Double Mastectomy w/Tummy Tuck

sherria49
sherria49 Member Posts: 126
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I was diagnosed mid-August with breast cancer on the left, with A typical cells on the right. From the very first day I wanted to have the bilateral-mastectomy. I have read several stories of bilat mast w/tummy tuck. And most have been negative. Even the doctors are telling me that it is much more painful and a longer recovery time.

Although, I realize everyone's pain threshhold is different, I just wanted to get some feedback on this. Any and all feedback & suggestions are welcome and needed. I am scared to death of this whole process and not looking forward to the recovery.

Comments

  • Bev1969
    Bev1969 Member Posts: 48
    #2
    advantages/disadvantages of Tummy Tuck
    I had a mastectomy in May and am currently doing chemo, so I won't have reconstruction until after I'm done with chemo and radiation. So I can't tell you how much pain you will have, but I can tell you what my plastic surgeon told me. He agreed that it is more painful, a longer surgery, a longer hospital stay and a longer recovery which makes sense because you will have two incisions, but he also said it is the most natural. Also, you don't have to worry about the implant wearing out. He said on average an implant lasts 10 years. They can leak or get hard. There is also a risk of scar tissue around the implant getting hard. The odds are pretty low (around 10%) for the scar tissue hardening if you don't have radiation but they increase (25% to 50%) if you have had radiation.
    So, I am thinking about having the tummy tuck. I have a friend who had one 17 years ago and she is glad she did it. They controlled the pain pretty well after the mastectomy so I'm hopeful they will for this also. I think I'm dreading the drains more than anything!
  • sherria49
    sherria49 Member Posts: 126
    #3
    Bev1969 said:

    advantages/disadvantages of Tummy Tuck
    I had a mastectomy in May and am currently doing chemo, so I won't have reconstruction until after I'm done with chemo and radiation. So I can't tell you how much pain you will have, but I can tell you what my plastic surgeon told me. He agreed that it is more painful, a longer surgery, a longer hospital stay and a longer recovery which makes sense because you will have two incisions, but he also said it is the most natural. Also, you don't have to worry about the implant wearing out. He said on average an implant lasts 10 years. They can leak or get hard. There is also a risk of scar tissue around the implant getting hard. The odds are pretty low (around 10%) for the scar tissue hardening if you don't have radiation but they increase (25% to 50%) if you have had radiation.
    So, I am thinking about having the tummy tuck. I have a friend who had one 17 years ago and she is glad she did it. They controlled the pain pretty well after the mastectomy so I'm hopeful they will for this also. I think I'm dreading the drains more than anything!

    Thanks!
    I do have a high tolerance for pain. And my work is very supportive on the whole situation. I have been told that I won't need radiation. There is so much information out here and so many decisions to make in such a short amount of time. They want to schedule mastectomy for next week. I just want part 1 over with before the holidays although I will be going through chemo during the holidays. Maybe I won't be as hungry and will lose addition lbs. lol
  • Beaglemation
    Beaglemation Member Posts: 2
    #4
    sherria49 said:

    Thanks!
    I do have a high tolerance for pain. And my work is very supportive on the whole situation. I have been told that I won't need radiation. There is so much information out here and so many decisions to make in such a short amount of time. They want to schedule mastectomy for next week. I just want part 1 over with before the holidays although I will be going through chemo during the holidays. Maybe I won't be as hungry and will lose addition lbs. lol

    bi-lateral mastectomy w/tummy tuck
    I had a bi-lateral mastectomy with the reconstructive TRAM (tummy tuck) on May 28. I did not have much pain after the first few days, although I have been told by medical people that I have a high tolerance for pain. The recovery is slow, but do-able. My only complaint is that I do not currently have a waist, and none of my pants or jeans fit me. I am hoping that this will get better over time, as it has only been four months.
  • sherria49
    sherria49 Member Posts: 126
    #5
    Beaglemation said:

    bi-lateral mastectomy w/tummy tuck
    I had a bi-lateral mastectomy with the reconstructive TRAM (tummy tuck) on May 28. I did not have much pain after the first few days, although I have been told by medical people that I have a high tolerance for pain. The recovery is slow, but do-able. My only complaint is that I do not currently have a waist, and none of my pants or jeans fit me. I am hoping that this will get better over time, as it has only been four months.

    No waist??
    Not quite sure I understand, no waist due to swelling???
  • jk1952
    jk1952 Member Posts: 613
    #6
    sherria49 said:

    No waist??
    Not quite sure I understand, no waist due to swelling???

    In April, I had a bilateral
    In April, I had a bilateral mastectomy and immediate DIEP reconstruction (tummy tuck and the tissue is disconnected and the blood supply is reconnected under the arm). It is not the TRAM flap where the tissue is tunneled up to your breast. I would definitely recommend it (and have it done at the same time, if possible), especially if you have a high tolerance for pain. I stopped the morphine the day after the surgery and was only on Advil and Tylenol two days after surgery. Since I have a hard time with the painkillers, I always try to get off them as soon as possible.

    It is a longer recovery period, but there really isn't as much that needs to be done after the recovery time. And, they are natural and don't need to be replaced.

    Joyce
  • AStr0ngerme_thankGod
    AStr0ngerme_thankGod Member Posts: 5
    #7
    Beaglemation said:

    bi-lateral mastectomy w/tummy tuck
    I had a bi-lateral mastectomy with the reconstructive TRAM (tummy tuck) on May 28. I did not have much pain after the first few days, although I have been told by medical people that I have a high tolerance for pain. The recovery is slow, but do-able. My only complaint is that I do not currently have a waist, and none of my pants or jeans fit me. I am hoping that this will get better over time, as it has only been four months.

    I did bilateral masectomy, chemo and radiation. I have gone to the plastic surgery clinic. Because I did radiation I have to wait for a least 1 year before reconstruction. I was not sure if I wanted to do it until I read your thing. How long is the surgery, and is it true that there is no feeling in your stomach after the procedure?
  • jk1952
    jk1952 Member Posts: 613
    #8
    AStr0ngerme_thankGod said:

    I did bilateral masectomy, chemo and radiation. I have gone to the plastic surgery clinic. Because I did radiation I have to wait for a least 1 year before reconstruction. I was not sure if I wanted to do it until I read your thing. How long is the surgery, and is it true that there is no feeling in your stomach after the procedure?

    My surgery was 8 - 9 hours

    My surgery was 8 - 9 hours for both the mastectomy and reconstruction. I do not have much feeling in my abdomen, but it isn't numb. You get used to it fairly quickly. The feeling does seem to be coming back some, but it could be my imagination.

    Joyce
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #9
    jk1952 said:

    My surgery was 8 - 9 hours

    My surgery was 8 - 9 hours for both the mastectomy and reconstruction. I do not have much feeling in my abdomen, but it isn't numb. You get used to it fairly quickly. The feeling does seem to be coming back some, but it could be my imagination.

    Joyce

    Thank you board members for the input ..
    I too will have to make a decision regarding my breast (s) early 2010. I have decided on bi=lateral mastectomy and reconstruction using my belly fat. My bc specialist stated plastic surgerons here in California prefer not to perform this procedure due to the length. I am very interested in the pro's & cons.


    Thank you for posting this subject .. food for thought.


    VickiSam
  • jk1952
    jk1952 Member Posts: 613
    #10
    VickiSam said:

    Thank you board members for the input ..
    I too will have to make a decision regarding my breast (s) early 2010. I have decided on bi=lateral mastectomy and reconstruction using my belly fat. My bc specialist stated plastic surgerons here in California prefer not to perform this procedure due to the length. I am very interested in the pro's & cons.


    Thank you for posting this subject .. food for thought.


    VickiSam

    I was diagnosed with a very
    I was diagnosed with a very small amount of invasive cancer in 2000, and had a lumpectomy and radiation. I did have a few other 'scares' after that, but there was nothing definitive until early this year when they found DCIS in the same breast. I chose to have a bilateral mastectomy and immediate DIEP reconstruction, and I'm glad that I went that route.

    The surgery can take a long time, but the most important thing is that your plastic surgeon be experienced in the procedure. There are only about 150 surgeons in the US with the needed experience (more can do the TRAM flap where tissue is tunneled up to your breast). My surgeon's office is 2 miles from my house which is amazing considering some people travel for hours in order to have the procedure.

    I did have some damage to the blood supply under my arm (from radiation in 2000) but the surgeon was able to successfully reconnect the blood supply. This is one of the reasons that you need a highly qualified surgeon.

    Joyce
  • mrsziggy
    mrsziggy Member Posts: 20
    #11
    I had a bilateral mastectomy
    I had a bilateral mastectomy with tram reconstruction on May 8th. Surgery was 10 hrs and hospital stay was 4 days only because I lived 4 hrs away. They were ready to release me after day 3 but decided to let me stay because of the distance from home. I came off morphine day 2 and only took pain pills as needed. My recovery really wasn't that bad. Pain is tolerable. The all time worst part of the whole procedure was the drain tubes. I came home with 6 and suffered severly with the pain. My skin got infected where they were inserted. My husband went to the pharmacy and bought an antiobiotic and numbing cream to rub around them. That definitely helped. Thank God I only had them in for a week. What a relief when they took them out. Anyway, I am very pleased with the results. I am glad I opted to have this kind of reconstruction because it is all natural - no foreign material - nothing that I have to worry about leaking or being replaced. I go next wk for some touch up surgery. I do have some big fatty deposits on each end of my stomach incision that they are going to remove. They are also going to touch up one of my breasts. I will be very glad when it is ALL OVER. Hang in there and good luck. My prayers are with you.

    Tracy
  • 20questions
    20questions Member Posts: 24
    #12
    Ask to talk with patients...............
    At least 2 or 3, of the surgeon you are considering for the procedure. They should give this information willingly and preferably patients who are similar to you in age, lifestyle etc... Get their input on how their recovery went. Then you are sure to be evaluating the exact procedure you are planning to have. Lots of women get the DIEP and the TRAM confused because the "tummy tuck" scar looks the same. However, the recovery from those two procedures is very different.
  • mmontero38
    mmontero38 Member Posts: 1,510
    #13
    VickiSam said:

    Thank you board members for the input ..
    I too will have to make a decision regarding my breast (s) early 2010. I have decided on bi=lateral mastectomy and reconstruction using my belly fat. My bc specialist stated plastic surgerons here in California prefer not to perform this procedure due to the length. I am very interested in the pro's & cons.


    Thank you for posting this subject .. food for thought.


    VickiSam

    Vicki, I had a mastectomy in
    Vicki, I had a mastectomy in June 2007 and the tram flap reconstruction in February 2008 after having finished all my treatment. I was in the operating room for 5 hours during reconstruction. I am extremely happy with the results and have no regrets doing this procedure. If you have any particular question, you can ask me or send me a pm and I will more than happy to answer. Hugs, Lili
  • cats_toy
    cats_toy Member Posts: 1,462 Member
    #14
    Welcome Sherria49
    I had a partal mastectomy in March of 2007, and just had the "free flap' done 6 weeks ago. The free was because I had a previous surgery scar on my stomach, and lymph node removal under my arm that did not allow the skin to stay attached. The flap staying attached is a good thing because there is always a constant flow of blood to the area. My surgery was over 6 hours, and a 6 day hospital stay, with 3 lovely drains coming home with me. I did go to 3 different plastic surgeons before choosing, and actually went to Pasadena to have the procedure done, which is about 30 miles from me.
    Pain, which is always different with everyone, was pretty tolerable, but worse that my original bc surgery. Recovery is taking longer too, but I am happy with the results mainly because I had a lot of scar tissue from radiation that was lumpy and worrisome to me and came up on all of the MRI, ultrasound and mammos.
    Good luck with your decision, and let us know when you can.
    Cat
  • 20questions
    20questions Member Posts: 24
    #15
    VickiSam said:

    Thank you board members for the input ..
    I too will have to make a decision regarding my breast (s) early 2010. I have decided on bi=lateral mastectomy and reconstruction using my belly fat. My bc specialist stated plastic surgerons here in California prefer not to perform this procedure due to the length. I am very interested in the pro's & cons.


    Thank you for posting this subject .. food for thought.


    VickiSam

    There are surgeons in CA who cheerfully do DIEP everyday
    There is a list at www.diepsisters.com. Good luck!

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