breast reconstruction

After my first BC,I also had my breast reconstructed 3yrs. after treatment, so I guess I was 42 then. I hated, despised,was absolutely repugnated by my prosthesis, lmao. But truly, that is how I felt about it. I wanted the tram-flap as opposed to other options because then it was all me. I had and have a very undepenable and pyscophrenhic(sp) back, lol. Hence, I was very nervous about the possiblity of weaking my stomach muscles in aiding my back muscles, but at the same time really wanted the tram-flap. Consequently, I went to see an orthopedic surgeon and explained my dilemma. H said it would be no problem and to go ahead w/the procedure. And, I did. For the long term, it has made all the difference in the world. There has been no effect on my back, and my stomach muscles are fine. I am deliriously happy I did it. It is Night and Day difference. Perfecto, lolol. There's no getting around the after surgery challenge. It was painful immediately afterwords, but they gave me that pump thing so I could press the button to administer more meds in between(lifesaver). Found that morphine wasn't working for me , so they switched it to dilaudid, worked like a charm. When I went home, I definately was out of commission for about 4 weeks.

My advice, is I would have done it again when I had second maestectomy but they would have had to be done at the same time for that. In other words, I would do it again in a heartbeat. The difference it made in how comfortable I was every day, is that I felt like I had never had had a maestectomy. I was big-breasted to begin with and so the balance thing was an issue for me also. Before that, at around 5 o'clock every evening my 12, 9, 4 yr old children would see this flying plastic blob sailing through the kitchen then the family room straight at the fireplace, and say, "Mom, what is that", response, "oh nothing ,don't worry, just something Mommy wants to burn , but can't", lollolo. I swear to God.

That is my experience,disgust, rejuvenation, and hope I can share with you.

Just do it! LOL, no seriously if possible, I'd say go for it!

Prayers, love and (((((((huggs)))))) for you, Kathy

Hi! I had the latissimus dorsi option for reconstruction 3 years after my mastectomy. Let me know if you want info on that. I'm having no problems and I'm a triathlete...need my lats for swimming.
Good luck on your decision. :-)

sunshine6 said:

THANK YOU KATHY!!
How long ago did you have the procedure done, and how physically active are you today? One of the risks they mentioned was hernia.
I never use a prosthesis, I can't stand for anything to press against the skin where I had my surgery, so I just go through life lop-sided, but in baggy clothes. Was your skin sensitive to the touch, and did the surgery make any difference? It seems like the nerve endings are just too close to the surface now. The wait list for me to get this done is 18 months, so I have lots of time to get scared off and cancel, but I just hate being so obviously not symmetrical. Seems like every procedure I have been subjected to has come with an unexpected surprise at the end, and even if there is a down side to this, I really want to be forewarned as much as possible. Luckily my kids are older now (17, 16, 15 and 13) than they were when I was in treatment, so hopefully they will be self-sufficient enough to let me rest and recover. Thank you so much for your thoughts on this, I am so anxious about this whole thing.
Stefanie

Hi again......I had the procedure done in'94 and i had no mention of hernia made to me, not even by the orthopedic doctor. Maybe the sensitive skin thing was what was wrong with me, because I sure as hell couldn't stand anything against it either. I think the top of the skin ends up being higher where less clothes touch it but the bottom part, while lower, will have the bra against it. All I can say is I had no skin sensittivity problems after it. My kids are now 24, 21, and 16.

My forewarning is make sure you will have that pump thing for pain medicine after surgery, and/or tell them if the pain isn't being controlled. And realize you will be recovering for that4-6 week period, maybe longer. By recovering I mean sore, taking pain meds, and doing very, very little. I had some anxiety too, but once I made the decision it all went away. I'm so glad it was helpful for you, ty.

Prayers, love and (((huggs))), Kathy

lovonna said:

I had tram-flap reconstruction in Jan 06. For me this was the easy part! As the others have mentioned the pain pump in the hospital was a must but after I went home I was off the pain meds fairly quickly, like less than a week. Everyone's tolerance for pain is different though.

I am very pleased with my reconstruction and would recommend this procedure. I chose it because I liked the idea of using my own tissue and not having a "silicone or saline bag" hanging off of me.

If you are a cannidate for this, I say do it.

God Bless, LoVonna

Thanks for sharing your experiences, nice to read others since 10 years later almost and still haven't brought myself to think about it. I had one mastectomy then the other and that was enough for me I had always felt. Maybe after reading about others it might inspire me to go have some more surgery. I'll never say never...
Tara

Mich1417 said:

Hi! I had the latissimus dorsi option for reconstruction 3 years after my mastectomy. Let me know if you want info on that. I'm having no problems and I'm a triathlete...need my lats for swimming.
Good luck on your decision. :-)

Hi, I had my bilateral mastectomy in August with tissue expanders put in immediately. The expanders aren't working well on the side I had my radiation on so I was told the skin wouldn't stretch anymore. My Dr. mentioned the latissimus dorsi option and I just wanted some input from people who have been through that. Thank you for any information you may have regarding this.

Tram-flap