What’s your follow up care plan with implant reconstruction?
I had a follow up visit with my PS PA today and will have my last post surgery visit in three weeks. I asked if I needed any follow up care with the PS after that last appointment. She said yes, they would want to see me yearly.
Is that what others do? I was surprised I need to be seen by the PS yearly, since I will have routine appointments with my breast surgeon and medical oncologist. I guess I just assumed I would be finished with the PS because when I had my single mastectomy with DIEP reconstruction in 2019,once I healed from the surgery, I was done with the Plastic Surgeon, never saw him again.
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I have had my implants for over 11 years. Save for the post surgical visits, I never saw my ps again. My mo does a manual exam . Why would annual ps visits be needed? Did they say?
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exbrnxgrl. Thanks for commenting! I thought the same as you! I already have my breast surgeon and medical oncologist checking me, I see no value in seeing the plastic surgeon.
I will let you know after my appointment in three weeks if there is any mention of future follow up visits. I can’t see myself going back after that final post-op appointment unless I had an issue with the implant, like an accident resulting in a rupture or infection,both of which are highly unlikely.
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I didn't have breast surgeon appointments after BMX, only MO and PS. I do see PS yearly and I think the scans are every 2-3 years. Can be problems with implants and in my case, after 3 years, one is sliding down. I have the yearly appointment with him in April, otherwise, I would have asked for an earlier appointment. I think it is important to see the PS yearly.
mavericksmom, did you have implants under of above muscles?
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Thank you, lilly! My implant is over the muscle, I think due to the fact that I have a total reverse shoulder replacement in both shoulders. Don't want to mess with the muscles! Not sure that is the reason, I went along with what my PS recommended as I trust his judgement. I appreciate your comments because they gave me a better idea of why they would want to do follow up visits.
I do see my breast surgeon and medical oncologist both, twice a year. That will only be for about three years, I think, and then yearly. I am ok with that because this was my third diagnosis of breast cancer, all new cancers, not recurrences, and 2 of 3 sisters and my mother had breast cancer. One of those sisters also had other cancers. I am more concerned with getting cancer again than issues with the implant, but that doesn't mean I want to ignore possible implant problems or my doctor's recommendations. Having breast cancer three times is like having it for the first time, three times.
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