Reconstruction delayed.

scaredashell07

has anyone had delayed reconstruction. So no tissue expander at all at surgery date? I am just so concerned about radiation and how it affects outcome and infection. I have two small kids and need to get back to normal ASAP.

Brenaj

I did.

I am doing delayed reconstruction. When I learned I needed radiation, my plastic and breast surgeon took immediate reconstruction off the plate (which I am now learning is not how it is usually done.) Once I completed and healed from radiation, I went to see my plastic surgeon and we went ahead and put in tissue expanders. I am scheduled for my last fill tomorrow and then a couple a weeks after, will see my plastic surgeon to talk about the exchange. I am curious to see how that appointment goes. The non-cancer side (I had a bi-lateral mastectomy), is filling fine and looks something like a breast. However, the cancer/radiation side is filling very high and there is a definite hard ridge at the bottom. I'm curious to see how he addresses that.

That being said, it's possible, but may be hard to find a plastic surgeon (from what I have read).

scaredashell07

thanks. It's what I was told. That delayed causes issues with scar tissue and makes it hard to do the tissue expander. He said I could do radiation with tissue expander but hesitant

exercise_guru

I think I depends on where you live. The newer hospitals are doing immediate reconstruction with radiatiin but there is a 30 percent chance immediate construction will fail with radiation. I have a friend who ended up with a DiIEP reconstruction because the radiation damaged the tissue too much.

One PS told me he would not do immediate reconstruction if radiation was involved. He assured me that if I had radiation delayed reconstruction yielded more vusually appealing results with far less risk of complication

scaredashell07

My PS said after radiation would be almost impossible to do any tissue expander and only option might be using muscle from back to do flap. I was surpirsed. I thought had more options. I am xonsidering waiting but now I am nervous I won't have choices.

debiann

if you are having a mastectomy, are you sure that you will also need radiation? I had a double mx, with immediate DIEP recon. At the time it was presumed that I would not need rads, but it wasn't definite till after the final pathology, so I guess they were ok with doing recon and then rads if necessary. In the end, I did not need rads.

I just finished my last revision/areolas/nips. The nurse replied how nice everything turned out, then added, "of course you didn't have radiated skin to deal with, your skin is so healthy". Sounds like that treatment can be pretty hard on the skin.

littleblueflowers

Of course you can do delayed recon after radiation. My PS recommends it! I had rads and waited a year for my skin to heal. The trick is fat grafts before hand to help heal the rad damaged tissue. The stem cells from your grafted fat heal the damaged skin and muscle so an implant and tissue expander style recon has a better chance of success.

scaredashell07

fat graphs from my body? He didn't say that. In surprised. He said becsue scar tissue happens it would be extremely difficult