Hi All can anyone advise on a couple of things. What’s the longest anyone has had to wait with no expansion in the implant? Does chemo screw up the process? Does it make any difference to how it feels ie sore etc if you’ve had to wait?
Getting really down about the fact that the wound is slow to heal and there was no expansions done at the mx because it was such a tight fit - so hence no fills up / shape at all. Bad enough chemo starting soon but no expansion at all is adding to the crap.
Hi Lynn
I can’t help re the chemo side of things, and I’m not sure whether you have the same type of expander implant - I’ve got Beckers - silicon with a saline pocket inside.
I had the first expansion after 8 weeks but it could have been done a week or so before that - I think anyway. My surgeon was very keen that the scars were well healed before the skin was stretched. I only had 50mls at a time and didn’t have any discomfort at all. And only had 2 expansions, but I can have more later if I want to
It must be really hard waiting for the 2 things to happen. As always take it one things at a time - but you must be sick of hearing that too!
hi i have had about 4 fills of saline ranging between 120mls and 65mls at a time with my expander ,i think the first one was about 6 weeks after msx and i now go every three weeks for an expansion,it is growing but not yet as big as my 36b other boob,i have also had 4 sessions of chemo.but river -what i want to ask is how you feel about the expander,i am thinking of having it drained-if i can-because i find it very uncomfortable.it is rock hard and feels like a bullet,i find it hard to get myself comfortable and i often feel as if my breath has been taken away,not sure if i would rather have no boob as its so uncomfortable.my surgeon says its because i have got chest muscles covering it.i am hoping to go for recon.6 months after rads.would be grateful to hear from anyone else with an expander.thank you jackie xxxxx
I think it’s very different having two ‘breasts’ which are implants rather than one which is being matched to your own breast, because I’ve got nothing to compare with. But yes, they are much firmer than my own lovely breasts were. I’m much more comfortable 3 months on than I ever thought they would be - I’m far less aware of them - don’t really think about them during the day, just at night when I’m settling down to sleep and I can feel the edges.
BUT, I’m sure mine are different to yours. Mine are permanent implants and I think yours is an expander which will be replaced by recon? I’ve put a bit more info on the other thread that’s running about implants about how my implants are in - they aren’t fully under the muscle.
It sounds like you’ve had a lot of saline put in - I wonder if it’s been done too quickly? Maybe you could have some taken out to give the muscle a chance to stretch more slowly?
I too had a skin expansion implant, immed recon, (OCT) and was having chemo as well,(NOV) I have just finished the chemo route, and the longest I had to wait for an expansion was over the christmas period which was about six weeks,
I still have some slight bruising around the mastectomy site, but this as been slow to heal because of the chemo, so still been having gradual expansions throughout, I was fully expanded !! two weeks ago and just hoping the implant will start to drop,
The surgeon/consultant want’s to see me the 19th march, prior to radiotherapy.