Radiated skin and future cosmetic surgery.

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  • mdqxx
    mdqxx Member Posts: 6
    #22
    GlowMore said:

    Radiation and our Skin

    In reading these posts just noticed that the original post was made in 2010 and that gal has not been back since 2012....but the post is still relavent to all who have this problem.    However...the thing I thought of first of all when reading all of the above was how the morning after my Lumpectomy I was so devasted by the way I looked and how my left breast was pointing off in a different direction and how uneven I was and I felt like a Freak....(and had not even HAD my Radiation yet).......but anyway....  I remember I called my Friend Julie who had gone thru so much the year before ...she had a Mastectomy and tried to have reconstruction at the same time but did not heal and had a terrible time of it and finally just stopped the process....so anyway.... I was so full of ME that I forgot about HER...and I called her and I was crying and crying....and I said:  "Oh Julie....I'm pointing in the wrong direction" .        And Julie said to me:

    "Gloria...  I'm not pointing at all".

                    *** We must remember that we are in a battle for our lives and no matter how badly we think we look....we need to remember others look as badly or worse and that the main thing is SURVIVAL.....and for some unknown reason God has allowed me to Survive for over 12 years since the end of chemo and radiation.   Prayers for all of you for Strength and Courage.   Hugs sent to all also.     Glo

    Thank you! I was humbled and

    Thank you! I was humbled and reminded of this after speaking with a fellow cancer patient undergoing radiation ...we have same schedule.  I have been vy concerned about the cosmetics and found her options even worse.  Bless you all...

  • mdqxx
    mdqxx Member Posts: 6
    #23
    wickedwoman said:

    Hello! I'm new to this site, so if I do something wrong, please forgive me and politely let me know. I had my cancer in 2005 and this December will mark 10 years clean, I hope. I had a very small medullary carcinoma of the breast and adenocarcinoma of the lymph nodes under my arm, above my collar bone and along my sternum that was only identified as being neither a breast or lymph node originated cancer. I had chemo, a lumpectomy with lymph nodes removed under my arm and then radiation. The following January I was tested for the BRCA genes and was positive for BRCA2. Why this test was not offered to me at the start, Idk, considering my extensive family history and I was only 32 years old at the time. I opted for a BMX with reconstruction, which took the entire next year to complete. I was told that the doc I had was the best for this type of reconstruction in the city. My results are disastrous! Maybe I expected too much, but I was assured it would be no problem and other than the nipples having a sketchy outcome, it would look as good as before. Unfortunately, not remotely true! Don't get me wrong, I am thankful to be alive, but had I known it would look like this, I would have opted for prosthesis. I am so ashamed of the outcome, I have resigned myself to the fact of being alone for the rest of my life. They are not the same size, shape or nipple color or placement as each other. My advice to anyone considering reconstruction after rads is to ask for before and after photos, do your homework and think about it really hard before you make your decision. Also, I had muscle from a cadaver used in my surgery to help support the implants. Idk if they still do that or not. Sorry so long.

    thank you!

    Thank you for sharing your journey...I'm so sorry it didn't work out! This is happening to thousands of women and we all need better information in able to make the best choices.  Love to you!

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