Silicone Implants before Radiation?

fighting4five
fighting4five Member Posts: 71
in Breast Cancer #1
Hi everyone,
First I want to thank everyone for the advice and support.Your kind words have ment so much and today has been a much better day.I know that I will walk into my first chemo treatment with the same faith that I have had since being diagnosed and walk out of my last faith still intact.
I had an appointment with my plastic surgeon this morning. I have tissue expanders in and will recieve silicone implants once expanders are inflated. When I told him that my Doctor recomended Radiation he said that we needed to get the expanders filled asap and get the implants in. He said Radiation will make it very hard and he would rather implants be in before I start radiation. It seems to me that it will make the implant hard as well. Has anyone had radiation with implants and how did it effect the feel of them?
My health is more important to me than the feel of my breast so I will do the radiation regardless. Im just having trouble understanding why he is now in a hurry. I know that some of you have had radiation with expanders in so any guidance is appreciated.

Much love
Mary

Comments

  • renee616
    renee616 Member Posts: 181
    #2
    Hi Mary
    I got an immediate
    Hi Mary
    I got an immediate silicone implant, My Doctors including plastic sorgeon were hoping I wouldn't need radiation. But I will be having 6 weeks of it. Plastic surgeon said Ideally he would have liked to do if afterwards because there is the chance of hardening. My radioligist Dr said that while it is a chance, that it doesn't usually happen. For me its a wait & see. I hate to have it redone but nothing I can do at this point.
  • fighting4five
    fighting4five Member Posts: 71
    #3
    renee616 said:

    Hi Mary
    I got an immediate
    Hi Mary
    I got an immediate silicone implant, My Doctors including plastic sorgeon were hoping I wouldn't need radiation. But I will be having 6 weeks of it. Plastic surgeon said Ideally he would have liked to do if afterwards because there is the chance of hardening. My radioligist Dr said that while it is a chance, that it doesn't usually happen. For me its a wait & see. I hate to have it redone but nothing I can do at this point.

    Thank you Renee...I hope all
    Thank you Renee...I hope all goes well with your treatment and there will be no need to have it redone.I will keep you in my prayers. :)

    Mary
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #4
    Yes.....
    At the time of rads, my silicone implants were 10 years old (vanity surgery, in my wild days....*smile*)....

    Although my rad onc said he must 'tell all' that there was a possibility of hardening, he didn't see it happen very often at all...and it did nothing to mine. As my tumor was riding on top of the implant (10 years ago, they were put in above muscle), the back 'margin' of it was the capsule of the implant. Still, no trouble....

    Hugs, Kathi
  • Different Ballgame
    Different Ballgame Member Posts: 868
    #5
    It's a Fact that Tissue will harden inside breast
    Dear Mary,

    Once more we are all different as far as how our bodies react to treatment but it is a fact that your radiation breast tissue will harden. I had my silicone implants for about 1-1/2 years and then needed radiation because I had a recurrence of breast cancer on the breast scar (I am in the minus 1% category for a recurrence after mastectomy. I am extremely rare.) I have great skin. Skin after radiation is perfect. Finished radiation in January 2010. Breast stayed nice and soft until summer 2010 when it began to feel harder. My radiated breast is no longer as soft and supple as it was prior to radiation. I am told by my radiation oncologist, my plastic surgeon and his physician's assistant that my radiated breast feels and looks great compared to other women with a radiated breasted. So...i faired much better than other women, Bear in mind that I am 70 years old which makes me even more remarkable in how I healed. I guess it is either all the vitamins I take or my genetic background. I am not sure that I am accurate, but I believe that the hardness is scar tissue created by the radiation. It takes a few months for the scar tissue to form. I can't tell you why your plastic surgeon wants to operate prior to radiation and other plastic surgeons want to operate after radiation. It probably is how they believe. Not all doctors believe the same.
    Lots of Hugs,
    Janelle
  • LLinAZ
    LLinAZ Member Posts: 1
    #6
    Update after radiation?
    Hi Mary,

    I am facing the choice of implants before or after radiation. My surgeon's prefered plastic surgeon recommends implants prior to radiation. I am having a difficult time finding information to support this. (have a second opinion seceduled this week). Do you have any comments, if you have had your radition treatments yet?

    I hope all is going well with your plan.

    LLinAZ
  • KitKatKat
    KitKatKat Member Posts: 27
    #7
    hello Mary
    I had a left mastectomy on Nov1st and had a expander put in at the surgery. my plastic surgeon wants to fill the expander after my chemo is complete but not put in the implant until after my radiation, he says it will harden it. He says that after he fills the expander they can radiant all they want. He will wait a month or two after the radiation then do the exchange.
    Good luck hope all goes well for you. Hugs,

Discussion Boards