This mastectomy thing is a breeze!

[Ms. Toad]

18. Ah. All sorts of variables in the mix.

Mine was only 1.3 cm. (They expected from the MRI for it to be at least 2.1 cm, so that was a pleasant surprise.)

Good luck.

Use "My Girls" cream. It has calendula in it, which has been demonstrated to minimize skin damage - and this brand had better reviews than others I found.

The Makemerry bra from Ana-Ono is designed by a radiologist (the niece of a friend of mine) specifically for radiation treatment to minimize irritation. Many women skip bras altogether, or wear a T-shirt inside of a bra or camisole to avoid irritation from the seams of the clothing. I didn't have to. It is, unfortunately, a lot pricier than I am used to - but I decided I could splurge on one.

I also used circumin (turmeric). There is some controversy, but the information on the Mayo site about it convinced my doctor that it probably was ok. (The radiation creates a very small risk of a very aggressive cancer. The circumin facilitates DNA repair in normal tissue - so it is less likely to develop this cancer, but seems to also make the radiation more effective at killing cancer cells (that's where the controversy is - it is an anti-oxidant, and those are normally contraindicated with radiation because they are usually thought of as also helping the cancer cells beat radiation). Circumin has also been found to minimize skin damage.)