Wonder Woman: Breast Cancer and Challenges after Reconstruction

Wonder Woman: Breast Cancer and Challenges after Reconstruction

By: Dana

Intro by Jill:

In this industry, we often hear many stories of women’s struggles and triumphs through-out their lives. Every so often, we come across a brave woman who allows us to share her story. I first heard of Dana’s story when the boudoir team introduced our newest concept of guest writers being featured on our blog. But the thing is… they are so much more than just a guest blogger. Who is she? She is…

Wonder Woman.

Without further adieu, here is our very first Wonder Woman, Dana. Her story is inspiring as she saves her own life by advocating for her health and shares the surprising trauma that comes with losing your nipples after breast reconstruction. Here is her story:

The impact of my most difficult battle in life led me to who I am today and what I do for a living. I truly believe that maybe I went through it and survived, just so I could help someone else make it through! Here is how it happened:

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Starting at a young age,

I've always been health-conscious. I do my best to stay active and eat healthy because it makes me feel great! Unfortunately, however, my battles started at the young age of 14. I went through the excruciating pain of tearing my ACL during an 8th-grade basketball game. This injury led me to my first major surgery of the 16+ different surgeries I've had in my 46 years of life so far!

I've had both ACL's torn and repaired, both knees reconstructed (which landed me in a wheelchair for months), one knee meniscus torn and repaired, one hip labrum torn and repaired, two toes operated on with screws put in, a double mastectomy, plus four other breast reconstruction surgeries after, a 3cm tumor removed from my jaw (which paralyzed half my mouth function for several months), a uterus surgery. . . the list goes on.

As a child, I had watched my grandmother battle breast cancer and then pass away from it. Later I also watched my very dear mother, whom I was so very close to, go through the same battle. My mother's 21-year battle ended in October 2017. I saw them both go through it all: mastectomies, radiation, chemo, losing their hair and eventually their lives because of breast cancer.

“He commended me for requesting to have a mammogram done earlier than he recommended.”

So I made a decision to be proactive and start getting mammograms earlier than recommended. I started at age 38. I had my second mammogram at age 42.

It was after the second mammogram…

that my doctor called and said they saw suspicious calcification in one breast. He commended me for requesting to have a mammogram done earlier than he recommended. He explained that they wouldn't have seen the change in my breast if I hadn't had an earlier mammogram done to compare. After the phone call, I started feeling my breast and felt a lump in the area where they detected the calcification! It was very firm like a marble and felt shockingly similar to the cancer tumor I felt on my mother.

I then had another mammogram with magnified views, an ultrasound of the lump, and two biopsies.

The radiologist said they found ALH: atypical lobular hyperplasia. They said, "You DON'T have cancer, so we recommend you wait 6 months and then get another scan." However, my OBGYN referred me to an oncologist surgeon anyway. I decided to go see her immediately.

My mother was tested for the genetic link for breast cancer…

and, surprisingly, it was negative. My great grandmother, grandmother and mother all had breast cancer but no genetic link. After consulting with the oncologist surgeon who felt my lump and saw my test results, I requested an MRI to investigate this lump more. The MRI detected NO cancer. The oncologist surgeon felt that it was just a fatty lump. She explained that my percentage of getting breast cancer was extremely high, considering 3 generations of breast cancer, the ALH detected, and my age at the time.

Honestly, throughout this whole process and all the tests, something in my gut told me that lump WAS cancer! I explained that to the oncologist surgeon. She said she will definitely excise the lump and abnormal cells that were found. She also mentioned that I could make a drastic choice and elect to have a double mastectomy, which would take my risk down to only 2%. The genetic counselor also said that it would be a drastic choice to have a double mastectomy based on only having ALH and no genetic link found in my family. Actually, the genetic counselor shocked my significant other and I during our meeting when she said, "Dana, you’re more likely to get hit in the head with an airplane than to have cancer!" After all the consults and multiple recommendations to just wait 6 months and see if there are any changes…

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I still elected to have a double mastectomy with reconstruction.

I consulted with a plastic surgeon who recommends I have a skin-sparing bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction. He explained that if I kept my nipples the risk of cancer will go up because cancer could form around the nipple. Also, there was a risk of the nipple dying after surgery as well as a risk of the areola spreading out quite large. Finding all this out was traumatic, thinking I would lose my nipples. I liked my nipples! The plastic surgeon said he could recreate the nipple with nipple reconstruction and tattoo areolas on to make them look great. I reluctantly agreed and trusted his recommendations. After all, he was a highly recommended plastic surgeon in the area.

To the surprise of all the doctors, when the pathology report came back from my double mastectomy, they found two invasive breast cancer tumors! One ductile and one lobular invasive tumor measuring at 0.4cm and 0.9cm!

The oncologist surgeon called me and emotionally exclaimed, "Dana, you were right! That lump was cancer and from now on I will listen to my patients if they are adamant and have a gut feeling like you had! You absolutely were an advocate for your own health and saved your own life!"

If I would have waited 6 months, the cancer definitely would have spread.

The panel of doctors decided not to treat me with chemo or radiation but did convince me to take tamoxifen which I only endured 3 months because the reactions I had were quite horrible!

Thankfully, over 3 years later, to this day, I am cancer-free!

This leads me to explain the immense devastation I endured from losing my nipples. I was ecstatic that I was cancer-free but extremely horrified that I lost my nipples! I hated to hear it when people said, "But at least you have your life!" That didn't take away the pain of not having a part of me that made me feel feminine, beautiful, sexy and whole!

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After the double mastectomy,

I had to wait 8 months to heal before trying to reconstruct nipples and then wait another 4 months for areola tattoos. No nipples for a year! Such a long process after my double mastectomy! When it finally happened, unfortunately, the nipple reconstruction FAILED! It healed so well it flattened out (or some would say collapsed) and left me with no projection whatsoever! This happens because the skin is so thin after a double mastectomy. I still had the plastic surgeon tattoo areolas which made me feel a little bit better but I was still completely devastated!

I even ended up paying $500 to have 3-D nipple tattooed. Unfortunately, they were just "okay," because they didn't give me a realistic look and had no projection whatsoever. The tattoos also faded within months and I was left with this emptiness and a feeling of not being complete. A very important part of me was still missing. Not having nipples impacted me deeply. My self-confidence was much lower and I was feeling undesirable. It was a deep painful wound. The absolute worst battle for me by far!

I happened to be searching on the internet to look at others who had been through what I have been through and that is when

I stumbled upon Pink-perfect.com!

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I found nipple prosthetics that looked so realistic, natural, and super easy to use! I was in shock! I was so excited I couldn't wait to order a pair! I remember being so happy but also feeling a bit frustrated that no one had explained to me or told me that there was such a product out there. This could have saved me from all my emotional pain I went through these last 3 years! Suffering from insecurity, feeling unsexy and inexplicably feeling incomplete.

I'll never forget the feeling I had the first time I put on the Pink Perfect nipple prosthetics: I remember looking back at my reflection in the mirror and getting goosebumps looking at myself with a shirt on and seeing nipples pop out for the first time in 3 years! I finally felt complete again!

After receiving these absolutely gorgeous nipple prosthetics from Pink Perfect, no longer did I have that daily reminder every time I was naked that something was missing. Finally, I can actually stop and look at myself in the mirror! I see my reflection now with confidence! I can now confidently change with the lights on or take my bra off without a thought! I was finally feeling complete again! My family even said they can see and feel the positive impact these Pink Perfect prosthetics have had on me. I can say with confidence that Pink Perfect nipple prosthetics changed my life!

Right then and there, after receiving my nipples, is when a chill came over me!

I knew in my heart I needed to help others like me! I now understood why I went through what I went through, as I stated in the beginning. Maybe we go through it and survive it just so we can help someone else make it through!

I didn't want anyone to ever have to endure the heartache, pain, tears or devastation that I went through: not knowing that there WAS a solution to help with the quality of my life after losing a precious part of myself. I wanted to prevent that from happening to anyone else! That is my hope! I became an advocate for Pink Perfect and even quit my full-time job as a personal trainer so I could bring awareness that these prosthetic nipples exist! I spoke with the owner, Michelle, and she happily asked me to be an ambassador for Pink Perfect!

“I can now confidently change with the lights on or take my bra off without a thought! I was finally feeling complete again! ”

I am motivated and want to make Pink Perfect available to all who could benefit! I've been visiting plastic surgeon’s offices in hopes that they would make Pink Perfect nipple prosthetics part of the reconstruction process from the beginning and give patients that option immediately.

I have truly been inspired by all the people I have met and helped through the last several months since starting!

I'm continually emotionally impacted every time I am able to meet someone and introduce them to a product that is most definitely life-changing! My real payment is the thanks and excitement of the people I'm able to help. In a way, I'm part of their recovery, well-being, health, and sexiness.

It brings me so much joy to be able to extend a coupon code to save $25 off any order from Pink Perfect! Please share with anyone that could benefit ♡

coupon code: gopinkperfect25 for $25 off any & all order! www.pink-perfect.com

Facebook page: (@gopinkperfect25)

Instagram: (@gopinkperfect)

Are you the next wonder woman? Share your story: hello@theboudoir.studio