radiation and reconstruction

Hi!  I also had a bilateral mastectomy with tissue expanders, and just had the exchange surgery last week (silicone implants).  My results are incredible.

 Prior to rads, my PS over-expanded by approx 250ccs.  Right before rads started he had to drain those 250 ccs (at the rads onc's request).  6 weeks before my exchange surgery the PS re-filled the expanders with 60 ccs, slightly overexpanded.  Turns out my skin is healthy and I can have nipple reconstruction too.  I'm thrilled!

 Everybody's different.  I had no problems with rads, just a burn that healed nicely.  Keep moisturing, massaging, and STRETCH.  I stretched like crazy because the rads side always felt tight.  I don't know if it helped, but it didn't hurt!

 Congrats on almost being done with chemo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have the same concerns of radiation on my Diep reconstruction, done 6/29 at the same time as a left simple MX. No node involvement but ILC with pleomorphic components, 6 x 2.5 cm, against the chest wall. But since my breast tissue covered the mass, there was no lump and it was only detected through my routine annual mammogram. On a subsequent ultrasound it showed up BIG TIME.

'm 54 and have diligent about annual mammograms so this was all a shock. I thought since I had been so diligent we had caught it early but have since learned it was likely there for years but it couldn't be detected. That's something they don't ever tell us! 

I'm told I'm Stage IIIa, ER and PR positive, Her2 Negative but the Ocnotype DX results just came back saying I'm considered low risk for second BC in 5 yrs, without chemo.

Saw my breast surgeon yesterday she said I will need Radiation, hormone blockers etc., but maybe not chemo! I mentioned my PC last visit said radiation would be a year away. She basically said no way, and the PC and Oncologist would need to work it out, and although we didn't want to compromise my new Flap, one year was too far out. She said I'm in a grey zone and given my reports, it will be interesting to see how the Oncologists will want to proceed. 

I have 3 consults with recommended medical Oncologists over the next 3 weeks and see what they say. Going locally to someone highly recommended, Yale New Haven and Memorial IN NYC.

Wii try to balance everything out and make a decision. I have been battling a breast infection for the last 3 weeks, which is now 85% resolved, so I'm ready to move forward.

Lastly, my lymph that was biopsied and came back negative, and passed the Sentinel test in OR has become enlarged and painful over the past few days. Strikes me as odd since this wasn't the case when my infection was raging, and my breast surgeon also said it was highly unusual.

Prior to my BC diagnosis, I requested a lung and pelvis cat scan (to give me peace of mind, due to pain in left lower groin and confirmation recent diagnosis of Diverticulosis was all that was going on down there, due to diagnosis of BC.)

Anyway, I was rereading the body of the report on my chest cat scan and saw it noted scar damage in my lower left lung from a past pneumonia, but also noted an enlarged lymph in my rt lung, with a recommendation this be followed-up on in 6 months.

Any thoughts on the impact of radiation on my newly reconstructed breast, or anything else would be greatly appreciated. 

Diagnosis: 04/26//2010, ILC, 6cm, Stage IIIa, Grade 2, no nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-