The average man like myself has no idea what some women go through after being “treated” for breast cancer.
I know mastectomies are often used, but I had not thought about the surrounding glands and tissues. If it’s possible to leave those lymph glands in place after treatment, then do it. Each patient has their own needs and reactions.
Living without chronic pain should be a primary goal.
I have one of those unsightly arms but I am 30 years out from my breast cancer diagnosis and don’t regret the extreme chemo or the removal of a large amount of lymph nodes. I was a single parent and still had four children in school. I had a very aggressive cancer and it called for aggressive treatment. Don’t second guess my treatment. I worked with a woman who was told she only needed a lumpectomy. She died 5 years later.