Deconstructed and Happy about it!

welcome to the club! I know I have a sense of tranquilty knowing that this is where I'm at.  I wish you well.

HairSprayMom, this is a wonderful club to belong to... I have my surgery booked for March 18th and I am going to be so happy and proud to be boobless in boston....

Kezzie

(((((((((((((HairSprayMom&Mr.HairSpray))))))))))))))

That has to be the most loving comment I have ever heard.

xx00xx00xx00xx

Strength and courage.

Strength and courage.

Strength and courage.

xx00xx00xx00xx

Perhaps that sentiment should be on T-shirts available at BreastFree??

Or just embroider it on your heart............

Thanks so much for sharing.

I, too, am so fortunate to have a husband who stood behind my choice not to go for recon. In retrospect that was the very best decision for me -- as I had infection/cellulitis/hemotoma just from the incision closure itself.

There are many here to support your new-found status.

We embrace you, and stand beside you.

Hope there is room for a uni in this club!  My implant was removed for the second time in late October, followed by a hematoma that was surgically fixed and then a seroma that got infected, so I'm just starting to feel human again.  Those were just the most recent complications, so I'm really glad to be off the reconstruction roller coaster.  It is a challenge to be half flat and not healed enough to wear a prosthetic, but thank goodness it is winter and I can wear enough layers to cover it all up -- LOL.

My husband has also been 100% supportive since I got BC -- he's amazing. 

HairSprayMom,

Can I join the club? I only had a mastectomy, not a bilateral.  I wasn't offered it as I'm medicaid (DSHS) patient.  I would not have had reconstruction even if I had both removed as they didn't/don't define who I was/am. Does the fact that that I still have one boob preclude me from joining?

Laurie

Just want to wish everyone here Happy Holidays and a Very Happy New Year!

I feel very comfortable posting this milestone in this particular thread.

I wore my two new "boobs in a box" for three hrs today.   Very comfortable; I did a lot of walking.  the Marlena bra from Amoena is very well-made; I returned the others and ordered all four (insurance limit) Marlenas in different colors.

They passed the hug test too; my hubby gave me a test-hug and said he could not tell. I'll be seeing relatives soon for

Christmas celebrations are about to commence and we are a huggy family.   the foam inserts were not hug-proof; but they certainly serve me well at other times.          

I give ladies credit for going thru recon; but I feel really good about my decision not to. As I mentioned before, I have had my share of surgeries and difficult wound healings (totally unrelated to breast cancer)      so I am glad that I am comfortable in my own shoes; not trying to fit i square peg into a round hole.  One of the nice things about being in my mid-fifties is knowing myself and accepting myself.     Those are my thoughts anyway.     

Don't know what to do..My Dr is not all that sympathetic about my problems. ie Back Neck. The muscle under my arms is stretched and I am now experiencing muscle lose all the way down my arm. I have not heard anyone else mention this sort of complication. Has anyone else had this sort of problem? I did not think my would body would be this affected every thing seem different now. I guess I am an immotional wreck these days too

I worry so much as different issues develope..Is there ever an end to all this stuff.

Any input would be very helpful.

Happy to hear that all is going well with your surgery HairsprayMom!

You sound very positive about you decision...

Love

Laura

Must chime in here as someone who has been flat since July 2010 BMX. I like the microbead forms and find that they make me look just like I used to look before. I wear them for occasions when I want to look like I used to look. But very recently I've found that I am getting comfortable going flat in public also. I find that as long as the rest of my outfit looks good (I'm talking cute shoes, pants, cute top and a jacket, and great earrings), I think I look just FINE. It's a little bit funny that on some days it looks like I have breasts and on some days I don't, but that's how things work out. It really is COMFORTABLE to go flat.    

Don't know what the problem is with the arms..Maybe I was to active after my expansions. Was not given much info on exercise etc....Things seemed to be going well until my exchange. My right implant has actually slipped from under the musle and my left just looks strange. The arm thing really bothers me a lot. I don't think any amount of surgery can fix the problem br  I have to pad the strap of my bra to take presure off of the muscle between my rec breast and arm as it gets irritated and the skin has thinned as there is no tissue ther just skin.  sad and worried

Laura .

Maybe this is as good a place as any to tell this story.  I was in Wal-Mart this week looking for something in the underwear dept, and they didn't have what I wanted.  i was about to leave, when I noticed a line of Large sports bras.  They were so colorful and so large and so firm-looking, I was just kinda staring at them and wondering if that was what a large-breasted friend has to wear to jog.  (Remember, I am more concave than a pancake, having had a bilat almost 5 years ago, and I'm not wearing even my little microbead forms right now.)  A woman walked up to me and asked, "Do you wear those for exercise?"  I was stunned, but I recovered and said, "No, I was just looking at them."  She went on to tell me she found bras uncomfortable, but she apparently wears that kind all the time.  She recommended them to me, and I said, "I don't actually need that much support any more."  She thanked me, and walked on.  I just stood there and thought to myself, people really aren't paying attention to my flat chest!  It was so funny!

Dawn 

HairSprayMom,

I'm sorry you had such a tough time with your reconstruction and so many surgeries. How wonderful to be done and free of all that worry! 

I'm actually quite happy and relieved to see your post, because after the new year I am planning on having my implants removed and going flat. I had bilateral mast with expanders in April 2008, and exchanged to silicone implants in Sept. 2008. Within 6 mths, I developed capsular contracture in the right side, and now have the beginning of CC in the left. I also developed truncal lymphedema in the right side around the time the CC started. I have done myofascial therapy for over a year in an attempt to reduce the scarring and get relief from the pain it has caused. My neck, back, shoulders, and esp. the pectoral area are tight, and I cannot ever get comfortable and forget about these damn implants. Because of my lymphedema, I will be removing the implants without replacing. It's really the best thing for my health, so it's kind of a no brainer. I did do some research, but it confirmed that those who develop CC are likely to get it again with new implants. And with the lymphedema, I'm just not willing to involve any other body parts since I need to keep all the healthy nodes I can! I really don't care enough about having breasts to cut other parts of my body, which I happen to think is just fine the way it is.

Right now I'm researching who I want to do my surgery and hope to make that decision some time in January. February is my goal for surgery. I cannot wait to get rid of these things and hope to finally have the mental energy to move on and think about something else!!! I feel like I've been held hostage by these implants for over two years. I am so done. It's not to say I didn't go through a little grieving process - I had a meltdown for a couple weeks once I realized what I needed to do. Sort of took me back to when I first had my BC diagnosis. But I feel good about my decision and can't wait to be done, just like you.

I'm also curious to know what you look like now. If you had implants, is your muscle stretched? Did they remove the extra skin? I'll admit I'm a little worried about what I will look like - just want to be as neat and tidy and flat as possible. If you don't mind, I would really like to hear about it.