Breast Reconstruction and Radiation Treatment

jchristina
jchristina Member Posts: 9
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I have been diagnosed with TN Stage IIB on right breast and treatment has been 8 rounds of chemo (last one on January 3rd!!) followed by double mastectomy and 25 radiation treatments. Plastic surgeon is planning to do a "delayed reconstruction" which means he will insert the tissue expanders at the same time of the breast surgery but will not put in the gel implants until after radiation is complete. Reason is that radiated breast most likely will get harder so he wants to monitor it until he is happy with the results and then replace it with the implants. If the outcome is not satisfactory, he wants to do a "Latissimus Dorsi Flap" which is removing tissue from your back to your chest in addition to the breast gel. This softens the breast if the results do not look good after radiation. I am not crazy about a 2nd surgery and hoping the expander & implant will be enough. I don't care about having the perfect breast just getting all the cancer out. Has anyone had breast reconstruction on radiatiated breast and what was your outcome?

Comments

  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #2
    no advice
    just thinking of you..
    i had surgery and radiation-(lumpectomy)

    I'll be thinking of you and I am sure someone on this site has helpful info
  • Mari1
    Mari1 Member Posts: 2
    #3
    latissimus flap
    I had one breast removed, chemo and reconstructive surgery. The cancer returned and 3 years later had axillary node surgery and radiation. The radiation made my reconstructed breast hard and mis-shappened. This has been about 1 1/2 years ago since my last radiation treatment. After much struggles emotionally, I'm having the latissimus flap surgery on January 13, 2011. I can't say I'm not nervous - I'm hoping that the results are good. I will let you know how it all turns out. I am not exactly sure what to expect on this surgery. If anyone has any knowledge or advice on that, I would appreciate it.

    Thanks,
    Mari
  • betsymorgan
    betsymorgan Member Posts: 25
    #4
    not personal experience, but...
    I had a tram-flap reconstruction (instead of the lat-flap), and during the discussion about implants, was told that radiation, depending on what needed to be radiated could or could not make the implant hard. Apparently where I live (Michigan), the oncology center has techniques that can get around implants. I was told that it wouldn't be a problem. But not having had to go that route, I may have remembered that wrong....

    not sure this helped much....
    betsy
  • jendrey
    jendrey Member Posts: 377
    #5
    ...
    I had a tissue expander put in place at the same time as the mastectomy. Then chemotherapy followed by radiation. I had to wait three months after finishing radiation before the plastic surgeon would exchange the expander for the actual implant (surgery was on November 15).

    My skin is different now perhaps even a bit leathery, if you will, in the radiated area and it's numb! (from surgery, I'm guessing) I had the end of a stitch poking out from the wound which was snipped but has taken a lot longer to close up because of it.

    On second thought, leathery isn't really a good description. It's more like when your leg falls asleep but before you begin to feel it wake up how like you really can't feel your foot but yet you can and how if you touch the skin before pins and needles/tingling feeling it feels so very oddly different. If that makes any sense, that's sort of how it feels.

    Overall, the skin is soft and even pliable, the numbness is mostly along the scar line and seems to be fading a little bit each day. I've been very fortunate as I've never had any pain but OMG, I've had the most severe itching that you could possibly imagine. =)
  • dyaneb123
    dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
    #6
    jendrey said:

    ...
    I had a tissue expander put in place at the same time as the mastectomy. Then chemotherapy followed by radiation. I had to wait three months after finishing radiation before the plastic surgeon would exchange the expander for the actual implant (surgery was on November 15).

    My skin is different now perhaps even a bit leathery, if you will, in the radiated area and it's numb! (from surgery, I'm guessing) I had the end of a stitch poking out from the wound which was snipped but has taken a lot longer to close up because of it.

    On second thought, leathery isn't really a good description. It's more like when your leg falls asleep but before you begin to feel it wake up how like you really can't feel your foot but yet you can and how if you touch the skin before pins and needles/tingling feeling it feels so very oddly different. If that makes any sense, that's sort of how it feels.

    Overall, the skin is soft and even pliable, the numbness is mostly along the scar line and seems to be fading a little bit each day. I've been very fortunate as I've never had any pain but OMG, I've had the most severe itching that you could possibly imagine. =)

    I had a tissue expander
    I had a tissue expander during chemo and rads and then had the implant and a reduction on the other breast. Unfortunately, the rads has caused the pocket around the implant to form scar tissue and the breast has become very flat and hard, so once again the breasts are 2 different sizes and look lopsided....so I'm actually going back in tomorrow for corrective surgery to try to remove the scar tissue.....if this doesn't work, the surgeon has mentioned the dorsal flap...but I don't think so....I'm 61....I just don't really care that much how it looks...If I were 40 , it might be different. At this point if they just look the same size, I'll be happy. Good luck with you're surgeries. I hope you have a better result!
  • GreeneyedGirl
    GreeneyedGirl Member Posts: 1,077
    #7
    dyaneb123 said:

    I had a tissue expander
    I had a tissue expander during chemo and rads and then had the implant and a reduction on the other breast. Unfortunately, the rads has caused the pocket around the implant to form scar tissue and the breast has become very flat and hard, so once again the breasts are 2 different sizes and look lopsided....so I'm actually going back in tomorrow for corrective surgery to try to remove the scar tissue.....if this doesn't work, the surgeon has mentioned the dorsal flap...but I don't think so....I'm 61....I just don't really care that much how it looks...If I were 40 , it might be different. At this point if they just look the same size, I'll be happy. Good luck with you're surgeries. I hope you have a better result!

    I had reconstruction/Lat flap~
    My history is kinda long...first had a lumpectomy, then 6 weeks of radiation. Over the course of a year that breast shrunk and got firm in the radiated area. 2 years later a recurrence and had a mastectomy, tissue expander, and lat flap. today I look amazing. very even and balanced (did have the other breast reduced to match). Boobs of a woman half my age!
  • Megan M
    Megan M Member Posts: 3,000
    #8
    Mari1 said:

    latissimus flap
    I had one breast removed, chemo and reconstructive surgery. The cancer returned and 3 years later had axillary node surgery and radiation. The radiation made my reconstructed breast hard and mis-shappened. This has been about 1 1/2 years ago since my last radiation treatment. After much struggles emotionally, I'm having the latissimus flap surgery on January 13, 2011. I can't say I'm not nervous - I'm hoping that the results are good. I will let you know how it all turns out. I am not exactly sure what to expect on this surgery. If anyone has any knowledge or advice on that, I would appreciate it.

    Thanks,
    Mari

    I had a lumpectomy with
    I had a lumpectomy with rads, but, wanted to wish you good luck. I know those that have gone through this will post information for you.


    Good luck, Megan

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