Reconstructed right breast after diep flap considerably smaller

Life after a breast cancer diagnosis Recovering from treatment
1

Hello! 

Posting to see if anyone has had a similar experience and if so, what their options were please.

I had a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction (diep flap) a year ago.  My reconstructed breast (on the right) has completely settled now and it is considerably smaller than my left one. I did not have any radiotherapy (which I am told would have potentially affected it) just chemotherapy, which I finished last October.  I am very unhappy with how it looks, you can see whatever I am wearing (unless it’s really, really baggy clothing) and I am very aware of it. 

I spoke to my surgeon about the disparity in the breasts, as ideally I want to make the right, reconstructed one larger.  He advised against an implant being put in and said it was risky, due to it being over scar tissue and it may affect the blood vessels, then I would have an even bigger problem.  

Just wondered if anyone else had experienced anything else similar and if they were able to enlarge their reconstructed breast, after a diep flap. The option that has been offered to me is to reduce the size of my original breast on the left, to match up with the reconstructed one on the right, which ultimately is not what I wanted, but if that is the only way to go, then so be it!

Any advice or feedback would be gratefully received - thank you very much. 

Angela 

2

Hello! I had the same treatment after a local recurrence in 2019, and I’m now an E-cup on my non-surgery side and a C on the other (the surgical team were very proud that it was the largest reconstruction they’d ever done!). The only option on the table seems to be reduction on the non-surgery side, which I’m not interested in.

I use an M&S breast form on the surgery side, which enlarges it to an almost exact match. It means I’m restricted to post-surgery bras (well, it did mean that, but now I’ve discovered I can buy special pockets to sew in) but it works for me. I spend a little bit of time adjusting it to the right place first thing and then don’t really think about it the rest of the day. The only thing I don’t like is that the breast form has a nipple  which is visible through a thick T-shirt _and _a fleece on top. 

Mol