconstruction surgery at the same time as mastectomy surgery (tissue expanders would be inserted at the time of the mastectomy surgery if you were opting for immediate reconstruction). Debbie and her surgeon felt that this was not the right move for her. Instead, waiting for her body to heal, as it was in this picture, was more important than having her chest back sooner - and that waiting would mean more attractive and effective plastic surgery results for her later.Debbie was also told that delaying her reconstruction would reduce the risk of infection.

At the time she made the decision to delay reconstruction, the first week she was diagnosed, Debbie didn't know she would also be undergoing chemotherapy treatments after her double mastectomy and would have no choice but to put off reconstruction. Women who have chemotherapy should not have other surgeries during treatment because of their low blood counts during the chemotherapy. At the time of Debbie's mastectomies, a small flap of skin was left where each of her breasts had been, which would later become the beginning of her new breasts.

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