Hi, I was just wondering if anyone has had a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction? I’m on my 3rd recurrance so am definitely having the left one removed, but have been told by the breast care nurses to consider getting the right one off too. Am mostly thinking that I might as well recover from the double op now rather than have the possibility of having to do it all again on the right side in a few years if lumps appear on that side. Although, so far, the right side as been clear. Is very hard to decide what to do. Thanks!
Hi Michaela, I had a bi.mx in oct last year but did not have reconstruction. I had no choice in having the right breast off but I chose to have the second one off as I would have had to have too much tissue removed and still have mammograms on the bit of breast that was left. I feel I made the right choice. I was told I would not be able to have immed recon as I may need radiotherapy. I did need radiotherapy on one side of my chest and at this moment in time do not feel the need to have reconstruction. My friend had her first breast off back in 2007 and she never felt happy being what she called ‘lop sided’. She did talk to the plastic surgeon about having the other breast off and having immed reconstruction for both, but he was reluctant to take off ‘a perfectly good breast’. He persuaded her to just get recon on the one side. She was going to progress with this however in the meantime she had a mammogram and had to be recalled, they discovered it was nothing to worry about, but this caused her to worry and consequently she made the decision to see her original surgeon and get the other breast taken off. She is happier now that she has had the other breast removed 3 wks ago, she feels more ‘even’ and confident. Dont know if this helps you.
Michaela…I had left mx and prophalactic right mx in May this year using tissue expanders.I am BRAC2 and just learned of this info one day before the op.Recieved rads post op for 5 weeks and had no problems with that.Will be getting exchange surgery next year.
I recovered pretty fast from the op…even though I had 6 months chemo prior to it.Its amazing what the medical teams can do.I know the sound of the op is scary but I am glad I did it.
Have you been genetically tested?
Well if you want to PM me about anything please feel free.
Hang on in there I am sure you will get alot more feedback from others too.
HI, Thanks Angela and ToxicP. Both your comments are a great help. Angela, my thoughts are exactly as your friends - I’m going to constantly worry about the other one starting. This is my 3 recurrance on the same side, so I just want this to be the end of it, even if it means a bit longer recovery time to get them both done. To be honest the surgery doesn’t bother me too much, the thought of chemo again and loosing my hair again in pretty grim though. I’m just not very good at decisions, would prefer the surgeon told me what he was going to do, rather than giving me options! Am of the opinion though, that if they can do it and are willing, I will probably get both done. I’m not then constantly looking at the “good” one and comparing it!! Anyway, thanks agan for your comments. Will let you know what I decide.
Hi again, just wanted to let you know what we decided on after meeting with my surgeon. After all my thinking about options, it turned out they were a bit limited anyway. He agreed to do both sides, but said I didn’t have enough fat/skin on my stomach to make 2. So we’ve agreed to do the LD flap on both sides, and I’m booked in for Friday 13th Nov. Only 2 weeks away! And will start my chemo a few weeks after that. Am glad I don’t have to wait too long, but also glad I have that time to get my head around it and get everything sorted. Will let you know how I got on after the op. Thanks again to everyone for the support and advice. Is much appreciated!
Michaela
xx
Hi Michaela, I am sure you have made the right decision, might as well get it all over with in one go. I wish you the best of luck with your op and will be thinking about you. Take care of yourself luv ang x
Hi i have just joined the site! I had a Double two weeks ago came out of hospital on the 17th - i have not opted for immediate reconstruction as i felt that my body going through too much at the moment i have had chemo already. I have found the soreness quite difficult to handle and the tightness in your arms not pleasant but after reading some posts i think i am pushing myself a bit too quickly. Would love to have some ‘friends’ to talk to as my family is fantastic but do not have anyone who is in the same situation as me! x