permanent expander

hi ladies
im hoping someone can help. im on the list for my recon and my surgeon has said im going to have a permanent expander. ive tried to do abit of research but cant seem to find much.
at the mo ive got my right boob my left one gone. he has said they will take the skin from my back to make my new boob. he is also going to empty my right boob and put permanent expander in there.
so im wondering if anyone else has had this surgery and can answer a few questions please.
are you happy with outcome?
are the ports uncomfortable?
how long til happy with final size?
would you recommend permanent expander to anyone else?
did you stuggle with arm movement after surgery?
how sore is the bit they take skin from?
and anything else you think would be of help.
hope someone can help thanks xxxx

Hi

Can’t comment on your right boob, but have had LD flap.

had MX to left breast and immediate LD flap +implant recon on the 26th Jan.

My plastic surgeon (who took over once the BC surgeon had done the MX and lymph node removal) has done a great job of matching my ‘new’ boob to the old one - even down to the right level of ‘droop’!

Had hardly any pain post surgery - didn’t need morphine pump. Had op late Fri, out of bed just standing on Sat and walking the corridor on Sun. A week in hosp - they didn’t let me go til all drains removed. Did get a seroma on back that needed draining a few times, but that resolved itself quite quickly. I was driving and back at work (part time for a couple of weeks at first) 6 weeks post op.

Six months post surgery and the new boob is really starting to feel like it belongs to me - obviously don’t have the level of feeling and it still feels a bit firmer and heavier than the other one, but improving all the time. The PS warned that it does take a long time to completely settle down. It’s a bit bigger than the other one but this may still alter and I have a port in the implant so it can be adjusted at a later date if needed. I can feel the port sometimes and it’s only in the past month or so that I’ve been able to sleep on that side. It’s a lot less annoying than it was.

My new boob is a bit perkier (they are now nicknamed Pinky and Perky) than the other, but all of this is totally unnoticeable in bra and clothes - as is the slight bulkiness under my arm where the muscle was put through. That felt enormous for weeks, but again is starting to feel more natural and is unnoticeable to everyone else. I have a very natural looking cleavage that I’m happy to show off!

My scars around nipple area and on back are improving all the time ( I do use Bio Oil). I can see that the nipple area scar will be difficult to spot in a year or two. The scar on my back is bigger and more ‘serious’, but still improving and is covered by my bra strap. Yours are likely to be bigger cos it’s a delayed recon - don’t know if you had a skin paring mx on that side…

My shoulder and under my arm still feel a bit stiff and tight, but I have full range of movement and am back gardening and horse riding - albeit carefully! Make sure you get and do the exercises!

Good luck!

thank you so much for reply.it good to hear from someone whos been there. one thing i am thinking bout is how to sleep once its done coz im guessing your front is sore and your back where they took skin and now you say you can only just sleep on your port side so as im having both done am i going to have to learn sleep standing up. how often did you go to get expanded?
thanks xx

Hi sleeping on my back wasn’t a prob at all. Have lots of pillows - sleeping proped up helps at first and then I used them for support when I first started sleeping on my side.

Haven’t had any adjustments yet. I’m soon starting rads - at the start we hoped that I wouldn’t need them, but it was always a possibility.

The recon has no effect on the effectiveness of these, but radiotherapy can adversely effect the recon - mainly due to the risk of capsulation round the implant, but can also cause shrinkage and hardening. This was a calculated risk I took My plastic surgeon said that even if that happens and, worse case, down the line I need the capsulation removed and a new implant, the final cosmetic result will still be better than a delayed recon. In the meantime I think he’s been v clever and my new boob is prob a size bigger than my right one - and my left always used to be smaller. So I think he’s allowed for shrinkage and , if I get mild encapsulation, he just ‘lets me down’ a bit to relieve the pressure. Got a check up on 4th Aug, so I’ll ask him then!
Dx

Hi have had back flap operation four weeks ago after original implant after radiotherapy needed to be removed. I have not been too sore at the back or front and the scars are healing well. I did however have quite a lot of discomfort down my side feeling as if something was moving about. That feeling is going now. I can’t feel the port and am gradually reducing the amount of pillows I use as at first sleeping quite upright is more comfy. My arm is a bit stiff but improving.The back flap op is fairly long but quite do able. Along with the back flap I again have a temporary implant in the same breast.It will be filled with saline at two weekly intervals.I have had one lot so far and it was much better than when I just had an implant (more padding because of the flap I think). The surgeon was hoping she could put a permanent implant in this time but she couldnt so I will have to have it replaced at a later date.

thank you both very much for replys. ill def go buy some more pillows. ive already had radio thats why ive had to wait over a yr since having it so my skin was ready. i was pregnant when i had my op so just had to have my boob off i did ask for both to go but he said no coz it would take to long.im really looking forward to having 2 boobies again but also getting scared now bout havin to have another op, just gotta remember bout end result.
thanks again ladies xxxxxxx

Hi Ladies
This is my first visit to the Forum and I am quite concerned about some of the negative comments I have read about tissue expanders. I am having mastectomy in two weeks with immediate tissue expander followed in a few months by permanent implant. I was given other options but went for the simplest op. as I do not have much spare fat.

Is there anybody who has had a successful recon. with this method as I
am not sure I made the right choice. I would love to hear from you.