Latissimus Dorsi Breast Reconstruction
Comments
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Day....that is so true! While drying off after a shower one day! I looked down at my chest as I was bending over to dry my legs and the shape of the foob was horrific.
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I have to agree with you ladies on the bending over part. I have one side that distorts more than the other.
I hate pushing around a shopping cart at the grocery store. I try to bribe my DH to go for me. When you are trying to maneuver a full cart of groceries and the things are flexing all over your chest while you manhandle it down the aisles, it is not a fun experience. If I can feel it moving so much, then it has to be visible from the outside of my clothes!
Another one of those adjustments we have to make after having this surgery.
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hi ladies
just wanted to post that my bone scan is CLEAR - thank god
as i suspected, my lower back pain is as a result of this surgery - despite what the *&%&*# plastic surgeon is saying. I am putting up a stink right now with the hospital to get the proper re-hab/meds whatever i need to help me. i realize it may not (im sorry Day I know you have on-going issues) but I have to at least try
as for the weird boob flexing thing - i don't have that, or the pillow under my arm. Both mine flex but thats because they are under the pec muscle.
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I don't get it....Why does bending over present a weird view?
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Fitzdc....the way it hangs from body when u bend over looks unnatural. The shape is weird.
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I guess I don't have that issue. Mine seems to 'hang' naturally ( I just bent over to take another look!). My PS did re-shaping in the revision surgery so maybe that helped? Also, I don't tend to think of my new breast as a foob, as it looks and feels real - except for the niple, but it is getting there.
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fitzdc - try looking at yourself from the profile when you bend. And it wasn't just the bending part, it was about propping yourself in your arms when you bend.
westieluv, it seems your PS didn't cut the thoracodorsal nerve.
rozem, I hope from all my heart that the PT will help you. And my PS too, until a few months ago, was in total denial about any back pain being from the surgery. Now he acknowledges it, and the shoulder issue as well.
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Geez, Day. Now I kind of wish I had a mirrored headboard...
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I tried bending and propping and squating and everything seems to look fine. (My issue is when I am flat on my back - the boob goes more sideways than the other one so that the nipple aren't even)) I guess this goes back to an earlier comment that not all LD surgeries are the same.
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I agree that we are all different. I too notice the weird muscle distortion when on top. But as long as I don't start looking at it and pondering it and then...well...getting distracted, if you know what I mean, everything works out fine. My husband isn't freaked out. I will be honest, he was freaked out when I didn't have a nipple on the lat/UMX side. Now that I have one I can tell he is much more relaxed and so am I. The nipple has made a big difference in how I feel about the way the reconstruction turned out. I too notice that my lat/UMX side slides more than the other side when I'm on my back. I don't like that because it feels weird and seems to happen in slow motion. I asked the PS about it and he said he didn't think I should go into surgery just to tighten it up. It won't go over more than it does now. Of course if I was having something else done he would go in and do it. hmmm....
But really, I feel so blessed with how everything has turned out for me that unless it ends up under my armpit, I'm not going to worry about it.
As far as pain. I guess I'm lucky since I don't notice any. I work out and use weights and sometimes things may feel tighter or maybe sore after a more intense workout, but nothing that doesn't go away. I just recently started taking a yoga class and I do feel a difference on my lat/umx side when doing some of the moves. But I think that the stretching will help keep the area moving.
I hope those of you with pain find relief. If I hear of anything to try I'll pass it along.
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Hi Ladies. I firmly believe that all the surgeons do not want to admit that they have left us with the horrendous debilitating back pain. So they try to sweep it under the carpet. I think that this is happening to women all over the world (I am in Scotland)
What would be useful is if all of us left with problems could speak as one voice then they would have to listen and not dismiss us as paranoid women who should just be happy we are alive!
This must be possible in these days of technology. We are venting to each other and we should be venting to the ones doing the surgery but not individually but collectively. Whether this is by a website for us or with the help of a sympathetic healthcare person (if there is one) there must be someone who wants to do research on this topic!
What do you think? Stronger together!0 -
I can make a website for us. Remember I am a website designer and owner, it wouldn't be too hard. I can put it on my hosting for free and the domain would only be $12.00 a year. I am also pretty good at search engine optimization, so it would definitely show in google, bing and other searches. If we could do this, I am sure many women would be aware of the problems and many surgeons would be more careful. We could post the results from the members, in forms of polls maybe (x% back pain, y% shoulder function impairment, etc). It might be an eye opener. We could even invite some PS doctors to review and answer questions.
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hi day/lydia
Im in canada and I AM IN....i think day's suggeston for a web site is a fantastic idea. When ladies search "latissimus dorsi breast reconstruction" they should get to view a site that tells them the TRUTH not what the doctors are saying. And inviting other doctors for their review is a great idea - I know that John hopkins in the US does not even do this surgery anymore due to these issues so there are doctors who are waking up to this just not enough. My PS pooh pooh'd me when I told him the trend is to reconstruct WITHOUT comprimising muscle. I'd like to see him walk around with this pain all the time.
My other suggestion would be to also get involved in BRA day locally (breast reconstruction awareness) - I am going to do this here in Toronto. From what I understand this happens all over the US. Lydia I know you are not in the US or Can so not sure if this is applicable to you
perhaps you guys can PM your private email addresses so we can correspond that way
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i am so sorry so many of you are in constant pain. At this point, I have very little pain, have almost regained all strength in my arm (for a while I found it a challenge to even open a door), and have no issue with muscle movement at/on/in the breast. I was at my PS today for a follow up and asked her about issues with bending and propping - so I bent and propped and lifted my arms for her and for a mirror and didn't notice anything unusual except that when I lift my arms, the new breast doesn't lift exactly the same as the old breast. And like jwilco my husband (and I) are much more comfortable now that there is a nipple (still too big, but it should continue to flatten out).
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That sounds like a real plan and I think we will be truly amazed by the sheer numbers of women who are left like us
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It would be good to show the research that is out there so that women are informed! There appears to be different labels ie: post surgical back pain, post mastectomy pain syndrome, post breast surgery pain syndrome etc etc. problem currently is you don't find out about these until you are in that position. Just need to be a bit careful how we do it. Certainly for me if I had of known it would have saved me months if desperation, frustration and feelings of isolation. Would we able to blog on it as well!
I'm quite excited about this. If we can stop women going through what we have been through it will be fabulous!0 -
i have to share with you ladies the conversation I had with my family doctor yesterday:
me: Im having a ton of back pain issues from this surgery (went on to explain the surgery - very detailed) and need some meds to help me control the pain
her: you know your PS office sent me all the notes from your last meeting and it has been determined that in their medical point of view the surgery was performed on a different area of your back and cannot be contributing to the lower back pain
me: well let me explain exactly what the lat muscle does and how i had no pre-existing back issues before and now I do
her: your plastic surgeon is world renowned you know
me: yes I know, I am not doubting that the surgery was technically well performed what Im saying is that moving this muscle has destroyed my back
her: well you know lots of people in their 40's have lower back issues
me: yes I understand that but I did not have prior back issues (repeat repeat repeat what the surgery does/entails)
her: (at the end) so do you think maybe you are depressed and thats contributing to your back pain?, let me write you a script for ativan....
????!!!!!??????
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Change the doctor. If he doesn't know that the latissimus dorsi muscles go all the way to the lower back, and removing them does a number on how you hold your torso upright, then he needs to go back to school. change the family doctor and ask for a referral to a pain management clinic. One doctor once tried the same number with me, and I looked him straight in the face and said "so what you are saying is that I had major muscles cut off from my back, and re-routed through my underarm to my front, with all the nerves cut that such a surgery implies, but THAT would not make my back hurt? where in the world did you get your degree?" He got red in the face and started sputtering, I said "well, I can't say it was nice meeting you. Have a nice day now, you hear?" and I turned on my heels and left his office.
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thanks day...i did get the referral today, i have an appt tomorrow for a pain management specialist
they are arranging a meeting with the patient representative and my surgical team (including my PS) and i will tell them exactly that!
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Wonderful, rozem! I am glad for you. I had a very understanding family doctor, and when he saw that nothing works, he said I needed opiates and he couldn't prescribe more than a certain amount and I need a pain management specialist. And he referred me first to the shiznit I had the episode above, and was very upset about what had happened, then started to call around and finally found me a wonderful painmanagement specialist, who is willing to try all kinds of relief while in the meantime controlling my pain
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On a second note, ladies, I got the domain. I am working as we speak on creating the website. If any of you wishes to be more involved as help with managing the site, please private message me.
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Rozem- my advice to you is go armed with info to your meeting. Getting searching for papers on this topic. They are there - print them off and take them with you. Your ps is probably worried you are trying to damage his "worldwide reputation" when actually all you are looking for us an acknowledgement and treatment! Your gp is obviously clueless. I too have a pain consultant who listened and it is a bit trial and error but at least you don't feel so abandoned!
Good luck and happy searching. You will feel empowered!0 -
Yes, what Lydia says is very true. He might also be wary that you might want to sue.
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That was my thoughts and we have the NHS here. Maybe once he knows that's not the case he may admit that the surgery has caused this!
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Hello! I had my operaton done on 22. However, I am not feeling good. I feel like havig flu, chills, light cough...I also developed rush around the incision.Did anybody had smth like this. They swiched me antobiotics, but how long to wait.till it works? Is the recovery from LD always so difficult?
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olgah - I am sorry you are having such a difficult time. LIke anything else, each one of us is different and we are all going to have our experience. My recovery was not bad at all. No pain meds at all - even in the hosp. I was back to work within 10 days and with the drains. I had some few hiccups later on but no complaints, no regrets. Sending very gentle healing hugs and hope you get to feeling better real soon.
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Did anybody had congestion, cough and runny nose after operation, and chills? I am very very scared
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olgah...those symptoms do not seem to be relatd to the surgery...sounds like you have a flu bug, if you have a fever i would contact your surgeon right away or go to the ER because that could be a sign of infection
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olgah - Rozem is right. It sounds like the flu bug. Call your doctor ASAP to avoid an infection.
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Have any of you ladies noticed how dry the reconstructed breast is?? I've been using cocoa butter and vitamin E oil on my scars from day one but I am noticing that just a couple hours after I put the oil and cocoa butter on it, its dry again. My natural breast doesn't do that and I have scars from a reduction on that one.
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