Thank you Lola, best of luck for tomorrow and do let us know what they do, and how you get on. Thinking of you xx
I had my nipple reconstructed (on the NHS) at the same time as my LD flap. I have an oncoplastic surgeon who is very skilled at the plastic side of things. He said he would decide whether or not to do the nipple on the day depending on how the rest of the recon went - I knew it had gone well when I woke up to find a nipple there!
He cut a sort of flap out of the skin and shaped the nipple out of that. It really does look very lifelike even though it has not healed yet and is twice the size it should be (I only had the op 10 days ago). It may need some tattooing later on to make it match the colour of the other one.
The only slightly weird thing is that because it is made of the skin from my back which was used to patch over where my real nipple was, it is covered in little downy hairs! My OH thinks this is hilarious, and it doesnāt bother me at all.
Best of luck with yours! It will be big to start with if mine is anything to go by but Iām sure you will be happy when you see it. xx
Well, I now have a new nipple! I only saw it briefly before the dressing was put on, but I think it looked mighty fine!
The worst thing about the precedure was going back to the hospital where Iād had my other two more major operations and then walking into the theatre (as on the previous occasions Iās obviously been asleep). Once theyād got me in position and put various monitoring pads and probes on me the operation began. The surgeon tested to see if I could feel (which I could) and then administered the local anaesthetic. My feeling in that area is very patchy so I didnāt feel the injection, but then once he started work I could feel it a bit and so they gave me more anaestheitc. My surgeon and his team were all so friendly and asked if Iād like some music on - I opted for classical as I thought it would be soothing. As the surgeon was working he started asking me if Iād got any holidays planned and other chit chat - I could have been at the hairdessers! I relaxed into the procedure and really didnāt find it bad at all.
At the end he let me have a look before the dressing went on. He explained that it needs to be big as it will shrink considerably over the coming months. It did look big - protruding a long way out - but a fabulous shape and really real looking. They put padding and a waterproof dressing on and the surgeon gave strict instructions that nobody should remove it until I see him next Tuesday. The stitches are dissolvable, but I will need to go back again the following week for another check and for him to take photos too.
I will be able to say more about it and how I feel about my new nipple once the dressings are off and I can look at it properly, but certainly the process wasnāt bad at all. I was allowed home about an hour after the procedure and havenāt had any pain at all.
Palomino98, all my treatment was covered by Bupa, so I would check with them again about yours. If they wonāt cover it, I asked my surgeon yesterday and he confirmed that all of it, including the nipple, is available on the NHS and he does it all the same at the NHS hospital down the road. In fact he said I will need to go to that hospital for my tattoo as the private hospital doesnāt have the kit. Let me know how you get on. x
Thanks Lola, Iām so pleased to hear how upbeat you are - sounds as if it went really well and I bet you canāt wait to have the dressings off! Iām sure my plastic surgeon said he takes skin from the groin to form a new nipple, and I think Iāve read that the dog-ears from a DIEP scar can sometimes be used, but perhaps I dreamt that.
Iām due to see my breast surgeon in early May, I havenāt seen the plastic surgeon since my DIEP stitches were taken out but I suppose he is the one to ask - or does my GP have to do an NHS referral? My tumour was behind the nipple, and the scar is a circle about 7cms diameter, much bigger than the areola - even with a ānewā nipple it will still look mutilated, but it has to look better than it does now.
I wasnāt happy with BUPA at the time, they said they would have found cheaper surgeons, and in any case would only pay up to the equivalent cost of the cheapest recon, ie implants, leaving us with several thousands to pay to top-up. Maybe our cover is very basic, my ex took the cover out for the family and I donāt have the policy wording. The chemo process was probably much nicer in the BUPA hospital, but as the surgery and rads were in the main hospital, with absolutely no differences between paying patients and NHS except that I (allegedly) had the ādream teamā of the top plastic surgeon, breast surgeon and anaesthetist working together, on a Saturday, which they only do for private patients. I hoped for a better cosmetic outcome in return for that!
Looking forward to an update next week!
Best wishes xxx
Just been to have my dressing changed so had another look at my new nipple (now itās hidden under a dressing again and Iām not allowed to touch it 'til I go back next Wed). Iām really thrilled with how realistic it looks, even without the tattoo. It already makes my breast so much more ānormalā. The only thing is that it actually doesnāt look all that big, certainly nothing like I expected after the warnings, so I hope it doesnāt shrivel away too much! Canāt wait to have the dressing off for good next week.
Hi Lola
Glad to hear it went well and the nipple is looking good! Hope you can have the dressing off soon, it must be driving you mad.
Almost all the stitches and surgical glue has come off mine now and it looks smaller without them, and soooo nipple-like. I didnāt have to have any dressings on mine at all, I suppose different surgeons have different ideas about this.
Palomino - My circular scar round the nipple is about 7 cm round as well which is much bigger than my areola would be, but I donāt think it looks that bad as somehow the nipple seems to distract you from the scar, and it does make the whole thing look so much more breastlike. Best of luck with your appointment!
Had my dressing off today and am really thrilled with how my new nipple looks. Itās very realistic. The only thing I am worried about it that it will shrink too much because itās actually quite a good size at the moment. The surgeon said I can have my tattoo in 2 months from now, so I canāt wait for that. Really glad I had this done - itās already made my recon look more natural.
Hi Lola and others on this thread.
Iāve been reading all your posts with great interest as I will be having nipple recon in the next few months.the only problem I have is that my recon - a silicon implant- is still rock hard after 8 weeks and Iām not happy to have anything done until it softens. Iām not sure if I have capsular contracture (I read this in a dept of health leaflet- my breast care team are not very good at giving out information). I certainly canāt live with something that feels like a rugby ball strapped to my chest. Also the surgeon used the skin from my old breast and there is a pink circular mark where my nipple used to be. Itās slightly off centre so I canāt begin to imagine where the new nipple will go!! Lola, reading about you chatting to your surgeon on the theatre table would fill me with dread. My surgeon is not the kindest of men and I would rather be knocked out than have to endure his long cold silences or me inanely chatting to fill them. I really hadnāt thought how the procedure would be done. Thanks for all the tips so far and good luck with your new acquisition.
Annysxx
Hi annys,
I am really sorry to hear you havenāt got a kind surgeon. It really does seem to be luck of the draw doesnāt it? Mine is really delightful and always puts me at ease. I think he is rather chuffed with the results of my recon and the new nipple. He has been taking lots of photos and says he wants to put them in his folder that he shows to other patients. If you do have the procedure done the same way as me, it is very quick (about half an hour) and at least after a local anaesthetic you can go home really quickly and donāt have any bad after effects, so try not to let the thought of the surgeon put you off. Also there would be other people present in the theatre assisting, so not just you alone with the surgeon. That might help. Lola xxx
thanks for your reassurances Lola. I still feel I have a long way to go before I agree to nipple recon as my recon does not feel comfortable - or maybe Iām fussy? Is it normal to feel I have something strapped to my chest day and night? Weāll see. I have to wait until the beginning of June before I see him again and the damn thing might be ok by then!Heās certainly pleased with his handiwork but then he doesnāt have to live with it! Take care.
Annys xx
No, Iām sure you are not being fussy. I canāt really advise as I havenāt got an implant, he just used my muscle and so my recon is squidgy like my other breast (just a little firmer), but maybe some other ladies on the forums who have implants can advise you. Iām sure you shouldnāt be feeling that uncomfortable. If you are so unhappy with your surgeon maybe you could ask to be seen by another one. I think you have the right to a second opinion. xxx
I had breast cancer last year & am due to see consultan soon. I cant make up my mind about nipple re con as I am still in so much pain. I had reconstruction and feel it would make it look more like a breast, rater than the solid lump on my chest.
From my experience the nipple recon causes no pain. I have very little feeling in that area and so it has not caused me any problem. Where is your pain and what is causing it? Poor you still being in pain after so long. Cosmetically I think the nipple would definitely make you feel that your breast is more normal. I took a while to decide but now Iāve had it done I am really over the moon with it as it really looks like a real nipple and when I look in the mirror, even without the tattoo my breasts are a good match. x
Hi jellybean55 is your recon still hard after a year? I was hoping that mine would soften by the beginning of June ready for my next consultation. Am I deluding myself? No one told me to expect this and when the bcn showed me the implantbefore the op it was soft to the touch and that is what I was expecting. I donāt think even nipple recon will make up fro this hard lump on my chest.
Annys xx
had a tram flap recon in Dec 2009 and saw the surgeon yesterday to discuss what happens next. He is going to use half of my nipple to create one on my new boob and does it under local anaesthetic! Has anyone else had this done? I know the new boob is numb but the existing nipple certainly isnāt!
Hi
I had my nipple done under local anaesthetic and was amazed at how realistic it looked when completed.
However within a couple of years it had shrunk and now looks like a pale pink scar.
I posted on this thread back in March pre nipple recon
I had a nipple sharing graft on 11th May and it is WONDERFUL. Part of the existing healthy nipple was grafted to the nipple-less side and it is absolutely amazing. I also had some ādog earsā tidied up at the same time (each side of the LD flaps), that is why I had to have a general anaesthetic, and one night in hospital because of a drain relate to this (not the nipple recon)
I return to see the PS mid August, at which time I expect he will authorise the tattooing of the areola.
No pain at all, by the way.
Hi Ladies
I just want to add my experience. I had a LD recon, no implant as I have small boobs, in 2006 and then the nipple recon in 2008, and at first it was great, but now 2 years on it has unfortunately flattened more than I would like.
I had the tattoo done in 2008 and again in 2009 as the first one faded, but now that has gone too, so I am giving it one last go!
I feel that I have been very unlucky with mine, but I would recommend that others give it a go, it was not painful for me, and I think it still looks better than before I had it done.
Love Deborah xx