What is a Double Mastectomy?
Breast cancer can develop in the glandular tissue of your breast, specifically in the milk ducts and the milk lobules which are found in all parts of the breast tissue. Breast tissue covers your collarbone to your lower rib, and from the center of your chest to around the side and under your arm.
A mastectomy procedure removes breast tissue from right under the skin down to your chest wall and around the sides of your chest. Preventive mastectomy may be done in hopes of reducing the risk of getting cancer. Women who at very high risk of getting breast cancer have the option to have both breasts surgically removed, which is called a double mastectomy. The goal of the surgery is to remove all the breast tissue that could develop breast cancer.
Preventative double mastectomy may also be done for someone who has already had breast cancer and has an increased risk of getting cancer again in either breast. The surgery may reduce the risk of breast cancer up to 100% if there is a strong family history of breast cancer or a BRCA genetic mutation. However, risk reduction results can vary significantly. It is believed that about 10% of women will develop breast cancer, even though their breast tissue has been removed.
Did you know...
- Just saying the words "thank you" can measurably improve your mood. Researchers can actually measure happiness and changes in brain structure when people practiced regular "grateful thinking." This included things like writing thank you notes, writing gratitude journal entries, mindfully counting their blessings, and thanking friends. It may be helpful in overcoming depression!
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- Starting to feel claustrophobic? The smells of apples may help keep your claustrophobic feelings at bay according to a 1995 study by Dr. Alan Hirsch. Green apples, specifically, helped people change their perception of their space. Maybe they thought of expansive apple orchards? Cucumbers and barbecue made the feelings worse.
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- Have you ever told your husband something and he promptly forgets it? It's not his fault, actually. It really is because he's a man. The hippocampus (the part of the brain that deals with memory) begins to shrink with age faster in men than it does in women. That's why you can remember everything, and he can't!