Miriam Mutebi, Breast Surgical Oncologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Beyond the Scalpel: Talking Honestly About Breast Surgery
Breastsurgery may take hours, but the real weight is in the conversations: about choices, dignity, and what life looks like after.
It’s breast cancer awareness month, and time to share the ‘tea’ on what to expect with cancer surgery. You don’t just need a surgeon. You need clarity, empathy, and space to decide what’s right for you.
Here are the options you’ll usually hear about:
- Breastconservation – preserving as much of your breast as possible.
- Mastectomy – removing the whole breast, sometimes followed by:
immediate reconstruction (done at the same time) or delayed reconstruction (done later, after initial cancer surgery or other treatments)
Take some time. Most women need more than one consultation to process these choices fully. It’s okay to ask, to pause, to think, ask more questions and think through how each option fits into your life and treatment plan.
Sometimes depending on how the cancer appears on imaging, some choices like breast conservation may not be appropriate or safe. Discuss with the team on what the best options for you are.
Here’s the reality to carry with you:
Complications are rare (less than 5%). But if you’re the one experiencing them, they’re 100%. That’s why your surgeon should carefully walk you through what can occasionally happen: how we pick them up early, if and when they do happen, and how we manage them appropriately.
Recovery is often quicker than you expect. By the same day, most women are up and walking. Many go home within one to few days, with steady healing over the next few weeks.
And pain? We take it seriously. In fact, we often say (half joking, fully serious) that pain in the hospital is unacceptable. The aim is to keep you active after surgery and send you home on the same effective pain relief you had while in the hospital, so you stay comfortable enough to live your day-to-day life.
In the end, we don’t just want to remove the cancer. We also want to restore a patient’s dignity, confidence, and choice.”
More posts featuring Miriam Mutebi on OncoDaily.