Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi, Well I had the symmetry reconstruction last Wednesday. The surgeon tried to drain fluid from my stomach during surgery but said all he could draw was blood! He can't explain the swollen stomach. Left breast is now half the size and with the nipple gone. He did an ultrasound of my stomach and said the seroma I had which he drained a month ago is now an encapsulated seroma that can be removed by surgery or left! Funnily enough, he said it didn't look like a normal seroma but the ultrasound showed that's what it was. Thank god, was scared it might be tumor until the scan. So anyway, feeling sore, sad and like I don't want another surgery ever. Now all I want is to be left alone to heal until I have to return to work in September, which in dreading. Wishing everyone a speedy recovery and a healthy future. Xxxxx ... View more

Hi, I'm sorry you had such a bad time of it. I had a tram flap nearly 3 months ago. Worst thing I ever did. Asked NHS and private for double mastectomy but refused to do it as only 1 breast had cancer. Said they wouldn't remove 1 healthy breast, but happy to leave me in a one-boob body, which would have affected me mentally. So my option was implants (replaced 2 yearly due to radiotherapy rejecting foreign bodies) or major surgery using my stomach to rebuild boob. So I went for the tram flap knowing it would be awful and it was. Like being hit by a bus. My body is a train wreck and it's not happy with me. Severe fatigue, stomach like a balloon. Severe pains on and off along stomach scar line where they took muscle. Stomach scar, drain scars and breast scars awful. I look like the bride of Frankenstein. The skin saving implant was painful and pointless. They had to bin my skin as too damaged from radiotherapy. Looks like someone has gone at my boob with a carving knife. I can't look at myself. No clothing can press on my scar line, which is where all shorts and trousers sit. I have to wear leggings pulled under the scar line. Can't wear jeans which I lived in before. I wanted to be flat chested, but since they lifted my boob and reduced my stomach, my breasts look huge, which I hate. It is lumpy, deformed and has no nipple. And next weds I go in to get the left breast symmetrised. Another carving knife job. The private health cover won't pay for the 2k scar revision, so if I want that I need another op via the NHS. If it can't be done in 2018, I will just get breast tattoos to hide the scars. I feel like you, I would recommend it to nobody. I have constant fatigue. If I sit, lie, stand or walk to long I get pain where they removed stomach tissue and muscle. I need constant painkillers and I'm just sad. A double mastectomy in Nov 16 would have been me done. Instead, they wouldn't listen to what I wanted and here I am mid 2018 waiting for an end to be in sight. This cancer crap just never ends in how it screws with your life. Wishing you health and happiness, sad sparky dog.x ... View more