Anyone with Breast Implants before the BC Surger?

SugarCakes

Anyone with Breast Implants before the BC Surger?

SugarCakes

I am just a couple weeks into the journey and I am having targeted therapy and chemo first due to my HER2+ status. The decision for me is down the road some, but I'm wondering about the experience of people that already had breast implants. My implants are submuscular. I was told they could stay in tact with a lumpectomy. Of course they are removed and not reused with a mastectomy. One breast surgeon has already promoted masectomy surgery for me. My uncle who is also a breast surgeon in another state has seen my pathology report and is a little disturbed by that. He is on the side of feeling there are too many unnecessary mastectomies being performed. Anyone care to share their experience having pre BC implants?

Trvler

Since I have them too, I am curious to see if anyone replies. I would also recommend getting a second opinion anyway. I went to a PC this am and although I liked him a lot, I am getting a second opinion anyway. But my implants are 30 years old which is affecting the choice I make.

Michele2013

I had implants while diagnosed with BC. Had biopsy, came back negative. So general surgeon asked me if I wanted to take the lump out anyway. Said yes, so he did a lumpectomy. Called me in a few days later to see how the healing was going. He said path came back as positive. Went the conventional path.

When I see my onc, which is every 6 weeks he checks for lumps on and around my TE's.

Yes you can have a lumpectomy with implants. I decided to have a bilateral because I am positive for the BRCA 2.

Not sure if I was able to answer your question.

Actually yesterday I had my TE's exchanged to implants.

Michele

fluffycats

I have sub muscular implants also. I had the first lumpectomy just because my breast lump was stretching my skin and making the skin itchy where it was stretched. Found out lump was malignant after it was removed and that a second lumpectomy was needed to get clean margins. A biopsy of a swollen lymph node came out benign so only a sentinel node biopsy was planned with the second lumpy. Since the lump had been half under my nipple, the surgeon was worried he wouldn't get clean margins unless he took the nipple also. I told him to take the nipple. Woke up with no nipple, the axial nodes gone and a couple long gashes (4" for nipple removal and 2.5" for nodes). All is healing up well with no pain or zingers. The slight indention from the removal of the lump is already gone. Hope this helps. Best wishes for whatever treatment path you take!

SugarCakes

Thanks ladies. I know a lot will go onto my decision. I am also having all the genetic testing done. Still another 4 weeks before those results are back. I also have to see how I respond to the HER2+ antibodies and chemo. I just don't understand why the BC would already promote mastectomy before all that information is known. I wondered if it was related to the her2+ status

kittycat

I had implants prior to having bc. I decided to have a bilateral mastectomy with recon. I also was positive for BRCA 1. I figured having a prior breast surgery would make it easier. It definitely helped with my skin because it was already stretched. My original implants were over the muscle and my recon was under. So I just had to get the TE's to stretch the muscle. I was a 34 DD before bc and a 34D, sometimes D now

SugarCakes

thanks kittycat. I wondered about placement. Whether they could go under the muscle or if they were all above muscle. If under the muscle, is anything placed to give the appearance of breast tissue? I have seen pics, but really cannot tell what is there. Some pics seems to imply that fat was moved from one part of the body to the breast area. Do you know why that would be done?

SugarCakes

ok, I took to Dr. google and have more clarity. Lots of choices out there, it seems.