Obese and breast reconstruction questions

JLar9

I'm hoping to hear from any larger woman who have undergone breast surgery for breast cancer. I have a BMI of 42 and I've already been told breast reconstruction is not even an option at all..full stop..no exceptions.. but they weren't sure about a breast reduction to help match the breast that is having the large lumpectomy. I'm worried that the plastic surgeon who I'm seeing next week will just see my BMI and say nope! Anyone have any experiences?(im getting treatment in bc if that's relevant)

AliceBastable

There's a thread on here for women with higher BMIs, I think 35 or over. If you search under "BMI" it should pop up. You might find someone who's faced that issue there.

Moderators

Hi, and welcome JLar9, Here is the link to the thread that AliceBastable is mentioning: For those of us with BMI over 35.

Here is also another thread you may want to look at: Revision results for obese women.

If neither of these threads are helpful, we hope that others chime in! Please keep us posted.

illimae

JLar9, my BMI was around 42-44 when I had surgery. I had DD’s and both the breast (BS) and plastic surgeon’s (PS) believed a lumpectomy was the best option. They used the same OR and did their parts one after the other. BS removed the cancer and PS did the reduction (other side) and lift. I woke up with nice, symmetrical full C/small D matching breasts. It was an adjustment at first because I was so used to bigger boobs and now my belly looked bigger but years later I still appreciate not needing to wear a bra, I still do when I’m out but not after at home. Weight itself wasn’t mentioned as an issue but they did specifically say that I had enough breast tissue for a good lumpectomy and that a mastectomy was not recommended in my case.

JLar9

thank you illimae, I really really appreciate you sharing your experience..gives me some hope that I will be offered the same treatment from my plastic surgeon. Im currently a DDD or G so breast surgeon thinking that’s lots of room for large lumpectomy (we aren’t needing amastectomy yet) and I’m hoping plastic surgeon would be willing to do the reduction at same surgery as cancer removal. I’m not super worried about having smaller boobs (although that will be the first as I’ve had atleast large c since I was 12/13) ..I just worry a bit that they won’t do anything solely because of my BMI (I’m healthy and active..just overweight which includes a large COVID gain) and I’ll be left with very different sized breasts.

AliceBastable

JLar9

I had a lumpectomy and didn't have any reduction on the other breast. It's pretty obvious without a bra, but I don't go out without one so it doesn't matter. Sometimes I wish I'd had them evened up just for comfort - the shorter one is more comfortable! But once I have a bra on, there's not too much difference. If the bra starts drifting towards the larger side, I'll use a rolled-up child's sock on the mini side to even things out and keep it from twisting. For all I know, the difference might be obvious to other people, but I really don't care.