I am just feeling a little nervous as I am due to have a MX with immediate reconstuctive (with implant) on the 18th March.
What worries me is that I have read so many posts where ladies sadly have hated their new breast.
Are there any of you out there who actually like their new breast?
I actually had breast implants last year as I hated my body after breast feeding both my gorgeous children, so I know what a breast with implants feels like (although I know that it will feel different because they have taken all the tissue away and will just be an implant).
Luckily for me - having my breast implants meant that I was able to detect the lump - my surgen told me I would never have felt it if the implant wasn’t pushing it out.
Hi Victoria
I had my surgery last June, a skin sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction using strattice mesh and implant. I am very happy with the outcome. Especially as time has gone by and everything has settled down and my scar has faded.
It was hard at first because of the feeling of pressure in my reconstruction and the feeling of having something stuck on my chest but as things healed that faded. I think I underestimated the amount of internal healing there is and so initially expected to feel normal too quickly but the surgeon reminded me that amongst other things a muscule had been moved and it would take quite a while to heal.
I hope this helps.
Good luck for your surgery.
Clare.
Hi Victoria,I had LD flap with implants so its not quite the same but I’m very happy with results.I’m sure someone who has had just implants will be in touch soon with their opinion,good luck for your op,
Di.x
also interested in this post as booked for MX 25 April. Did anybody have rads and also when was recon done immediately or delayed. It’s all very confusing
Hi Victoria i had mx skin sparing with implant strattice mesh, 11 weeks ago. I wasn’t sure to write as had a few up and downs and still healing. But I wanted you to know the op is fine, hardly any pain and cosmetically look really good and I’m still healing. As Clare said it is the tightness and the feeling of something stuck to your chest is strange. Its because I’m not used to it and having implant under muscle does fill strange. I’ve been told by Clare and other ladies this does get better I have a 1 year old, 11 and 13 so having a family is hard but at the same time takes your mind of it. I’m not sure weather this help but if you have any questions or want to message me your can.
sending you gentle hugs Emma xx
My experience is very different - immediate LD recon no implant, and now two years later just had reduction and uplift on ‘good’ side to even me up. I love my recon, and did from Day 1, even though I briefly questioned my decision about a week in, when I felt so physically useless. Waking up with cleavage and thinking I looked ‘normal’ made a huge difference to my self-esteem. Today I was at my routine breast clinic check (just happened to land a few days after symmetery surgery) and was chatting to my surgeon about it. He was genuinely pleased I’d had the match-up done, and said that he encourages people quite strongly to go the recon route as it’s usually better for well-being. My newly reduced boob is wrapped in dressings but I can hardly wait to see it on Friday - even though it will be bruised and bloodied and is very tender.
We all have to try to keep in mind that most of what gets posted here is borne out of struggle, self-doubt, fear and uncertainty. The numerous women who love their implant recons will never post about them, because they won’t feel the need. Also, those of us with ‘good’ experiences’ are fearful of seemingly glib, flip or gloating, knowing all too well it could so easily have been us who had a bad time.
A recon boob is never going to be quite the same as the one it replaces, but I absolutely love mine and am still amazed (as a bit of a tom-boy) how much more confident the symmetry op has made me feel already! I hope you are every bit as pleased with your new boobs.
very gentle hugs (I am too tender to do real ones!!)
I think it is important to think about your expectations of your reconstruction if that makes sense. From the outset I accepted that my reconstructed (bionic as I call it) boob was never going to be the same as the one it replaced. When I see myself without clothes on I am quite happy with what I see, I don’t look odd, I just look different to how I used to look.
My main aim in having immediate reconstruction was to look as normal as possible when dressed and I definitely achieved this. I don’t think anyone who doesn’t know what I’ve been through would have any idea at all, even with my new swimsuit on!
Like RevCat I think it’s helped my mental recovery - I realise I am lucky as not everyone is able to go down this route.
Hi Wendy
I was under the impression that the reason I was able to have an immediate reconstruction was because I wasn’t going to be having rads. They suggested that if I was they would have delayed it because there was a risk that the rads could damage it.
Clare.
Boy I feel better from reading all your posts - and yes, I think you are right that sadly it tends to be those that have had problems with their recon that post - hopefully there are many happy women out there that no longer feel they need to post for advice as life and body are going well!!
Thank you for giving me hope again
Regarding Rads - I have to have a node biospy the week next monday (4th) to check that the nodes are clear. If they are not then I will have to have delayed reconstruction as the radiotherapy damages the implants (meaning you would have to have them replaced again after treatment). Fingers crossed that this pesky thing hasn’t got my nodes as well!!
Hi
I’m 36 and had a bilateral nipple-sparing mastectomy with strattice and implants in December. I’ve had some healing issues on the right side but the left looks amazing - minimal scarring and far perkier than what was there before (I too breastfed for quite a long time). I’m confident that the right side will soon look just as good.
It takes a while to get used to the limited sensation, and I too felt for a while like I was wearing an iron bra because of the pressure of the implants. I had a bit of a low point around 5 weeks after the surgery when I doubted that I would ever feel comfortable again but now I’m hardly even aware of my boobs most of the time.
I’m quite slim so my surgeon is keen to do some fat grafting in the future so help soften things up and better conceal the implant but I think it looks absolutely fine, in and out of clothes. I may take him up on the fat grafting at some point but at the moment I’m perfectly happy with things as they are. I have absolutely no regrets about having the surgery.
Hope this helps and all the best with your upcoming surgery.
Emma
Hi Victoria
I had a mastectomy with immediate implant reconstruction on the left side and WLE (and a nip and tuck to even things up) on the right side. I chose an implant over other types of reconstruction because I wanted the simplest op that was easiest to recover from. I have never regretted my decision, even though it has turned out that I have needed whole breast radiotherapy on both sides. I’ve yet to find out whether the radiotherapy has affected the implant, but so far so good. In fact, if anything, if I had the decision to make again, I would have had bilateral mastectomy with implants on both sides, purely for the sake of symmetry.
I know everyone’s experience is different, and what is right for me isn’t necessarily right for anyone else, but just wanted to share with you the fact that I love my bionic boob (yes I call it that too Claire) and I was very grateful to be able to have immediate recon in this way, as I feel it helped me psychologically.
Good luck with your biopsy and your op
Louis xx
Hi
I had mx with immediate recon with strattice mesh im October 2011. It did feel very tight at first (like an elephant sat on my chest), largely I suspect because the chest muscle has been moved. That tightness is loads better and other odd sensations have subsided over the year and a bit.
I am happy with my recon. It is good to look normal when dressed, be able to wear a normal swim-suit, normal (though not yet under-wired) underwear etc. I have (only the once) had to get changed in a small communal area at the swimming pool. I did face the wall/lockers to change, but the 2 small children who were in sight didn’t point and stare.
I actually had rads after my recon (rads in April/May 2012) and have not suffered any capsulation. My local hospital does immediate recons and rads quite regularly, so I guess that although there is a risk of them failing, it is not a given.
Sue
I started to write earlier but something happened so if I am reperting myself forgive me. I am having an mx on 26 March I asked for immediate re-con. I was told that this was at least a 5 hour op (back flap) and the surgeon had concernes due to other medical conditions. I asked aobut an implant and was told this is not an option as over time my other breast would drop and the one with implant would not. The implant makes more sense to me and surely if needs be later down the line have the ‘good’ breast uplifted??
Your views on this would be much appreciated
Hi Di just read your post can you tell me what an ld flap is? I am due for a mx on 26 March and I have to decide whether to have a re-con and if so what type? So many questions …so little time.
Thanks Eileen
I had immediate recon with implant in April 2011 and then chemo followed by 15 rads in Nov/Dec 2011. The rads did affect the implant and it was replaced this Jan as they have to wait for a year after rads have finished if you need it replacing. I have a softer implant this time and am very happy. My surgeon is brilliant though and her view initially was that if rads affect the implant then it can be sorted! If I want to go for another type of recon in the future then the doors have been left open.
I already have breast implants in both breasts. But I was told by my surgeon that if I didn’t they would have put a implant in the other breast to make them ‘match’ if that makes sense.
Breasts with implants look different than a naturall breast so if you had an implant only in one - then out of clothes you would notice a difference (my breast implants look totally natural and a million times better than my breastfed breasts!).
I am sure that if you wanted your breast to look more similar then the NHS should offer you implants in both - just to even you up. I know that possibly a lot of people would not want this option though. I wonder if you could ask for a second opinion - after all it is your body.
x
Did not get my implants yet, still have my expanders. My radioligist wanted my expenders inflated to desired size before I have my rad treatment. I have pushed my simulation out already two weeks. Had my MX with expanders put in Feb 4 this year. Hope this helps answer question about timing. As far as not being happy with implants, I for one would absolutely bring it up to PS. At least find out what can be done…
Well I have now had my MX and immediate recon (implant with stratice) 2 weeks ago today. So far still lots of black, blue, and yellow brusing but looks pretty amazing - I am just so gratful that I was able to have this done.
Does anyone know if the implant gets softer and moves after a while - mine is VERY had and fixed at the moment.
I have a 1 year old, 11 and 13 so having a family is hard but at the same time takes your mind of it. I’m not sure weather this help but if you have any questions or want to message me your can.