Breast Cancer Now Forum

. Im a little concerned about how I feel at the moment. has anybody had an immediate implants & strattice op. Are yours quite large? I had a mastectomy with an immediate implant with strattice mesh. I have gone supposedly bigger than natural boob but doesnt look it just a different shape to be fair. Im not huge so perhaps a b or c. Im very bruised but its starting to turn into yellowish bruising now. Its just I feel I cant breathe properly. Its soo tight. Feels like a vice on chest. When I sit up straight or stand I can feel it all sort of go to bottom of boob where mesh is & its a strange pain that slightly eases after being upright for a while. Its pretty hard to touch especially at the top. Squidgy at side but no feeling there. Theres bruising under boob. This tightness is awful & its a wk tomorrow since op. Was hoping to feel better at a wk out!! Feel sick & dizzy! Sleeping can only be done on back after arranging myself in a comfortable ish position. Still feel pushing on chest tho. Does this all sound normal or after a week was your tightness etc gone? I see surgeon thursday. Think he could have put too large implant in perhaps so worried this feeling will never ever go 😞 xx ... View more

Hi. Im due a single mastectomy tomorrow. Im having an implant in with a mesh. Been offered later on a implant on other side but surgeon has agreed to do same procedure (mx & implant) but have to follow procedure, see a psychiatrist thats a 3mth waiting list. Anyway, im only an A cup I think but he says im quite broad. he said I should be approx a large B to a C cuo after implant as im a sz 14 & always hated my small breadts so he said he will do larger for me. Im just worried how theyre going to fit in my skin??!! (Skin sparing mx, lose nipple though). Hes chosen tear shaped implant. I asked about an expander but he says implant with mesh better as not sure if need radiotherapy as yet. Ive already had chemo to try shrink lump but not successful. Also on herceptin at the moment too so hes v worried about an infection. Worst case scenario the implant & mesh will be removed leaving me flat!! Im 33, never been ill or had surgery before, apart from the slnb op I had at first diagnosis that showed nodes clear. I struggled with pain after that minor op!! I just dont know how ill feel after I come round? Whats the pain like? How bad are these drains? Seroma, is that awful? Id just love to know how you feel after op so I know what to expect. I feel a bit of a wimp really as I felt dreadful after slnb op but only for a couple of days. This op im assuming is going to be a lot worse?!!! Although been told node ops tend to be worse?? Hmm?? I am so petrified. Scared of needle in hand as my veins v hard & deep so its a struggle & it hurts. I tend to feel v sick with anaesthetic & pain relief. Oh god. Im last on surgeons list too so tomorrows just going to be awful xxx ... View more

Hi ive had my 4th herceptin today (2nd via injection) in thigh. The nurse for some reason gave it over nearly 15 mins instead of the usual 5 mins. Soon as needle out I looked down to quite a big lump. when i checked again after a short while this big lump was now at least the size of a cricket ball! I the nurse to have a look and they got a young doctor in who said it could be a local reaction and have given me some Piriton. this evening the lump it still the same and i'm just wondering as i'm also feeling perfectly fine if the Herceptin is just that under my skin?? Its a big round circle around the injection site. I just wondered if anybody else have experienced this please? ... View more

Can I ask if theres anybody on here that has had skin sparing mastectomy with immediate expander? That gets filled up over time then eventually replaced with a permanent implant. can I ask what the pain was llie after surgery? What happens at the infills & whats the pain like? How long is recovery? how pleased with the look of it? How bad is the surgery to remove & replace for permanent implant? Ive been offered this surgery using a mesh too?? Im an a cup so been told ill require implant in other side later on. I may need radiotherapy too. Dreading it if that ruins expander? Also been offered lumpectomy but been told as my lumps about 2.5cm in a cup breast ill have a lot taken away & will push some fat from under arm to try & fill a bit of indentation but after definite radiotherapy will need lipo from tummy & put fat into breast but will need doing a few times as your body reabsorbs the fat. This is if can get clear margins too! My nodes were clear at my sentinel lymph node biopsy op in oct. Had chemo. 6 fec t. 4wks out of chemo but on herceptin. My surgeon worried about infection. So confused. Ive opted for lumpectomy but not sure if done right thing but scared of pain from other op xx ... View more

Ok so long day in hospital. Picc line out. Went fine. Met plastic surgeon. Hes not v happy that ive been the neoadjuvant way ie chemo first to shrink lump. He said if originally id seen him & he thought it wasn't possible to have a lumpectomy then it would have been mastectomy. Reason being is, theres every chance the lump wouldn't shrink enough with chemo (mines not worked hardly at all) & as im her2+ I need herceptin. So now ive had chemo & im on herceptin ( which he says is very similar to chemo as it kills bad and healthy cells and the immune system) its left me in a position of restricting what surgery I can have & high risk surgery as ill recover slower & if I get an infection my body will not be able to fight it and i'll be in serious sh*t. So despite this he has offered me the following: 1. lumpectomy but a lot of tissue has to be removed. He said he will take some fat from under my arm to try re fill my boob but has warned there will be a large indentation at least. He said a year after radiotherapy maybe have liposuction fat from belly injected into boob to fill it out but this isn't always a permanent procedure as your body reabsorbs the fat quite often. You normally need this doing at least twice & yiu feel battered & bruised after surgery. There is also the possibility of the margins not being clear therefore needing a mastectomy anyway. If they are clear radiotherapy is a definite. 2. mastectomy but save my own skin with an immediate implant put in. Which is more invasive surgery so longer recovery time & pain. He said my boobs would be out of line. He said there is a high chance i will still need radiotherapy which could possibly ruin the implant. He kept mentioning the fact that if i had an infection it would be immediate surgery to remove the implant and i will struggle to fight a bad infection due to my herceptin i have, also been told how to quit smoking a s a p. Plus ill have 2 drains fitted! After 12 months he said he would tweak the implant or replace if required, create a nipple and with a possibility of putting a smaller implant in my other side to align both boobs up. (So im assuming ill get a bigger bust out of this eventually)??? Bye bye A/B cup?!! 1-2% chance of a recurrence with mastectomy & 4% with lumpectomy. I know number 2 mastectomy recon option sounds better but im so frightened of pain after surgery & petrified if I got an infection nurse even said it can result in death!! I asked if infections are high possibility & she said most people are fine but it does happen & with my herceptin issue its worse. I have got to make a decision by monday. Surgery is booked for 28 april either way. Help. Heads a mess!!!!! ... View more

Hi all. im currently having chemo to shrink my lump to try & enable a lumpectomy. ive had 3 fec so far. was meant to be 4 but was so ill they stopped it & started the T docetaxol. had 1 T & been very ill again. after seeing consultant after 3rd bad fecs she suggested stopping chemo & going in for mastectomy (this is assuming lump not shrunk much to enable lumpectomy) but then realised ive got to have herceptin as im her2+ so would need chemo after surgery as apparantly herceptin has to be started off with a chemo. so decided on trying the T chemo so can start herceptin (havent yet, awaiting muga scan) as it may shrink lump in meantime to enable lumpectomy. well like i say had 1 T & been v ill. the herceptin is meant to start on my next round of T but if i dont have it can i start herceptin anyway as only had T 3 wks ago?! Or does it have to be given within days of each other? Other question is do you have a drain fitted for a lumpectomy with no node involvement?? Do drains hurt to remove should i need a mastectomy? They petrify me!! Sorry long winded but hope someone can help x ... View more

Hi all. im currently having chemo to shrink my lump to try & enable a lumpectomy. ive had 3 fec so far. was meant to be 4 but was so ill they stopped it & started the T docetaxol. had 1 T & been very ill again. after seeing consultant after 3rd bad fecs she suggested stopping chemo & going in for mastectomy but then realised ive got to have herceptin as im her2+ so would need chemo after surgery as apparantly herceptin has to ne started off with a chemo. so decided on T chemo so can start herceptin (havent yet, awaiting muga scan) as it may shrink lump in meantime. well like i say had 1 T & been v ill. the herceptin is meant to start on my next round of T but if i dont have it can i start herceptin anyway as only had T 3 wks ago?! Or does it have to be given within days of each other? Other question is do you have a drain fitted for a lumpectomy with no node involvement?? Do drains hurt to remove should i need a mastectomy? They petrify me!! Sorry long winded but hope someone can help x ... View more