Any gals out there like me fancy swopping notes? MX in March 2011, then 25 doses of rt and now 6 months Tamoxifen down and 4.5 years to go… thinking about reconstruction…
Hi Cyara,
I had single mx end March, just finished chemo 2 weeks ago, start Rads and tamoxifen in 2 weeks and herceptin until end of next summer.
I too have been thinking over last few days about recon and what I should be doing to start ball rolling.
I did ask my onc 3 weeks ago if I should be starting the ball rolling as I know that I can’t have recon until 12m post Rads - don’t want to get to that point to find there is a 12m waiting list???
I am due to see a PS in the next few months, a favour, as he is a friend of my best friend to talk about what options there are available to me.
I’m also seeing genetics next Monday as second mx may come into play due to family history - mother and younger sister both finished treatment for BC at xmas.
Bev x
hiya
had r mx march followed by rads.knew I wanted recon as soon as poss. Have a great plastic surgeon who reduced my l breast august.feel a lot better now as I had quite large breasts and felt awkward-the reduced one is great[no need for bra as it is quite pert LOL]
going back to work next week…have a very taught encapsulated seroma which is uncomfortable but having a Diep recon beginning jan all being well.
feel as though life comming back to some sort of normality…
happy to compare notes if you want more in depth info …pm me
best wishes D x
Hello Ladies, I your thread caught my eye because I underwent a DIEP flap reconstruction in April this year and have now been referred for genetic screening. I was diagnosed with DCIS in Oct 09 and underwent WLE and 15 sessions of rads. Unfortunately a mammogram one year on showed a recurrence of DCIS in the same area so I opted for mx and immediate reconstruction. I am really pleased with the results. The DIEP is a major procedure but I am thankful that it all went smoothly for me with no complications. It was a real blow when, a month after the op my BS suggested I should be referred for genetic screening - My Mum was undergoing radiotherapy after WLE when I was diagnosed with DCIS and my maternal grandmother had mx when in her 50s. I had been told previously by Oncology that unlikely family link as I expressed my daughters concerns. Genetics have told me this week that I have been referred for an appointment. I cant have the reduction on my other side until the outcome of this is known in case I opt for mx on the other side depending on the results from Genetics.
If I can help any of you with info about the DIEP please ask away and any advice on the Genetic screening would be most welcome!
Best Wishes, June
Another one drawn by your title!
I had nepoadjuvant chemo then right mx + node clearance and immediate LD recon in Feb 2011, followed by 25 rads. I see my PS next week about ‘finishing touches’ i.e. nipple recon and symmetry surgery (mastopexy I think). I love my recon, which is a great shape. Some slight soreness sometimes still in my back round the donor site, but partly that’s nerves mending and partly the colder/damper weather I think. No regrets at all over my choice, and am feeling fit and well Tamoxifen flushes notwithstanding!
Hope you get some good guidance on recon options and a great result.
Grief Cat - I thought you were WAY ahead of me! I had a radical mx mid-March… followed by 6 FEC-T then rads which finished 2 weeks ago. I’m just focussing on getting strong enough to get back to work, and at the moment, can’t think about recon… partly because it’s too soon and partly because I don’t think I want to subject myself to any more surgery/time off. But that could change! It’s just a VERY long haul! I shall have been off for 8/9 months…
Hee hee Jane… because I had chemo pre-surgery I don’t fit the typical boxes! I started FEC-ing last September so overall I’ve been around a-g-e-s!
Hi JuneHH,
Had my second genetic appt last week, first appt detailed the family history, no testing avail to me and a letter 3 months later where I was considered high risk (received this letter after my mx!) - cut a long story short, my sister is now being screened for BRCA1 and 2 but I’m not (yet). My sister is triple negative and I’m HER2 and oestogen positive. If she is +ve for gene mutation, this will open up testing for rest of family on the NHS, and results are 4-6 months off yet, then another 4-6 months for me.
We were told that statistically I don’t fit the profile to carry the currently identified BRCA gene mutations (mainly due to HER2 involvement), even though there is obviously a family link somewhere. I have spoken to my oncologist who said she will support me in getting second mx (if I go this way) without any gene testing results, as I am still a high risk for the other breast - I’ll just need some counselling to ensure I’m not totally mental in ‘choosing’ to have other breast removed and convince my surgeon to remove and do double recon in 12m or so - things may change though.