Reconstruction-How many revisions did it take to get it right?

I had 3 revisions before nipple reconstruction. This included 2 lifts and fat grafting. Now they are perfect DDDs. Prior to surgery I had droopy pancakes. Now I have cleavage. I think the amount of revisions needed can be affected by the amount of complications from the first surgery as well as the condition of the breast skin. In addition, you cannot control how much fat remains after grafting. I just had nipple reconstruction from a different PS and he was very pleased with the work done by my former PS. My first one left the practice. The nipples still have stitches so I will reserve judgement for a couple of months.

There was a period before my last revision when I was seriously considering to accept them as they were because I was tired of surgeries. I am one of 5 girls and have also lost a sister and mother to BC. I was diagnosed a lot earlier than they were. When my PS offered to do one last lift and touchup I agreed because I realized that I deserved to have breasts that I could look at without feeling sad.

I had my DMX and DIEP flap surgery on 11-13-17. It went well, all of my worries about being under anesthetic all those hours were wasted worry hours, I went to sleep, woke up assuring the nurses it was "okay" as I don't go under easily---ha---I had to be told it was 5:30 pm, and I had been out for 10 hours.

It went well, pain a bit more than I wanted to anticipate, pain medications have helped with that and made it possible for me to be able to do some mild family times over the Thanksgiving holiday. I have been able to be "on my own" at home since about day 10 post surgery. I was in hospital for six days, and felt well enough to handle my day by the end of Thanksgiving weekend.

Boring....no doubt. Still can't really lift so cleaning is out of the question. If I sleep all day I am not tired at night--hate most TV--anyway, going to do my first drive to my internist's office for a post-op check with him.

I am posting on this board because my PS (who did a stellar job of everything, seriously) feels he needs to go back and remove a 2.5x3.5 piece of spared skin from the cancer mastectomy side, it doesn't appear to be on a healing track, then he wants to put in a wound vac for a week??? Then go back and do a skin graft surgery from my thigh to two sites on breasts the following week?

The surgery was supposed to be scheduled this week, and I am freaking out because I am supposed to return to work on the 20th or 21st if I don't, I lose all holiday pay for the year, begin to lose all of my vacation days on the 19th, and they will be used until they are gone. I also can't apply for STD insurance until Jan 1st, but of course if I am not present and able to work, I can't qualify for the STD insurance I am sad, sad, sad today.

I know it is all stupid stuff, the cancer is GONE and it was a nasty early triple negative high grade (3) necrotic, in five ducts, showing beginning infiltration. It is GONE, yet I don't want my car to be gone and all my vacation days to be gone either! seems like small stuff, just hoped all would be without even this minor hitch.

Was just getting happy to be able to get out without drains coming from multiple holes in my body (haha, got good at concealing them) now I have to have a gross wound vac suction machine attached to both of my noobs for a week:( sick of being home, sick of being alone, older daughter had a plan to see me and get over to my Mom's today, I might just have to call that one in as a plan Love this board. I did find some ultra comfortable Bali bras which provide excellent support and compression with extreme comfort! Pricey, but wonderful comfort and noobs/my new breasts seem quite content in their comfort wrapping. Zero pokey, scratchy, irritating stuff. That was a score I could make because I could go for short shopping this week.

boo hoo, I wanna go shopping. boo hoo, I don't want to call my loan company and extend my car payment, boo hoo, I wanna look nice, boo hoo, I wanna pick up my grand daughters, boo hoo--bull bull--I am alive, all indicators are my cancer is GONE. I have no lymph buildup, My new breasts have more cleavage than my natural born breasts, I have a job to go back to, I am alive while my cousin who is my same age within months died last weekend from end stage colon cancer--he has two teenagers while my daughters are raised and now have families of their own....I got to meet my five granddaughters, and love them, and it seems will be able to love them for a long time. I just wish none of this had to happen to me, I wish my daughters weren't pissed and scared of all of this--thinking of their own possible struggles down the road on a stupid sad day for the little things....just a sad day for the little things as I am ever glad and grateful the big things have been handled well, it seems.

Debbieann asked if it’s a PS’s better skill, mentioned competition between PSs and then we have the patient body’s reaction. I believe most of it is skill. Competition helps motivate these Microsurgeons to improve their skill. Predicting the outcome based on patient body is the next challenge to showcase their skill. Just a handful of these Microsurgeons do natural tissue recon, and from that handful only a small population actually do 1 or more per week. Practice plays into the skill level. Now, when a surgeon personally feels he is the best and advertises himself worldwide as such but his before and after photos show that the skill isn’t there...there is a problem. Many women look at less than stellar before & afters and assume that’s the best they can hope for and it’s better than being flat (for them) with scars that can’t be hidden. Many are seeing docs that tell them the problem is with their body not with his skill. Some of these docs like to do lots of repeat surgeries...easy money and patients who are desperate to be able to look in the mirror and be happy with what they see.

So here is a question: when you see other BCO posters offering up recommendations for a surgeon whose before & after photos online leave so much to be desired and the poster admits they just did a google search to find them, should you reply & if so what do you say?