Breast cancer awareness: What you should know before a mastectomy

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Lounge about what to expect before and after the procedure. Mumbai-based Gita A. Parekh underwent a double mastectomy in 2014.

Of the after-effects of the surgery she had to endure, the psychotherapist and tarot card reader says, “The doctor only prepares you for the surgery. Post-surgery, I experienced swelling in my lymph nodes, especially in my armpits." In addition to the physiological impact of a mastectomy, Parikh also talks of the mental anguish it can leave you with. “A beautiful part of your womanhood is gone.

And that makes you feel like you’re less than," she says, drawing from her own experience. Not just that. “No two days are the same post the surgery.

While on some days you might feel absolutely fine, there are days, you’d feel low and emotionally drained out." “The feeling of void you experience isn’t something one can be prepared for. An acceptance that comes from within is the only thing that will help you," says 68-year-old Mumbai-based Christine Gonsalves, who underwent mastectomy about 21 years ago. Talking from her own experience, Gonsalves says, whether you’re recommended to undergo a single or a double mastectomy, the choice can feel like a dark cloud hanging over your head.

But you need to make the decision, in consultation with your doctor, after factoring in long-term effects. Parikh, for instance, decided to undergo a double mastectomy even though cancer was detected only in one breast. “Firstly, I was large-breasted and didn’t want to be lopsided.

More importantly, my doctor intimated that there was chance of cancer occurring in the second breast. So, after reading up a lot and considering I was going under the knife anyway, I opted for a double mastectomy," she shares. For Gonsalves, it was