Topic: Radiation with expanders in place
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MsMonty Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 988 |
May 18, 2008 06:43 pm, edited May 18, 2008 06:45 PM
by MsMonty
MsMonty wrote:
I had radiation after expanders and there were a few problems. I had chemo and then a bi-lateral mastectomy with expanders. My onc did not want more than 10 weeks between mastectomy and radiation. That, of course, meant that I had to be fully expanded and have the exchange surgery in ten short weeks! I had bi-weekly expansions and had some pain but nothing that I could not handle. I think if my plastic surgeon had it to do over again he would have expanded the radiated breast a wee bit more. It became quite dry from the radiation and moved up a bit and shrank. We waited a year and he did some revisions and I am very happy now. There is a lot of information on the web regarding radiation after expanders. I hope it goes well for you. Sharon Dx 3/30/2005, ILC, 6cm+, Stage IIIa, Grade 2, 0/0 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
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LUVmy2girlZ… Joined: Nov 2007 Posts: 2290 |
May 18, 2008 06:56 pm
LUVmy2girlZ wrote:
Henson ~ I have an expander in place and ONE positive margin brought me to 7 weeks of rads. ( not the usual...lucky me! ) Anyway, my PS wasn't happy either, and said expanders and radiation don't mix but he will do all he can to move forward ...(I had surgery followed by immediate reconstruction so it was like...a what now situation.) My PS told me to wait 6 months before starting my fills...I hope this "beef jerky" can hold out. My Onc. and PS said, they did not want to start fills as it would interfere with my rad.therapy so some have quick fills like Sharon did and some don't. Speak to your PS regarding rads...I took it one step at a time...cancer free first...reconstruction second...it can be too overwhelming at times. Keep us posted !!! Best of luck to you... Much LUV Mastectomy 7 weeks radiation (35 rounds) Laughter, is the shock absorber that eases the blows of life....
Dx 11/19/2007, DCIS, 5cm, Stage 0, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER-/PR- |
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LizM Joined: Sep 2005 Posts: 1695 |
May 18, 2008 07:04 pm
LizM wrote:
I had a bi-lateral with tissue expanders, then chemo and then radiation due to one positive node and close margins. I have not had any problems. I had all my fills before radiation but had to be deflated to half so that my rads oncologist could do proper mapping to ensure the proper areas were radiated. A few months after rads they starting filling me up again and six months after rads I had my implant exchange surgery. That was over a year ago and so far so good. I decided not to get nipples and my plastic surgeon agreed because we don' t want to mess up a good thing. My recommendation is to make sure your plastic surgeon and radiation oncologist work together and that they are both experienced with implants and radiation to ensure the best result possible. |
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HensonChi Joined: May 2008 Posts: 150 |
May 18, 2008 09:34 pm
HensonChi wrote:
Thanks for the responses. I have surgery Thursday, and still don't have the results of the last 3 biopsies they did, and I don't know how many lymph nodes are positive....so I don't understand how I am supposed to make all these decisions. I went to see a plastic surgeon because the surgeon told me to. I guess I will know more when they call me tomorrow. Wow big decisions. |
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sharalou Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 32 |
Jun 8, 2008 12:07 am
sharalou wrote:
I had an expander, then radiation. Ended up getting expander removed. Radiation either burnt, or did something to the expander, that was causing me so much discomfort. Have not had the surgery(because from what I hear), I would have to do the trans flam. Cannot do expander again :( |
