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Michaela StrachanBritish TV presenter who underwent a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction
Date of Birth: 07.04.1966
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
- Mikaella Strachan: Embracing Her New Body After Double Mastectomy
- Reconstruction and Recovery
- Deciding Against Nipple Reconstruction
- Silicone Implants Due to Lack of Excess Fat
- Recovery and Exercise
- Bras and Confidence
- Tamoxifen Treatment
- Regular Checkups and Fear of Recurrence
- Perspective from Angelina Jolie
Mikaella Strachan: Embracing Her New Body After Double Mastectomy
British TV Presenter's JourneyBritish television presenter Mikaella Strachan, who underwent a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction in 2014, has candidly shared her experiences with her audience. After comparing her new breasts to "a couple of coconuts", she received advice from a friend to embrace her new body. Taking this to heart, Strachan playfully dubbed her implants "Piña" and "Colada."
Reconstruction and Recovery
In August 2014, six months after her mastectomy, Strachan underwent breast reconstruction. She returned to work on the BBC's "Springwatch" wildlife show between surgeries. "Nobody noticed because I just had the temporary implants in," she said, referring to the expanders used by doctors.
Strachan, who is now 48 and originally from Cape Town, South Africa, admits to having shed many tears during the ordeal. She is still adjusting to her new body. "If I wear a T-shirt, it's fine and I look okay. But when I brush my teeth and look in the mirror and see my breasts, I think, 'Oh gosh, that looks weird.'"
"They're very peculiar, actually," she says of her breasts. "Because you've got the four-inch scars down the middle of them. And they don't have any nipples."
Deciding Against Nipple Reconstruction
When Strachan was diagnosed with breast cancer, she learned that lumpectomies to remove the tumors were not an option due to her small breast size (34B). Although cancer was found only in her right breast, she was advised to have both removed due to the possibility of recurrence. Later, she discovered that she would also lose her nipples as part of the procedure.
"He [the doctor] said they could reconstruct them and they could tattoo around them to make them look realistic. But I've never really liked tattoos," she says. While grateful to the doctors, Strachan decided against this option.
"I've come to a place now where it doesn't bother me," Strachan says of her altered breasts. "I'm more confident in myself than I have been, and I don't need nipples. I'm just going to celebrate the fact that they're different."
"I don't walk around naked very often," she adds. "But in clothes, they look okay. I've always worn fitted T-shirts. I work on television. I want to feel confident."
Silicone Implants Due to Lack of Excess Fat
Breast reconstruction surgery typically involves using flaps of skin, muscle, and fat from the abdomen, back, or buttocks. Using tissue from the abdomen is a common approach, as the area often contains fat deposits accumulated from childbirth. The reshaped skin and fat are then transplanted to the chest.
However, for women like Strachan who do not have excess fat, this option is not suitable. As a result, she opted for silicone implants. "At the time, I read this thing that said silicone implants have a shelf life. But I wasn't even thinking about that at the time."
The surgery to create Strachan's new breasts took three hours, the same amount of time as the mastectomy. "I did ask why it took so long. And my surgeon said it was because they had to make sure they were even," she says.
"When I was unconscious, they had to put the silicone implants in," she explains. "They had to staple me up with temporary clips, sit me up, check that they were even, and then lay me down again. He said it can be very awkward. I had these two-inch bandages wrapped around me, and I just thought they were going to be smaller than I thought they were."
"But they were so swollen. It's taken a while for them to go down," Strachan continues. "My surgeon actually said they were going to be bigger originally, but they thought they were too big for me. I was like, 'What? I told you from the start that I wanted 34Bs – like I had before.' I was furious."
Recovery and Exercise
For three days after surgery, Strachan was "absolutely poleaxed." She took six weeks off work and underwent various treatments to aid her recovery.
Now back to her usual routine, Strachan practices yoga, Pilates, and dance. She also runs five miles once a week. "When I went back to my dance class, there's something we do – and I caught sight of myself in the mirror. I looked at my boobs and I thought, 'Wow, they're perky again!'" she recalls.
Bras and Confidence
Strachan no longer wears a bra. "There's no point," she says. "Because they don't move anymore, even if you bounce around. Some of my friends have said, 'Look at this as a bonus.' But it still plays with your confidence."
"For someone who has always been so fit and always eaten properly, I couldn't help but go through a stage of thinking, 'Why the hell has this happened to me?'" she continues. "There's no history of cancer in my family. I've always been fit. I've been training as a dancer."
Tamoxifen Treatment
Strachan takes tamoxifen, an estrogen blocker, for five years to prevent the cancer from returning. Side effects can include hot flashes, weight gain, blood clots, nausea, and fatigue. However, she has not experienced any significant issues.
Regular Checkups and Fear of Recurrence
Strachan sees an oncologist every six months, a checkup she dreads given the possibility of receiving news of a cancer recurrence. However, knowing that a new study found that 98% of patients on tamoxifen do not develop secondary cancer has given her some relief.
Perspective from Angelina Jolie
Commenting on Angelina Jolie's decision to undergo a double mastectomy despite having "amazing breasts," Strachan points out that Jolie is admired primarily for her talent and not her physical appearance. In that respect, Strachan believes Jolie faced an even greater challenge.
"My viewers, at the end of the day, are more interested in a blue tit!" Strachan concludes.
