Nipple Reconstruction

Annette_U

Well Ladies, I am going in for surgery (number 4 since diag) for nipples and and a fix on the non-radiated side. My left cancer side is a little higher then the right and the surgeon is going to take a bit of skin off the right and try to hitch it up to be more inline with the left. I think he is also going to suck a bit of fat that has rested over the left upper half since mastectomy. What a mess!! anyway wish me luck and I'll post on how it all went next week or sooner. I was not going to get nipples but since I needed the right one fixed I'm going ahead with it. Who here has had nipple reconstruction and how did it turn out? Are you happy with results? Are your nips show through in clothes? Not sure what I'll think of mine or if I will like them . Oh well! I'm getting them tomorrow morning.

YIKES!

kar123

I asked for lower profile nips. I told my PS I didn't want to poke anyone's eye out. One settled flat and the other is just slightly visible without a bra.

Annette_U

Thanks, I will ask Doc tomorrow morning about size and I have heard that they shrink and flatten a bit. I guess I'll just remind him I'd like low profile once they settle and just see what happens. I always get so nervous about surgery……...Annie

Annette_U

Okay , Update. It has been about 17 days since surgery. My radiated nipple looks like a skateboard incident on asphalt. It is very infected but the blood supply looks good. Oncologist said it would take about 6 months to heal. The right nipple looks good. They do seem kinda big and I hope they shrink. The revision on the right (non-radiated) side left a 6 inch L shaped scar up the side. The surgeon had to revise it because the right hung down lower then the left and looked bigger even though it has the same size implant. So… my results so far are:

Right side is still bigger and lower then left but not as bad since the surgeon pulled the skin up. Still have a little bump where implant is pushing against skin (not bad and can be smoothed by wearing a bra)

Left looks pissed-off at me and the nipple looks like a really bad cold sore. The blood vessels on top of the reconstructed nipple are visible through the skin (tiny blood vessels) . I hope they mellow out with time

The surgeon also had to suck some fat from the top of the left side to slope the look of the breast. It worked beautifully.

The nipples are not lined up across because the right is still bigger - not sure why the doc did not just move that nip up and over a bit to make up for the left! Kinda angry about that

All in all ……… I'm just glad I got that over with and YES! having two nipples there does look better to me and NORMAL when I look in the mirror. I don't feel so much like a showroom dummy! …… Now my hubby thinks I was a dummy to get them but who cares what he thinks….. I'm good with them

Tattoo Fall 2015. I want to give these boobs a break and go enjoy some traveling next year.

In conclusion…. get them if you want but make sure your skin can handle them if radiated. I had some frightening moments over the few weeks and still not healed up to where I feel comfortable. It was a bigger ordeal then the surgeon led me to believe.

angelia50

Annette, I have pretty much decided I don't want to do a nipple, unless I can find somebody close that does 3D but I just want to say, I LOVE your descriptions in your comments. The one about it looking like its pissed off and a really bad cold sore, that is a hoot.

Annette_U

Angelia, thinking now that if my surgeon had not been so "hey! It's a great idea to get nipples" I would have opted not and been fine with the dummy look. My friend got the 3 d tattoos and no nip reconstruction and is happy with her outcome. And yes, at this point I am trying to just find the humour in my stupid decisions! Should have listened to PhD scientist husband of mine.

angelia50

Annette, but I would so hate to admit my husband knew better than I did about pretty much anything. Not in a mean way, just how we roll. We've been married 40 years and at the start of a ballgame or pretty much anything, I'll say who are you for and then, I'll take the opposite team. I could care less about Nascar but he likes one driver and hates this other one so I always say I'm for the one he doesn't like, just to irritate him. I never had the Playtex bottle looking big nipples anyway, so not an issue to me but the 3D do look neat.

Annette_U

• Angelia, well the nips have healed. The right is shrinking to a nice small size and the left still has a lovely scab. I am using a solution on it to dry it up. I am finishing a round of bactrim for cellulitis now. It will be late in the year before I consider tattoos. I'm nervous tattooing will cause more infection.my nips are slightly off, the right being a bit lower but I guess we can even e n that out with tattoo placement.