Reconstruction??

Artp

15 years ago had cancer in my left breast, masectomy and they gave me a tummy tuck for that one. No chemo or follow up treatment.

Just been diagnosed with cancer in my right breast, masectomy again, not sure wether to go for implant or tissue from my back, as they tell me can not take from my tummy again.

When you have an implant, is it done when they do the masectomy surgery or is it a drawn out procedure

Help if you can advise, thanks.

hyphencollins

I'm sorry you are going thru this again. I had tissue expanders put in during the mastectomy surgery and then had them filled a bit every week or so until I was the desired size. I think they will do the exchange about 3 or 4 months post mastectomy. ..however, if you then need radiation then you will need to wait longer. My Plastic surgeon won't do the exchange until 6 months post radiation. Because I had chemo before rads, too, for me it was about 13 months with Tissue Expanders. Good luck and best wishes.

Moderators

Hi Artp-

We're so sorry you're going through this all over again. You might find our Reconstruction forum helpful; it's full of tons of great information, firsthand experiences, and knowledgeable members who're willing to offer their insights!

The Mods

KBeee

There are some who do go direct to exchange, but it can usually only be done in skin sparing mastectomies, with smaller size as the final desired size, and no radiation planned (you would need to clarify this with your own PS; this is just what a local friend was told). I had TEs and then exchange surgery later. My exchange was about 6 weeks after chemo because I did not need rads at the time. If you need rads, most PSs will wait 6 months minimum after rads. Sorry you are dealing with this again.