Burning pain after 3 months post lumpectomy

It's probably just nerves regenerating and breast tissue moving around and filling in the spaces. I had a lot of breast tissue removed during my excisional biopsy; because I did not have any clear margins around two different areas of DCIS, I had no choice but to go back for a MX. I waited 2 1/2 before my MX surgery. I recall that during the last couple of weeks before my MX, I had more pain in my breast than I'd had during the earlier part of the healing process.

hi Mikala,

I dont have any advice to offer you but was wondering why you need a mx now. Did you not go in for radiation after yr lumpectomy...??

Just wanted to understand a little better.

Thanks.

Mikela, I'm small breasted so I didn't need the lift, but I did opt to have an implant added on the 'good' side both to help with symmetry and to boost my size just a bit (I went from a small "B" to a full "B" so it wasn't much of a change). From an appearance standpoint, that little bit of difference in size helps me look more proportional, so I think in clothes I look better now than I did before my MX. A small silver lining.

I do find it odd to have one natural breast and one reconstructed breast. Because I have one of each, I notice more how unnatural the reconstructed breast is. It just sits there - it doesn't move at all. And it's quite a bit firmer. And it feels cold a lot of the time. When I lie down, one breast flattens out naturally while the other remains perky and pointed up, which is strange. What bothers me the most is the difference in movement, one side versus the other. I solve that by almost always wearing something, even to bed. I either wear a cami that has just enough structure to hold my natural breast a bit more in place, or I wear a comfy stretchy sports bra (not the type that is confining). That bit of extra structure makes all the difference in the world because when I'm wearing something like that, I can move around (turning in bed, for example) and not notice the difference between my breasts.

Although having one natural breast and one reconstructed breast means that I notice the reconstructed breast more, I'm still very glad I did it this way. Considering how unnatural the reconstructed breast is, I'm glad that I have just one!

Mikela, yes, I can walk around without wearing a bra, and sometimes I do (just around the house, not going out), but usually I have on either a snug cami or a light sports bra.

I decided not to have nipple reconstruction done. For me, in looking at pictures, I didn't find that they look natural. I think it's okay if you have a BMX and have both done, so they both look the same, but with only one..... I just had the feeling that I would look less symmetrical with two different looking nipples. And the fact is that the nipple is just for show anyway so it just wasn't worth it to me. But I think I'm in the minority on this. If you read through the Reconstruction Forum on this board, there are lots of discussion threads about nipples.

How I feel about my symmetry seems to depend on the day. Some days I look at myself and I think I'm quite symmetrical. Other days, I see all the differences. From the front, it's really quite good. From the side the difference is more noticeable because the implant is fuller at the top than my natural breast.

My symmetry immediately after my exchange surgery was exceptionally good but about 9 months later, the implant shifted just a little bit. I went to my PS and his assessment was that the implant had moved into a more natural position based on the shape of my chest bone. That's the thing about implant reconstruction - adjustments sometimes have to be made based on how your body reacts to the implant, be it the shape of your chest bone and how the implant sits, how tight your muscle is and whether the implant falls or not, how the muscle holds and shapes the implant, etc.. This is why revision surgeries are often done, because even the best PS can't know what the exact result will be until after the surgery is done and the implant settles into place. If it doesn't settle how you want it, then a revision can be done. I could have had a revision surgery to try to move the implant back to the original position, but if that's not a natural place for the implant to sit based on the shape of my chest, then the only way to keep the implant in that spot would be to sew a really tight pocket, and that could be painful. So I decided that I'm okay to live with the symmetry being just a bit off.

In clothing, my symmetry is great. It took a bit of time to find the right bras - ones that provide just enough lift to my good side so that both breasts appear equally full on top. But with the right bra, I look much better in a bra now than I ever did before. And anyone looking at me in a bra or a low cut top (not that I tend to wear them) would have no idea which side is which.

In the end most women who have implant reconstruction are happy with the results. I think a lot of women go into it expecting a completely natural breast, a 100% replacement for the original. That's not what you get. Some women are happy right from the start but most women need a bit of time to allow their eyes to adjust to how their breasts now look, and to get used to the different feel. But after a while, most women are satisfied with the results.

Check out the Reconstruction forum. My input is just from my experience. You will learn a lot more about what to expect from the posts there.