Nightmare reconstruction complications, need input

My thought is wear the fake breast insert until you are completely healed and if down the road you want to try the implant again, go for it. Who knows, maybe you'll decide another surgery isn't worth it and skip the whole process. I am convinced implants aren't for everyone. I know they did not work for me and I gave it 2 1/2 years and at least 4 or 5 tries. Good luck to you.

Amy

Aff- i am happy to hear that your surgery went well! Just how long was your recovery from DIEP?

I will be having uni mx with DIEP the end of August. I meet with the plastic surgeon next week. Anything you recommend I ask? Any other suggestions/ tips?!

I would greatly appreciate any input you can offer!

I still have 4 weeks of chemo (A/C plus Taxol) to go, then about 5 weeks off until surgery.

Thanks aff! I so appreciate your input and I am really happy to hear your recovery went so well.

I guess I am pretty overwhelmed at the length of time for recovery from surgery. Yes, we do all heal at our own rate. I'm afraid I am a slow healer so I was expecting a couple of months.

Hi Scary,  sounds like you didn't have a fun time with your surgery and recovery.

I had my drainage for 3 months and a day after the mastectomy of my right breast.  I had an opening on the flap, which kept the drainage in for a long time. Even when she flushed it, it drained more, but remained. I took antibiotics for 6 weeks, then I developed red breast.  Not common but happens to some women, I was one of those special women.

I had my lift and removed the breast expander on May 15, 2015.  My lift breast left, was and is still swollen will be for a total of 3 months. I have 2 months left.  My new breast, still looked like what I had start calling my little football. It never looked like a breast. 

I ran into some problems a month after having the implant inserted after the breast expander was removed. 6-15-2015, I ended up with 2 holes in my skin. My plastic surgeon removed the skin, so I had an hour worth of surgery at her office. Weird part is I can't feel anything, not even the needle. it's so weird.  Last Tuesday, 6/22/15, my implant was peaking out.  It created 2 holes, it kind of looked like liver. I took a picture. Not weird, a friend suggested to create a blog, which I plan on doing.  So, she cut more skin and tighten me up.  I didn't have a drainage and I was leaking, this wasn't helping the matter. Plus I was had no more skin to give.  On Thursday, my bandage was soaking, I emailed my plastic surgeon.  went to see her the plastic surgeon on Thursday, the implant wanted to escape my body so to speak.  Friday, June 26, 2015, I was scheduled to have the implant removed.  In the morning bandages were leaking and I changed the bandages and the implant was peeking out from 2 holes.  I had my surgery on the 26, of June.  I had an infection because of the drainage and the open air all the bacteria was going inside my breast, which caused the fever and redness.  I was freezing cold for the last couple of days. My implant was removed and I feel better. 

I'm now taking antibiotics for 10 days 6 hours a day and 3 tablets for those 6 hours. Fluconazole to keep those nasty yeast infections away. Pain medication to help with the stitches.  Ice pack for the swelling for the next 3 or 4 days.  All in all, I feel so much better. I don't have that heavy weight feeling that I had when I had problems with the implant. I was hunched over and my neck was hurting for those 2 weeks.   

After doing this with the breast expander for 2 1/2 months.  Having the implant for a month.  I'm told I don't need to start all over again for the next 3 months, so that my body heals.  I'm suppose to feel a whole lot better. 

Then the expander will stay in longer, to stretch the skin more then normal.

For me having the expander, I always felt the plate in the beginning, I felt the metal.  I was wearing a suit of amour. I couldn't sleep in my own bed for 3 months, the couch was my sleeping quarters.  it hurt when the skin stretched and pending over was a pain because the plate made it feel worse.

I've asked my doctor about not doing the implant. She suggested different types of bras.  Or different products. 

I'm going to wait and not do it for a while, maybe if I decide to do it I'll consider doing it, in a year or two or not at all. I found for myself I'm comfortable being flat, after I had the mastectomy and had the breast expander, I was flat for a couple of weeks.  I didn't mind it. Uncomfortable because of the plate which had the port for the silicone to be place in to expand the expander.  I first did it for my daughter because she's young and body imagine. But, I think after the experience she saw me have, and I mentioned that I had the implant removed. She (she's 11 years old), told me not to do it again, since she know how the experience was for me.  

I heard it's a personal decision and many women don't share it. But if you can find women that are willing to share this is great.  For my own personal decision, I'm not ready to do it again. 

I hope you can find the right answer for yourself.  Finding other women that dealt with this experience should help.  Have you tried calling Gilda club?  I've heard you can call them and they will get in contact with other women that are dealing with what you had.  And then provide additional insight on what made them decide on what they did. 

I wish you all the best on the decision you decide. 

Remember it's the best decision for you.

Best regards,

Lee

Hi Scary, as your doctor to prescribe you fluconazole for the yeast infection. Ask that they prescribe a bit more so you always have them at home.

Yes, Scary, I feel like I've been to hell and back.  Today, June 29th, I my emotions got the best of me.  I guess it's good to cry.  releases all these feelings.  today, I cry.  Tomorrow the sun returns to my heart.

I hope you can find your way and decide what's best to you.

I get to see my chest tomorrow. I can't wait.  I'm hoping the drainage is removed.  It's been low and that's a good sign.

Lee

My opinion and some doctors have told me, once you have capsular contracture, always have capsular contracture. I had 3 failed expanders and that was enough for me to find a new plastic surgeon and move on!

I am now 4 weeks post op DIEP flap surgery from New Orleans center for restorative breast surgery and I am finally happy with my results!! It was the best decision I ever made. You really need to go to an experienced diep flap surgeon though even if it entails out of state

HI Scary

Im sure we are all shuddering from the experiences that you have had. Everyone's worst nightmare.

I'd like to challenge your research on the fat grafting "not lasting" I am about half way thru reconstruction with fat grafting alone and was convinced by what I read and drs. I talked too that it is "permanent". I do understand it is a new procedure, and I don't know whether it would be right for you. The choice of doctor seems to be the biggest part of the decision.

Take care of yourself.

I am doing the Brava as well. Not the most fun, but not the worst by far. I too liked the "fat sucking" idea. Now, if I could just figure out how to peel of about 10 years....

http://www.breastreconstructionandaugmentation.com/breast-reconstruction-after-mastectomy

http://www.miamibreastcenter.com/reconstruction/af...

Hi Scary -

I don't know if my story will help. As you can see from my signature line I've been through the ringer with surgeries. I developed an infection that caused me to lose my implants from my first reconstruction attempt. They tried to salvage it by giving me a pic line and I met many times with the Infectious Disease Doc. As soon as the implants were removed the infection cleared up. However, I wish I told them to take out the implants instead of trying to treat me with them in. It didn't work. It caused months of agony and damaged my skin terribly. Then I started reconstruction all over again. Essentially, it was a whole extra year of surgery and I had the LD flap. Now that it's done I am glad I did it. I like how I look a lot. I feel great, have full ROM and no difficulties. The LD was considered a safer option for me as the muscle is never removed from the body. However, I was strongly considering skipping the reconstruction and just using the bra inserts. During the time I contemplated it, I felt cheated. I found a PS I have great confidence in. Ultimately, I feel like an extra year was added to my cancer sentence. The LD surgery was almost as bad as the BMX and I needed physical therapy. As I'm happy with my results I am glad I did it but it really was an awful lot to endure.

I do hope your road is an easier one.

I had fat grafting to re create both breasts after implants capsulized. My breast were hard and cold. I had 4 grafting surgeries (within 14 months) and did not use the brava system, I think because I was already stretched out from the implants. The surgeries were very hard on my body. That being said, I have soft warm breasts and I am a full B or small C. Also, I have no more fat in other parts of my body.. Tummy, back, thighs. Nice perk

One more thing... They aren't perfect and they will never ever be the same no matter what. I had delusions of perfect breasts. Especially if you've had radiation... Not going to happen. Still, I look great in clothes and they feel good. That's my new normal.

Hi Scary, I feel sad when I read your story--I hope you get relief soon and believe you are amazingly brave as I read your support of so many others when they respond to your story. I also think you sound like you are in a good psychological position to wait until you heal, try to go without reconstruction for a bit after you heal, then if you decide to go with reconstruction again, go to the best possible hospital your insurance will allow you to--a center specifically dealing with breast cancer/reconstruction or a teaching hospital.

We have financially sacrificed a lot to go to a university teaching hospital with a very good reputation for breast cancer, plastic surgery and breast reconstruction. It is about two hours away on a good driving day, and that wouldn't be bad at all except I have had some relatively minor complications that mean more trips than we could have planned. Skin necrosis from the mastectomy in three spots has been the major issue from my DIEP surgery. It was pretty obvious on day one that the areas were not surviving but my doc wanted to wait as long as possible to go back into the OR. Just one small area in the flap with problems--for cosmetic reasons my doctor wants to do skin grafting (a two surgery option, one to remove and debrid the dead skin, a second tomorrow to graft skin from my thighs to the breast areas.)

My husband and I feel very confident with my PS and his team. My abdominal incision healed without a single problem, and my PS said he could just close the areas in my new breast areas but doing that would create cosmetic issues later which we would not be pleased with. The surgeries are taxing, getting used to going under, but won't ever be able to say I like it. Yesterday (a Saturday) we had to go to the hospital for a really stupid reason--the wound vac I have to wear during this part of the procedure of debriding then grafting got full of drainage. We didn't have an extra canister, and when using a wound vac you have to have it running and on for 22 out of 24 hours--sigh--the ps resident competently met us at the hospital, redid some of the waterproof covering and put in the new collection canister, and we went on our way.

I think the toll on my husband is the hardest part for me. At first he was so awful in his acceptance and support--when I went through the mastectomy and was in the hospital his support began to build--and when we got home and I had some really rough pain nights, he became the most caring and compassionate person I have ever had in my life It is hard not to note how hard this is on him. Hoping this next surgery is the last for a while. We have lost my income completely for the last five weeks, over two weeks of his income, and we are beginning to really suffer financially with worries it could get worse before it is better.

DIEP isn't a cakewalk, but I am certain it is the only choice that has a chance of working well for me. My body is like yours, Scary, doesn't take kindly to implants. Can't even get tooth implants as infection messed up the bone grafting for that a year or so ago.

Take time for your decision. I am glad DIEP was available to me, but there isn't a single procedure that won't make you know you are a fighter and a warrior at the end of this.