Everything I read says that radiotherapy and implants aren’t a good idea. Yet, this is what I’ve got - two years on, I can’t say I’m overly happy with the result. I don’t have a failed implant as such but to me it is a failure as it doesn’t look good and certainly doesn’t look like the lovely symmetrical pictures they showed me at the outset. I had a double mx (cancer on one side) and it wasn’t initally thought that I’d need rads but then did because tumour was right up against the chest wall. The “good” side is ok but the “bad” side is not very symmetrical - it’s tight and hard, not a nice round shape and I’ve struggled to find bras that disguise the lack of symmetry. Sometimes, I look at it and think well I’m lucky to be alive two years on and feel that I shouldn’t be complaining.
I remember asking at the outset about flap surgery and was told I wasn’t fat enough - but I’m now very fat about around my tummy thanks to tamoxifen and early menopause from ovary removal, in fact this is particularly upsetting because my tummy now sticks out further than the recon boobs.
I don’t much fancy inflicting more hospital stuff and more poorly mummy time on myself or my family/children but wonder if I should ask about flaps again.
Has anyone been in a similar position, ie. started with implants then switched to flap surgery instead? Do you think they would take a dim view of me having gone through one type of surgery only to be then asking about another?
So much to think about - I would really appreciate hearing about anyone else’s similar experiences.
Maybe you could ask if anything can be done with what you have got as a first option as the flap surgeries would mean a few months recovery time.
Your surgeon should be willing to discuss with you the lack of symmetry and hardness and offer to correct it.
I had an LD flap which is where they take a muscle and flap of skin from the back and then insert the implant under the muscle.
I had the radiotherapy 15 years previously so it has not affected the implant, but the surrounding skin is wrecked.
I had the same problem as you: lack of fat on the stomach, but, like you, after a few months of tamoxifen and a menoupause aged 35, I now have a stomach that sticks out and would provide plenty of fat.
I’m hoping that the technique where they use lipo suction to remove fat from the stomach and transfer it to the breast will become more widely available.
At the moment my surgeon will not do large fat transfers because of the lack of research data available, but will do the small amounts to balance things up for symmetry 9think it is called lipofil).
I would certainly go back and see your surgeon though, they must have seen lots of women in similar situations.
Hope things go well and you manage to get something sorted out.
Thank you Laika, yes the implants (obviously) don’t change size yet boy has the rest of me increased after tamoxifen and chemo (I was 35 as well at surgical menopause).
I kind of got the impression that I was on the verge of being discharged so maybe I need to be a bit more assertive. I feel very uncomfortable about going in and saying well actually I’m not at all happy with this side. But I think maybe if you don’t say anything they will assume you’re happy and won’t take any further steps.