title: A preliminary study into women's experiences of undergoing reconstructive surgery after breast cancer.
abstract: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women. In Sweden, about 40% of women diagnosed with breast cancer undergo a mastectomy; breast reconstruction (BR) may be an option for these women. However, the experience of undergoing reconstructive surgery appears to be only very scarcely researched, despite its importance in clinical nursing.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to explore women's experiences of undergoing breast reconstructive surgery after mastectomy due to breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six women participated in narrative interviews about their experiences of reconstructive surgery, and the interview data were analysed using thematic narrative analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All six women were unprepared for the strenuous experience of undergoing a BR. They described the process as difficult and painful, entailing several operations and an unexpectedly long recovery period. They were also unprepared for how arduous it would be, both physically and emotionally. However, getting a BR had been important to all the women. The BR process was captured in four themes: (1) uninformed care; (2) arduous experiences; (3) body alterations; and (4) moving on.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obtaining adequate information and being involved in the decision-making process along the pathway of a BR could help the women to prepare physically and emotionally for the strenuous experiences related to reconstructive surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden. ulrika.fallbjork@nurs.umu.se
authors.forename: Ulrika
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fallbjörk
authors.forename: Elin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Frejeus
authors.forename: Birgit H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery*; D003657:Decision Making; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016462:Mammaplasty / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden