hi all. Got the results from my mammoplasty on the 23/7 today. Not good news, they have found lots of tiny cancer cells that had not shown up on the MRI so we don’t now know if there are any more scattered through the breast. SO, it’s mastectomy time for me. At least my node biopsy was negative, so as they stressed, once the breast is gone we will know all the cancer has gone, though I think they are still talking about radiotherapy and poss chemo. I have another appointment next week to talk things through more but at some point I need to decide whether to have a reconstruction now or further down the line. I believe if you have a reconstruction and then radiotherapy it can damage the new breast and can lead to further surgery so my first thought is to wait, but I thought I would ask if any of you would share your experiences to help me learn more about the pros and cons of both. I think I’m a bit scared of recon surgery as it looks pretty complicated, but then I was scared about my mammoplasty and that has all been very easy - so far! Thanks in advance for any experiences you may like to share. Chris xx
Hi Chris,sorry your results not ideal, bit still positive .If you have a mastectomy I think there is a possibility you may not need radiotherapy ,I think it depends where the tumour/tumours are.There are ladies on the just diagnosed thread who have had or are having reconstruction they will be able to give you some good info .
Hi Chris, I had to have mx due to DCIS in various places in left breast and as it turned out a small invasive tumour too. Initially I didn’t think I wanted recon but then when they said I shouldn’t need further treatment I decided to have immediate reconstruction using an implant and a mesh to support it. The advantage of this was it was all over in one op. There is a risk of rejection of the mesh but I have been fine. It is reassuring when you wake up from op to find you are not flat! The fake boob is numb and feels a bit strange at times but the match is pretty good. There is still some discomfort at times in it 5 months on and this can apparently last for up to a year. My lymph node was clear and I didn’t have to have chemo or radiotherapy, just tamoxifen. I’m not sure if I would have made the same decision if I had been told I needed radiotherapy but the surgeon did say that it doesn’t always destroy the implant. I think if you go for one of the more complex reconstructions using muscle from the back or stomach it is not affected by radiotherapy but recovery is longer I think from these. Hope this is some help, ask them to talk through all the options and show you photos and bear in mind your interests/job as the back one does leave you with some weakness in that area (I was advised by surgeon). Good luck with your decision. Nicola x
Hi Caffy,
I chose not to go for immediate reconstruction - like you it was uncertain what further treatment I might need after my Mx. I was lucky and didn’t need any even though my DCIS turned out to have a small invasive tumour lurking.
They do tend to present the choice as reconstruct now or reconstruct later. But actually don’t mention that many ladies live quite happily with one or no breasts!
I’m 3 months post Mx and feeling OK about my uniboob. Yes, it’s a shock when you first see yourself. Yes, fiddling around with prosthetics is a pain. But I’m pain free, my back muscles are unaffected and I won’t need further surgery to “tidy things up” or replace implants down the line.
Of course, you need to decide what’s right for you. But it’s a big decision and one that’s presented at a time when we are really stressed and uncertain.
Take care, Ali xx