Breast reconstruction

[Happydays012]

I've had a mastectomy and breast reconstruction. It was ok! Still can't believe it.

[everyusernameisinuse]

Me too - last year. Was dreading it - thought my life would never be the same after. To be honest I hardly ever think about it now - it doesn't seem significant at all now.

The worst bit was the drains

[Happydays012]

Were we just lucky?

[Tangoandcreditcards]

Me too in 2009. My boobs just turned 6. I can hardly remember what it was like to have "realies".

Urgh, the DRAINS. I had 6, carrying them about in a bottle holder like a gory milkman.

[everyusernameisinuse]

I only had one drain - for a single mastectomy
Can't imagine 6!

I thought I would be disfigured afterwards - and I suppose I am a bit (as the full reconstruction us postponed until after my pregnancy) - but it hardly matters.

I was so scared of dying - but now it's all behind me - it's as if it never happened. I'm back to taking life for granted. I wonder is that normal?

[Happydays012]

That's what I was thinking. I was so lucky. Drains not nice, but only 2. I had my reconstruction done on the muscle, mastectomy and falsie all in one go, and it looks fine, I think.

[Tangoandcreditcards]

I'm not sure why i had so many, maybe just so I could play mastecto-oneupmanship on the internet? Actually (boringly) it's because I had an LD flap reconstruction so had one drain on each side for the back op as well as 2 each side for the front op. If I had the chance again I'd have a straight-up implant because I honestly can't tell the difference between mine and my sister's & it was a HUGE operation (13 hrs) and a massive recovery time.

Crazy that I used to think everyone could TELL, and I used to cry EVERY TIME I went to buy bras.

I found it a bit weird in pregnancy (last year) every because my falsies were totally unmoved so it was like they were shrinking as my bump got bigger. How far along are you?

[everyusernameisinuse]

12 weeks now. So my remaining real breast is getting bigger and the partially reconstructed one obviously isn't. So I'm more lopsided than I'd like.

I don't have an implant yet. Might get it in the future. What puts me off is i don't want to be able to feel the implant or be aware of it. I'm numb there anyway so maybe it won't matter.

[Toooldtobearsed]

I had a double whammy reconstruction; Mastectomy followed by chemo and Rads, then while they were reconstructing the baddie, they removed the other breast and did an immediate recon on that side.

I had a diep, the immediate recon is superb, the delayed one is crap.

Diep is taking skin and muscle from the tummy, so boobs grow, shrink, they are 'alive'.


But hey, I am alive and kicking six years later

[Happydays012]

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

[Tangoandcreditcards]

Mine was preventative (found BRCA2+ 2006 aged 25) always feel like a bit of a 'fraud' to post of BC threads.

My DSis and late DM were both diagnosed with BC v young so I chose not to wait around. Therefore was lucky enough to not need other treatment so immediate recon on both sides which is lucky. Have developed a small wobbly lump on my back where the muscle used to be (from straining it to carry about a toddler, I think), but my knockers still look good!

Didn't have enough on the tummy (back in the day, would be a different story now) for a DIEP so they used lower back muscle.

everyusername I honestly don't notice the 'otherness' of my implants (except when they occasionally get chillier than the rest of me), but I do think it's a personal preference. I've done a lot of topless meet-and-greets with prospective mastectomy patients so they can have a look/talk to me; your surgical team might have people you can talk to when you are ready. It must be such a lot to go through, is it your first baby?

High five tooold - that's virtually the same journey as my DSis.

[Toooldtobearsed]

Tango fraud??? NOOOOOOO, brave lady

I travelled from Durham to Norwich to have my Op, was given 8'weeks to gain fat on tummy. T'was wonderful. Chips, chocolate and wine for every meal

[everyusernameisinuse]

3rd pregnancy. Lucky to be pregnant again as there was some talk about putting me on tamoxifen but that's delayed for now.

Had tissue taken from my back for the reconstruction - so a part of my back is numb but it's only really an issue when my 3 year old lies in bed next to me and kicks my back. I can feel him kicking it but because of the numbness it's mildly unpleasant when he does that.

The numbness in the back and the breast seems to be narrowing down to a smaller area. Immediately after the operation it felt like my whole back was numb and it was a bit disturbing.

It probably would have helped me to talk to someone who'd been through the procedure before I had it. The doctor asked me to look at some leaflets and think about which type of reconstruction I wanted but they all sounded horrific to me at the time - and I wanted the doctor to pick what he thought would be the best option - seeing as he had the experience. He seemed to think I wasn't being involved enough in the decision - but it was very difficult to decide based on some leaflets. Also I was worried about dying of cancer so not the best time to be making decisions. Looking back now I maybe should have opted not to have any tissue taken from elsewhere in my body - but just got the implant they inflate. I was too disturbed at the thought of waking up with one breast and the other side flat and having to wait for the new breast to be inflated over time. But the numbness in my back is only a small inconvenience really so I don't regret my decision too much.

[Happydays012]

I had a reconstruction at the same time too. The idea of waking up 'flat' was disturbing to me too. But I didn't have the muscle cut so I didn't have any tissue taken from anywhere else in my body, I just had an implant wrapped in a collagen material sewn onto it. Anyone else had that?