Hello Tiger
I am sorry to hear that you are having to wait so long for your recon,i can only imagine your frustration and disappointment at this
Is your surgeon planning on doing the LD flap still? If so, why does he need to put in an expander first? I thought that was mainly for implant only recon?
I had my LD flap done last September and the permanent implant went in on Tuesday.
You need to harass them at the hospital, it may not bne urgent for them, but like you say, it is not them living with one breast and a prothesis - i feel for you,i really do.
evening ladies dont be put of by asking for a second opinion i wish I had earlier.I changed my plastic surgeon in 2010 after my last plastic surgeon did what she thought was best without giving me proper details what was available.Then got the guts to do something about it so 6 years down the line and a new surgeon.He is redoing things this week I have had an op every year hope this is the last one, But never be afraid to stick to what you want if you are not sure ask.get that second opinion its worth it in the long run.Had my masectomy 6 years ago with expander then inplant3 of them in total to date.It twists and creases and changes shape lets hope this time it is betteras i wanted a DIEP Flap but not eneough fat and Hubby not wanting me to have it done.Good Luck
Hi Ladies.
I rang my breast care nurse and explained the whole situation of recon keep being put off. She was very sympathetic and understood how I feel. She is going to speak to my surgeon this week and ring me on thurs hopefully with some news. Apparently my bench date is not until the 20th March 2012,( 1 yr after chemo finished) meaning that they donāt like to reconstruct until after that date. SO WHY then have they given me the impression it was going to be done last DEC. Has anyone had there reconstruction done before passing a year from chemo?? And why is recon done at the same time as a MX. Im so frustrated and cross.
I have thought about changing surgeonās but feel I may be between the devil and the deep. I have waited all this time now, and if I change I will have to go through the procedure of going on a waiting list, and that may take ages.
The procedure he plans to do is an LD Flap with an expander and then an implant when the skin has stretch enough, approx 6 months later, as I have had rads in the passed it has damaged my skin, and also lack of fat hence the expander. Its 17 months since my MX and all I want is to draw a line under it and get on with the rest of my life, surly thatās not to much to ask!!!
Hi LutherV
I have at last got my date for recon. (12th March) Had my mx sept 2010 followed by 6 mths chemo which I finished March 2011. Have been waiting since for recon!!! My first breast cancer was 21 years ago which after 2 wedge sections and rads I was clear until 2010. The rads has given a prob with my recon due to the skin being tight and damaged. But all is not lost as he is going to do a LD Flap with an expander. I know this is not much help to you at the moment, but if you would like to keep in touch, I will let you know how I get on.
Keep smiling
Tiger
We must have finished rads around the same timeā¦ I had bilateral mx with implant recon in Dec 2010 age 36 and then needed more surgery and rads in June 2011 when they took out the implant.
I think I am right in saying that expander recons after rads are relatively rare and many people who have delayed recon after rads will have had a flap recon instead, because of damage to the skin through the rads. Also, often if you have a mastectomy then you avoid the need for rads so the issue does not arise.
Is there any reason why you are considering expanders rather than a flap? I am interested because I would like to have another implant again rather than a flap if I do have a recon, and my surgeon does not recommend this (though I will see what she says in the spring!).
Thank you for taking the time to reply Tiger & Claire,much appreciated
I havenāt an appointment to discuss recon until July 2012, I have heard that rads and expander/implant donāt mix, just wanted to see if there was anyone out there with experience of this and preferably a good one.
I havenāt much bodyfat and wonder where to get flap taken, anyone happy with a buttock flap IGAP/SGAP?
Hi Ladies.
I Had my recon (flap with expander) done on the 12th March. Cannot believe how great it is to see a boob instead of the awful concave mess. I also feel so much better mentally now, like the woman I was!!! The op was not to painful and I recovered very quickly, although I am still very bruised and sore. But have restrictions. No driving, hoovering, polishing, ironing, etc for 6 weeks. Cannot lift arms above my head, which does cause a problem with the hair.
I fully recommend having this done if you have the opportunity. Im one happy lady :-):-)
Thatās great, Tiger. Really pleased for you. I am having LD flap and implant in a few weeks, having had a failed SGAP flap last year (somebody has got to be a statistic!). Have had an expander for past year - it looks like a grapefruit thatās seen better days. Onward and upward. Xx
Hi all
Tiger45 And i must be going through treatment along the same time line. Dx aug 2010 mx nov followed by 6 months chemo and then 6 weeks rads.
I had my recon, diep flap, on 17th march and I can,t begin to tell you how happy I am to have 2 breasts again. As tiger45 says i feel like the old me is back! It is great to see a boob there againā¦ And so natural. Smiling every since the op. Still recovering and bit sore and restricted for a while but yes me too I am one very happy lady anyone gets the chance then I recommend it.
Hi Ladies
I have had my post op check and everything is going well. My surgeon is very pleased with both my progress and also the operation itself.
Needless to say I am over the moon with the results, still very swollen and very tight especially in my back but he has said that will go in time.
As yet I do not know when they will start to inflate the expander/implant but hope I will find out more on my next app in 4 weeks time.
I look back on this awful journey and cant believe how I got through it, but now I see in the mirror and my old self again, not only having two boobs but also my inner self happy and confident. So having beaten cancer twice I am one happy lady. Think positive that is the key.
Hope all is well with you summer11 I did drop you an email.
And all the best to Seafarer Im sure it will go well this time.
