Weighing the options

etnasgrl

Hello Ladies!

I have an appointment scheduled with my surgical oncologist and plastic surgeon in June, to get the ball rolling on my double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. I have several questions written down for both doctors, but I would love to get some opinions from y'all who have been through this.

Right now, I am leaning towards a DIEP flap. My only concern is that I have had 5 abdominal surgeries since 2004 and I worry that there may be too much scar tissue. (C-Section, Tubal Ligation, Hysterectomy, and 2 ovarian torsion surgeries.) Has anyone been able to have a DIEP flap even after multiple abdominal surgeries?

If I can't move forward with the DIEP flap, my next option is implants. Right now, I am a 42D, so I would like to stay somewhat close to that size. I don't mind going a little smaller, like a C cup, if I have to, but that's it. Anyone who has had implants, what is your experience with them? Do they feel like rocks on your chest? (I've heard that they do.) Are they uncomfortable?

Any info that you could share with me would be great! Thanks!

OnTarget

I think I can answer a little about the comfort of implants. I'm in a unique position that I had a BMX almost a year ago and I have an implant on the left, and I lost my implant on the right at the end of March. The muscles on BOTH sides hurt all the time if I stretch my arms, like being sore, but a slightly worse pain, but otherwise they both feel fine just sitting here.

The point of this is that I think that the BMX must cause this soreness, not the implants, because the fact that I'm missing an implant should make my right side feel better. It doesn't.

I don't know how people with flap surgeries feel, but I'd say that implants cause this minor aching/stretching need, but otherwise they feel fine. My knees ache much worse from the AI + OS, the arm soreness is really not a big deal in my life.

My implants are reasonably soft feeling, but I think it is harder than some people's because my skin doesn't stretch well. Not capsular contracture, but the implants aren't quite as soft as they should be.

I'm now a 36D, although they fit in some bras in a C. My implants are 600cc's and I don't notice any weight with them, but maybe that is a function of my unstretchy skin.

MinusTwo

Etna - go visit Whippetmom at the Breast Implants 101 site. If you provide the information she asks for in the header, she's a miracle at recommendations.

here you go

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topics...

etnasgrl

Thank you, MinusTwo, but I'm not looking for recommendations, but rather personal experiences with both DIEP flap and implants.

ByHisGraceTwice

etnasgrl — not sure my experience will be constructive, but I'll share. DIEP was impossible because I had too many abdominal scars. Plastic surgeon knew I couldn't maintain a sufficiently viable blood flow. I declined the latissimus dorsi flap reconstruction for concerns about long term shoulder function. Best wishes as you make your decision.

🌈

j