Woman DENIED breast reconstruction after cancer due to funding cuts.

At least those who have gender dysphoria. I had a lumpectomy, not a mastectomy, and it took me a good few months to bring myself to properly look at and accept my scarred breast. I cannot imagine how this poor woman feels, having been told that she'd have reconstruction and then being turned down.

Absolutely, my cancer treatment was for gyny cancer and the impact of the surgery and chemotherapy had a similarly profound effect on how I saw and related to my body.

I also recognise her description of how she hung on to the thought of reconstruction and this helped her get through gruelling chemotherapy etc.

Are you asking someone else to start a thread because you want them to weetabix? Don't you want to go and start a separate thread if that's what you want?

So in order to discuss the fact that I need to start a thread asking why Broomfield hospital has had to close it's waiting list for post mastectomy reconstructive surgery?

QuietContraryMary

Absolutely. It is important to recognise that many of the resources that are relevent are for any form of NHS breast surgery whether breast reduction, elective mastectomies or those required as part of breast cancer treatment.

Are you asking someone else to start a thread because you want them to weetabix? Don't you want to go and start a separate thread if that's what you want?

Gids get surgery, women get post code lottery, despite the devastation caused and consequent impact on MH.

It can hit very hard at the heart of ones sense of gender, and I would think that all trans people can understand that very easily.

At least those who have gender dysphoria. I had a lumpectomy, not a mastectomy, and it took me a good few months to bring myself to properly look at and accept my scarred breast. I cannot imagine how this poor woman feels, having been told that she'd have reconstruction and then being turned down.

And note that is a general issue in terms of the way the same operations are commissioned for transgender people and everyone else - Surrey Downs CCG will fund breast reduction if you fit a set of criteria, whereas Mid Essex will not. Obvious elective mastectomy for transmen is subject to no such restriction - for example to even be considered for breast reduction in Surrey Downs you'd need to have

Its only you who are derailing this discussion.

Then maybe start a general thread to talk about it?

I feel very uncomfortable about one woman's situation being used for a different purpose than highlighting her case.

I've seen Weetabixandshreddies derail a number of threads in this way by demanding clarifications etc
There's not much point in engaging as they rarely listen to what others have to say and demonstrate little care for women and girls.

Surely only relevant if this trust has closed this list in order to divert money, or resources (beds, theatre time) in order to perform surgery on trans men or women?

No.
The discussion has opened out as clearly the issues extend beyond one woman and her NHS Trust.

Please don't derail this important discussion.

So it doesn't bother you in theory if there is priority there

Only if it happens in practice

But if it's OK in theory why not in practice?

That's not logical at all sorry.

This is transgender-related in that gender dysphoria is protected and gold-plated under clinical commissioning rules

Surely only relevant if this trust has closed this list in order to divert money, or resources (beds, theatre time) in order to perform surgery on trans men or women?

This is transgender-related in that gender dysphoria is protected and gold-plated under clinical commissioning rules - local CCGs are not allowed to make their own value-for-money-based policies for transgender surgeries and must follow NHS England policies. Transgender surgeries are therefore protected from the 'postcode lottery'.

Meanwhile things affecting women such as breast asymmetry, breast reconstruction, etc are set on a local level and are as a result targets for money saving because they are ways for CCGs to save money.

The stated rationale for protecting GIDS is that it can be very expensive to treat so by taking it out of general expenditure it protects the individual NHS Trust from the burden. Obviously a specialist £20k breast reconstruction surgery is also very expensive, but this is not something they have thought to protect because well that only affects cancer patients and we've all been told that gender dysphoria is far more serious

Millions of women treated by removal of breast... millions!!

Aaahh. I see. Ok.

Weetabixandshreddies

I am not required to manage your lack of understanding.
I have responded in good faith to both your misunderstanding of the article re NHS trusts and the reason for my posts.

If you don't understand, that's not my responsibilty.

Excuse me,but I wasn't referring to a pimple I was referring to taking out the side of your face and possibly eye socket leaving a massive hole, this would mean you couldnt eat, lost teeth, cheek, etc. due to cancer.

So, no, in the same category as breast cancer.

It is multilating and very traumatic to be left that way, apart from the dysfunction.

It can hit very hard at the heart of ones sense of gender, and I would think that all trans people can understand that very easily.

I don't know if it has been delayed.

The trans people who were complaining wanted it to be delayed.

It's a different point.

People thought it was quite astounding that they wanted women with cancer pushed down the queue .

There is also the fact that rightly or wrongly, womens breasts are heavily sort of focussed on in our culture, they are seen as signifying a lot of things, and women report feeling really very much not themselves, not right, not whole when one or both are removed.

There was a very interesting segment on Woman's Hour recently interviewing a woman who chose not to have reconstruction or wear a prosthesis. She described the considerable barriers & pressures she experiences:

"Melanie Brown refuses to hide her mastectomy. She asks why society, and bra makers, still struggle to accept or cater for women who have one healthy breast and don’t want reconstruction or to wear a prosthetic. Melanie doesn’t want to pretend she hasn’t had a mastectomy and wonders why, when so many millions of women go through this, it is something she is expected to disguise."
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001xpc

see also Woman's Hour 4/1/2018
"Consultant Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon Ruth Waters is a specialist in a complex type of breast reconstruction - the DIEP flap procedure, which takes tissue from a woman's stomach to reconstruct her breast after a mastectomy. So how can tummy fat be used in this way? Jenni is joined by Ruth to discuss the operation, other options available and the pros and cons of having reconstructive surgery immediately."
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09k0nk3

Ruth Waters:
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5227429/Why-women-denied-breast-reconstruction.html

I explained this. It has been linked due to the relevence of increasing demand on limited resources.

Please link to the evidence that shows that this woman's surgery has been delayed because of trans men?

The trans thing is not to say that this women didn't get her treatment becasue of transpeople.

But to make a passing comment that there was a complaint / action by some trans people who were not happy that mastectomies for transmen were prioritised lower than ones for cancer.

If people are talking priorities (including those saying this womans reconstruction should not be a priorty) then I suppose it's related if not 100% relevant.

There's cosmetic and there's cosmetic.

As PP stated, addressing a big hole in your face would be "cosmetic".

In the case of breast cancer, it's not about changing something that has always been to something they would prefer,
But returning something to the state it was before massive surgery.

That's not quite the same.

There is also the fact that rightly or wrongly, womens breasts are heavily sort of focussed on in our culture, they are seen as signifying a lot of things, and women report feeling really very much not themselves, not right, not whole when one or both are removed.

There's also being lopsided which must be a very unpleasant sesntation especially if you have larger breasts.

It would not really be publically acceptable to go out with one breast visibily missing > so there's time and ?money involved + the reminder of it all every time you get dressed.

Women's confidence, mental health can suffer also their relationships etc

In short it's not trivial at all and the oh it's only a tit it's pretty trivial type attitiude I think is maybe a bit misogynistic.

A child has bad squint, corrected on NHS, deemed cosmetic. But if it's not done, a massive effect on their whole life.
A person who has a realistic prosthetic instead of a very obvious one. Cosmetic.
A person who loses an ear in a fight. Cosmetic.
A person who has facial deformity treated. Cosmetic.

etc etc etc

I tihnk because it's breasts and women, it's easy for poeple to see it as vain, fundamentally because society is fucked up about womens breasts really.

Feeling a bit ignorant, but IVF for transwomen?

No, provision of available fertility treatments in toto.

I don't understand how this has even been linked to the trans issue.

I explained this. It has been linked due to the relevence of increasing demand on limited resources.

I don't understand how this has even been linked to the trans issue.

This lady had her mastectomy and chemo (so no issue caused by any trans men wanting mastectomies).

The waiting list has been closed because of the large number of women needing this post mastectomy reconstruction (again no issue with trans women or men).

The issue is lack if funding and post code lottery within the NHS surely?