Tissue still in my breast area, I'm not flat.

Grock

Hi all! Had MX on February 1st 2018. Drains sucked as we all know. I have the bulges under both arms and extra skin on either side of my chest area under my arm pits. I also have a budge on my left side where the bottom of my breast would have been. My other side (right) is perfectly flat. My surgeon also left me with extra skin like 2 little boobs in the center of chest. WTF? I've dried up nicely. However this extra budge on my left side has got me worried. I just want to get this fixed. Anyone else have this?

Cpeachymom

Hi grock, welcome to crazy town. Is it possible this little bulge is a seroma? I did have one of those after surgery, still hasn’t gone away completely. It’s not harmful, just a pocket of fluid. I had skin sparing in hopes of recon, so there is nothing “flat” about mine anyway. It’s all lumps and bulges!

sbelizabeth

Grock, are you planning on reconstruction surgery later? Your surgeon might have been mindful to leave some skin to use during reconstruction. If you want to be flat and smooth, however, be aware that breast surgeons have varying skills at making the chest look nice and smooth after surgery. Your insurance will pay for you to consult a plastic surgeon and discuss your options, and they will pay for surgery to remove the extra skin and smooth out your chest, if that's your choice.

This doesn't stop you from doing reconstruction even years down the road. It's just a question of what YOU want. SB

mustlovepoodles

Ugh, I'm right there with you, girl. What was supposed to be small breast mounds turned into weird misshapen lumps on my chest and under my arms. Plus, I have hideous scarring due to extensive tissue necrosis. Not attractive at all. I don't even like to look at myself and I sure as heck am not comfortable letting my DH see me. I don't even like my doctors to see my chest!

Jedrik

I had those little tits next to my sternum as well as minor extra bits on the outsides and a bit more fat under the left scar than I like. I was told they leave those little tits so you can have some real flesh in your cleavage when wearing foobs.They might even think they have done you a favour.

I had the extra bits removed by a plastic surgeon, except for that little bit of fat under the left scar. Since there is also some fat missing where they probably cut to deep, achieving perfection would have taken too much time and procedures.

See before and after:

ksusan

Jedrik, nice clean-up!

missmelissa90

Grock- I am in the same boat and look very much like Jedrik looks in her before picture. I thought my surgeon was very clear that I wanted to be flat, but the fact that she asked me when we did our first post-surgery appointment if I was thinking of reconstruction makes me think she didn't remember. I thought that I am simply still swelling, which is what her comment was to me when she saw my fauxbees, but now I'm wondering if she did leave a little to provide me something for later.

Jedrik- how long did you wait to have surgery again? I'm more uptight about the fact that I can't wear t-shirts without looking all lumpy than the lumps themselves.

Washington48

I had bilateral mastectomy three and a half weeks ago. There is absolutelyno symmetry between left and right side. Surgeon left lots of fatty tissue on the right side and very little on the left. Lumpy and bumpy and quite ugly is how it looks. How long do I need to wait to see plastic surgeon?

Jedrik

Missmelissa, same here. I was asked again and again if I really wanted to be flat or whether I was just a bit mental from shock or whatever, so at some point I even brought pictures of what I want I wanted to look like. So, just like you, I thought those weird looking bits would go away once I was healed. At the tree-month-Check-up my obgyn said they wouldn't I was really, really angry. She said you usually wait for a year before revision surgery but I put my foot down and had it done not quite half a year after the initial surgery.

It's an easy procedure. In germany you have to stay in hospital for a night if you had general anesthesia, but right after breakfast I rode home on my bicycle. I just had to wear a compression garment for six weeks - and wished I had had one after the first surgery.

Washington48: I'm not really symetric, either, even if it is not that obvious in the pic. But you can see the kerb on the after picture on the left side next to the arm? Under the scar there is a dent, too and also under the clavicle on that side. Then there is still a bit of flab under the scar on the right side (sides always referring to the picture). It's more obvious if I bend forward. It happens because very often two surgeons do double mastectomies, and the less skilled one does the non-cancer side.

The plastic surgeon who did the revision said it could be amended after about half a year after the revision, but no guarantees the outcome would be perfect right away since there is no way to predict a bodies reaction to liposuction/fat injections. I though about it and decided I wasn't up for multiple procedures just to pamper my perfectionism.

Grock

Hi, Thank you for your response. Yep that's what I have. I had no idea that there were to surgeons, however I could tell that the incision was different and not the same on both sides! I want to look like your 2nd picture! I was very lucky. I had no radiation and no Chemo. I was stage 1 with an Oco score of 11. Very Lucky and blessed. I know I will never be perfectly flat, however I want to look better then I currently do. Thank you so much! I wish you good health and happiness! Grock

Grock

Thank you all so very much for taking time to respond. This is a shitty club to be in, however its the best because of the wonderful people I have met. I wish every one of you and your family the best of good health and happiness. Thank you! Grock

mudd

Jedrik- My before is exactly like yours. What type of surgery did you have to correct it and what was the recouperation like? THanks so much for any advice. I was told those little cleavages would flatten but they aren't going anywhere.

Snickersmom

I had my BMX with no reconstruction May, 2017. I had little lumps here and there and would have been okay with them but then some fluid built up right in front of my right underarm. That made all of the armhole edges rub against that area and it was very uncomfortable all the time. So in February, 2018, I had scar revision surgery. Worst part about that was having the stupid drains again. And a week after the surgery, I developed a staph infection on one side so they had to leave the drain in on that side for 3 more weeks. That was awful. But the end result is that now I am nice and flat. So it was all worth it.

MexicoHeather

Hi, Snickersmom. It was a long haul. I am glad you're happy with the results.

Jedrik

Hi mudd,

it was quite an easy procedure, even if under full anaesthesia because the area they would have had to numb with local anesthesia was too big with both those mini boobs and the little pointy bits under my arms. I was ok right after it was done, no meds needed because the area is mostly numb anyway, and full range of motion right away. Just some papery stuff on the wounds that soaks off. I had to keep water of the wounds for a week. The compression garnment (got that from amazon, the stuff you use for cosplay, nowhere near as expensive as the medical stuff and much better fitting) was a bit arkward since it was high summer, but apart from the heat it actually felt good.

I hope it goes as well with your revision surgery.

glennie19

I had MX back in 2013 from one surgeon. He left excess skin assuming I was having recon, which left me kinda mad. So when I decided I wanted a prophy MX (tired of being lop-sided) I went to a different surgeon that came recommended by several people. Told her like 30 times, I wanted to be flat and that I was unhappy with how the previous surgeon's job. Well, she left even more skin, and actual tissue under the arm!! I saw her once, 3 days after surgery, where she said, "wow you are really swollen. You might have a hematoma." I asked when to come back,, she said,, when you are ready to have the drains pulled. O. K. Came to get drains pulled,, the "nurse" did that. Didn't see MD,,, was told she didn't need to see me again unless I had a problem. So at 3 months,, when I realized that this was not swelling, and she left so much tissue,,, I knew I had to see a P.S. to get rid of it. Saw him at 6 months,, and have surgery scheduled for Aug 24th to "smooth" me out.

JoyceA

So I'm not alone with 2 little boops in the the middle of my chest! When I asked the nurse in my surgeon's office she told me they would flatten and not be noticeable in a year. They are still the same over 4 months later. I guess I'm stuck with them.

missmelissa90

I have to tell you all the my PT put in a prescription for a compression garment for my swellings. Of course when I finally got it the radiation treatment made even the thought of putting on a bra torture, so I am letting myself heal up before giving it a definite try. I will say that one the full day that I did wear it I saw how the Swell Spot insert had made indentations on the swelling and though I can't really say it helped with the overall swelling, my non-irradiated side is slightly smaller. When I try wearing it full day for a week I will report, but I wanted to share that these were covered by my insurance and I'm glad that I learned about it at the shop where I got them, otherwise I would have simply paid full retail and they weren't cheap!

Eily333

hi,

This is my first or second post so I hope it is okay...

I had my BMX without reconstruction in May. With my recovery I had a large Heamatoma on one side and a Seroma on the other.

The surgeon drained the seroma twice but then said to leave it and it will eventually absorb. I’m now 3 months post op and the seroma is now hard and is the size of a small breast.

Has anyone had a seroma and did it go away?

The hematoma is not as large but also a hard lump.

I see my surgeon in 2 weeks...but I’m thinking I might need surgical revision.....I hate the thought of more surgery.

star2017

I had a Seroma and it did go away about a month later

Eily333

Hi, good to know yours went away quickly...for mw at the 3 month point..... i will be interewsted to see what the surgeon says...