'Thank God it wasn't cancer': Jaime Pressly opens up about undergoing a mastectomy after being diagnosed with mastitis
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Jaime Pressly has opened up about a terrifying health scare that happened a few years ago.
The actress told The Talk hosts that she had to have ‘almost a full mastectomy’ after being diagnosed with mastitis, but didn’t realise how serious it was at first.
‘I have a high threshold for pain – I was a dancer for 25 years,’ she explained. ‘And when I had my son, I got mastitis but I didn't know. I just thought it was normal breast feeding pain.’
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Health scare: Jaime Pressly opened up about being diagnosed with mastitis on The Talk on Wednesday
Jaime welcomed son Dezi into the world in 2007 and she revealed that she found several lumps around her breasts four years after experiencing the pain.
Fearing it was cancer, the My Name Is Earl star, now 37, went to see a doctor.
‘He took the scar tissue out of this and then six months later – because when you open it spreads – I had to go back and do this one… I still have some breast tissue left but [they had to do] almost a full mastectomy.’
Brave: The actress underwent 'almost a full mastectomy' several years ago after discovering lumps around her breasts
Telling her story: Jaime opened up to hosts (L-R) Sheryl Underwood, Sara Gilbert, Julie Chen, Aisha Tyler and Sharon Osbourne
Jaime added: ‘From just the scar tissue – the mastitis because it mutated into something else, because it sat dormant for a while. It was the craziest thing. Thank God it wasn't [cancer].’
Jaime said that she found it easy enough to come to terms with having most of each of her breasts removed.
‘I think when we’re younger we want ‘em, and then you get older and you’re like, “Can you just get rid of whatever extra you got, including hair?” Whatever’s easier,’ she joked.
The star then went on to explain why she decided to chop off her trademark long locks, revealing that she did it to get a wider range of roles following My Name Is Earl.
Relieved: The 37-year-old explained that she is grateful it wasn't cancer and came to terms with having most of each of her breasts removed
In paradise: Last month Jaime shared this photo from Puerto Los Cabos, where she was holidaying with boyfriend Hamzi Hijazi
‘Nobody wanted me to play something else,’ Jaime admitted. ‘Everybody fell in love with Joy, thank God for me, but her hair was such a huge part of who that character was, and what people don’t realise is that was like 18,000 hair pieces.
‘But because I had long hair in real life, everyone was keeping me in that place and it wasn’t even the fans as much as it was the people in our business who pigeonhole us.’
Jaime is currently starring in comedy Jennifer Falls, about a single mother who moves back in with her own mom after losing her job.
The show airs its season one finale next Wednesday and is yet to be renewed for a second season.
'High threshold for pain': Jaime thought she was experiencing normal breastfeeding pain before she was diagnosed with mastitis. She is pictured with son Dezi, now seven, in February
Changing it up: The star explained that she chopped off her looks because her long hair left her associated with her My Name Is Earl character Joy (pictured)
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