Hi Guy its been quite a few years scince ive posted which i surpose can be looked at as a positive thing .
After being diagnosed with grade 3 breast cancer , mastectomy ,chemo ,radiotherapyand was left with lymphadia of the arm and trunk .
As the treatment really knocked me about I decided I needed to concentrate on getting better as I had a young family to look after and as Im a control freak i needed to back to my old self (if thats at all possible )
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So here I am 8 years on I have been offered pioneering lymphy node transfer where they will take lymph nodes from my groin and harvest them in my upper arm pit area I think !!!
Also I am having prevenative mastectomy ( which I have had to fight for) and reconstruction taken from my stomache area i have been working hard on getting my bmi to 30 im slighlty off but not by much .
I Just woundedred if anyone else has had or heard of these procedures and what to expect ,
operation is booked for 9th November so not long to wait now nervious but a little excited at the same time as for the first time im doing something i for me .
thanks in advance
Lisa B
Hi lisa_lisa
You certainly seem to have been through the mill - I have no idea what the pioneering lymph node transfer is all about - but I’m all for new treatments as they are the only way that we can improve the future of all kinds of cancers. So far my only contribution in this kind of field has been to donate my leftover Diep flap operation tummy bits to be used for stem cell research essentially for future breast care options but also other cancer and growing treatments for other parts of the body.
So with the DIEP flap - i’m probably about the same BMI as you and this wasn’t a problem because it meant there was plenty of material for the reconstruction of the breast. Originally my surgeon was going to go slightly smaller on the mx and then reduce the other breast to match at a later date. In the end she put in more to the reconstruction with a view to avoiding a further operation at a later date.So far it’s looking pretty good - fairly evenly matched with the option of a possible construction of a nipple or tattoo later when all other treatment has been finished.
The only minor set back has been a haematoma which caused problems to the tummy wound which has resulted in a longer healing time meaning quite a few extra visits to hospital, district nurse visits for numerous dressing changes and eventually I had a TVN unit attached to speed up the healing process. It did the trick - my consultant today was confident that one or two more dressing changes and all should be well and complete. But set-backs like that happen to very few people - they are a risk and as with all operations they spell out all the risks.
Good luck with the operation and stay positive - as you say - this is for you and with the pioneering surgery too - you are helping to set a new standard in cancer care. A Brilliant contribution!!
Hi lisa_lisa
i have been offered the same surgery but as there is a risk of lymphoedema developing from the donor site it has put me off. I hope they have explained this risk to you as it is important and something we should be made aware of after all it is our lives that would be affected. At the moment I am just going to have Diep on its own. I have lymphoedema of the left arm.
Hi lisa_lisa not sure if you still come on the forum just wondering how you are getting on now after your surgery and how is the lymphoedema? Have you noticed any improvement after your lymph node transfer? I had tram flap reconstruction done 4 months ago. I didn’t have lymph node transfer but feel so much better just having the implant removed all the tightness has gone from under my arm which I think was making my arm worse. Time will tell if my arm Improves. Hope you are doing ok xx