Thoughts on Reconstructive Surgery?

I was diagnosed on 20th May with HER2+ breast cancer in my right breast and also one lymph node. The lymph node at the time of diagnosis apparently measured 18.5mm.

I have had 7 weekly session of Paclitaxel and a 3 weekly injection of Phesgo, last week prior to my 7th chemo session I had an MRI scan and I have been informed that the 3 areas in my breast have significantly improved and are barely visible and the lymph node has decreased in size to 5mm so things are moving in the right direction.

Next week I have been called to meet the surgeon to discuss reconstructive surgery which will have to be carried out at a much larger hospital than the one I currently attend.

I was wondering what peoples thoughts are on the reconstructive surgery, I’m assuming that the surgeon is talking of removing fat from elsewhere in my body, does this have to be stomach or back area? I’m reasonably slim (size 12), maybe have more fat on my bottom than stomach, can fat be removed from your bottom area or does it have to be stomach.
My next question is I was told the recovery time from a mastectomy would be around 2 weeks, I thought this was a bit optimistic, does the surgeon just mean getting out of bed and moving about. Also would reconstructive surgery at the same time as the mastectomy require extra recovery time, I suppose my biggest concern is how flaming painful is it. I used to be a whimp when it came to needles and injections but it’s something I’ve had to get used to, is it extra extra painful having reconstruction at the same time or is it better to get it all done and dusted at the same time.

Many thanks for any replies

i had 7 -9 hours of surgery for my left mastectomy and diep reconstruction on 8 Sept 2022.I was aged 67 or so.

it went well and worst bit was being woken all night at hourly intervals to check the blood vessels were still intact so the flap of fat woukdn’t die. The next day I felt awful but I was out of hospital on late Sunday morning after the operation which turned out to be the day Queen Elizabeth II died. Getting out of London was very bad indeed.

I was up and walkimg pretty quickly and did all the exercises I was told to do. My diep scar opened up after an incident with a learner driver doing a shopping trolley manouevre at the end of a moving ramp. This was my hubbie who had little experience of such matters. He was in front with the trolley and didn’t push off, I crashed into him and trolley.

Three months later gaping hole finally closed up. So look after your abdominal scar if you have a diep reconstruction. Good luck

Seagulls

i am slimmer now than i was but i am 5 t 8 tall, now weigh 9 stone 13 lbs and I didn’t have much if a tum but nonproblem as I had 34b bra size

Thanks Seagulls, I am a similar height to yourself although a little heavier and 36A (also similar age), so hopefully they’ll find enough tissue on my stomach area. The Macmillan nurse that rang to make the appointment mentioned stomach and back, the back looks a lot more involved than the stomach and quite gruesome.

Thanks again for your reply, I really appreciate it.

A million good wishes for the future x

i have always had a nice bulge at abdomen level as a lot of women do. It has always been there whether i was fat or thin (I did once go up to 13 Stone but have been under 10 stone for quite a while now. They use the fat not muscle for the diep reconstruction so your tum should still have muscles to support your body and all the innards in your abdomen. without getting a hernia…

seagulls

i was allergic to surgical glue and various other stuff they use in plastic surgery. that was due to these things being used when I had a partial mastectomy in 2003 on the same left side.

After surgery I had rashes everywhere. Plastic surgery really does use quite a lot of plastic. The allergies did resolve themselves but they did cause a lot of itching. You may not be prone to itch but ai ended up being tested g
for allergens at a dermatology department.

It’s not a serious problem for me as I don’t expect to have any further surgery now.

Seagulls

Hi @juxined

Sorry to hear that you are having to make this decision and going through this experince.

I recently had a bilateral mastectomy and DIEP reconstruction at the same time, the surgery took 10 hours, this may sound scarey but you will be in safe hands. The worst bit is the initial 48hours, as you are wired up to monitors and will probably need drains also, as Seagulls mentioned you are checked regularly for to check ensure that the micro surgery has worked.

I had 12 weeks off work but was up and about very quickly, you do just have to look after yourself and not rush your recovery. I had some muscle removed so had a mesh put in my stomach muscles, this isn’t always needed. You will be given plenty of painkillers, but to be honest, the pain is very manageable, and its more a case of getting used to the new sensations or lack of.

When making my decision along with the Breast Cancer Now information I found the following charity sites useful https://restore-bcr.co.uk/ and https://keepingabreast.org.uk/

I am really pleased that I went ahead with the reconstruction and very happy with the results so far, I am happy to answer any questions x

Thanks for the heads up on the allergy situation, I’m hoping they managed to control the itching with antihistamines.

I’m hopeful that the surgeon will be able to carry out a similar reconstruction as you had as it sounds the better option for me.

Thanks so much for your replies

Thanks so much summer-sunshine for your advise.

I retired a few years ago so no plans to rush back to work. I do like to go to the gym for pilates classes and enjoy walking but I’m expecting I’ll be giving that a miss for a few months. I’m hoping that when I meet the surgeon on Thursday to discuss the options he’s not going to want an answer there and then and gives me time to whey up the pros and cons.

Thursday is chemo session number 8, initially the oncologist had intended giving me 18 sessions but it was discussed that they might cut it back to 12 if I’m responding well to the treatment which appears to be the case. So another 5 weeks, followed by a 4 week break the surgery yikes, another big jump closer to getting rid of this damn awful disease.

Hopefully now all you lovely ladies have put my mind at rest I’ll manage to actually get some sleep tonight.

Thanks once again for all your replies, really appreaciated x

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