reverse tram flap

classicpat said:

ideclare

 the muscle i was referring too is the ab muscle. mine is so big bras slide up and onto my boob. being i dont feel alot there it make take a min for me to realize it. and the muscle get sore and swollen due to trying to wear a bra. for a long time i couldnt wear anything with nylon in it so i use an old cotton bra. just made be look smushed kind of like the genie bra does for me now. i saw the 1st plastic surgeon tuesday and he said in front of some dr in training o i will send u a bra i will order for you in the mail free. like i believe him and it would be much better as he doesnt really know what i'm talking about and he had told me he was going to size me for some garmet for my stomach after the surgery but when it didnt happen i asked him about it and he seemed not to remember anything about that. didnt matter i had already for a little girdle to wear. it helps me from feeling like my guts are going to fall out and if i dont wear it i am exhausted by lunch. i have to watch what i eat. cant get full or i feel out of breathe. cant eat the spicey foods i also ate and loved or that three letter word GAS happens and that can make u feel like you want to explose. this pain i asked him about in my side stomach. the man said there was nothing there have u ever heard such a thing. there is nothing in my front side of stomach area. also he told me there was no reason for my problem with digestion and such as he didnt touch any of that but that is not what he said to me several months ago. one of my breast has an indention in it that looks like a butt crack and the other one is beginning to do it. i asked about that and he said he didnt reacommend anything. that if i wanted nipples he would give them to me. i asked about reduction in size and removal of the ab muscle and he said there was a 5 to 10 % chance i could lose the radiated breast if he removed the ab muscle and if he done a reduction they would droop. i am willing to take the chance because if something is not done i am seriously considering removal of both boobs and the muscle so where have i lost if he tried. if he had listened to me in the beginning we wouldnt be near what we are now. he knew it was dangerous to use skin sparing on the radiated breast but at the last minute he decided to use it so i ended up with a skin graph and a wound vac. along with an extra ugly boob. i have to take fiber pills dailey to keep my bowels moving and if they didnt i would loose it. i know i would due to the pain when its slow. i was told that when i did this i didnt have to worry about breast cancer anymore. well they have already done a biopsy... it turned out to be fat but dang what am i surpose to do .. i dont know what may be something to check as they dont do mamo's on me anymore. i wish i had went with my first plan... remove the boobs. then if i had a problem without them i could go back for reconstruction. i'm such a dummy. thanks for listening and understanding and responding.

pat

Hello Pat,

I have just found this exchange about tram flap reconstruction.  I too have had a tram flap done in 2003, three years after I was diagnosed with stage III B inflammatory breast cancer.  I was advised by my oncologist not to have reconstruction when I had the mastectomy due to the fact that I was only working with a 20% chance of survival and he said getting me back into chemo was the most important thing.  I chose to have reconstruction after 3 years bcause I found the prosthesis to be very heavy and uncomfortable.  I tried about 3 or 4 different ones and could not come up with one that I was happy with.  I to ohave had tremendous problems and wonder if I will ever feel the same again.  I have been through 3 different surgeons and and about 9 surgeries..........also problems with hernia - big time!!  I also developed a seroma, fluid filled sack, that one dr just totally ignored when he operated.  He told me nothing was there and he fixed the hernia.  I said the hernia was not the problem, I felt like I had an orange in my abdomen and when I bent over I felt like I would throw up.  I also have the problems with bowl movements, nerve pain, and not to mention the incredible tripping and tipping over becasue I have no center of gravity.  I gave myself a rest for about 3 years and am searching for someone who will listen to me and not tell me this is a quick fix with another operation.  I am also filled with scar tissue which will give you pain.  The discomfort that you feel every day will then turn into pain by the end of the day becasue you are just trying to compensate for all the  abnormalities in your body.  I see this conversation was over a year ago but I am interested in hearing if anyone has ever had a satisifactory result.  Because of these conversations I finally know that I am not crazy and just a whiner, that I reallly do have these issues and no one can call me crazy.  Thanks!!

When I read all these post, old or not, they are relevant today.  There are many other ones like this.  I did not want just one boob.  I did not want to go through the nightmare of expanders or a tram flap.   I opted for a both breast removed with no reconstruction and I am good with that.  Do I miss them, sure I do, but it lowered my risk of reaccurence and that in itself helps me to sleep at night.

There is no right or wrong answer here.  You have to make this personal choice on your own and know the ladies on here are sincere and will listen to you and try to help you through emotionally. 

Hugs,

Annie