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lanie940
lanie940 CSN Member Posts: 490 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I don't know if any of your remember me mentioning this about a good friend of mine who at age 25 had breast cancer. She had a modified radical mastectomy. She had reconstruction about 4 yrs later paid for it herself, since ins didn't cover it back then. Well, she called me this morning to see how I was doing. I told her ok, and how was she. She said she'd been feeling down, she had gained a lot of weight, her hair was thining, her nails were brittle,etc. Most of all since her weight gain, her regular breast or good breast is much larger than her reconstructed one. She told me she is considering having a mastectomy on her good breast because she feels her risk is up again even though she's been fine. She has had problems with her reconstructed one, it leaked several years ago. She talked to a surgeon and they told her they don't use the TRAM flap or DEIP method as much because of physical complications! I'm wondering if those surgeons aren't too sure of themselves in doing it that way. They told her it isn't as popular anymore. I recomended her to go to my Dr.s Have any of you ladies heard this about not using your own tissue as much?
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Comments

  • Fran1947
    Fran1947 CSN Member Posts: 72
    #2
    trans flap
    Hi Lanie,

    Everyone I know who is having reconstruction is having their own tissue - but I live in LA where there are lots of resources and lots of good plastic surgeons. But I would hesitate to say that there could not be real and valid reasons why your friend's doctors don't want to do it. I chose not to do it at all.

    Hope that helps a little!

    Fran
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  • New Flower
    New Flower CSN Member Posts: 4,294 Member
    #3
    Fran1947 said:

    trans flap
    Hi Lanie,

    Everyone I know who is having reconstruction is having their own tissue - but I live in LA where there are lots of resources and lots of good plastic surgeons. But I would hesitate to say that there could not be real and valid reasons why your friend's doctors don't want to do it. I chose not to do it at all.

    Hope that helps a little!

    Fran

    I had Tram Flap too
    Hi Lanie,
    As Fran I live in LA too. I had immediate Tram Flap reconstruction after mastectomy.
    There some limitations and after the surgery and some complications are possible too. Consultation with Plastic surgeon is required to determine reconstruction options.
    Your girlfriend probably needs a second opinion.
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  • lanie940
    lanie940 CSN Member Posts: 490 Member
    #4
    New Flower said:

    I had Tram Flap too
    Hi Lanie,
    As Fran I live in LA too. I had immediate Tram Flap reconstruction after mastectomy.
    There some limitations and after the surgery and some complications are possible too. Consultation with Plastic surgeon is required to determine reconstruction options.
    Your girlfriend probably needs a second opinion.

    Thanks, I told her that
    Thanks, I told her that also. I was looking up drs in my area, also the procedures themselves. A friend of mine had the TRAM flap like 11 years ago and she had problems with the abdominal incision, but not her breast, that went well. She's had no recurrances. It seems that it take special skill to do both procedures and not all plastic surgeons are trained or have expertise especially with the DIEP flap. I did find one in my are that has privileges at both area hospitals, and he does the DIEP flap.I hope she goes for a second option/oppinion.
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