Implant before finished with chemo?

hydros_wife

I haven't run across this yet and need to ask the question. I had my right breast removed on June 25 and opted for immediate reconstruction because they didn't think it had spread to my lymph nodes. After surgery, they found it it HAD, so I started chemo - A/C four times, which I just finished and 12 weekly Taxol treatments starting on September 17. My PS wants to put in my permanment implant before radiation starts, and he even said they could do it during chemo. The oncologist said he was fine with it, as long as we waited a little to see how my body responds to the Taxol. The other options are to do it between last Taxol and the start of radiation four weeks later or wait until all 33 rad treatments are done. Has anyone ever had a permanent implant placed BEFORE they were done with Taxol treatments?

SpecialK

This sounds risky to me because chemo will inhibit healing and if your white blood cells are compromised you may not be able to fight a potential infection from surgery.  I would wait until chemo is done and just before rads - do you have an expander that is fully filled right now?  If so why not wait until rads is done?

foreverchanged

My PS said wouldn't do any surgery for 6 to 8 weeks after chemo/ and or radiation finished due to immune system suppression from them.   I have TE's in and won't give me an approx exchange surgery date for permanent implants until I see oncologist for adjuvant therapy treatment plan.

NatsFan

I had t/e placed during my original BMX in prep for a staged DIEP.  My PS wouldn't even do fills till 6 weeks after chemo was done, so she certainly wouldn't have done surgery.  I had 6*TAC so maybe it's different for the 4AC + 12T regimen.  I also declined rads, so maybe it's different if you're doing both chemo and rads.  Since you have concerns about this issue, you may want to request another appointment with the PS to get all your questions answered.  Remember, YOU make the decisions, not your doctors.  If you feel more comfortable waiting till active treatment is over, then by all means do so.

sduch1

I have implants in now. They put them in during my mastectomy (after Taxol) and now I'm on AC. I will have radiation starting next month.

sduch1

I never had tissue expanders.

hydros_wife

Thank you everyone for your input. After talking with my PS, we are going to wait at least a month after radiation is done, more depending on how I handle the radiation. Even though I am not fond of my huge right breast (at my last  appointment, he filled for the last time to 625 cc, which is waaaay bigger than the left side, so I'm wearing a couple of lifters on the left side just so I'm not so lopsided) I am much more comfortable waiting until all the chemo and radiation is done.

Thanks again for all your input ladies!!!! I feel like I am making the best decision for me.

chemochar

  I had radiation after my implant was done and the radiologist targeted that area and destroyed my implant which had to be removed.  Ugh!  Now I'm going through another reconstruction  6 months later--i THINK THAT DOC WAS TERRIBLE !!

   Make sure they don"t radiate the chest wall.