This week marks the beginning of the autumn equinox when the sun shines directly on the equator and the northern and southern hemisphere get the same amount of sun rays. I live in the Northern hemisphere. The days grow shorter and the nights longer because the Earth begins to tilt away from the sun. Seasons bring changes. There are comparisons to draw with the arrival of fall and with breast reconstruction transitions and changes.
Breast Reconstruction Changes in our Bodies
Many anticipate the changes fall brings. I look forward to the chill in the air and the warm clothing in my closet waiting to be worn and layered to keep me warm. Just as the leaves change color from green to brilliant hues of orange, golds, and browns, so too our bodies change during breast reconstruction. Leaves transition and let go of the tree, falling gracefully on the ground during the fall season. There are many things we must let go and changes we know will happen to our bodies during the process and decision to have breast reconstruction.
Loss of breasts is a change often unimaginable. Letting go of what was once a part of our body is a huge change. What will my body look like and feel like after breast reconstruction? No one truly knows until the surgery is complete and the healing begins. We ask and listen to others in online discussions, talk to other patients in person, and ask our surgeons. But who really knows how one can perceive the newness of their reconstructed breasts? Just like fallen leaves on the ground, preparing for their winter Journey, each of us are individual in how we will feel with new tissue or implants after reconstruction, settling into our new bodies.
Transitions
I live in an area with a variety of trees. It is as if the forest is using its last stronghold and source of energy to brighten our days with brilliant colors before the cold temperatures stay for the winter. Do you ever feel that way when you are researching and planning for breast reconstruction? You may have days of clarity and clearness about your choice to reconstruct. Other days you dread and fear the unknown like the leaves that have fallen and surrendered to the changes of the season.
You see and speak to others who are now complete, chose their reconstruction, and are living full and purposeful lives. When will that time come for me, you might ask? Will it take weeks, months, a year. Just as we say good-bye to the warmth of summer with its sunshine and long days, we know there might be many days spent recovering from breast reconstruction. We will have to wait patiently during recovery like the anticipation and renewal of the new season of spring.
Anticipating Changes and New Beginnings
A breast cancer diagnosis or finding you are at high risk of getting breast cancer can cause you to give in to emotions or feel a sense of trepidation in your decisions. Hopefully, just as we prepare for fall, you have prepared for your consult for breast reconstruction. Having a shared decision-making conversation with your surgeon will ease those trepidations or decisional regrets. This form of communication will give you a sense of being a partner in your decision to have breast reconstruction.
The days and weeks leading up to your surgery are beset with so many thoughts. Just as the leaves on the tree have made peace with letting go, you will find a place of peace in your decision to have breast reconstruction. Your springtime will come, full of new beginnings and revitalization. Wrap yourself in warmth during this time of change in the seasons. The decision, planning, and recovery season is yours now. Know it is part of breast reconstruction changes and transitions. This is your season of transformation.
