Hello there
I had an implant with tissue expansion in october, since the I have had chemo and then finished radiotherapy 10 days ago.
i have been happy with the shape of the implant but not the feel of it, it feels so hard and I was hoping for a more natural softer feel,
I know that radiotherapy can cause it to harden but mine as always felt like this , as anyone shared this experience and did they have it removed and another one replaced, I am due to see the surgeon this month.
thanks ann x
Hi Ann,
I have had pretty much the same experience as you, without the rads, my mx with immediate recon (LD flap) was last June when a gel/saline expander was inserted. I started chem in July, it must have been only 4 weeks after the op and I know I was concerned about the hardness of the implant then and made an appointment with my surgeon. He basically said it could still soften so we continued with the expansion and the chemo and it became more and more uncomfortable.
Basically it’s called contracture, caused by a build up of scar tissue gripping the implant (imagine a balloon being held firmly and you’ll get the picture!)
I had another op in January to remove the expander implant and port and replace it with a (much smaller) gel tear drop imlant. Sooo much more comfortable, it’s probably a bit on the small side as I have now managed to put on weight (lost too much during treatment) and they matched the new implant to my smaller body weight (why?) so I may have to have that changed, I also may have another op to split the nerves as the muscle taken from my back to my front still thinks it’s part of my back! Will think about that one carefully.
Hope this helps. Feel free to ask me anything that might help you.
Lee x