Latissimus Dorsi Breast Reconstruction
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stanzie - i am so sorry you are having these issues too..i literally feel your pain! my PS did a great job cosmetically, my scar is not very long and is very even and the boob looks ok too. But i have this constant pain in my upper back going down my spine that sounds like it will never go away. Im only aobut 3.5 months out so i am hoping it gets better, im doing PT, yoga etc
i was wondering if there is a difference in degree of complications depending on having one side done vs both sides and if having your dominant side done is worse then your non-dominant side (i am right handed and it was my right side that has the lat) also makes a difference - i was just thinking that if the lat was on my left side it would not have been as bad
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Rozem - my pain continued to decrease months after. It was gradual - stretching and massage did help, too. I am right handed and had my right done so don't know if I experiened the correlation you mention. Also, my PS did a great job - scar is clean and folded under. Years ago I had major abdominal surgery and the scar is very different - bumpy, curvy, and not flat.
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thanks fitz - i have sent you a PM
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Thanks Day, I have been looking at New Orleans and also another doctor who works in New Orleans and also Charleston who seems to be very award of Lymphadema issues and since part involves under the arm - that sounds good...
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Stanzie-I'm a Dr. M patient. I can recommend her highly
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Oh that is wonderful! I'd love to know more, mind if I send you a PM with other questions? Thanks.
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hi ladies
for those of you a few years out...did you develop LE on the lat side if you didnt have it before surgery? did it make your LE worse if you had it before? just curious if this surgery causes LE as I have read (i hope not, another thing to worry about)
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No, this surgery doesn't cause LE. Axillary lymph node dissection causes LE.
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I had LE prior to surgery and it has actually improved. I had radiation too. I had LD with TE on the right on 27 Dec 12. The LE seems to get worse when I wear a bra. My fills have gone okay until the last one and that may have been because I had slipped on the stairs and caught myself with my right arm. I think I pulled the muscle and the fill just made it worse. Right now I'm at 500 cc and I see my PS this week to decide if I can go any bigger. He is going to do a lift and reduction on the other side with an implant to try to make them as even as possible.
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Stanzie, I'm so sorry for all your problems with LD. I'm surprised no one is doing LD in Atlanta as there are many of us who had radiation as well as abdominal scarring who have no other choice. My PS is at Vanderbilt Med Center in Nashville and they have a whole team of breast surgeons. I don't know about insurance paying to fix someone else's mistakes, but if you are in pain, it seems like they would have to take care of you. Please look for another PS who specializes in reconstruction.
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Hi , so much discomfort the last couple of days, 3 and half years since i had LD surgery, feels like a cushion under my arm sore back by scar rearly tight and sure down whole side of reconstruction Ahhhhhh.......i know other ladies go through so much more...but it just makes me a bit mizzy, if i carry anything or even hoover... i also work nights i dont think that helps..hugs to all
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*hugs* kaza
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Thankyou, Day xx
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I just want to say thank you to everyone who posts their experiences both good and bad, and stay on this thread and offer advice. I had a mastectomy (7 years after lumpectomy with radiation) with a TE in July, then reconstruction and lift on the 'good' side, and exchange on the other in November. I also had a hole that opened up about 3 weeks after surgery and had the implant removed in December. LD surgery coming up on 3/13, no TE direct to implant. Since my other breast is much smaller now he said we don't need to do a TE again.
I had a horrible time with the drain after my mastectomy, and my PS is telling me I won't have a problem sleeping on my back with the drain. But isn't it under my skin in my back? It just seems like that would hurt a whole lot. I've read the first 20 and the last 5 pages of this thread, so maybe I've missed some comments on it, but just thought I would double check.
Huge thanks again,
Shelley
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printpal, I hated the drains. But I had no pain from my back incision or the drain being in the back. The actual drain hole was in my side. I tried not to think about it being under my skin. But it didn't bother me.
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Printpal,
I had 8 drains with my LD bmx/reconstruction and none were directly in my back. They were more on my sides. I was told that I had to sleep on my back (and I'm not generally a back sleeper.) My PS prescribed valium post surgery, which he said were not for anxiety, but for the muscle relaxer effect. He said it prevented the LD muscles from spasming after their relocation. Anyway, the valium had the extra benefit of helping me sleep with all the drains.
Good luck!
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No worries, you won't have the drains on your back, but to the sides, you will be able to sleep on your back with no problems.
The problems were for the ones of us used to be tummy or side-sleepers, lol
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Thanks everyone! My prior drain from the mastectomy was off to the side too, but the pain it caused in front would make me catch my breath. I WAS a side sleeper until this happened, but have been a propped up back sleeper since last July. I might ask about some valium too, thanks for that!
Shelley
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Here is a question for you ladies... I had a bilateral mx in July with immediate tissue expanders. I told my PS, my goal in size was just to be proportional. When I had my last fill (900cc) total, I was told I was ready for the exchange. When looking at my chest, I am thinking these girls look a little small (plus size lady here). When I saw the PS, and he told me he would be putting a 800cc implant in, I asked if he was going to beef em' up with some fat? He said no.
Long story short, he agreed they didn't look exactly proportional, so instead of a simple exchange surgery, I am doing the Latissimus Flap surgery. Has anyone else had this experience. I really wonder if I should just suck it up, accept the way they are versus cutting up my body some more.
What do you think?
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hi lori
i suggest you read through this thread...some have had a good experience with this surgery, others like me, have had nothing but complications. It doesnt look like you had radiation so the LD is really not necessary. I would try to find a PS who does fat grafting and maybe you could augment your size this way. This is a big surgery with potiential complications (as any surgery has). Contrary to what your PS tells you, you will lose some muscle strength - how much varies from person to person. Hope this helps and good luck
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LoriBach, I doubt that lat flaps will give you the size you desire. I would suggest posting your stats in the Implant Sizing thread & asking whippetmom what she thinks. If you need larger implants, saline will be your only option unless you choose to lose weight instead.
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LD flap surgery is major. I would not have done it unless I felt I had no choice. The breasts will never be the same regardless of what you do. Personally I did not want to be flat chested so I chose LD. I regreat that decision. But it is done and I have moved on. Best of luck with your decision.
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If u are plus size, your surgeon could do 'tummy tuck' and use that, right? I don't have problems now with LD just some numbness and tingling every once in a while. I don't think I would do the LD reconstruction again though....
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Go for DIEP if you want increase in size, not for LD. LD is usually done if you have radiated skin, and it's muscle, not fat. It will definitely not increase the size, and I very much doubt it will be possible to even stretch it enough to cover 800cc implants. Besides, wtih DIEP you'd also have a "tummy tuck" and that will make your breasts seem even larger.
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I would get another opinion or ask about other options. While I haven't had major problems with my LD UMX, it wouldn't have been my first choice. Unfortunately I couldn't have DIEP due to prior surgery. But if you haven't had prior tummy tuck surgery or radiation then the DIEP may be a better option. I also agree with checking Whippen Mom's info on implant sizing.
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My understanding with DIEP is you can't do it on both breasts. If I was having one done, no problem. Has anyone had DIEP on both at the same time?
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Loribach.. Most women do a bilateral with DIEP, so that is not a concern but DIEP is one of those surgeries that you need to be a good candidate. I don't know how PLUS size you are, but a good candidate cannot be obese.I am not sure what the cutoff is, but I am sure it has to do with good blood flow in the fat. And for DIEP and GAP flap surgeries they do not use muscle, so this is a microsurgery.Its a very delicate surgery and open to complications in the wrong hands. The DIEP surgeon needs to be very skilled and experienced. The best in this field are in New Orleans. www.breastcenter.com
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i am looking for anyone who has had implants post radiation?
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i am looking for anyone who has had implants post radiation?
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i am looking for anyone who has had implants post radiation?
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