A woman’s breasts’ primal function is to produce maternal milk and wield sexual appeal. A woman who feels at ease with her breasts being the vanguard of the ‘skin of her thought’ stands up straight and self-confident. The breasts, which celebrate a woman’s anatomical endowment, are primarily glandular organs; they encompass no muscle. They are held in place by ligaments and laced with a network of lymphatic vessels, which connect to lymphatic glands in the armpits and the base of the neck.
While the breasts exemplify a woman’s ‘body image,’ they also connote their self-worth and power — not just erotica as depicted in ancient sculptures, or nectar in stone, or the movies, but the veneration a woman herself feels, because of her natural possession. This is one big reason why mastectomy, or breast removal, for breast cancer, often leads to utter turmoil — the loss of ‘such’ a worthy ‘womanly’ image. It can also trigger extreme emotional responses, including the rupture of ‘corporal imaginary,’ or ‘body image’ — which is, paradoxically, not perceived in the surgical context for other growths, cysts, or fibroids.
Cancer is a cluster of cells — typically derived from a single cell — that has lost its customary ‘rheostat’ mechanism. The consequence is unfettered cell growth. The malignant form — or, the treacherous type — of cancer cells can develop from any tissue within any organ. As they grow and multiply, they form a mass of cancerous tissue. The mass, as you’d know, is called a tumour. It can invade and destroy normal adjacent tissues.
While cancerous cells from the primary — or, initial — site can spread, or metastasise, throughout the body, the disease itself signifies a ‘pool’ of more than one hundred diverse diseases — all of them underlined by wanton, abnormal growth of cells. Cancer can, likewise, affect and spread to the lymph nodes — tiny, bean-shaped structures that filter the flow of lymph, an important part of the body’s immune system. Clusters of lymph nodes are sited in different parts of the body — the armpits, neck and the groin.
Understanding one’s risk for cancer is important. People who have close relatives with cancer, or close relatives who have died from cancer, especially at a younger age, may be at risk. For instance, a woman whose mother, or sister, had had breast cancer is twice more likely to develop the disease than women who do not have such a family history. Your doctor can help assess your risk of developing cancer and advice appropriate remedial steps.
Mastectomy is a significant tool in the fight against breast cancer, but the most sombre outcome is it can take an inestimable emotional toll on a woman, and her loved ones, while affecting the way she looks at herself. What also amplifies the upheaval is the whole procedure can affect a woman’s sex drive, not just how she feels about herself as a woman. This is its huge downside.
On the upside, what can balance the emotional graph, notwithstanding the immense inner tumult, is one getting used to the inevitable — this includes opening up an ongoing, continuing channel of communication with one’s loved ones, hubby, or partner, friends and others. This can help and sustain the woman battling breast cancer to learn, accept, cope with and also love her post-mastectomy body, while feeling just as womanly and sexy as Angelina Jolie, who, at age 37, typified her breast removal surgery so courageously.
Is there a workable way out? There is, albeit the idea is not as easy as it sounds. The best thing one could do is to explore options to help them manage the emotional effects of mastectomy even before their surgery. Consultations with a plastic surgeon can unquestionably help, as well as meeting a psychiatrist prior to the procedure.
Most women would know that, in certain situations, a mastectomy may well be the procedure of choice, or the right thing to do — yet, all said and done, acquiescing to the procedure for breast cancer treatment can be a formidable choice to make. Nevertheless, there are choices that can help mitigate the trauma — if not reduce the distress. This will help one to feel more like themselves, while improving their self-esteem. Plastic surgery to reconstruct the breasts after mastectomy is a good option, not to speak of prosthesis, using one’s own breast tissue, implants, or breast expanders to surgically enhance their appearance. This will all cumulatively help to make one feel healthy and good about oneself, post-surgery, and also lead a happy, active and vibrant life.
— First published in India First
