ADVICE PLEASE

ADVICE PLEASE

ADVICE PLEASE I am going to have a LD reconstruction and I was wondering if anyone could answer my questions.

How long are you in hospital for?
How many drains do you have?
How long does it take to fully recover?
Can you go back to work fairly quickly?
Are you very sore on your back and front?
Sorry for all the questions but I would like advice from someone who has gone through it. I am a real wimp and had a mastectomy in November. I recovered well and quickly from this but I am really worried about having the reconstruction done.

Any help appreciated.

Sue

Hope I can help I had immediate LD reconstruction 14 months ago and it was not nearly as bad as I imagined it would be.

I was in hospital for 7 days and had 3 drains, 2 in my back and 1 in my front. Difficult to say how long it takes to recover but I would think about 8 weeks, I did’nt go back to work so maybe you would need a bit longer.

I honestly wasn’t sore on my back or front, although there was a certain amount of discomfort. I had to return to the hospital once a week for six weeks after to have my back drained of seroma, but that was just a nusiance.

I have since had a nipple reconstructed and am having it tattooed next month.

All the best and if you want to ask anything else I will try to help.

Take care.

Jan

HI Sue,
Dont know if I can really help as I had mastectomy and recon done at the same time, I am also a BIG wimp so you are not alone there. I was in hospital for 8 days I had 3 drains 1 in my back and 2 in the my side. I had no pain in my front and a year on still dont however I was in alot of pain with my back straight after the opperation I think it was because I had a morphine drip in it and also the macmillian nurse would not let me lay doen the day after my opp she draked me out of bed and I passed out for 10 minutes the doctors all thought they had lost me. So after that I was in a lot of pain. I have got to know many ladies over the past year both on here and in person and they all said they were not in pain, I quess we are all different. I would strongly reccomend you do the arm excersises that they tell you to do as i didnt and my back is still bad.
With regards to work I was off for over a year as i had chemo, radio and am still having treatment every 3 weeks for the next year, once agin we are all different and it may take some a few weeks and others long.
I am sorry I cant really help I am sure you will get lots of replys on here and I hope all goes well.
Love Clairemm x x x

Hi Sue

I had mastectomy with immediate LD reconstruction just over 13mths ago-I was in hospital for a week and had 5 drains in 2 in back ,one under arm ,2 under breast -had to return couple times to have seroma removed that didn’t hurt as no feeling.
I went back to work after about 8 weeks at times wasn’t easy sometimes I think it was the emotions that wreaked havoc but everything is fine now.

At one stage back was very tight but persevere with the exercises and now have full movement -play tennis,swim which is very good exercise.
I ended up having to pay for physio as advised I would not need any more than the sheet of exercises BC nurse gave me -thank goodness I did -she has been great but I resent having to pay for it -she also did acupuncture as well.
Hope this helps.
Good Luck
Squeaky

Hi Sue Thanks for asking the questions , I was just about to aske the same! I am having the same op, well mine is an immediate recon, just waiting for the date (I should know by Monday) I’m also having the other side reduced.

Isn’t it great that those further down the line take time out to help us.

Good luck with your op Sue x

THANK YOU Thank you to everyone who posted a reply to help reassure me and let me know how things were for you.

It is so good to have this forum. You have all helped me immensely.
I am thinking of you all.

Sue

Dear Sue I just wanted to add this link to a publication written by Breast
Cancer Care about breast reconstruction which you may
find helpful:

breastcancercare.org.uk
/docs/breast_reconstruction_dec06_web_
0.pdf

If you have any problems accessing it this way just click
on the ‘Information’ tab at the top of this page followed
by the ‘Publications’ tab then ‘Breast cancer treatments’
where you will find this booklet.

Kind regards
Forum Host
Breast Cancer Care

Hi Sue

Hope this helps. I as diagnosed on the 21 December 2006, with DCIS and was told I would need a mastectomy but could have immediate reconstruction.

So bad news and good news. However I changed Hospitals to one a little further away with a good cosmetic surgery team. When I went to see my new consultant he then informed me that my path report showed that I had all three grades of the DCIS of low, intermediate and high. Which he was concerned about. Based on that, he said I would have to trust his judgement, he would do a frozen section to be sent off to the lab for an answer while I was in theatre, based on the info that came back he would either close up or continue with the reconstruction.

I went into hospital on the 30 January, not knowing when i went off to theatre what I was waking up to, and that scared the hell out of me.

Good news I woke up with the reconstruction done. I had the Ld done and an McGann implant on top. I was in theatre 6 and haf hours. I am coming up to 3 weeks post op on Tuesday and the recon looks fantastic. Still very swollen and bruised but the look of the new boob is amazing.

The Facts. I woke up being attached to four drains 2 in my back and 2 front. I was attached to a saline drip, and a drip for pain releif. BP monitor and heart monitor for the first 24 hours and checked every half hour to make sure the flap was doing ok.

It does get better, the drains slowly come out I had 2 taken out on day 4 and one day 6 and the other day 7 the morning I was allowed home. I as surprised how big the scar was on my back, which is basically from my spine to under my arm. It has been ok, a little fluid on my back but nothing that has needed to be drained away afterwards. I feel very well in myself. My boob is still very bruised and swollen and hard, but it will soft gradually and I look forward to being able to go and buy a bra, at the moment it would be a tough task to get one to fit a melon and a grape!!! lol

WORK… hmmm Not sure about that one. I’m struggling with that myself. Case of MIND willing BODY isn’t. You can’t rush these things, and I’m beginning to realise it. One thing that is a strange sensation is when you do anything that requires your back muscle your boob joins in too, it is still your bak after all. You get used to it and just prepare to know that feeling before you do it.

On the whole. Bruised and battered. but 3 weeks still early. But I just thankful to be here, looking to anyone else other than my hubby like me. No one would know.

Hope that helps. My recon looks better than any dreadful pictures I’ve seen too. Taken loads of pictures because I intend to write a book.

Keep smiling

Love

Scotty x

Hi Sue
I suppose everyone is different, but from my experience of having a mastectomy and immediate reconsruction… it wasn’t as bad as I thought.
I was 7 hours in theatre and came out with a drain from my front and 1 from my back.
I went in on thursday and by the monday I had both drains removed andsent home. So I wasn’t in as long as I thought.
This was 3 weeks ago, and in myself I am well, although it has been difficult getting comfortable on my back or front.
I have to say my back has felt sore more than my front,(but bareable!) but my front has felt heavy, because of the muscle from my back.
I had second thoughts just before the op and was seriously thinking about just having the mastectomy and going flat, but in hindsight, am so glad that I had it done as I feel balanced and now the swelling is going down, it is really taking a shape to match my other.
I would really recommend it especially if you have a good surgeon as mine has been fantastic.

Good luck
Take care
Angie

For Sue My experience.
Original surgery July 03, chemo then rads. LD 6 weeks ago.
I was in hospital 5 days, had 2 drains which were removed day 5.
I have had to go back 4 times to have fluid drained from back, but this has not been painful - (consultant described it as a ‘pain in the bum’ so a bit concerned on his knowledge of female anatomy!).

Front really hasn’t been painful, and result looks very good. Back has been quite sore, but it’s my side (under armpit) that has been really sore - this is where the blood vessels are still attached. Made sleeping uncomfortable for first week.

I go back to work this weeks (6 weeks after op), and now feel fine, but didn’t have all the mental trauma of mastectomy, cancer diagnosis etc. this time round.

Have been doing exercises which have helped a bit, but 3 days ago started swimming, and this has made a huge difference, although I still have to take it a little slow and limit the amount of lengths I can do.

I am still swollen under arm, but this goes down then swells up again the more I do, ice packs help. Also have to go back for reduction on other side and any ‘adjustments’ probably June.

All in all, 6 weeks after op, pleased with results, and almost back to normal, and ready to return to work. Don’t understimate the seriousness of this op, it certainly took me longer to recover than original surgery, and was more painful but still worth it.

Hope all goes well.

Hi

I have just posted a query about back tightness aftetr LD reconstruction and was interested to read your earlier posting. I am 15 weeks post surgery and have a good range of movemenst in the affected arm, but my back is incredibly tight, verging on painful. How long was your back tight for and what did the physio advise? Does your back now feel normal?

Thanks Jen