Pictures of Breast Reconstruction
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Thanks for sharing these pictures.
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not sure if your still posting
I am about to have surgery next week will need radiation
I am being encouraged to do expanders then need to wait 6 months after rads to put implants in
So having implant before rads? How did thst ho
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It's not a good idea, because the skin might get damaged from radiation. So if that happens they need to go back in and re-do the reconstruction. Better wait and do the exchange after radiation.
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thank you for your info seachain, hope all is well now
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That is helpful, except ... There is no patient info and no treatment info. It looks as if none of the women in the examples had radiation, for example. Most examples I have seen on PS sites look significantly worse.
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Hi
I did a double maskectomy with direct reconstruction before the radiation. First they put in expandable and filled them with 50 ml. Then I underwent radiation for 28 days. After the radiation, they filled my expandaders once a week. I replaced them for permanent after 11 months. It looks quite ok.
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momine, i cant remember did you have reconstruction?i had my bmx may 20 .. they look everything that was lit up which was alot will get official report today .. when I see drs he didnt say much after surgery just that he thought he got everything
I ended up opting for no reconstruction no expanders
Nervous about my pathology report .. but im told I will need rads reguardless
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MamaOz, no I didn't, in large part because most of the pictures on PS sites looked nothing like the pictures in the link here.
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Momine, mine came out fantastic so happy. But I have to say if I had seen the poor woman's on the drinking thread I would not have done the DIEP. It can go horribly wrong.
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Meow, You are in Seattle!? I am too and am considering DIEP. Who did your surgery? What is the drinking thread with a bad outcome? Thanks
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TWG -- Here ya go__
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/31/topics/285062?page=1761
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Thanks Icietia. Lots to prayerfully consider
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TWG, I had dr Said at UW in Seattle at the university. Brilliant job. Also other good ones at the polyclinc.
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I feel for the woman who went through these complications with her DIEP. This is why I flew to New Orleans and Charleston for my surgeries. There are excellent micro-surgeons who do these delicate surgeries daily, and there are plenty of surgeons who have done *some* surgeries and are willing to give it a try. The latter are not worth the risk.
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Thanks Meow13. I have consulted with Dr. Paige at Polyclinic so far.
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As of now, my plan is to eventually have a diep flap done by dr. beschlian at polyclinic in Seattle. Seattle polyclinic has a breast reconstruction support group that I went to once, and it was great. I think it is on third tuesdays each month
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I had a bilateral mastecomy last May and went direct to implants (Natrelle 410 Highly Cohesive Anotomically Shaped Silicone filled), which I thought would be fabulous- no tissue expanders like my mom and other friends. Cancer was on left side (with sentinel node biopsy), prophylactic mastectomy on right. Both sides are very firm and feel like wet sandbags, but shaped like hamburger buns. Of course it's my right side (non-cancer) that is giving me the most grief as the muscle now runs right under my collarbone. PS says we should do a "revision"- I need to think about going either the same anatomically shaped, but lower height or smooth round (which would be softer). Thoughts or advice?
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Smooth round! I just switched from the burger buns 13 days ago. TONS better!
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VegGal,
So, smooth round more comfortable, look better, or both?
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I feel that the join requirements for Picture Forum access are inappropriate and insensitive. I am a mother, a wife, a business owner, a volunteer. And I'm battling breast cancer. I asked to join the Picture Forum to help me make critical treatment decisions and was denied/postponed. I followed the exact directions they gave in this thread. I was told that the posts I've made in the past aren't enough. I joined this forum in April 2017. I asked to join the Picture Forum in Sept. 2017. I was told I haven't been a member of this forum long enough. When i joined this forum i had just been diagnosed. As I post this I am about to finish my treatment course and was never able to access the Picture Forum to help me make any decisions related to my treatment.
It is sad and inappropriate that women who are battling breast cancer, and breast cancer survivors, are being made to jump through vague hoops to access a much needed resource.
I admin a very large group with many join requests daily (its a local group & not cancer related). I have been the sole admin of that group for over 5 years. I know what volunteer admin duties are like. I understand the burden of screening people to verify that they are real, and that are who they say they are with good intentions. I know exactly what is involved in screening potential group members to keep things on the up-and-up. I am shocked and saddened by the Picture Forum admins process for admitting women who are battling breast cancer. That isn't helpful. That creates additional and uneccessary stress on women who are already carrying a huge burden. I'm not saying that I think they should just let anyone in. I am saying that should reconsider their procedures and policies. They need to figure out a better way or it would probably be better to not have a Picture Forum at all.
The Picture Forum admin told me I needed to spend more time posting here if I wanted to gain access their resource. Which was a resource that i felt I desperately needed, as I was trying to make treatment decisions and time was a factor. i have children and a husband. I'm trying to trying to live my life, enjoy the time i have with my family, savor moments with friends and family & make memories. My family needs me. They have homework, daily soccer practices and gymnastics. I have a full-time job. AND cancer. The Picture Forum admins denied me with vague instructions. They said I should dedicate more time to posting on a board to prove my worthiness for admission instead of living my life and spending time with my family. Their process is insensitive. I find it shocking because the last place I expected to find insensivity towards breast cancer was via this forum.
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Both! My shirts fit again and I no longer have the "baby head" sensation in my armpit. Now the only problem is that for some odd reason the PS used two different sized implants and it is very noticeable to me. I will get to the bottom of that tomorrow at my appointment.
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Hi. I had a bilateral mastectomy and decided to do the tissue expanders right away. PS filled me with 300cc prior to radiation. I have since finished radiation as of July 31st, and have an appointment to start fills again in a couple days. I hate the expanders, I am usually a stomach sleeper, and have not had a good night sleep since. Sometimes I wish I would have waited to do the expanders until after radiation, but too late now. I am closer to the finish line....If I had to do it again I'd definitely wait until everything was done, plus I wouldn't have to have the expanders in soooo long. I am also trying to decide as to saline or silicone, but i guess I will discuss that with the PS in the future.
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Thank you for this post!
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Hi - I had a bilateral mastectomy mid-June and received tissue expanders over the pec muscle at that time. I started radiation in Aug. and finished at the end of Sept., and have to wait 6-9 months to swap out the TEs for final implants (9 months per my radiologist). My TEs are very very uncomfortable. They were filled to 500cc during surgery and I chose not to fill more. I’m experiencing a lot of skin sensitivity in my chest (if anything is touching my chest it feels like sandpaper rubbing inside.) I’m taking Gabapentin (200mg 3x/day) for that. The TE on the radiated side now feels much tighter and has shifted toward my armpit, making it uncomfortable to lift my arm and it aches - like it’s cutting into my armpit muscle. I’m a freaking mess!! Has anyone dealt with any of these problems? Any advice?
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Hi,
I have expanders too and my opinion is that they are evil. My plastic surgeon says they bother me so much because I'm thin and have little padding.
Regarding saline vs. silicone implants, I thought silicone was the way to go. Aren't they safe now? What are people's thoughts?
Thanks for the feedback!
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Silicone IS the way to go, in general. Saline would be very much like the TE's...heavy and hard. Saline is pretty good for augmentation, not as much for recon.
The problem is no longer the leaking of a silicone implant, but rather the rare chance of developing ALCL (lymphoma in the capsule), usually associated with textured implants. There is a whole thread devoted to that subject in these forums.
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I just found this page, I may be posting incorrectly, but I hope to be told if I am.
Can you have a double mastectomy and a DIEP flap for both breasts?
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Connie 6590,
It is definitely possible to have Diep flap on both breasts at the same time. I had my BMX with immediate Diep flap reconstruction back in April 2017. I'm doing really well, getting ready for my 2nd stage.
Make sure you find a qualified plastic surgeon, who has done a lot of procedures. You'll be glad you did. You might want to check out the DIEP flap 2017 thread. Lots of great support there.
Good luck.
Trish
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I do sincerely hope that eventually doctors must give realistic scenarios to women seeking reconstruction breast surgery after a cancer diagnosis.
The only pictures my husband and I saw were the top tier photos from surgical centers. I have been accepting but very surprised by the size and number of scars I have from my DIEP flap surgery--I needed debridement after my flap surgery, I didn't understand the debridement could encompass such large areas---the skin was removed and prepared for skin grafting.
I now have large very red scars with quite thick rims around each of them. I look okay in clothing--a few large fat necrosis areas do scare me, I want no surgery to remove them--but, I am so afraid of my daughters ever seeing these scars. I don't want them to avoid diagnostics. I had no idea I could end up with such scarring from DIEP flap
I feel like a whiner as I do not need radiation or chemo...the bmx removed all cancer cells. I just didn't know what common complications could cause, nor did I know common complications involved more and more surgery.My PS didn't help much when he said that Rembrandt had many of his drawings in the wastebasket for each exemplary portrait. LOL, really did say that. Hard to imagine going once more under the knife with a PS who sees me as a flawed work he threw in the waste basket. As I said, in clothing i do look fine--old bras fit--but freaked out to imagine one of my children or grand children or even a stranger seeing the intense scarring I have on both breast areas, my belly button, and my hip to hip scar. Glad I did all of it, just sad I wasn't informed of what the results could be so we'd be better prepared for "naked me."
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StarlitMomMom, that was a very insensitive thing for your surgeon to say! Do you have to go back to him? I had some issues with my surgeon and saw someone else (Dr. Marga Massey in Charleston) for my revisions and she did a lovely job. The scars fade and stop itching at some point but it all stays a little numb. Wear your scars with pride -- you are on the other side!
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