bilateral mastectomy -- should I do reconstruction at the same time or wait until after radiation?..

Jan70

I was diagnosed with 2 seperate primary breast cancers on 12/17/2009. I have 2 more chemo treatments and then will have surgery round about June 9th. After surgery I will be having radiation, I have 2 differing opinions about reconstruction. My primary breast doc says they can do the mastectomy, and reconstruction and then use expanders to hold the place so that the radiation doesn't wreck the implants, my second opinion says to wait for reconstruction. I can see the advantages of both. what I want to know is the disadvantages I've seen some posts here about the expanders being really uncomfortable as far as sleeping.

e_hope

i had the double mastectomy
i had the double mastectomy with reconst with expanders. chemo, then rad..

I had my expanders fully expanded to the desired size then over expander to allow for the shrinking that radiation can cause.. I had my silicone exchange about 1 1/2months after rad was complete.. finished rad Nov 2... had exchange surgery Dec 17

I was told if you are going to do reconstruction with expanders you have to have them before radiation.. because once they rad the skin.. it won't stretch.. what is your plastic surgeon telling you?????

As for expander... they SUCK.... not going to sugar coat it.. they are like having two rocks attached to the front of you that never move...

Jan70

e_hope said:

i had the double mastectomy
i had the double mastectomy with reconst with expanders. chemo, then rad..

I had my expanders fully expanded to the desired size then over expander to allow for the shrinking that radiation can cause.. I had my silicone exchange about 1 1/2months after rad was complete.. finished rad Nov 2... had exchange surgery Dec 17

I was told if you are going to do reconstruction with expanders you have to have them before radiation.. because once they rad the skin.. it won't stretch.. what is your plastic surgeon telling you?????

As for expander... they SUCK.... not going to sugar coat it.. they are like having two rocks attached to the front of you that never move...

you're right
the expanders do go before the radiation. is it too soon to have chemo brain?

dyaneb123

Jan70 said:

you're right
the expanders do go before the radiation. is it too soon to have chemo brain?

I dont see any advantage to
I dont see any advantage to waiting to do reconstruction. Why prolong the whole ordeal?
The expanders aren't great, but at least you are moving forward toward getting back a normal life. And I have to say I think it helped me phychologically to have a "breast" of some sort there, rather than waking up to nothing. I will have my final surgery to reduce my left breast so that it matches my implant at the end of April and I'll be done!!! Yay!!!

Jan70

dyaneb123 said:

I dont see any advantage to
I dont see any advantage to waiting to do reconstruction. Why prolong the whole ordeal?
The expanders aren't great, but at least you are moving forward toward getting back a normal life. And I have to say I think it helped me phychologically to have a "breast" of some sort there, rather than waking up to nothing. I will have my final surgery to reduce my left breast so that it matches my implant at the end of April and I'll be done!!! Yay!!!

looking forward
looking forward to being done. congrats to you and thanks for the feedback.

LynnKT

Jan70 said:

looking forward
looking forward to being done. congrats to you and thanks for the feedback.

I have had my expanders in
I have had my expanders in Nov '09 when I had my bil. mast. I just finished my last chemo last Thursday. I am now waiting to see if I will be needing rad. My humble recommendation is to go ahead and have the exp. in place when you have the surgery. It is good to get it all over with. The exp. feel uncomfortable for a while and then you grow accustomed to them. Everyone's situation is different, though, so you have to go with what is right for you!