2nd Different BC 2nd Breast

Two, I am so sorry you are going thru this! I am bumping your question to the top of the active threads list, that way more people will see it and have a chance to respond. I had a double mastectomy with immediate recon, implants. I am happy with it with one execption., I had rads after, about 6 weeks after surgery, and as I expected, I did have capsular contracture on the radiated side. My Plastic Surgeon said I probably would, but I did not want a flap, did not want to go flat. So I rolled the dice. I will need a tweeking surgery to release scar tissue one day, but not now,..not ready for more surgery/healing. I always say, in clothes I look natural and perky. Naked, just perky. but that is ok with me for now!. I hope you get more responses soon.

OH I bet that was real kick in the pants to find out the other breast hadILC. I don't have that situation but I was diagnosed originally with Double Breast cancer so I do sort of know a bit of what you feel. I think its ok to read about both procedures and get input from more than one BS and Plastic Surgeon. Remember just because they say it can't be done really means it is not their specialty.

What are they recommending for Treatment? I really feel for you. I think you have a lot of options but all of it will take time.

I can tell you they didn't find my tumor on the right side until pathology after surgery. The imagining/biopsy only showed DCIS. It just worries me that if I had chosen differently I might have missed it for awhile. It was incredibly hard to say goodbye to my breasts. I struggled with the lumpectomy decision and radiation but in my situation the area of DCIS was so large they couldn't save my right breast. It made the decision to to a Bilateral Mastectomy (BMX) easier

As far as surgery to put in the Tissue expanders and remove Centinal nodes :Some women have it incredibly easy. They have drains that they place.. They are a pain but doable. I had a wound that healed slowly so they put me on a high protein diet ( 100 grams daily) that helped a lot and now I have another surgery I am upping my protein. My recovery was around 4-5 weeks before I started to feel like myself again. It wasn't a walk in the park but doable.

I had the Tissue Expanders that they place behind the pectoral muscle then slowly fill until to stretch the skin. In a few weeks I will have a Gummy bear silicon implant with Nipple reconstruction. The upside is ( I hope) less breast tissue to get cancer. The downside is you lose some feeling in your chest and have no feeling in your nipple ( if you choose to have it made and attached. Some women don't worry about it or have a 3D Tattoo).

I think a good PS could access your skin recovery on the radiated side and give you an idea of a time line for healing. If that side recovers you could have immediate reconstruction on your new side and then later after the tissue heals have the other side reconstructed to match. Or You could choose to have the mastectomy and let your skin heal longer then do reconstruction.

AS far as the VFlap and the LFlap It wasn't available in my state I would have had to fly and stay in a hotel. The only thing I know for sure is to go to someone who has done hundreds if not thousands of what you want and get referrals and pictures.

I wondered if it might be helpful to post in the reaccurance area. Surely there are more women going through a contralateral diagnosis.