Bilateral reconstruction
Bilateral reconstruction Hi Everyone,
I had a bilateral mastectomy in August due to lobular and dcis, now anxiously awaiting reconstructive surgery hopefully in April. Just wondered if anyone else has had the bilateral operation and what their experiences of it was.
Many thanks
4wks post op Hi Kaz,
I am 4 weeks post bilateral reconstruction using abdominal tissue. I was hoping for a DIEP but the vessels weren’t good enough and they used muscle as well as fat on one side. I had a mastectomy in 2005 with chemo and rads. As I have the BRAC1 gene fault I decided to have the other breast removed as well. I had a tissue expander put in the mastectomy side in October to try and get more skin to work with and a skin sparing mastectomy on the good side.
I didn’t have much pain at all from the op sites. You get a morphine pump but I only used that a couple of times when they turned me. The worst bit was my back which hurt due to being on my back for so long ( the op was 12hrs) then i had to lie on my back for a further 24hrs til they fitted me with a bra. After that I could sit up and it was OK. I walked to the loo 2days post op before that I was catheterised.
I started off with four drains and by day five they were all removed.
All in all after the first day I felt OK. I was a bit anaemic and tired which they gave me iron for. I’m pleased with the results and there is only a small bit of my abdominal scar not yet healed, I go for dressings once a week. There is some discrepancy in size at the moment but they say it will take 3 months for everything to settle down. If there is still a difference I can have liposuction or lipofilling.
I didn’t expect such a long op but hey I knew nothing about it , my family were a bit worried though.
I have been well looked after at home which has been a great help. I’m walking a short way to the shops but was told to take it easy so am doing no housework!
Are you having an abdominal flap was well? Hope everything goes well for you. The waiting is awful isn’t it. I thought my turn would never come.
If you want to PM me I’m on the bcpals site as well.
best wishes jasmine
Hi Jasmine,
Thank you for replying, as I’m sure you can imagine I just want this operation so much, it’s all I can think about at the moment. I don’t have a definate date yet but I have been told it will probably be April which can’t come soon enough. I am having the LD procedure, skin and muscle taken from the back with implants, I don’t have alot of excess skin hence the implant but the surgeon is confident he can get me back to the 34C I was before the mastectomy.
Glad to hear you are doing so well, are you pleased with the results be it early day ??
I’ll keep you informed as soon as I get a date
Speak soon
Kaz
kaz i know how your feeling waiting for recon,
i had masectomy back in october 2005 and i have been penciled in for july this year for diep.
i really want to get the letter through my door confirming it, but i still have a nagging doubt due to my other surgeon who did my masectomy.
as she said that it wasnt possible while i’m on herceptin however the plastic surgeon told me no problem she has done the op on ladys having herceptin.
i’m in limbo waiting to hear if its going to happen.
kim x
Hi Kim,
I can imagine how you feeling right now
If you’re feeling anything like me it is constantly on your mind, I just can’t seem to focus on anything else. I do consider myself lucky in that I do know I will be having the LD procedure, and hopefully it will be in April.
I’ll let you know when I get my date and please let me know when you get yours.
All the very best
Kaz