Saturday, August 15, 2009

Immediate Breast Reconstruction - Is this the Solution ?

Running away from proper medical treatment for breast cancer especially surgery resulting in late presentation. This in turn manifested in poor prognosis and untimely death. But for most Malaysians women, that is not the problem. Biar mati berkopek asal jangan .....whatever!. The irony is that, if they have a small benign goitre (thyroid swelling) in the neck or a ganglion in the wrist joint, they rush to us for removal. Maklumlah tak comel dipandang mata.



Tak boleh juga nak salahkan orang perempuan, yang jantan juga utamakan yang tu .... macam si tua ini.






So, if surgeons can offer our breast-cancer-striken women a 'replacement' after mastectomy, probably more will come for proper treatment, instead of going to the bomoh.


I personally believe that mastectomy is a body mutilating procedure. But what option do we have? We have to get rid of the cancers and save the women.



If I ask you to choose between A (post mastectomy and cured of cancer) and B (maggot-infested cancer and imminent death), many of you will choose A.
























No, not for many Malaysian women that I have seen. That is why I have a collection of them - gambar le ! They rather die a 'whole woman' rather than live an 'incomplete women'.


Thus if surgeons can reconstruct that 'thing' to make them 'complete' again, then we can probably save more women. Those who came to me are always given options for reconstruction either immediate or late. Immediate reconstruction is done together with the mastectomy. Meaning, if they go to the operation theatre with the cancerous breast, they wake up from the surgery with a new breast free of cancer. Whereas late reconstruction is done later after they are cured of the cancer, usually after completion of chemotherapy or even later, when dia terasa nak comel semula.

Late reconstruction (the woman A)
















Immediate reconstruction :





















The nipple can be reconstructed later upon request.




Saya tidak berniat untuk menyinggung perasaan sesiapa yang mendapati gambar-gambar ini offensive atau memalukan. Niat saya untuk mendidik. Saya pohon maaf sekiranya anda berasa demikian.

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