Emotional wellbeing after mastectomy can change from day to day, and your feelings are normal. A wide range of feelings is common. This page is general information only.
This page gives general information drawn from cancer organisations and published research. The wider recovery picture is in the hub on life after breast cancer surgery.
| Topic | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Changing feelings | Feelings may change daily, hourly, or even minute to minute. |
| Are my feelings normal? | The National Cancer Institute says these feelings are all normal. |
| Sadness after treatment | You may still feel sad when treatment is done. |
| Low mood that lingers | Signs lasting more than 2 weeks are worth raising with your doctor. |
| Adjusting emotionally | It can take time; talking with a mental health professional may help. |
These points come from the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society. Information can change, so please check the sources for the latest.
A wide range of feelings
The National Cancer Institute explains that cancer can bring up a wide range of emotions a person is not used to dealing with, and that it can make existing feelings seem more intense, changing daily, hourly or even minute to minute. It says these feelings are all normal, and that this holds whether a person is in treatment, done with treatment, or a friend or family member.
The same page notes that the values a person grew up with often shape how they think about and cope with cancer. Its advice is that it is important to do what is right for the individual and not to compare oneself with others.
Sadness, loss and low mood
Mastectomy involves a loss that goes beyond the operation itself. It adds that a person may still feel sad even when treatment is done, that this is a common response to any serious illness, and that it may take time to work through and accept all the changes.
The page also describes when sadness may be something more. It states that depression is a medical condition that can be treated, and that anyone with signs of depression for more than 2 weeks should talk to their doctor about treatment.
That is general information, not a way to assess any individual, so the right contact is the person’s own care team.
Body image and adjusting to change
A research paper in the National Library of Medicine’s PMC archive studied 120 women after mastectomy and found that psychological resilience is a significant protecting factor for body image, helping prevent the excessive development of negative self-esteem. The authors argue that women should be given help both in the short time immediately after the procedure and afterwards, and they recommend psychological interventions, from psychoeducation to specialist psychotherapy, throughout the course of treatment.
The American Cancer Society says that it can take time to adjust emotionally, especially for people who have reconstruction months or years after a mastectomy. It suggests it may help to talk with a mental health professional or with other people who have had reconstruction. The physical side of healing, including how scars look and feel, is covered in the guide to scar care after breast surgery.
The study design matters here: the PMC paper is a report on a single research group, and its findings describe groups of women rather than predicting any one person’s experience. Reading it as one data point, rather than a rule, keeps expectations realistic.
Fear, worry and stress
The National Cancer Institute lists several common fears, including being in pain, looking different as a result of treatment, taking care of family, paying bills and keeping a job. Most people feel better when they learn the facts, it says, because they feel less afraid and know what to expect.
It also observes that stress during and after treatment is normal, and that stress can keep the body from healing as well as it should. For that reason it encourages people to be proactive and raise practical issues, such as help with daily routines or rides to appointments, early on, or to have a family member or friend ask on their behalf.
Questions about what recovery will look like, including returning to physical activity, are common worries too, and are covered in the guide to exercise after breast reconstruction.
Loneliness and support from others
The National Cancer Institute says people with cancer often feel lonely or distant from others, for reasons such as friends finding it hard to deal with cancer, or a sense that no one understands what the person is going through. It notes that it is also normal to feel alone after treatment, when a person may miss the support of the health care team and feel that the safety net has been pulled away.
Peer support is one option the Institute describes. It says cancer support groups are meetings for people with cancer and anyone touched by the disease, and that they can help a person feel better, more hopeful and not so alone, give a chance to talk about feelings and work through them, and help with coping with side effects of treatment.
Ways people cope in their own way
These include expressing strong feelings, whether by talking to friends, family, other survivors, a support group or a counsellor, or by thinking about them or writing them down. It also says a person need not try to be upbeat if they are not, and that people choose when to talk about their cancer.
Another message is that people should not blame themselves. Taking time for relaxing activities is also suggested.
Decisions about emotional support, counselling and any treatment for low mood belong with the reader’s own care team, who can point to local services. The information here is general and cannot assess how any individual is doing.
Frequently asked questions
Is it normal to feel differently from day to day?
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Yes. Cancer information from the National Cancer Institute says feelings can change daily or even from minute to minute, and that they are all normal.
Can sadness continue after treatment ends?
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It can. Health information describes lingering sadness after treatment as a common response to serious illness that may take time to work through.
Do support groups help?
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They are described as helping people feel less alone and giving them a place to talk through feelings. Groups vary, so it helps to ask the care team about options.
When should low mood be raised with a doctor?
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The National Cancer Institute says signs lasting more than 2 weeks, or feelings that get in the way of daily life, are worth discussing with a doctor.
