Silicone Implant after Mastectomy

ThinkingPositive

Can anyone who has had a Mastectomy and had reconstruction using silicone implants tell me what their reconstructed breast feels like ?? Are you aware all the time it’s there?

farmerlucy

My recon is under the muscle so it is held pretty firm by the muscle, ie no bra needed. The implant itself is soft and squishy after five years. There is some tightening along the scar line which is on the upper outer area. I can feel the implant if I think about it. The breast distorts when I move my pec muscle. This is not a big deal for me, and it is kind of funny.

It took me a long time to forget about the feeling of the implant behind the muscle. Several years in fact. It was very painful for the first few months as the muscle stretched. I am glad my implant is behind the muscle. Hopefully I should be able to feel any new bumps since any remaining breast tissue is right up front.

ThinkingPositive

does it feel tight for you? In the past few weeks I feel like I have more fatty tissue around the side of my back and side under my arm. Weird feeling. I have an appt with plastic surgeon for checkup so I guess I should mention. Almost feels like I have tissue expander in. Not sure how else to describe it. I started thinking maybe truncal lymphedema but there are not indenatations that stay when I press on any of the areas.

amt15

I have had mine for a year and a half and they are still quite hard but fairly comfortable. I usually get through most days without thinking about them until I go to lay on my side at night. I have noticed that they always feel very tight the day after using my chest muscles in exercise or chores.

farmerlucy

yep - 100% percent agree - they feel tight when I’ve worked my pecs during the day. It is the new normal and I don’t remember how It felt before.

ThinkingPositive

Do you ever notice any changes in the way they feel??

farmerlucy

Can’t really tell any difference when I physically feel the implants with my hands. Perhaps a bit more solid at the top.

EastcoastTS

I'm only 3 months past Exchange with silicon implants but am starting to NOT notice that they're there. (I am kinda a WTF person...so maybe this is just me.) I do have "tightening" or tightness along my incision line (IMF) but am going to work with a myofascial PT on this soon. It's less for sure than it was with TEs however. I expect them to feel maybe less hard as time goes on. I guess there could still be swelling, though they're starting to look pretty good to me. Really, they are not hard so much as solid. Mine are also under the pec.

amt15

Other than the muscle tightness that comes and goes, I don't notice any changes in the way the implants feel.

ThinkingPositive

Thanks for all your responses. I guess the best thing is to ask my plastic surgeon if it’s normal. I just feel like I got fatter there. Weird right?

amt15

I have more numbness on the left side as it wasn't a skin sparing mastectomy like my right, so it does feel kind of "fat" around the side but I think it's the numbness fooling with me because when I look in the mirror it looks the same as the right side. Just a thought that maybe that's what is happening to you. Sorry I couldn't be of more help!

ThinkingPositive

Just talking to someone is a big help!! There is one area on the side that appeared to be fatter than my other side. It’s noticeable only recently. Which I think is causing it to feel different.

amt15

Yes it's always nice to talk to someone who has been through it! If I were you, I would probably talk to my surgeon for peace of mind if nothing else.

Licorice

I am in Canada and am planning a BMX in the new year. Now, I am too old for perky boobs, haven’t had a lover in 30 years, and have been single all my life, by choice. I breast fed my babies, so they served their purpose. Because at 67 and still employedin the medical field, I feel I need to maintain some breast semblance to look professional. I enjoy the convenience of my already attached boobs, but if I were retired, I would go flat. I am looking for the least painful implant procedure...preferably over the pectoral muscle. Does anyone have input a single to what I could expect pain and discomfort wise with this type of procedure?

Rrobin0200

I had prepectoral implants (saline) directly after my BMX. It wasn't comfortable, but not extremely painful.

Licorice

This is the route I wish to follow. Do you ever get used to the implants? Does the uncomfortable sensation ever disappear

Ceci-246

I am almost 4 weeks post BMX and have aeroform expanders over my muscle. The more they expand (I fill at home with a remote that fills the TE with CO2) the better I feel. I highly recommend saving the pec from cutting as I could use my arms completely right away. I’m still new to this, so can’t speak to final results,but the expander process has been easy and I’m more than 60% full.

Licorice

Apparently we do not have this in Canada

NotVeryBrave

Licorice - If you think that you would prefer to go flat, why not just do the breast prosthesis route? I don't think anyone could tell in clothes.

I had the direct to implant route, pre pec. My understanding is that most of the pain is from the big BMX surgery. I suspect that having the implants placed at the same time adds to the swelling though.

I took muscle relaxants on a schedule and narcotic pain meds (not as frequently as ordered) for probably the first week and then slowly spaced them out and switched to OTC pain meds. I'd say I have pretty "medium" pain tolerance.

I did have help at home for two weeks - it was really needed for at least the first week for me.

Licorice

Thank you for that information. Now, to process my feelings and decidehow to proceed. I have always had large breasts, always hated the fact that I looked like a pigeon from the front, so going a lot smaller should be relatively easy. Hopefully.