Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Leonie, My issues were not actually with the implants themselves but a muscle tear and issues with the wounds healing. Before those issues came up I was just starting to get my head around the implant, I haven't had them long enough to settle in but I can say that they absolutely feel different. They don't move as much thats for sure, its weird because I'm obviously used to bigger squishy normal boobs. The main issue for me is that since they're under the muscle it makes the pectoral muscle function in a bit of a different way and I will need to get used to that, i plan to work on it in the gym to get my strength back, as part of that there is a weird pressing feeling that is apparently where the muscle is being strained from being out of place. I am hoping that will go eventually or that I will get used to it.  Its not my intention to freak you out but more to just say how it has been for me, everyone is different so just because it feels like that for me doesn't mean it will be like that for you. Its a balancing act really, can you handle this hopefully short term stuff in order to avoid /prevent something more nasty coming back to get you later.  ... View more

Hi Leonie68, This is a super **bleep**ty situation to be in and I have been there and now can say that I have experienced both procedures.  After 2 lumpectomy's I was left with my right side significant'y smaller than the left and an unpleasant dip in the right side which seemed to appear over night. The surgery is not so bad, I was out of hospital the same day and the recovery was pretty easy. That said, you do end up with the worry and risk of recurrence. I'm guessing although you didn't mention it, that you may need follow up radiotherapy? something to consider is that if that is the case and there is a recurrence then apparently reconstruction is more difficult after radiation. They told me that the risk of recurrence is quite high so i ended up going with the double mastectomy in the end after flip flopping back and forth. It was an awful decision but eventually the percentages swung it for me along with thinking what I would advise someone else to do if they were in the same situation. I also tried to put a positive spin on it by going down a couple of sizes as mine were pretty big before. i'm not gonna lie, its not a fun surgery or recovery but with the recon straight away its not as bad as you might think. I had a few problems afterwards which are apparently pretty rare ( but apparently my whole situation is extremely rare so i'm not surprised it ended up like that) but the important thing is to keep the end game in sight which is the only thing that has stopped me going off the rails, minimal chance of recurrence, smaller boobs and no longer having to do follow ups, MRI's etc or worry anymore. It sounds like you'd get a better more settled out come with the bigger op but you need to make that decision for yourself. For me it felt much better once I had decided on a plan then I could go for it. Hope that helps a little bit, I really do feel your pain right now. ... View more

Hey, i’m so sorry you had to deal with this, feeling out of control is the worst thing and is where I am at right now, i specified my issues and what I wanted to the docs and they did what I specifically told them not to anyway. I’d love to know how you got your head around this as i’m So angry I don’t think I can even speak to any more docs right now. How did it work out, did you get what you wanted in the end? Good luck  thanks a lot.  ... View more

Hi Ladies, i find myself here again after a turbulent 2 months where I have been in and out of hospital. The planned mastectomy and reconstruction went ok until 5 days after and I bent to pick up my laptop from my bed which was a bad move as I managed to tear my pectoral muscle on the left side resulting in a big bleed filling my drain, nearly passing out but calling an ambulance and my Husband then getting lifted out of my fourth floor window by a bunch of Dutch firemen and blue lighted to hospital. That meant my drains were in for 15 days.  I happily reached 5 weeks this week with my scabs coming off, I checked in with the docs on the healing process as I was concerned that the right side was looking weird and not closing properly. When I had a shower yesterday some more scab fell off leaving basically an open wound. Since it was quite a small area I called for Instructions as the Dutch docs say “water and air” religiously for healing. Next thing I know i’m back at the hospital for assessment and they pulled the rest of the scab off saying “we’ll try and close it again, it will probably be fine” they mentioned worst case they would have to remove the implant and put a tissue expander in to stretch the skin enough to close properly but “ it will probably be fine” . Within an hour i’m back in surgery and the last thing I said “I don’t want a tissue expander”. Guess what I woke up with!! 2 days before the end of my 6 weeks healing i’ve now got an improving left side and an almost completely flat right side and an additional 3 months added on to the end of what I am now calling my sentence when yesterday morning everything was going fine. So, i’m Having a bad day today. I dragged myself through from diagnosis to here- 8 months and now i’m struggling about how to get back on the horse for the next bit which will take my tally up to a year. After being adamant about what treatment I wanted in the end I have now found myself going through every surgical option! I remain grateful that this is all still in a preventative situation but wanted to share about complications as I don’t feel they make you aware enough. It’s super hard for a control freak like me not to be able to fix this for now, if anyone has similar experiences i’d Love to hear from you and how you dealt with the frustration. Thankyou  ... View more

Hi Ladies, Thanks so much for replying, I didn’t expect so much of a response. It shows that when you become affected there are so many people out there with stories to tell. I’m writing this in the bath in a hotel in Istanbul on the quickest work trip ever with another planned to Hong Kong in a couple of weeks. It’s been a busy few weeks and I’m thankful that there are so many people who have invested time and effort in learning how to fix people up and put them back together again and into sharing their stories. The appointments were hard but as nice everyone was they finally talked figures in a really pragmatic way and I came to the conclusion I can’t argue with a risk rating of 85% and an increase of 1-2% every year as I get older. That means I’m almost certain that something else will rear it’s ugly head and I might not be so lucky if it happened again. Even the psych appointment against all my previous thoughts helped to sort things out for me. It seems I’m a control freak and the thing that was freaking me out is the short term- the op, the recovery, the after effects and not being in control of my own body. But I’m not in control now really, the genes are and if I don’t fix it now then there won’t be anything left for me to control later. So, the strange sick feeling that was residing in my stomach has given way to the start of a plan and me telling myself it really is my choice albeit between 3 really **bleep**ty things. On my terms it’s looking like it will be the preventative double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. I’m working on taking every bit of positivity out of this situation including shopping for new bras that might actually fit, a size reduction (believe it or not) and being able to wear some more revealing clothes!! Also I’m training again, I figure if I’ve gotta do this I need to go into it strong. I’m surprised how I feel now in comparison, I might lose it again nearer the time who knows but either way I have to keep going and get to the other side. I’m aiming to be in a bikini on a beach somewhere ASAP ! ... View more