Woman waits five years for breast reconstruction after cancer

Linda Linneberg, 48, has waited more than five years for breast reconstruction surgery after her 2020 breast cancer diagnosis, Dagbladet reports.

“I feel ugly and deformed,” Linneberg said. “I don’t think about other women with one breast—that’s not it. It’s about how I see myself.”

She first noticed a lump over a year before her diagnosis but assumed it was a clogged milk duct, as she had recently stopped breastfeeding. In early 2020, her son—who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy—underwent emergency surgery, pushing her own symptoms to the side. When the pandemic hit, authorities discouraged non-urgent medical visits, so she delayed seeking help.

A family member’s advanced breast cancer diagnosis that summer prompted her husband to insist she see a doctor. By late July 2020, she underwent a mammogram in Stavanger. By then, she had been experiencing nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. Her nipple had also inverted, a possible sign of a tumor pulling tissue inward.

Doctors confirmed breast cancer. A large tumor and several smaller ones were found in her right breast, with spread to the lymph nodes under her arm. The tumor was too large for immediate surgery due to the risk of further spread, so she began chemotherapy to shrink it.

Linneberg, no stranger to hospitals after decades of caring for her son, described her treatment as grueling. After the first chemotherapy session, her immune system collapsed, requiring isolation. She developed chemical pneumonia in early 2021 and nearly died. Steroids saved her life, though she still struggles with the aftereffects.

By February 2021, the tumor had shrunk enough for surgery. A surgeon offered a choice between breast-conserving surgery or a mastectomy, but Linneberg said there was no real choice—keeping the breast risked recurrence. She opted for removal.

Post-surgery, she underwent an accelerated radiation regimen—dubbed “corona radiation” due to pandemic constraints—receiving higher doses over three weeks instead of five to minimize hospital visits. This led to radiation damage, including lung scarring and tight skin.

Linneberg recently stopped hormone therapy, despite the increased risk of recurrence, due to severe side effects. “Ten good years are better than twenty miserable ones,” she said.

Now, more than five years after her diagnosis, she remains on the waiting list for reconstruction, daily reminded of the absence.