Immediate reconstrution without expands

TracyDenver
TracyDenver Member Posts: 17
edited June 2014 in ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)

I have been told by my PS that she can do the reconstrution without expands (as long as I dont want to go any bigger) and right away put in the silicone implants. Has anyone else gone down that road, it seems to me most of you had expands.

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  • Abbey11
    Abbey11 Member Posts: 335
    edited April 2009

    Tracy,

    I did have expanders and, believe me, they are not comfortable!  If your doctor thinks that she can save enough skin to put the implants right in, I'd seriously consider it.  But, you should ask her what will happen to the implants if the post-mastectomy pathology reports indicate that you need radiation.  Most women don't radiate after mastectomies, but some do if the tumor is close to the chest wall, very large, or if there are positive nodes.  My understanding is that there is a high failure rate when you combine implants and radiation.  Placing tissue expanders allows for time to evaluate the pathology, plan treatment, and tailor reconstruction plans to that treatment.  For instance, women who get radiation often choose to have a DEIP instead of implants. Good luck to you!

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  • kayakgirl
    kayakgirl Member Posts: 172
    edited April 2009

    Hi Tracy

    I send you gentle hugs and want to let you know that you will get through this.

    I did have immediate reconstruction without expanders after my bilateral mastectomy. You have to have big enough breasts that you have enough skin to cover the immediate reconstruction. My PS actually wrapped one layer of skin around the implant and the second layer as outer breast skin. They do put the silicone implant between your chest wall muscle so make sure you talk with your PS about pain control after surgery. I just assumed that  I would be on a PCA (Patient Controlled Analgesic) pump since I was at a cancer hospital and I wasn't put on one to after I started to have unrelieved pain and it took a while to get it in control. For pain control what actually helped the most was a muscle relaxant pill called Skelaxin (metaxalone) which I took I think four times a day in the hospital and for about 6 weeks after worth ( I was able to decrease it after a couple of weeks but did take it at least at bedtime towards the end of the 6 weeks. At home I also took percocet and xanax.The hard thing once you get home is that you have to sleep on your back with your arms on pillows for several weeks.

    With all that being said having immediate reconstruction means one less surgery and no weekly refills of the expanders which I hear hurts in their own right. Psychologically immediate reconstruction helped me feel better by having what looked like breasts (without a nipple or aerola).Good luck to you. Agnes

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited April 2009

    I just spoke with a plastic surgeon and he tiold me the same thing. I am a small B now-use to be a bigger B before gravity and weight loss ;) The surgeon told me a large B could be done without any expanders. I was glad to hear that. I never wanted big bolt ons like everyone else in this Elite Beach City.

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  • TracyDenver
    TracyDenver Member Posts: 17
    edited April 2009

    Glad all went well with your reconstruction.  How are you doing on the Tamoxifen? I have heard so many bad stories about it I am now more scared of that than the cancer

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  • hlya
    hlya Member Posts: 484
    edited April 2009

    haha Tracy,



    I am thinking about reconstruction too and I am scared of it as well......



    If I just need small breasts, (my current is not big), I am thinking what option would be the best for sbd like me who feel fine with small breasts....

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  • fortunate1
    fortunate1 Member Posts: 644
    edited April 2009

    Hi Tracy, and QAnna,

    I had immediate reconstruction with alloderm and implants. It went very smoothly. The pain was very manageable. The strangest part to me was the muscle relaxants. 

    I also am a B cup, small enough to have no sagging, so no revamping of the other breast was necessary. Yay for smaller breasts. I chose the immediate alloderm/implant route because all the muscle moving flap reconstructions freaked me out. I use those muscles, a lot, every day, and didn't want to sacrifice them to make a breast. In my very delayed last minute conference with a plastic surgeon I was not offered one of the less muscle-invasive flap procedures. I might have considered that. I suppose each option has it's good and bad features. My one step new breast looks pretty good, especially in clothing, and I healed very quickly. As close a match as it is from some angles, I definitely still have things to talk over with the plastic surgeon. Overall I'm very pleased.

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