Reconstruction

mbarry
mbarry Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi I am recovering from bilateral mastectomy and will be having reconstruction when chemo is done. I will be having tram and I would like to hear from people who have had the tram for comments. Thanks mb.

Comments

  • webbwife50
    webbwife50 Member Posts: 394
    #2
    Hi
    Hi MB, I'm Alison, I was just where you are at this time last year. I finished chemo the end of October and had my tram the middle of December. It is a big surgery, I'm 50 and was in good health until my dx. I am just starting to get my "growl" back as my husband says. Anyway, I am very happy with the results, just make sure you have a top-notch sugeon doing the procedure. I went from a DD to a B, I now have very nice barbie boobs. I'll probably start nipple recon in Sept.. When I have nipples started, my surgeon will do a little lipo and a little bit of nip and tuc just so everyting is as good as it can be. I love my surgeon. Thats important! God bless!
  • Chickadee1955
    Chickadee1955 Member Posts: 356 Member
    #3
    webbwife50 said:

    Hi
    Hi MB, I'm Alison, I was just where you are at this time last year. I finished chemo the end of October and had my tram the middle of December. It is a big surgery, I'm 50 and was in good health until my dx. I am just starting to get my "growl" back as my husband says. Anyway, I am very happy with the results, just make sure you have a top-notch sugeon doing the procedure. I went from a DD to a B, I now have very nice barbie boobs. I'll probably start nipple recon in Sept.. When I have nipples started, my surgeon will do a little lipo and a little bit of nip and tuc just so everyting is as good as it can be. I love my surgeon. Thats important! God bless!

    I'm looking towards
    I'm looking towards reconstruction (expanders) to start in October. Any advice from those of you who have completed the process as to whether nipple reconstruction is worthwhile? I know there is the choice of nipple reconstruction of just tattoos. I'd love to hear from those of you who have "been there".
  • 20questions
    20questions Member Posts: 24
    #4
    Are there surgeons in your area who.....
    perform the DIEP as opposed to the TRAM? It would be worth seeing someone who performs DIEP so you understand there is another option available that keeps your abdominal muscles intact.

    G
  • patti anne
    patti anne Member Posts: 101
    #5
    webbwife50 said:

    Hi
    Hi MB, I'm Alison, I was just where you are at this time last year. I finished chemo the end of October and had my tram the middle of December. It is a big surgery, I'm 50 and was in good health until my dx. I am just starting to get my "growl" back as my husband says. Anyway, I am very happy with the results, just make sure you have a top-notch sugeon doing the procedure. I went from a DD to a B, I now have very nice barbie boobs. I'll probably start nipple recon in Sept.. When I have nipples started, my surgeon will do a little lipo and a little bit of nip and tuc just so everyting is as good as it can be. I love my surgeon. Thats important! God bless!

    diep
    I had a unilateral mastectomy in January of 09. Just this past May I had a DIEP done on the breast cancer side. Insurance denied the removal of the other breast, so when I have stage II done, the plastic surgeon will lift the other breast.

    I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have about the DIEP.

    Patti
  • SamuraiMom
    SamuraiMom Member Posts: 295
    #6
    going thorugh it all now...
    Hi!

    Did bilateral mastectomy but not tram flap. I'd heard recovery takes longer so I opted for expanders and silicone.

    If you'd like to see my reconstruction photos up to my recent nipple reconstruction (still healing from it from July) go to the Member Resource library on CSN and look for my photo. :)

    I'm glad I did what I did.

    My advice is to be patient once the implants are in. It takes months to settle in so you won't wake up right away with perfectly shaped boobs.

    I used pasties or breast petals to cover my mastectomy scar and help me visualize nipples before the nipple reconstruction and that helped a lot.

    Good luck!!!

    xxoo,

    SamuraiMom
  • jk1952
    jk1952 Member Posts: 613
    #7
    SamuraiMom said:

    going thorugh it all now...
    Hi!

    Did bilateral mastectomy but not tram flap. I'd heard recovery takes longer so I opted for expanders and silicone.

    If you'd like to see my reconstruction photos up to my recent nipple reconstruction (still healing from it from July) go to the Member Resource library on CSN and look for my photo. :)

    I'm glad I did what I did.

    My advice is to be patient once the implants are in. It takes months to settle in so you won't wake up right away with perfectly shaped boobs.

    I used pasties or breast petals to cover my mastectomy scar and help me visualize nipples before the nipple reconstruction and that helped a lot.

    Good luck!!!

    xxoo,

    SamuraiMom

    I had DIEP reconstruction

    I had DIEP reconstruction and I'm very happy with the results. You do need a surgeon who has a lot of experience with this surgery, though.

    I did have nipples done, and I'm not sure that I would do it again. It took a long time for one of them to heal (longer than the reconstruction surgery), and neither of them is very prominent. I didn't really want them to stick out, so they are fine for me. The main reason that I had them done was that they could be done at the same time as one of my breasts was reduced to match the other one. Otherwise, I probably would have opted for the tattoos only.

    Joyce

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