Hi everyone
I have had my implants in now for just over a year. They are soft to touch (No hardness at all) but I have the contact feeling of rubberbands over my chest. Is this right?
I figured it was because they are in my chest muscles (just implants, no other procedure) and I will have restrictions anyway…
Just wondering if other people have felt this with their recontructions…
Thanks
Hi
I had reconstruction three weeks ago, saw the plastic surgeon at the beginning of this week and he said that the tight feeling can last up to a couple of years after surgery. The bc nurse said that it will take a least 9 months for the implants to feel part of me. If you are worried at all you should speak to your bc nurse
Hi
I had a reconstruction done after a maestectomy, using the muscle on my back which has left me feeling like I have ‘an orange in my armpit’. Was due for further corrective surgery this year to uplift the ‘good breast’ with an implant and further surgery on the reconstruction to create a nipple… but don’t know what to do as I feel that a year down the line the reconstructed breast should have ‘setttled’ by now. It seems that no matter which type of reconstructive surgery is carried out… all come with problems. I have experience of the tightness and no matter which bra type I try…nothing seems to take away that horrible bulge from under my arm.
Lyn
I had the same operation done about 3 months ago and am dismayed with the ‘tennis ball in the armpit’ feeling. Most of the swelling seemes to have gone down now and the reconstructed boob is feeling softer, but the ‘bulge’ seems worse than ever. It affects the way I sleep and hold my arm - and like you say, finding a bra to deal with it is a problem. If the side is too low, it bulges over the top, and if it is too high, it pushes it up into the armpit.
I asked about it last time I saw one of the plastics team and they said it was ‘muscle and fatty tissue’ and didn’t seem to think it was a problem - but then they don’t have to live with it.
They indicated that they would not want to perform further surgery on it as it contains the blood supply to the ‘flap’, so looks like I’m stuck with it.
The tight feeling seems to come and go and some days it seems a lot worse than others.
Hi all,
I, too, have had terrible tightness with implants. The worst was 6-9 months after the expander implants had been fitted. When I raised this with my surgeon, he poked and prodded and said there was no tightness - everything was as soft and flexible as I could hope for. So why did it feel like a tight band across my chest? He said it was probably false messages from the nerves in skin and muscle which have been damaged in the surgery i.e. the nerves are telling my brain there is tightness when really there isn’t. I didn’t entirely buy that explanation… but the alternative was to be sent to a pain management clinic and I didn’t want to be drugged up. The tightness wasn’t pain as such anyway - just a really uncomfortable feeling it was impossible to escape from.
Anyway, there has been an improvement for me since my expander implants were replaced with silicone ones 6 weeks ago. Whether this is a temporary reprieve or not I don’t know but am just enjoying being able to lie down and sleep in comfort. Rather than the tight band I now feel a bit of pressure if stretching my arms.
It’s so difficult to know what will happen for each individual person and looking at the postings it seems everyone gets told something different by their medical team.
Best Wishes
Misha
Hi,
This is my first ever message, as I’ve just signed up. I have high grade DCIS and am due to have a mastectomy and LD flap reconstruction soon. I’m starting to re-think this decision and go for implant only, having read quite alot about tightness, bulkiness and arm and back weakness and pain. I’m 32 and hope to lead an active life in the future, including swimming and climbing. I’m worried that an LD flap may cause more problems than it’s worth.