“I don’t have breasts — so why do I have to pretend like I do?”

Kathy Bates has spoken out about living life flat. A lot of people find this a taboo subject but I’m so glad people are now starting to talk about it. My surgeon often brought up the subject of reconstruction after my first and second mastectomy (before my secondary diagnosis) but I knew I didn’t want any more surgery and was happy to live my life flat. I occasionally wear prosthesis’ depending how I’m feeling or what I’m wearing but most of the time I don’t, mainly because they make my back ache like mad! It used to be one of the fist questions people ask me when I tell them I’ve had a mastectomy….’will you be having reconstruction?’ And normally their faces look confused when I said ‘nope, not interested’. It is ok not to have reconstruction. Especially as a lot of the options involve months of recovering and sometimes it doesn’t even work and you have to have them taken away again. I couldn’t have gone through all of that. I have found a community of ladies that think the same as me at Flat Friends UK. We have a closed group to talk about everything and anything ‘flat’ related. I get a lot of helpful fashion tips on there too, what is in the shops that suit us etc. She also has a condition called Lymphedema. I’ve been referred to a specialist clinic to see if I have this too on my right arm. I’m pretty sure I have so it just to get it properly diagnosed and get the right sleeve etc sorted out for it. Breast cancer…..the gift that keeps giving!!!

Kim Feast