Mastectomy isn't radical, it is a low risk surgery because it doesn't involve opening up any major body cavity such as the chest or abdomen.
I was in for two nights and would have recovered sooner had I not been forced to accept unwanted silicone implants which lengthened the procedure and caused more (although still minor) tissue swelling.
That's for both sides.
I didn't have any precancer but with 7 affected relatives at young ages I was desperate to get my cancerbags removed before I was next.
I would say it was one of the best decisions I ever made except it wasn't even a decision - the moment I learnt I could dodge it and didn't just have to live with a sword hanging above my head I fought tooth and nail to get the procedure.
There is a deeply ingrained culture within the field of breast surgery of prioritising the male gaze above women's wishes, health and psychological wellbeing.
Whenever I was turned down and I asked why, it was never because of any medical reason (it has a virtually zero mortality rate in healthy women) it was what if your husband no longer finds you attractive, or what if your husband leaves you or dies and nobody else finds you attractive!
It was when I pointed out that the pen had stopped moving and insisted the surgeon document verbatim the primary reason I was being denied potentially life saving surgery was to cater to what heterosexual men may or may not find attractive, and also in polite terms what I gave about that, I was accepted for surgery not long afterwards.
It has given me immeasurable relief and peace of mind over nearly two decades now. I never have to go for any screening which would have caused me severe distress and anxiety, I can take the pill without fear to halve my risk of ovarian, and I can take HRT without fear.
If anything did develop as nothing is ever 100%, it would have nowhere to hide so I would have a much better chance of early diagnosis.
I have seen so many women in the BRCA 1+2 community both previvors and with a diagnosis discouraged from mastectomy, young athletes pushed towards avoidable chest irradiation based on the surgeon's beliefs about what they ought to look like in the nude rather than clinical outcomes including psychological wellbeing, that I feel really strongly about this option that has been such a tremendous blessing to me to be made available to all.
Of course not everyone will choose it but it should be made available as an option without the paternalistic coercion towards procedures that prioritise appearance above health.
