Did You Have Reconstruction

I had chemo, bilat mx, more chemo, radiation, and then 18 months later, delayed bilat DIEP recon. The radiation really did a number on my skin and autologous recon was the only option for me. A consult with a PS will tell you what possibilities are open to you, and perhaps narrow your options down a bit.

The DIEP surgery is long and recovery can be difficult. I certainly questioned myself the first couple of days post surgery, lol. I'm just four weeks from surgery and am getting ready to return to work next week. I still have tightness and some soreness from my breasts down to my abdominal scar, but nothing that I can't deal with. I'm not even taking any pain killers. So while it was very rough at first, I'm doing great now. The first week, you measure recovery hour by hour. After that it's day by day. Then it stretches out to week by week.

Full recovery is still weeks away, however. I think 6-8 weeks is the time frame most PS's give before they will say the grafts have taken and fully developed a blood supply. I had modified driving privileges (local errands) restored at 2-1/2 weeks. I'm still on lifting restrictions and have to sleep on my back for a few more weeks. I have not had any range of motion problems, but then I didn't after my mxs, either.

Some minor SE's...a nerve in my left arm/hand must have been pinched somehow during surgery (was under for 12+ hours). This has caused a numbness on the tip of my middle finger. This slowly improved, but I haven't had any change for the last two weeks. I've kind of gotten used to it, and as things go, this is a small annoyance. Also, one of the antibiotics I was on has left me with a very dry mouth. That's slowly improving, too, as the AB works itself out of my body. It also possibly dropped my hemo and WBC count down, according to my onc who I just saw this week.

All of these things could happen with any kind of recon surgery, not just DIEP. But the thing is that the longer you are under anesthesia, the greater the danger of having some kind of problem.

No regrets, so far. I'm loving the new girls and am looking forward to the next stage.

As far as worrying about recurrence, I'm not worrying needlessly. My onc watches my tumor markers and other blood work, and I've been able to convince my health insurance to cover tests as needed. I just had a bone scan in December that wouldn't normally have been covered (once every two years) since I had one twenty months before, but I made a case that I had been on Arimidex for over a year and needed to know if there had been been degeneration . My onc ordered a PET/CT scan for me last summer on the one year anniversary of finishing my chemo. Before I went into recon, I wanted to be sure I was NED.

At some point, I suppose I will have to have an MRI of my chest to be sure there is no recurrence on my chest wall. But that will probably only happen if my tumor markers rise. I don't think they do mammos of DIEP flaps, because that tissue isn't breast tissue.

Hi there.

I did chemo, R mastectomy with immediate tissue expander placed, rads. I then went for my tissue expander fills after I finished rads.

I just had my exchange suregery 4 weeks ago. I waited almost 2 yrs. I waited because I wanted the skin to stretch as much as possible AND because of the whole" 2 yr recurrence thing."

My skin took really well to rads. My PS said that he didnt see why it would not be successful. I opted for a lift/reduction on my healthy breast (left side). So far..Im happy. I was a D, almost DD cup before the surgery. I decided to go smaller, a C cup. and it is so...so...so.. much better.

Only minor thing is I developed a slight infection 2 weeks after the exchange surgery. I seem to have caught it in time and it has cleared up. Im continuing with anti biotics just in case.

Still thinking about it and am not a candidate for DIEP. Will possibly do a Lat Flap with implant underneath. But have not made a decision yet...

I had a bi-lat mx, chemo and doing rad now.  I will be doing recon, but waiting until after radiation and a break from doctors.  Then I plan on consulting with a PS to find out what my options are.

I did chemo first, then a bilateral MX in october. I am REALLY glad I did chemo first because it gave me a chance to think about reconstruction--the breast surgeon was pushing me into it as if I almost did not have a choice. When I had time to think about it I realized that I did NOT want more surgery then absolutely necessary, and that I wanted the shortest recovery time possible. I have a small child and an extremely active life (lots of travel). I realized that the best decision FOR ME was to have no reconstruction at all. It was not easy to find support for that decision! Now, I couldn't be happier--I feel so much freer and lighter (and I am a heck of a lot better at yoga...)

I had delayed recon.  I waited a year post rad at the recommendation of my PS and at that time had a prophylactic mast on my lesft side and recon on both.  I had a tissue expander on my left (non C) side and a lat flap with Tissue expander on my radiated side.  I had that durgery Dec 2 09. Right now I still have the expanders in as I just finsihed being expanded at the end of January.  Don't know when I will be exchanging as my PS is on mat leave until June.  It isn't a problem though as she likes to leave the expanders in for a few months before exchange.