Re-do of Reconstructive Surgery

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TruckGirl
TruckGirl Member Posts: 7
edited November 2016 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

Hi. I am new to this site & joined in hopes of hearing from others about their reconstructive process. I had a right side mastectomy 10/14/2014, with a tissue expander placement the same day. I went through the "weekly fill-ups" for a few months, then had the permanent implant surgery in April, 2015. I was not happy with the size or shape of the implant after healing so it was redone using a tear drop shaped implant late November, 2015. It is still healing & a bit swollen but I am still not loving the overall appearance.

My questions is - is it normal to have multiple implant surgeries? My PS says it is but that's the answer I'd expect from him. I love his style, demeanor, office staff, etc. so I hate to think that I should consider going elsewhere. I wonder if my serious OCD is causing me to expect too much & if I am just finally coming to terms with this being my new normal... I understand every case is different, I just did not anticipate this being such a long, drawn out adventure.

Any thoughts?

Thank you!!

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  • inks
    inks Member Posts: 746
    edited January 2016

    It is very common to have revision(s) after reconstruction. According to some studies 70% of implant based reconstructions will have revision surgery or surgeries.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited January 2016

    Dear TruckGirl, Welcome to the community. In addition to the great information you will gain here, such as the information that inks poses above you may also want to visit the Breast Reconstruction Forum for addition in put. Thanks for reaching out. We look forward to hearing from you. The MOds

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  • TruckGirl
    TruckGirl Member Posts: 7
    edited January 2016

    Thanks for your quick reply!

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  • inks
    inks Member Posts: 746
    edited January 2016

    http://www.allergan.com/Actavis/media/Allergan-PDF...

    Scroll to page 17. The link is for Allergan but I have a feeling it is the same for other manufacturers too.

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  • trailrose
    trailrose Member Posts: 219
    edited January 2016

    Quite a few women have revision surgeries more than twice! My second revision/reconstruction surgery was done by a different PS. It never hurts to get other opinions. Totally normal.

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  • TruckGirl
    TruckGirl Member Posts: 7
    edited February 2016

    Thank you! I'm learning that it's a much slower process than I first expected.

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  • Iwannacookie
    Iwannacookie Member Posts: 191
    edited February 2016

    Thank you for asking this question. I was wondering the same thing. I just had my first revision surgery 2 weeks ago, and already I'm seeing small ripples developing again--despite the addition of Alloderm. I'm glad to hear that having more than one revision isn't uncommon because I was afraid to even broach the subject with my surgeon, lest she think I'm being unreasonable.

    I hate the idea of another surgery, but I/we've come this far and endured enough to feel entitled to a nice pair o' boobies.

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  • TruckGirl
    TruckGirl Member Posts: 7
    edited February 2016

    I agree completely! Life can have its challenges, but if you can find a positive mixed in somewhere, then you'll feel better off in the end. And a nice pair o'boobies is a positive hehe.

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  • calidancer
    calidancer Member Posts: 88
    edited February 2016

    ugh I have the dreaded ripples too, right in the cleavage! My MX side pocket is also past the midline. Neither of these are simple to fix. So, I'm waiting it out. See how I feel about the whole thing this summer. Not sure a possible but not guaranteed modest improvement is worth the pain. 😑💓

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  • Iwannacookie
    Iwannacookie Member Posts: 191
    edited September 2016

    Aaargh! I'm back again. I'm scheduled to have another revision in a few days. This time it's because my right side gummy bear has rotated 90 degrees! I went in for a follow-up appointment regarding some rippling. I had noticed beforehand that my right breast looked a little misshapen but I figured it was just the way the implant had settled, and I didn't want to seem too picky. But my surgeon saw it immediately and asked me how long it had looked that way. I really can't recall when I first noticed it because I rarely look at my breasts--ironically, largely due to how odd they have always appeared and felt to me.

    I hope to God this will be my last surgery!

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  • Sara536
    Sara536 Member Posts: 7,032
    edited September 2016

    Does anyone know if it is true that if you have had radiation therapy, then surgical redo of reconstruction is not possible?

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  • inks
    inks Member Posts: 746
    edited September 2016

    Sara536 - My PS will not touch my radiated side. There are some surgeons that will, but the only option is a flap surgery. My radiated side is distorted and I am looking into NOLA. But I have a feeling that they will only do a flap aswell.

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  • MsVeryDenseBreasts
    MsVeryDenseBreasts Member Posts: 100
    edited November 2016

    Iwannacookie, how did your surgery go? I'm dealing with an implant that has rotated 180 degrees, nearly a year after the reconstruction surgery. I hate the thoughts of going through another surgery and the PS is talking about invoking as much as 12 weeks (vs 6) of activity restrictions. That's a non-starter for me. Also, did you run into any trouble getting your insurance to cover that revision to correct the rotation? Many thanks.

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