Hi my name is michelle and i am 23yrs old and have 2 children. I was told in feb i have a typical ductal hyperplasia which means i am at high risk of breast cancer and i have a family history too.
My consultant has advised me to have a preventive mastectomy. I have seen my plastic surgeon and she has gave me my options tummy or back recon and i am swaying for the tummy.I am really confused still so would love to know peoples opinons. They have told me to go back in october with my desicions and then it should all be done by febuary in addensbrookes hospital. So i would love to hear from anyone who has had thede done and could give me some advice or anyone who has had the op at addensbrookes…
Hi princess23
Whilst you are waiting for other users to share their experiences I thought it might help for you to have a look at the breast cancer care booklet on reconstruction. It can be read on-line from the following link:-
breastcancercare.org.uk//docs/breast_reconstruction_dec06_web_0.pdf
I hope you find it useful.
Kind regards
Sam
Moderator
Breast Cancer Care
Hi there
I had my op done at Addenbrookes, who is your surgeon? hope its the same as mine as he was the best. I went with the tummy option as I didnt like the thought of having to go back in later years to have the implants changed. It is a big operation but the results are amazing, I have a lovely flat tummy now (after having a baby belly for the last 4 years!!), and it encouraged me to loose all of my otehr excess weight so i really really really love my flat tummy ha ha, I call it my reward for going through lots of sh*t over the last year. After the op they offered me morphine but i really wasnt in any pain and im not a brave person that way, i used the morphine only to go to sleep, your walking within a couple of days and when i got home i pushed myself a little bit every day to walk a couple of steps further, e.g. up the garden, out of the gate then up the street, but if you have a good husband/partner then you can have them waiting on you hand and foot for as long as you want them to, tee hee.
I can go into loads more details about getting to hosp, after surgery etc if this is an option your swaying towards but there are also many ladies that are happy with the other option, im just very happy with mine.
let me know
take care
Tracey
xxx
Hi I had back flap recon at same time as mastectomy begining of June (didnt have enough to take from tummy). Hoped this would mean I wouldnt need an implant, but result isnt as good as I had hoped for. I was a D cup and reconstructed boob doesnt quite fill a B cup! So very lopsided at the moment. Still discussing options with surgeon, but have to wait til after rad for further surgery. I’m only halfway through chemo so dont see surgeon again til end of November to make decisions. Looks like I’ll go for an implant and lipo fat transfer combined to get best result. Other boob will prob also need uplift/reduction to complete the job. Still glad I got immediate recon tho, didnt want to have nothing after mastectomy and was worth a try to avoid an implant, but there just wasnt enough there unfortunately. Recovery was ok, although wounds front and back were awkward and uncomfortable in bed for first few weeks, but both scars settling well. Lymph clearance tightness under the arm was worse bit, but doing the pyshio exercises really helped and I’m back at the gym weight training now to build up back muscles, etc. Be aware tho that taking all the back muscle away does leave your back and shoulder area much weaker and your back looks very bony without it. I’m following phsyio’s advice to try to build up remaining muscle to help flatten shoulder blade and prevent future shoulder problems, more work than I realised it would be!!
Hope you get a good result whatever you choose and probably best to realise it might be an “ongoing project” for a while.
Best wishes
Jan x
Hi Tracey…
Thanks for that i am swaying more with the tummy as i don’t really want implants for the same reason as you really… My surgeon is miss a canal but she said someone else may do the op as she may be on her hols alrite for some. My partner is really great he is going to take care of me. And yeah i would love to know more about op and before and after if you want to private message me.
take care
michelle
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not sure why the last comment says moderator, im not one of them
Tracey
xx
Hi Tracey…
Thanks for all of that. The surgery does sound a bit scary though i have a few questions to ask though if you don’t mind How long do you have the drains in?. How does your tummy look after and your boobs i was told your boobs are alot smaller? Do you really get a slim tummy? How long is it before you can do things for yourself?..
i hope you don’t mind answering my questions and your comments were very helpful thank you very much
take care
Michelle
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Hi Michelle
Please keep asking if it helps, im just glad i can help.
The drains will stay in until your running clear of blood/fluid, mine was about four days. My tummy is as flat as an 18 year old, i love it honest, when it was healed i rubbed bio oil on it and that really helps. My new boob is slightly bigger than the other, also a bit more perkier looking than the other one which looks old and hanging, lol.
The surgeon likes to leave it for a while, im not sure but possibly 8-12 months for it to settle and then he can take some of the fat away from it to make it the same size as the other one, so i think they would rather make it a little bigger than smaller but what ever if your not happy they can fix it. After a few days your walking to the toilet so when you get home you can certainly make yourself a cuppa and sandwich, but no lifting, bins, big bottles of milk etc, they will go through that, but def no housework for a long time, you really do have to look after your tummy so dont rush things.
Hope this helps and keep asking I honestly dont mind.
Tracey
xxxxx
hi tracey…
thanks for answering my questions. What is the ward like at addenbrookes i was told to ask for a private room as i am only 23 but don’t look it i look about 13 i may get funny looks how did you get on…
I am worried about my kids my daughter is really not looking forward to me staying in hospital and my soon is very aware too. I am worried because i won’t be able to pick them up after the op and there is no hug like mums.
thanks again
take care
Michelle
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Hi there
Because your having a major op they will put you in a private room, also they need to keep it really hot so they can only do this in a side room so dont worry, they told me that there was a chance that a few days down the line that i could be moved to a ward if someone more seriously ill needs the bed but i didnt get moved.
I was also worried about my son missing me and me not being there but the week really goes quick and his dad brought him and sat him on the bed so he was able to still give me hugs. I was also worried about not picking him up but the nurse just said that he was to big to be picked up and when it comes to cuddles let him climb on to your knee rather than pick him up, believe me when you see how flat your tummy is you’ll want to look after it, i didnt pick up jamie for a good 3 months, he just got used to it, your not missing out honest, you will make up with cuddles but give her a talking to before you go in so she knows not to ask to be picked up and then you wont feel guilty. Oh the ward needs updating but its clean and thats what matters. And when you get visitors they can stop at the coffee shop for you before coming up, i used to love that and looked forward to the coffee’s more than the visitors, ha ha.
any more questions just ask.
Tracey
xxx
hi tracey…
Thanks for that but you must be getting bored of me asking you questions…
Where abouts do you come from if you don’t mind me asking… My kids do understand that mummy is not well and my boobiies are poorly and they are really great about it and try and be careful where they put there elbows. How are you doing? All of this must have taken it’s toll on you…
Take care
Michelle
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Hi Michelle
dont be silly, ive noticed that cancer only appears in the most kindest, patient and loveliest people you can imagine, unfair really but really im happy to help with my experiences, sometimes i just want to shout “its not a big deal, it did not hurt and i have a tummy that an 18 year old would envy” ha ha. so no im not bored, its lovely to talk to you. xx
Im from Warrington, Cheshire but im living nr st neots in cambridgeshire, there doesnt seem to be anyone here that says hey anyone in Cambs lets meet up, ha ha.
Im absolutely fine, i got dx last Aug, had chemo straight away, then my op in Feb, then Radiotherapy about four months ago. Since my op ive been determined to try and not let it come back, even though its out of my control and i dont know what caused it but ive always yo-yo dieted and now im committed to staying slim (lost 3 stone since my op) and im exercising regularly. I gave up my stressful sales job and just working weekends at the moment, i really believe that the key to getting better is to elimate the stress from your life, so my husband had to go as well!! Im now having Herceptin every three weeks which got me down at first as you spend half a day in hospital and your sitting with the poor chemo patients so i can still smell that awful red stuff that used to make me sick but now im really grateful to be having it, im starting on Zoladex injections i think when i go for my Herceptin on thursday so im scared im going to turn into a menopausal fat hairy woman, but its all for my benefit and makes the prognosis of being here in 10 years time a little better. Where are you from? and are you coping with it all. Im 37 how old are you?
take care
Tracey
xxxx
hi tracey…
i know this may sound strange but do you have msn as it would be so much easier as the message come thriugh straight away…
Michelle
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hi Michelle,
have you been to the breakthrough web site, you can exchange email address’s there.
Tracey
xxx
if you register on there and then post a message then i will know to send you an email address.
xx
hi ya…
i have registered now what do i do…
go to messages and send an email to twood or go to “have a word” and post a note on there so i can see you
xx
Hi ya…
i ahve posted one one there under recon…
Hi All…
Hi everyone i am starting to get a little nervous i have my last visit to the plastic surgeon on fri before the op…I know i should’nt be really but it feels like i am at the last mile stone before sugery and that’s the scary thing… And of course the pain after the op.I was wondering if anyone has any good tips on underwear and clothes to wear after the op coz i am clueless… Well i will let you all know how it goes.
Take care
Michelle
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Hiya.
I’m a bit new to all this. I was diagnosed last may and was wondering if any one could let me know how long from mastectomy did it take to get reconstruction? I’ve been told 9-months to a year seems such a long time.Just desperate to look reasonably normal