Breast Reconstruction discussion group (tamoxifen splinter group)

[foofooyeah]

Thought it would be a good place to discuss general issue on with breast reconstruction following cancer.

So I shall start. Having chemo now, surgery in the new year.

I have to have mastectomy on left breast an my current thinking is to request bilateral MX for 2 reasons.

1. Eradicates chance of occurrence in other breast.
2. Due to having a big old pair if saggy boobs more chance of getting a reasonably matching pair.

Need to do more extensive investigation but currently thinking of expander and implant and dropping at least 2 cup sizes.

I don't want loads of invasive surgery or other bits of my body chopped about

So please share your stories if what you have had done, planning to do, or decided not to do.

golly Foo what a lot to think about and what a lot of opions. It's funny how things vary for consultant to consultant - I was given an absolute No to immediate reconstruciton as I was due to have Rads (actually not having them now but hey ho) but as knew that I did want reconstruction I opted for a tissue expander.

So anyway all I can talk about is the TE option and I am quite happy with it - it was put in with 100ml saline so not quite flat after the Op and then filled with 100ml a week for 4 weeks. It does hurt after expansion but it's OK again after a day or 2. It looks very different to the other breast (very high and absolutely solid) but it does give a cleavage effect so I can wear all my usual tops etc.
I'm personally not going for ld flap as I don't want my back muscle compromised at all due to a sport that I play - but I know ladies who've had this and are completely happy.
Re the double mx - you should talk to Betsy as I belive she had that done (1 was preventative) - I also think she had no reconstruction so would be really good to get her thoughts on how it's going. I guess if you only have the single mx they will keep a very close eye on you so even if something does pop up I imagine it woudl be caught early (that's what I'm telling myself anyway!!).
Re the single mx - my concern at the momemt is how similar he can get both breasts as I'd like to be symmetrical . I'm seeing my surgeon next Tuesday to confirm the plans so I'll maybe have more info after that.

so I'm def having my Op on 17th jan.
The surgeon is orderig a couple of different sized implants for the reconstruced breast and a couple of different style/size implants for the other one. He's going to try them out and see which combination gives the best results - apparently you get sat up and moved around in the Op to see how they look - who'd have though it .
If, when everything has settled down I'm not happy he can do a lift but he hopes it won't be required.
And no drains required - yippee - only 1 night in hospital.
Nipple to be added at a later date.

I'm very excited .
None of the implants are big but he said I will be 25 to 30% bigger in the 'good' breast then I am now and the new one will be made to match (currently already bigger with TE in). But I'm only a small 34B so 25% is not a lot.

Recon or no recon decisions are so hard to make aren't they, and if I can be of any help to anyone in any way, I will.
I had a double mx with immediate DIEP recon back in June 12 - one side was due to bc, the other was prophylactic. Happily I didn't need rads, but they were a possibility dependant upon the extent of node involvement, but generally autologous recons stand up better to rads than implants.
It's funny but as the time from dx (Jan 12) goes by, I am even more convinced that this was the right and best decision for me. Especially as I see the girls I went through chemo with getting increasingly worried as time passes and the annual mammogram comes around...

Hi Snails - I'm glad you are pleased with your decision. I would have been up for a prophylactic mx but haven't got any reasonable grounds (kind of mentioned in passing) so can understand why ladies choose to have it done.

Hi, I had mx with LD recon this time last year. Hope you're all doing well & send best wishes

Hi Kitkat,
you were asking on the other thread about post-implant reconstruction-op underwear.

I was advised that i would need to wear a bra night and day for 6 weeks. I took a sports bra into hospital with me. I chose a larger size than usual, to allow for swelling/discomfort, and a non-racer back as i was told I shouldn't lift my arm above shoulder height for 6 weeks to avoid displacing the implant, so couldn't see myself wriggling into the usual type.

As it turned out the bra i took in with me was useless as I didn't realise it had a hook on the back strap which turned it into a racer back, and that meant that if you tried to wear it the non-racer way, the straps wouldn't shorten sufficiently to be supportive - gah!

BCN in hospital let me borrow a bra to go home in, but it was ghastly (think 1980s Madonna) so my first female visitor once i was home was dispatched off to M&S to buy my usual soft-form cup t-shirt bra but without wires and in a larger size. She had very specific instructions and found exactly the right thing, bless her! The soft formed cups meant that both boobs looked the same in the bra. You won't have this issue though i guess as your boobs will be symmetrical.

Anyway, I wore that during the day, and wore a soft bra at night that i picked up from Matalan. It's a bit like the sort of nighttime bra you might wear when breast feeding, a bit like a cropped top and stretchy enough to step in to so no need for arms above the head.

That's what worked for me. I've found another good bra at M&S which gives me a nice matching shape on both sides, but the choice is a bit limited and I'm hoping that once i have the other side lifted next year i will have more choice of nice bras but more for show than support or maybe even go bra-less (!)

Hth, Marshy x

Hi Marshy - thanks for that info - it's very useful. Had you had a TE in before your implant or was it an immediate reconstruction?
My BCN had very useful bra info for me when I had my mx and TE so will also ask her when I have my pre-op assessment - there will still be a few days to allow for shopping.
After the 6 weeks could you wear whatever bra you wanted? I'm quite keen to get back into some nice underwear as I have been roatating 2 sports bras for the last 4 months!! Obviously I don't know if they wil fit post op or whether I'll need a bigger size .

Waving to all. Just thought I'd add to the bra discussion. I have two silicon implants (one cancer mx, other prophylactic a year later). I have never found a bra that's comfortable - everything adds to the tight/ band type feeling and after an hour of wearing I can't wait to take it off. I've given up, so wear vests or crop tops. Quite liberating not to have to wear a bra. Very occasionally I wear a wire free cotton one from American Apparel.