Topic: Deconstruction

I cannot add a lot here except to say that I was totally unhappy with my first recon and lift. 

I saw 3 ps for consults and all three offered things they could do to make it better.  NONE would say that it was a "bad" job.  No doc will ever make that comment about another surgeon's outcome.

In fact, the question I was asked  most was, have you discussed this with your original surgeon.  Well, YES>  but the guy wouldn't listen.

I did find a great ps who listened and we redid the expander and another implant and added an augment to the good boob.

I had a good out come;

AnneW--there comes a time during everyone's expander experience when you want to rip the expanders from your body and throw them down the disposal to be shredded to peices!  I even called my first ps and demanded mine be removed and the exchange take place or I was going to have a local surgeon remove mine.  (OK, I was really tired of the whole process and worn out with no sleep)  Fortunately, they were used to hearing these complaints and didn't send me off to the local mental health center. 

But just know that most come to this feeling at some point.  I hope it goes very well for both of you.

I too had bilat with expanders and exchange...will be getting nipples next month.  I switch ps because the first one had my expanders so asymmetrical it was awful.  The next one had to even it out and it was a lot of work.  Surgery was 9 months ago and still sore.  My 'breasts' are much smaller than my original ones were.  ( not that I could afford to lose them!) and the tumour side where I had rads indents when I move... apparently it's because of the muscle...anyone else noticed that? 

Sally,

I think Tender is right--if you had your implants removed, the PS could remove any excess skin and generally tighten up the area. I had bilaterals with no recon and asked my breast surgeon to make them as cosmetically pleasing as possible. So, I have a nice flat chest, no extra skin, and symmetrical incisions. Since you'd be working with a plastic surgeon, who's even more skilled at good cosmetic results, I can't imagine a reason he couldn't leave you with a pleasing (though flat) chest. I hadn't been aware of the muscle-flattening effect of implants, but my muscle seems extremely thin and it isn't a problem.

Best of luck, whatever you decide.

Barbara 

Karen,

I had my bilateral mastectomy back in Aug. this year. I'm currently fighting with my ins. co. to get them to pay for me to go out of town to get DIEP flap surgery. However, I have to say that for the most part, I don't miss my boobs.

I am 50 years old, single and unattached. I hope to be attached some day, so I'm too chicken to stay boobless. I am probably wrong about this, at least I hope I am, but I think even the men out there I deem good enough to be my boyfriend would be turned off by my mastectomy.

That said, I have no promise that I will ever meet anyone that would become a life partner. If it's just me and me alone, I like the flatness. I like not being "boob-forward". I was a large C and this is quite a change. My boss was astounded to hear me say that I wanted to end up smaller than a C when this was all over. I wonder what she'd say if I told her I kind of liked not having breasts. I miss them for their sexual aspect, of course. I miss my nipples, but after 3 months, I don't miss them as much as I thought I might. 

If I lose every appeal to get the DIEP flap surgery, I may consider having the extra skin from my skin sparing mastectomy removed and just remain boob-free.

I like the way t-shirts fit on my new, flat body, but I don't like the way my pot belly sticks out - it seems so much bigger now without the boobs to augment the size, hee hee.

Good luck making your decision. It's best to think hard about all of your options.  And take your time, if you can.

cheers,

Wnedy 

Karen, have you checked out the www.breastfree.org website? It was set up by our own Barbara ("Erica") and offers lots of information about living with unreconstructed mastectomies. Some of the women's stories there are about their "deconstruction," so that might be helpful. Best wishes for a comfortable and contented outcome!

Binney 

Binney - yup I did  look at breastfree.org.  I saw another PS the other day and loved him..Sure wished I had used him the first time round.  He feels that it is too soon to do anything such as taking them out or putting smaller implants in as its only 4 months since the last surgery and that I am still healing both physically and emotionally.  But I do think he heard what I was saying. He did rec that I do nipple and aerola.  I left his office thinking, yup I will do it (that was thursday afternoon), but now I am not sure.  I think what I really want to do is put in small implants, maybe low profile (I have 300cc high profile) go to 250cc and then once that heals do the finishing touches. But for now, I am doing nothing.  He feels that I should definitely give it more time before I deconstruct and befofe I go that route to try the finishing touches.  I just hate the way my chest feels when i am out in the cold - it feels like a vice grip on my chest - PS said it is from muscles contracting.  Don't know if it would do this without implants or not.  But this PS thought things looked pretty symmetrical, but can see why I don't see it that way - the prophy side sits very different from the BC radiated side.  Well, Thats about all for now.  Not having a good day, so think its time to get dressed and get my mind of off BC.  Hugs, karen