Breast implants impacting sleep?
Apologies if this is already somewhere on this forum, but I could not find it. I was recently diagnosed and I'm trying to determine if I will get 2 lumpectomies or a mastectomy with reconstruction. I sleep on my stomach and I am wondering if implants will negatively impact this, i.e., will I feel them as foreign objects, as if I am lying on something as I try to sleep. I look forward to hearing from others about their experiences with this. Thank you!
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Hello @username00 and welcome! I’m sorry about your new diagnosis. It’s not an easy decision you are forced to make. May I ask, is it a lump in both breasts, or two lumps in one? Have you met with your breast surgeon already? Please feel free to share whatever details you have and are comfortable sharing. Your question is a very good one … our getting quality sleep is so valuable!!
I recently had a mastectomy on my right side and will eventually have an implant. I didn’t need radiation. I had two areas in the same breast opposite each other and the surgeon only recommended a mastectomy because he would have needed to remove too much tissue and was concerned it would still recur. So a lumpectomy was never an option.
For now I have a tissue expander and will have that for 6 months or so. I was a side/stomach sleeper. You are not allowed to sleep on your stomach or side at first. Trust me, you won’t want to. Everything needs to heal.
I slept surprisingly well in a recliner wedged with pillows for weeks! Now I’m back in bed, at 7 weeks after surgery and can sort of sleep on my side comfortably if I’m supported and wedged with pillows. You cannot have enough pillows! I think I’m using 6 pillows.
The tissue expander is hard and my chest is still tender around it. If I accidentally have the weight of a pillow on my chest it’s uncomfortable (and I’m healing very well with no complications but it’s still tender). I don’t think I could ever comfortably sleep on my stomach with the tissue expander … I’m sure once the implant is in and healed it’ll be comfortable enough. Although by then I’ll be used to sleeping on my back.
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Hi username00,
I am also a tummy sleeper and had two mastectomies and I have implants on both sides. No problem at all with sleeping on the implants. I do it every night.
There have been studies recently comparing results of mastectomy vs lumpectomy long term, regarding recurrence, and it seemed that lumpectomy was associated with better outcomes, probably bc of radiation bringing extra benefit. Just make sure you ask about this and get the story straight (I am probably not doing a good job summarizing it) and take that into account in your decision.
Best of luck with your decision and with everything!
LaughingGull
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I was a stomach sleeper and I am still not comfortable sleeping on my implants. Mine are just really hard and I wonder if the size of the implants makes a difference. My PS really filled my expanders up before I started radiation. He said I could always go down a size but not up after radiation. I believe mine are around 410cc. Idk if that is considered big or not. I just sleep with a bunch of pillows around me every night. My husband thinks I’m building a wall between us but I’m just trying to get comfortable. Good luck with your decision.
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Hi;
I choose reconstruction after a Mx in May 2018. I needed 3 surgeries in total. I was hoping that after healing from my final surgery I would be able to sleep on my stomach. No such luck for me. I can't sleep on my stomach anymore, and -honestly- I miss it.
It's such a tough decision to make, I remember having about 2 wks to think about and talk to others. Good luck with your decision.
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