Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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Is anyone here considering reconstruction? After surgery and RADs, my boobs are uneven. The lumpectomy rad boob is fuller, firmer and a bit higher. The other one, not so much. I’ve been told to wait a year to let things settle. I dread the thought of more surgery howeve. Who knows what the outcome will be.
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Freebee-my after rads boob looks as though I've had a lift, and it was never big nor saggy. Tighter & higher than non rads boob. They'll stay that way, I'm not interested in more surgery. Give it a year and if you want them to match, go for it.
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Thanks Cindy. I suspect in a year’s time, I’ll be of a different mindset. Or perhaps not
Regarding the bra discussion, I’m 4 weeks post rads. I can barely stand to have anything touching my radiated skin, but going braless at the office is not an option.
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Freebee, rather than reconstruction, my surgeon suggests reducing the non-surgical breast (which was always droopy and at least a cup size larger even before I had the lumpectomy on the R). The lumpectomy breast looks like it's the "normal" one! We need to wait for the results of my annual mammo this month, and see if I can possibly lose a bit more weight all over.
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Freebee I had a lumpectomy with a reconstruction/reduction at the same time. Due to the location I was going to have a divot in my chest and I didn't want that. The hope by doing it all at once is that I won't need a second surgery. My PS left my lumpectomy breast a little larger because of the radiation shrinkage. I can see that that side is perky and a touch smaller, we will see how it looks in a year and whether I need a touch up.
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Hey Freebee...I'm just a little over 12 months out from radiation. I already had implants going it to this...My treated breast is higher, tighter, smaller and has a nice long divot. I consulted with a plastic surgeon who I know and trust when I was about 6 months out (who doesn't take insurance...that's how much I trust her! I'd PAY to get this fixed even though insurance will cover). She wouldn't touch it. She said the radiated tissue is like a sleeping lion and she doesn't want to risk it. I thought I could just exchange my implants and even things out. That's not an option. She referred me to a specialist in San Francisco for microsurgery saying a free flap reconstruction would be best (she doesn't have the technology here). She said that by removing the implant and reconstructing with healthy tissue it can actually improve the health of the radiated tissue. Left alone, my capsular contracture will likely continue to worsen. So, I saw the Dr. in San Francisco and he said I don't have enough tissue to take anywhere (both a blessing and a curse now!). He suggested I wait a full year and revisit. He said he could take some from both of my inner thighs, but it's questionable that I would be the same size I am now. It would be a very major 8+ hour surgery and I'd be in the hospital at least a week. Not a good option for me! Here I am a year out and my breast is getting tighter and tighter and pain is occurring. I'm not sure what to do. The trip to SF is a huge ordeal. I think I'd feel OK if he could go in, clean up the scar tissue and replace the implant. The truth is, radiated tissue and implants don't like each other. It's quite common for those who have radiation and implant reconstruction to need more follow up care down the road due to contracture. I'm sorry this is so long...I'm just sharing with you because I had really struggled with what to do. Honestly, in clothes it's not a big deal at all and when I met with the SF Dr. I was ready to just be DONE and let it go. Now that it's causing pain, I'm back to thinking about it again.
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ChiSandy...That's the thing! My treated breast actually looks prettier than the non treated side, save the big dent! Ha ha. I don't want to be smaller, so I'm at a crossroads. I suspect if I can no longer deal with the discomfort, I'll just have to get it cleaned up (scar tissue), and make my healthy side match with a lift...I'm doubting that I can get a larger implant (it's small, as is.)
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Mjb I don't have the implants but I can say I started getting tightness 6 weeks ago. I was referred to PT that specializes in working with breast cancer patients. She said it happens often an I now have stretches to do everyday, twice a day. She said I will need to do this for the next year. I also have a few light weight exercises and core exercises to do every other day. I can say after about 3 weeks I'm having less tightness and my range of motion is much better. I know it might not help with the implant issue but maybe it will help with the pain.
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Thanks so much, Mymomsgirl! Yes, the fact that I have implants exacerbates the issue, for sure.
From the beginning, I've been doing stretches and exercises, and will continue... 0 -
Thanks comrades for the feedback. My MO also suggested treating the non-rad breast with an implant and/or lift. Looks like I’ll be coming out of this with a new set. Possibly Who’da thought.
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Hello LumpLoungers
. This my 1st post, so forgive please if I goof it up.I was recently diagnosed, and am waiting to be scheduled (possibly end of June or early July) for lumpectomy + IORT (intraoperative rad. therapy ). It's reatively new, and I opted for it because I'v read everything I can about it, and at 76yrs old, I want to avoid the lengthy recovery and WBR that my mother suffered greatly through back in '91.
It's basically going to deliver an intense blast with a probe (think all rad. at once) to the tumor bed while I'm on the table for an extra 20-30 min.s, thereby zapping anything nearby that might be missed during surgery. My surgeon also uses the MarginProbe device to scan what he removes for any sign of tumor, so he can go back in right away for more margin.
I would love to hear from anyone who has had IORT, primarily about recovery time to regular activities, tips, how long before you could drive? seat belt padding, bras (I'm 36-38 C now), and any other advice anyone thinks might be useful.
I'm in very good health otherwise and hoping for another 10-15 good years.
Thanks in advance
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I'm so jealous of women who are eligible for IORT! I wasn't, but I hope it goes really well for you.
Welcome to the Boards. This is a really great and helpful place, and I'm glad you found it.
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Hi, I am new to the forum, diagnosed with Stage 1 IDC with two areas in left breast. One is 9mm at 3 o'clock and one is 5mm at 12 o'clock. My plan is to have lumpectomy followed by radiation. My question that I am struggling with is my BS believes I would benefit from oncoplastic surgery at the same time as lumpectomy. Believe it or not after wanting a breast reduction all my life, I finally had it done just last year. If I hadn't, this would be an easy decision of going ahead with doing a reduction to the unaffected breast. Anyway, I visited the plastic surgeon that did my reduction and he advised to have lumpectomy then do fat grafting later on to restore fullness of that breast. My BS truly believes that with two areas being resected, I should have oncoplastic surgery as the deformity may be too difficult to correct with fat grafting. She said it was such a shame I just had this surgery done last year. Tell me about it. So I have a scheduled appointment with another plastic surgeon to get his opinion but I wanted to see if anyone had any advice to share regarding fat grafting after lumpectomy or oncoplastic surgery. I am fine with being reduced more even though I just spent the last year recovering and fading my original scars and I hate the idea of "unnecessary" surgery to the other breast. I would like to be the least invasive as possible. I just don't want to make the wrong decision.
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Polkadot1, we are sorry for what you are going through. Indeed, this is a quandary. Glad you are seeking a second opinion. Here is an article on fat grafting you may find helpful. Please keep us posted!
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Polkadot I had oncoplastic surgery back in December, my lump was at 11 o'clock and my BS thought it would leave an ugly divot. I met with a PS that works closely with my BS and we decided I would be a good candidate for oncoplastic. I went the reduction route, I was a mid size D, now I'm a good solid C. There are a couple of things you should keep in mind when deciding.
Radiation is the biggest factor, it will shrink your tissue and can really mess with your skin. That being said my PS actually left my affected side a little larger so hopefully things would equal out and I think things are pretty close. That is the other thing, so radiation works for a year so often it is recommended that surgery is done before radiation or 6-12 months after. One other option might be IORT with a shorter cycle of radiation, I did that because of the reconstruction being done at the same time and only had to do 15 rounds of whole breast radiation. I would recommend maybe meeting with an RO before had as well. I'm not sure how the fat grafting would work, but I would do my research.
I'm not sure where you are going but if you have the option to go through a breast center I would recommend it. Good luck, we are all here for you.
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Hello -
I'm a newbie here. I had surgery for DCIS and completed 16 series radiation a little more than six weeks ago. Please be patient with me, as it will take me a little while to navigate the terms and protocols.
I am SO FORTUNATE my tumor was found very early and within two months I was biopsied, diagnosed, surgeried and radiated. I am very grateful I didn't have to go through chemo or anything like so many others have had to endure. I still can't say "I had breast cancer" out loud and I feel funny about calling myself a BC Survivor. I feel guilty for having had it relatively easy through the whole process. It's almost as if I don't deserve to be included with the brave survivors of BC. My sister tells me I just haven't dealt with the reality of the diagnosis yet and by minimizing my treatment, I minimized the fact that I did have cancer.
And I feel guilty about being resentful that it's not "over". I have to take AI's that make me feel crappy and like my skin is crawling . I keep getting painful 'zingers' in the surgery breast. I thought I was finished with night sweats 10 years ago...but they're baaack. I have to worry even more about bone loss and density scans; not to mention the hair fall and cancer popping up somewhere else. I insisted on a colonoscopy just 4 weeks after my radiation was finished.
I guess I would like to know if anyone else has had these feelings of guilt or whether I just need some serious therapy? ☺ TIA
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BuckeyeLady49, I think many of us feel guilty because our BC was caught early and we managed to avoid chemo and other more drastic things. But we really had BC and we are survivors. You are normal!
BTW, make sure to ask your MO about taking Fosamax, Prolia or the other bone-protecting drugs. I take Fosamax and have had no problems with it. While it looks like I will be done with Arimidex in October, my MO wants me to continue Fosamax for another 6 months and we'll revisit it next year.
My zingers came from the the lymph nodes that were removed, not from the lumpy itself. Most of us find the SLNB site much more of a PIA than the lumpectomy.
Hopefully your wonderful hot flashes will subside quickly.
HUGS!
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BuckeyeLady49 I was diagnosed two months ago yesterday.
It's only been in the last week that I've changed the language I use about this. At first, I said things like "diagnosed with breast cancer" and kept it very depersonalized. I was also completely focused on researching, getting appointments booked, going to those appointments, tracking down test results--I wasn't ready to feel anything. In fact someone asked me a couple of weeks into it how I was feeling and I sort of just froze. I told her I have no idea how I'm feeling right now to be honest, I'm in the getting crap done mode.
Last week, though, things shifted for me. My husband pointed it out first, he said you know I think that's the first time I've heard you say you have cancer. Which is interesting because I was also diagnosed w/ melanoma not quite two years ago. So you'd think I would have had enough time to take this in, hey, I have two types of cancer.
And last week I started mourning the physical change in my breast. No, I didn't have an mx and honestly my surgeon did a great job. But my breast is not lovely any more. Those two scars are with me for the rest of my life. And it's looking like I'm going to have a bit of a divot. Those changes are hard, I always had pretty breasts and now I don't.
So yes, you and I may not have breast cancer on hard mode. But we have breast cancer. I just saw something on Facebook that applies:
Someone who drowns in five inches of water is as dead as someone who drowns in five feet of water. It's not a competition.
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Mymomsgirl - Thank you so much for the reply. It is good to hear from someone who went through that particular procedure. I was a DD almost DDD and was reduced to very full C so who knows what another procedure will leave me. I meet with the RO tomorrow so I will see what I can find out about IORT. So much to learn and figure out in a pretty short amount of time. It sounds like you are doing very well. I hope to come out the other side the same way!
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I had an odd thing happen the other night. The sleeve of my sleep tee must have gotten bunched up between my upper arm and the scar from my single node removal. I woke up feeling like I'd been stabbed on that scar, and the pain went all the way down to my fingertips and up across my collarbone. Wow. As soon as I got untangled, everything slowly eased off. It was one of the most painful, uncomfortable things I've ever experienced! I usually still sleep with a pillow to rest my arm on, but it had gotten dislodged from its armpit home. Anyone else have this happen nearly a year out?
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Polkadot not a problem. Keep in mind often cancer has been there a while so you can take a couple of weeks to try and get it right. I met with many doctors and made the right decision for me. For me it was about 6 weeks from diagnosis to surgery, my BS said that this was an emotional emergency not a medical emergency. Let us know how things go and feel free to PM me if you have more questions.
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Welcome NMpainter, I had my lumpectomy with IORT and oncoplastic reconstruction in Oct. 2018. At the time of my diagnosis I was 61 and offered the opportunity to have IORT as my tumor was <1 cm and I fit all of the criteria needed for the procedure as well as the study that the BC center is doing. I will be part of the study for 5 yrs. The surgery, radiation, reconstruction was a 5 hr. surgery with the reconstruction taking the most time (3 hrs). I was driving my suv days later using a heart shaped pillow that was made by a BC survivor from my center and given to me when discharged from the surgical center. I went back to work a week later, I wouldn't recommend this, if you have time to take do it. We all know the emotional roller coaster we were on from diagnosis, test after test, and the decisions that needed to be made. I was exercising 8 weeks after surgery. I was a 44c-46c before surgery and am now a 42a, this is the part that has been a struggle for me. My BS, RO, and original PS all told me I had plenty of tissue for the oncoplasty procedure. Well, the truth is I didn't have the cosmetic results that I was lead to believe I would have (all said I would only need one surgery with good cosmetic results). I went to another PS for a second opinion in Feb. and we have created a corrective/revision surgery plan for July. I would encourage you to talk with the PS about the band of your breast, mine are considered to be broad along the band which could result in breast that may not be of a normal breast shape. I also have excess skin in the underarm area that is distorting my breast. I would recommend the procedure to anyone, but ask the what if questions with your PS. At my six month appointment I asked my original PS about the concerns I had and what I had discussed with the 2nd opinion PS and his reply was yes the issue were obvious, but not discussed at my initial consultation with him. Had I been informed of these issues I could have made a better decision. I don't want to miss lead you but give you some questions to pose to your PS.
Polkadot1, when creating my corrective/revision surgery plan from my lumpectomy my new PS was not in favor of doing fat grafting to increase the volume of my breast like I had asked about. He said that my future mammongrams
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Stellawt57, would you mind sharing more about your corrective/revision plan? I haven’t had any reconstruction yet, but have already been told I don’t have enough tissue. I’m exploring options and am wondering what kind of options there are for radiated tissue...Thanks
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AliceBastable- I'm 1 yr & close to 7 months out. I have a night shirt that will hit directly on the node scar and cause a lot of pain. I should take scissors and open that arm hole! It's a very sensative area. So I don't think it's unusual to be painful if directly aggravated.
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CindyNY, thanks, glad to hear I'm not the only one getting late surprises - but sorry you had it too, because it was NASTY. Like a rug burn from my neck to my fingertips.
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I will have my lumpectomy on Friday, June 14th. The only thing I'm nervous about is going under. Otherwise I am positive all will go smooth. Hopefully recovery will go smooth also.
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The procedure will include reopening along my current band incisions from the breast bone around to my back on both sides, removing the excess fat and skin in the underarm/pit area creating a smoother side, then lifting and reshaping the breasts. He said it will be about a 2 hr. surgery. My projected recovery will be similar to my cancer surgery, 8 weeks. MJB1018 I have heard some have implants or what is also known as breast augmentation at the time of their surgery. I'm going to consider this if my 2nd surgery doesn't give me the cosmetic results I want. I'm praying this next surgery will be the final one! I hope this answers your question.
To finish what I initially shared about fat grafting according to my PS. He says the fat will produce white spots that can be misinterpreted as cysts or tumors giving a false mammogram report.
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Thanks Stella! Big help.
I already have implants and it seems that many PS don't recommend implants with radiated tissue, as it often leads to ongoing issues with capsular contracture...Since I don't have enough tissue to fully restore, I might be left as-is...We shall see! My original PS said she wished I would have talked to her before radiation. Well, that wouldn't have changed my mind because I was going for the absolute best, positive medical outcome!0 -
For those who are post-surgery: how long after surgery did they wait to do any diagnostic imaging of the breast(s)? I am 7 months post surgery and I am asking my doctor for an ultrasound of the breasts since that's how they confirmed my cancer (breasts too fibrous to show tumor on mammogram) and my surgeon is refusing to do one until August, which is 9 months after my lumpectomy. The only reason they are waiting that long is because they want the mammogram to be the driving factor of whether or not an ultrasound is done and they need the breast to heal from radiation before the mammogram. I have spoken to a couple different nurses explaining my concern and they flat out refuse to see me sooner-even if it was just for an ultrasound.
Is this normal? I was diagnosed just after moving to a new city and I don't know these doctors but it all seems like a very long time to wait for a test that wasn't reliable for me in the past...only in order to get to the test that identified the problem in the first place
Did anyone else's doctor tell them that an ultrasound within 6 months of radiation is more likely to have false positives and isn't advised?
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My doctor has me wait for a year after the surgery before doing another mammogram and ultrasound.
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