Capsular Contracture question

J_C

A friend of mine had a double mastectomy 2 years ago. Plastic surgeon started reconstruction during the operation and installed expanders. She went through the expansion process and had round silicone implants (textured I believe) put in 6 months later.

Later biopsies showed signs of cancer in her left nipple so she elected to have it removed. During that operation the plastic surgeon took the opportunity to make some adjustments (something to do with some kind of netting) to the implants because things weren't settling in right.

She has noticed a gradual tightening of the left implant and in the last 6 weeks it has started to become uncomfortable. She describes it as "it feels like I always have a bra on" but it can actually become painful when she bends over.

She went to see a new doctor who thinks she may have a capsular contracture around the left implant. He can't say for sure if it will get worse or level-out and stay the same and didn't really offer her much in terms of suggestions or options.

So my question is; can anyone share her experience(s) with this situation and how it was dealt with?

Thanks in advance

JC

Also, I'm new to this site so please let me know if anyone thinks my post might get some good replies under another "Discussion" areas.

digger

Hi,

Sounds like she probably does have capsular contracture. I just recently had to re-do my reconstruction on account of capsular contracture, and it sounds like her symptoms were the same as mine, i.e. tight, hard, iron bra feeling. Unfortunately, once you have CC, it's highly likely you'll eventually get it again with a re-do of an implant. At least that's what my PS said, and I do trust him. I just replaced mine with a tissue transfer, an SGAP (from the buttocks). Pain in the rear end, literally and figuratively, but hopefully this one will be permanent. Good luck to your friend, tell her if i bothers her, to keep on bugging the PS until he/she replaces it. She deserves to feel good and not in pain.

Thistoshallpass

Digger, Thanks for the reply. I am grateful for my dear friend JC helping me in this quest for information and this site and people such as yourself in providing your feedback. Research is a huge part of getting and finding the best treatment and takes a lot of work. I also heard about the likely recurrence of CC but wonder if changing the texture and using Vit E & prescription med Singular would help as preventative.Read that rarely medicine helps & read about Sonograms to help to loosen the tightness, was this ever mentioned to you?. Looking for as much input and Dr referrals as possible. Lifting my left arm can be painful and bending over is when I feel the most pain, guess because it is pulling on the muscle. Good luck with your transfer and thanks so much for your reply

macb04

Hello, read about Singulair, but heard med Accolate is slightly more effective. Also am using Pentoxifylline and Vit E for rad fibrosis treatment and then found there is a study either ongoing or recently finished about this for preventing Capsular contracture. I even had my PS orderme a compounded prescription cream of 5percent Pentoxifylline /1% Vit E that I read aboutin study. Also read that using the Acellular Dermal Matrix stuff with reconstruction with implants helps lessen that risk.

Well that is my two cents. Best of luck to you.

Thistoshallpass

macb04,

I appreciate your 2 cents.and will add it to the list of questions to ask of the PS and look into finding out information about the study. Do you have any details you can share on where I can follow up on the study?

Thanks and have a great week! Best wishes to you!

macb04

Hi, there was a 2005 study of Accolate and capsular contracture called THE EFFECT OF ZAFIRLUKAST (ACCOLATE) ON EARLY CAPSULAR CONTRACTURE IN THE PRIMARY AUGMENTATION PATIENT, A PILOT STUDY. sorry can't do links very well. Or just type Accolate and capsular contracture into Google