Save my TaTas

Hi , I know , that they seem to just  through these options out there.

 Let me tell you what I know. I had a prophylative L mastectomy and bilateral recon 6 mos after my rad tx was completed. I had a R  mast for stage IIIC bc. I had saline implants in at the time of my orig dx, so they just switched them out at the time of my recon.  I  chose  this because I was already " expanded " by the implants, and I am small and did not have any extra tissue to do a flap.

Please talk to you PS . who will let you know about the pro and cons of each proceedure. There is never a guarantee of sucess on the rad side, but i had no problems.

I, too, did immediate reconstruction at the time of my mastectomy and had an expander put in.  That was in October, 2007, and I haven't  had any problems as a result of the radiation or anything else.  I was just about to turn 40 when my diagnosis came, so I can imagine the anger you feel about all of this.  Before my surgery, we thought I was just dealing with DCIS (though I had a small lump under my arm and knew there would be lymph nodes involved), and I so wanted to keep my breasts.  Who wouldn't??  But in the end, when I scheduled the exchange surgery, I had a prophy done on the other side, and I've never looked back.  I'm so glad they're gone.  Good riddance! 

It is a tough decision, and it stinks to have to make it.  And most of the time, you're getting advice from people who've never been through it, and may never have to make the decisions you are having to make.  IMO, it's easy for a friend to tell you, "If it were me...."   Honestly, no one knows how they would be in your shoes, so you have to go with your gut feelings and do what is best for you.  I'm so sorry you're dealing with this!

Bobbie

I did not have immediate recon.  I had a right mast, chemo, rad, herceptin. In Dec 09 I had my left breast removed and tissue expanders placed. Just the expander on the left (non-cancer side) and a lat flap on the right (radiated) side.  Check out the recon threads for a lot of info. My second surger was just under 5 hours for a mast, TE, and TE lat flap.  I was hospitalized for two nights and went home with 3 drains.

wow i too am at the same crossroads. i had 4 acs, would have been done my taxols next week but three were delayed because of colds and fevers so now shouild be done march 17th. have been meeting with PS's 2 to be exact and am leaning towards bilateral masect, spacer placements, then rads. i too will have delayed reconstruction and am looking into implants or the diep flap,looks like more diep flap.my original the first breast surgeon and PS and breast surgeon don't do the procedure i wanted so in the process of a consult with the other. rads and spacers were more controversal but more mainstream now. my surgery should be mid tothe end of april. keep us posted.

Hi Sharkness,

As you can see, there's a huge variety of options!  Have you consulted with a plastic surgeon (preferably a breast-specialist PS)?  They can give you the options and recommendations for your specific situation, since outcomes depend on so many things.  

For me, I had double MX with immediate expander placement, then chemo and expander fills, then radiation.  I finished all my treatments in July and still have the expanders in.  My PS wants to wait a full year for exchange to silicone implants, to make sure that all radiation-related tissue changes have stabilized in order to improve the results. All my PS checkups have gone well, and she is very pleased with my skin, and there is no evidence of any capsular contraction or negative effects from the rads.

My best recommendation is to get the advice of the plastic surgeon ahead of time.  If you don't "click" with the first PS, then find another.   You need professional opinions of all your options so you can make a decision you'll feel comfortable with.

Best of luck with this very tough decision!