deflated expanders for radiation

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confused123
confused123 Member Posts: 251
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Has anyone had their expanders deflated before radiation? How did it work out?

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  • ritazimm
    ritazimm Member Posts: 171
    #2
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    tissue expander
    I believe that it depends on what type of tissue expander you have and where you need the radiation, but I had my tissue expander replaced with a saline implant prior to having my radiation. My plastic surgeon thought that he had put in the expander that the rad onc would want in if I did indeed need radiation. Since I didn't know that I would at the time of my mastectomy I didn't have a rad onc chosen yet and he said that each rad onc has different types of expanders that they feel are okay. Anyway, it was just an outpatient surgery to replace the expander and it was so worth it to get that plastic bowl out of my chest!!! My saline implant actually handled the surgery quite well and I would be okay with leaving it in for a while but I am having a DIEP flap surgery in August. I think the radiated implant gets a bit messed up and wouldn't last as ling as a non-radiated one anyway. Not sure this helped at all but good luck!!!

    God bless,
    Rita
  • confused123
    confused123 Member Posts: 251
    #3
    Options
    ritazimm said:

    tissue expander
    I believe that it depends on what type of tissue expander you have and where you need the radiation, but I had my tissue expander replaced with a saline implant prior to having my radiation. My plastic surgeon thought that he had put in the expander that the rad onc would want in if I did indeed need radiation. Since I didn't know that I would at the time of my mastectomy I didn't have a rad onc chosen yet and he said that each rad onc has different types of expanders that they feel are okay. Anyway, it was just an outpatient surgery to replace the expander and it was so worth it to get that plastic bowl out of my chest!!! My saline implant actually handled the surgery quite well and I would be okay with leaving it in for a while but I am having a DIEP flap surgery in August. I think the radiated implant gets a bit messed up and wouldn't last as ling as a non-radiated one anyway. Not sure this helped at all but good luck!!!

    God bless,
    Rita

    Thanks for the response. It
    Thanks for the response. It helps but gives me more questions to ask. What kind of expander did you have that the rad onc did not like. I also did not know if I needed rad at time of surgery and 2 opinions after saying I do. They are going to radiate my whole breast because of close margins to the chest wall. I am going to be getting saline implants after rad, not doing it with my own tissue. Can't wait to get the expanders out. I hate them but at least they don't hurt like some others do.

    Thanks,
    Kim
  • dbs1673
    dbs1673 Member Posts: 203
    #4
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    confused123 said:

    Thanks for the response. It
    Thanks for the response. It helps but gives me more questions to ask. What kind of expander did you have that the rad onc did not like. I also did not know if I needed rad at time of surgery and 2 opinions after saying I do. They are going to radiate my whole breast because of close margins to the chest wall. I am going to be getting saline implants after rad, not doing it with my own tissue. Can't wait to get the expanders out. I hate them but at least they don't hurt like some others do.

    Thanks,
    Kim

    expanders
    Hi Kim, Like you I didn't think I was going to need the radiation but prophets we are not and radiation I needed. My expanders remained in during my radiation and I also had the entire breast treated. According to all my drs, the expanders were not an issue, I just had to be fully expanded before they did the simulation and marking. What I did not know is that there is quite a recommended time period of having the expanders removed and the implants put in after the radiation. My Dr said it is generally one month for every week of radiation you had. Waiting 7 months for me seemed like an eternity. I had silicone implants put in in April. My untreated side seems better than the radiated side. The radiated side is not as soft, has scar tissue. I know my body is still healing and I'm still massaging and still trying to learn patience. My next follow-up appt is next week and I am anxious/nervous.

    dawn
  • confused123
    confused123 Member Posts: 251
    #5
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    dbs1673 said:

    expanders
    Hi Kim, Like you I didn't think I was going to need the radiation but prophets we are not and radiation I needed. My expanders remained in during my radiation and I also had the entire breast treated. According to all my drs, the expanders were not an issue, I just had to be fully expanded before they did the simulation and marking. What I did not know is that there is quite a recommended time period of having the expanders removed and the implants put in after the radiation. My Dr said it is generally one month for every week of radiation you had. Waiting 7 months for me seemed like an eternity. I had silicone implants put in in April. My untreated side seems better than the radiated side. The radiated side is not as soft, has scar tissue. I know my body is still healing and I'm still massaging and still trying to learn patience. My next follow-up appt is next week and I am anxious/nervous.

    dawn

    Dawn, I am in tears as I
    Dawn, I am in tears as I read your note because I have been looking for months for someone who has completed the process I am about to begin. My ps is not excited about the rad because of the things you described with scar tissue etc. I am more concerned about them looking the same and being the same size. DId you have trouble with that or with burningh during rad? My ps wants me to wait 2 months for implants if I am inflated and 4 if I do it deflated and he wants me deflated. I am leaning towards having it fully inflated like the rad onc wants. Also I have felt the saline and silicone implants at the drs office and like the silicne better but hear the saline is safer. What lead you to the silicone, if you don't mind me asking. I am glad to hear it sounds like you are doing okay after all you have been through. How many weeks of rad did you have, 7. I am doing 32 treatments and start at the end of June because I have to finish the Taxol first. God luck at your appt next week. I wiould love to hear how it goes.

    Kim
  • confused123
    confused123 Member Posts: 251
    #6
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    dbs1673 said:

    expanders
    Hi Kim, Like you I didn't think I was going to need the radiation but prophets we are not and radiation I needed. My expanders remained in during my radiation and I also had the entire breast treated. According to all my drs, the expanders were not an issue, I just had to be fully expanded before they did the simulation and marking. What I did not know is that there is quite a recommended time period of having the expanders removed and the implants put in after the radiation. My Dr said it is generally one month for every week of radiation you had. Waiting 7 months for me seemed like an eternity. I had silicone implants put in in April. My untreated side seems better than the radiated side. The radiated side is not as soft, has scar tissue. I know my body is still healing and I'm still massaging and still trying to learn patience. My next follow-up appt is next week and I am anxious/nervous.

    dawn

    Dawn, I am in tears as I
    Dawn, I am in tears as I read your note because I have been looking for months for someone who has completed the process I am about to begin. My ps is not excited about the rad because of the things you described with scar tissue etc. I am more concerned about them looking the same and being the same size. DId you have trouble with that or with burningh during rad? My ps wants me to wait 2 months for implants if I am inflated and 4 if I do it deflated and he wants me deflated. I am leaning towards having it fully inflated like the rad onc wants. Also I have felt the saline and silicone implants at the drs office and like the silicne better but hear the saline is safer. What lead you to the silicone, if you don't mind me asking. I am glad to hear it sounds like you are doing okay after all you have been through. How many weeks of rad did you have, 7. I am doing 32 treatments and start at the end of June because I have to finish the Taxol first. God luck at your appt next week. I wiould love to hear how it goes.

    Kim
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #7
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    Just a question. Aren't the
    Just a question. Aren't the silicone implants the ones that have caused so many women all of the diseases and problems? There have been a lot of movie stars and anchor women and that one talk show host that had them taken out because they were causing so many problems in their body. I can't remember her name, she was blonde.
  • confused123
    confused123 Member Posts: 251
    #8
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    jnl said:

    Just a question. Aren't the
    Just a question. Aren't the silicone implants the ones that have caused so many women all of the diseases and problems? There have been a lot of movie stars and anchor women and that one talk show host that had them taken out because they were causing so many problems in their body. I can't remember her name, she was blonde.

    I haven't talked to my doc
    I haven't talked to my doc much about it because I am not having surgery for a while. From what I know the silicone ones did give people problens but I am not sure if they have changed over the years. My ps did tell that I would be having regular breast MRIs and if the silicone leaked they would see it. You can tell if the saline is leaking because the implant will colapse. You can't tell from the outside if the silicone leaks. The saline does seem safer but the silicone definitely feels more real to me.
  • dyaneb123
    dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
    #9
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    confused123 said:

    I haven't talked to my doc
    I haven't talked to my doc much about it because I am not having surgery for a while. From what I know the silicone ones did give people problens but I am not sure if they have changed over the years. My ps did tell that I would be having regular breast MRIs and if the silicone leaked they would see it. You can tell if the saline is leaking because the implant will colapse. You can't tell from the outside if the silicone leaks. The saline does seem safer but the silicone definitely feels more real to me.

    Hey there
    I have an expander
    Hey there
    I have an expander in my rt. breast which is saline filled. It will be deflated during radiation (probably sometime in Oct.) and my reconstructive guy says we can proably do the implant and matching up the other breast over Christms break.... so that's not so long to wait...
    Dee
  • dbs1673
    dbs1673 Member Posts: 203
    #10
    Options
    dyaneb123 said:

    Hey there
    I have an expander
    Hey there
    I have an expander in my rt. breast which is saline filled. It will be deflated during radiation (probably sometime in Oct.) and my reconstructive guy says we can proably do the implant and matching up the other breast over Christms break.... so that's not so long to wait...
    Dee

    some answers
    I'll happily share what my experience has been. First, the expanders are filled with saline. Again,both my plastic surgeon and the radiation oncologist discussed this together and were OK with leaving them in and expanded. I had to be fully expanded as when they do the simulation to set the radition treatment your body and shape need to be the same through out the treatments. The tatooing is done to help mark and position where you will be on the table and the treatment is targeted to. My radiation consisted of 37 treatments that included 6 boosts. Every other day I had what was called a bollus treatment. A fancy name to say they put a wet towel on my chest and then did the treatment. The purpose of that is to pull the radiation closer to the surface of the skin since that is where my margins were off. I was diagnosis DCIS. I had two tumors, one near the surface, the other deeper. I had burning but not what I would call severe. I was more irritated with some itching. Both drs felt the expanders were not effected during the radiation. The wait between to get the implants was torture for me mostly because I didn't know the time line expectation. I did my research on the saline vs silicone and YES the risk is not anything like it was. Anything foreign in your body has risks. Also remember there is a difference between breast augmentation and breast reconstruction. This is a personal decision for you but I have no regrets. As far as the scar tissue, that's a side effect of the radiation again regardless of what reconstruction you may consider. Again, I have no regrets about anything that I've done thus far. I cried when I got my implants because it was the first time in 10 months that I felt something soft. I'm still practicing patience as again I know I'm still healing, still letting go of the old me, still looking for the bridge to know the new me.

    dawn

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