Latissimus Dorsi Breast Reconstruction
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Yes having that feeling in your back when you touch your breast is commone. It does go away over time. I had a bilateral with Lat Dorsi reconstruction all at once in 2007. Big mistake, but no one told me any difference and I didn't do enough research. I still have lots of tightness and pain in my back and breasts. I highly recommend physical therapy as soon as possible and yoga to help with getting your range of motion and strength back. Also, after surgery it was hard to lay down so I slept in a recliner for months which was more comfortable.
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tangles, it will not look that way in the long run. Be patient, it does take time for the swelling to go down. I still have the "boobs" under my armpits, which is annoying.
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gott15, if i had to do it all over again, i would just have the implants put in and no reconstruction. i am still in pain and quite uncomfortable. pray and weigh your options. will be praying for you.
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VERY upsetting to read your post. I PRAY to god I am still not uncomfortable in years or even months to come. You say things will change, but yet you say you still have boobs under your armpits? Confused.....
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rosem so glad you are finally feeling better! Glad you found relief for your pain. This surgery is so different for each person. It is hard as we compare to others but each individual heals and copes differently. My best advise is to just let your body heal in as much time as it takes. The first couple of weeks are the worst but with rest and lots of help you get through it. I found PT and OT to help get the range of motion and move the lymph fluids out. Now a yr later I feel very little pain and have resumed all I had done before. Nipple recon went well and healed well. Waited the month post nipple recon to wear a bra...noted increased discomfort under my arms. Went for a bra fitting, and love my new look! Feels so much better in a regular bra, not surgical or sport type! Now waiting to get tattoos. Many hugs to all recovering and those preparing for surgery.
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I have been wondering about getting the lymph fluids moving. It was a concern pre suergery with having 22 nodes removed. I may have to check into that......
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2 things that helped resolve the armpit bulge for me: wearing a good underwire bra with wide sides (like a multiway bra) 24/7 & losing weight. I have no bulge whatsoever on my non-rads side & only a very slight one on my rads side where I can see where the lat muscle now runs. YMMV, but those 2 things helped me.
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The appearance that you are struggling with will change. The boobs that are under my armpits are minimal, but I am very happy with the appearance of my breasts, including my nipples and tattoos! You are still early on and it does take some time for the swelling to go down. What I'm most not happy about is the pain and discomfort I still feel in my back and breasts.
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I am unable to wear a bra. I have tried geni bras, sports bras and they just aren't comfortable. So I've been with a bra since, which I love going without anyway
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Funny thing I was without a bra for a year and LOVING it! One of the little things after having a mastectomy I didn't need a bra any longer.Now Im back in a UGLY eyelet close front sports bra 24/7. Better then the hospital binder, but looks like something my granny would wear. I was hoping to go braless at some point. I know its early but I need the support under the armpit for sure!
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Well heres to you soon to be braless again
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Well 6 weeks and I am doing better but not able to work. Still can only get my arm up about chest height. My back hurts so bad after standing for any amount of time! Going to the pain clinic next week for some injections. Praying they will help because after 6 weeks of pain I am ready to get my life back:-(
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Just finished reading this whole thread (took a few months, a little at a time).
Tangles, how awful for you! Were you given a exercise/stretch routine to help with your range of motion? Sounds like everything has tensed up on you, similar to what Rozem was experiencing. I am scheduled for a lat flap with TE on June 25th and am anxious/nervous.
DLL66, why do you wear a bra 24/7? I'm hoping I don't have to wear a bra all the time once everything is healed and I'm exchanged.
hugs all.
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My Dr would not let me do anything for 4 weeks. He wanted me 100% healed inside before I started stretching. I thnk because of the tear drop shaped implants. He didn't want them moving or rotating. After for weeks I started religiously doing all the stretches. I am just wondering if I need more. Like some ultrasound treatments, maybe massage?? Some questions I wish I would have asked are instead of how long will I be off work, how long is the longest any of your patient's took to recover? I didn't ask this. I also wish I would have stressed that I DID NOT want all this side boob. I vaguely mentioned it but I don't think it registered to him. I also wished I would have INSISTED on the round implants. I told him I wanted round and he said he hardly does any round anymore. Tear drop is the ONLY way to go. Well I don't have the upper pole fullness like I wanted. I should have insisted. I also wished I would have asked how many that you do encapsulate again? I have an apt to go back and see him in a week, but I am very worried it is encapsulating again. Non radiated side is soft and radiated side is hard again. I sure hope I did not do this for nothing......For me I also read through most of this thread. I thought there are more positive then negative so I am going to go for it. Unfortunately I was one of the negative. I hope and pray you are like the other super women that bounce right back. I am doing Hyperbaric treatment's my PS is big into them. Anyway one of his other Lat flap patients just went to Mexico and she is only 4 weeks ahead of me. I was shocked. I cant imagine going to Mexico in a month. With all that heat and how much swelling I have. Oh and my giant scars........She must be like the other rock star gals on here that I am so jealous of!!!!
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kfinnigan, I wear a bra 24/7 to keep everything where my PS put it. I don't want to worry about the implants migrating outward. A bra also keeps that lat muscle running under my arms a lot flatter & smoother.
Hope you feel much better soon, Tangles!
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Yesterday was the last procedure!, fat transfer, dog ear fixin, right lower breast revision,and tatto.Just a little discomfort no pain. My original surgery was almost one year ago. Thanks everyone for your support and suggestions, we have all come a long way, Tangles sounds like you're continuing to progress well. Kfinnigan good luck with your upcoming surgery.
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DL66 I have been on the hunt for a bra wide enough to hold in all this "junk" under my arms, but a sports bra is all I can find. I sure don't want to have to wear a sports bra forever. In fact the one I have now is super grandma like. eyelet closer in the front. With not being able to get my arms behind my back its all I could find. Any suggestions on brands or bras with Wide sides??
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Thanks DLL66 for the bra information. Are these VS bra for after exchange? What did you wear right after the reconstruction surgery and what kind of bra to wear to work with TE?
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Xing I wore no bra with my TE just tank tops under clothes.
DL66 I went bra shopping today and left in TEARS! I probably tried on 50 bras and NOTHING works. I need extra inches around as anything tight hurts and I also have so much bulge under my armpits I need the extra inches. I stared with a 38 C as 36 C was my old size, dropped down to a 38 B and still every B was too big in the cup. Way to much material. These Implants I have are SO WIDE with no projection. I am soooo depressed. Not to mention the radiation side feels hard like it is starting to incapsulate again. Regretting ANY reconstruction at this point.............
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My PS just gave me a list of recommended bras (I have not worn anything other than the front closing surgical bra yet) -- I have to bring them in this week at my 4 week visit although he didn't guarantee that I will be able to wear them yet. Anyway, here is the list:
Victoria's Secret: Body by Victoria wireless, body by victoria, body by victoria racerback, dream angels demi
Soma Initimates: Embraceable collection wireless
La Perla: Vintage underwire bra
Lulu Lemon: Ta ta tamer sports bra
Anita Active momentum sports bra
The following from department stores:
Chantelle Intimates Rive Gauche #3086,#3645, #3386
Simone Perele Andora
Wacoal Embrace Lace bra
Bestsy johnson #723803
Natori #736052, 736046
Some are underwire, some are not. He said I should look for something where the cup follows the curve of my breast. I haven't gone looking yet so I have no idea what any of these bras are like but I plan to go shopping this week. I don't even know what size I am! The surgical bra I wear says 36ABC and I think I will be a 36C (I used to be 34C but there is definitely some underarm bulge, although not as much as what you are describing, Tangles). Hope this can help some of you out there! Tangles does your PS expect the bulging under the arms to go down over time? I thought for a lot of people it does. Sorry to hear of all your frustration!
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Thanks Tangles and Gabriella! Great information about bras! I will have my surgery on April 29. I guess I will not need these bras for a while. By the way, what questions should ask on pre-op?
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Gabriell My PS told me most of the swelling will be down in 4 to 6 weeks. For the "full" end results it is 6 months. I will wait out the 6 months before I really do anything about it. Right now my radiated side is soo much harder and painful then the other side. Once I can get my arm to work again, I still cant lift it up and it will be 7 weeks in a few days here. My back is also in sooo much pain I cant be up and about for more then about an hour. Can I ask were you giving instructions to massage the implants??
XING I regret not asking what the best AND WORST case scenario has been for his patients. I just asked how long til I go back to work He sais 4 weeks. I wish I would have said what is the longest anyone has needed to recover? I might break any record he has, who knows. I also wish for me I would have insisted on round implants. I told him I wanted round and he talked me out of it. He said shaped is the way to go. They look more natural. I Told him I wanted lots of upper pole fullness and he said oh you will have it with the shaped. Well I don't. I really regret not making it MORE clear as to what I wanted .and sticking to my guns. I also told him my first PS said I was small measuring at 13 implants. I should have STRESSED this more as he just said ok. Now I looked up the serial number on my implants and he used a 14. no wonder I have all this side boob. I should have been more insistent. Lots of regrets.
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Tangles so sorry to hear about your pain. My friend had a bilat lat flap with one side being radiated and she had more problems with her radiated side too (she is now 2 years out and feeling fine). She needed a lot of PT and had issues with cording, range of motion, and pain but as I said she is feeling well and is very active today. She said it took her almost year to feel back to herself. I was not given any instructions about massaging my implants (I feel like they are completely covered by the latissimus muscle so I'm not sure how I would massage them). Only very basic stretching instructions -- reaching up and then over to touch my ear with each arm. I've been doing that for a week and have pretty good ROM. I didn't even ask about what kind of implants I was getting but the card my PS gave me says Natrelle 410 style MF 375cc. I'm happy with how they look, though there's definitely some fullness under my arms.
Xing in terms of questions you will see from reading here that quite a few people have had a difficult time recovering from their lat flaps. It's a big operation and I think there is a lot of variability in recovery -- I'm not sure how much this has to do with the skill of the plastic surgeon so I would make sure to feel confident that this is a procedure he/she does ALOT and is very skilled in doing -- you could ask how many he/she has done or how many he/she does a year, what is complication rate is for a variety of things (infection, capsular contracture, seroma etc). Maybe even ask to speak with another patient who he has done the same surgery on (many surgeons will arrange this for you). For me the hardest part of this process was trying to figure out how to evaluate a surgeon's skill -- I really liked and respected my breast surgeon, she had done her training at Sloan Kettering, and so I went with the PS she recommended most highly. Also ask about expectations for recovery, restrictions in activity, etc. My PS initially said I would be able to go back to work in 3 weeks but when I told him how much lifting/arm use my job required he said 6 weeks was more realistic. One little thing I wish I had know was that my PS takes out all drains at 2 weeks (everyone does this differently, many leave them in until they are draining only a very small amount and keep patients on prophylactic antibiotics until they come out). My PS does not like prophylactic antibiotics so pulls all drains at 2 weeks and since I was draining a lot from my back drains at 2 weeks I did develop a seroma (fluid collect just under the skin) in my back. It's completely painless and he's drained it once -- also painless. It will probably need to be drained a couple more times since the fluid recollects (more slowly as time passes). Personally I prefer having a seroma to the drains (!) but I think I would have found the drains less annoying if I had known they were coming out!! I spent a week thinking these drains are such a pain and I'm going to be walking around with them forever (because I knew I was draining a lot of fluid) and I would have felt better knowing they were about to be pulled.
Hope that helps and good luck!!
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I am new to this forum and I am looking for some advice. Almost 3 years ago Was when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a mastectomy done on my right breast along with chemo and radiation. I am taking arimidex and have gained weight mainly in my left breast. I am wanting to have a breast reduction and my PS is suggesting that I also have a latissimus dorsi flap on my right breast. Has anyone experienced this and would you suggest having this? My right breast is tight but it isn't anything that is unbearable...is it worth having the surgery to make it more natural looking.
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Kcoop, welcome to the community. The link above will take you to additional information about breast reconstruction and in addition to the responses from our members may prove to be helpful. Good Luck with your decisions. The Moderators
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KCoop - My situation is different than yours, yet has some similarity. I had a bilateral mastectomy over 3 years ago, along with chemo and radiation on my right side. The right side tightened siginificantly over time. I'd explain it the same as you did, "my right breast was tight but isn't unbearable." When I went back to my plastic surgeon about it, the lat dorsi flap was what he suggested. But he did explain that it was a major surgery and when I heard what was involved, decided to wait a little while. I had really liked the "after cancer" life with no interruptions in my day-to-day existence from surgery and recovery or treatments. So I decided not to do the surgery at that point. Fast forward about 9 months and the decision was taken out of my hands. I developed a small "hole" on the incision line of my right side. Now I had to do the surgery. I had the lat dorsi flap done on the right side only with a tissue expander placed at that time. This was on January 23, 2014. I just had the exchange to implant surgery on April 3. I exchanged both sides from the typical round implants to the tear drop shaped implants. I LOVE the result. First of all, the tightness I had on the right side is gone, but most of all, I love the more natural look of the new implants. I'm still early in the recovery process from the exchange surgery, so there is some swelling still, but I'm extremely happy. The surgeon took care of a "dog ear" issue behind my right arm at the same time. Having said all of that, the lat dorsi surgery is a major surgery. There was more pain in that recovery then in any of my previous breast cancer treatments or surgeries. Took two weeks off from work and worked from home during the 3rd week. Was back in the office by week 4. I was back in the gym by week 6. Everyone's experience is different. Poor Tangles has really had some struggles. That's the thing, it's so hard to know how you will do with the surgery and recovery. You just have to decide if you're ready to go for it. Me personally, it was a great decision and I love my results. Feel free to ask my any questions you may have about my experience. Good luck with your decision!
Kathy
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Yes everyone is so different. I read over this topic before my surgery, and yes there were a few women who had bad experiences but only a few, so I went for it. ( On both sides so double the pain) I will be 7 wks post op and couldn't even think about going back to work. One hour on my feet and my back hurts so so bad. Cant lift my arm up either so cutting hair at this point wont work. I have no paid time off so planning for 4 wks Turning into 7 or 8 possibly more is very frustrating. I did go into this though with my body hardly being recovered from a year of chemo, radiation, and another reconstructive surgery that failed. Maybe I should have waited until I was stronger. If I loved the results I might have a better outlook but I really HATE them. I have a super wide pancake breast now. My Dr used to work in a cancer center before he came to this practice. He does about one of these a week so he is very experienced. I am just the one who had bad luck and a bad experience. This does not mean you will. Just do lots of research and bring up some concerns and questions to your Dr.
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Thank you Kathy! I keep telling myself that everyone is different...just trying to wrap my head around how painful it will be and not wanting the pain to be something permanent in my life.
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KCoop - For me, the pain was manageable. I'm not one to use pain pills for any longer then necessary (don't like how foggy they make me feel or the constipation that always comes with them), but I used them for the first two weeks like clockwork. Ibuprofin wouldn't have been able to keep me comfortable. I think having surgery on my back and front at the same time what contributed to the pain level. I slept in a recliner until I got my drain out (almost 3 weeks after surgery). Fast forward to the exchange surgery. I had it on Thursday and was off pain meds by Sunday. Piece of cake compared to the lat dorsi flap surgery. You need to plan on downtime to allow your body to heal. Back to the gym today (just walking on the treadmill for now). Can't go back to the ellyptical until 6 weeks after exchange.
Kathy
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