Lost Implant

Kellie, I am sorry you are dealing with this, and I know how you feel. I, too, had to have my implant removed because my radiated skin did not fully heal. The ps did spot it before infection set in, but still had to remove it. Have you had radiation?

There are several options, - I've recently read about 'tug', which is fat from thighs, i think. I did not know know of that, but I, too, was not a candidate for diep. I had LD done on that radiated side. It was my only option at the time, and although not ideal, the procedure was not as awful as I'd feared, and I am glad that I did it. (However, if you read the LD message board you will be very reluctant to have the procedure. Those are the women, for the most part, who are unhappy and did not have good experiences. I think the posters who are happy and comfortable have moved on and rarely post!) If you have not had radiation, I would think you can try again without LD? Get several opinions from drs who specialize in reconstruction!!

Hi Kellie- Did a PS who does DIEP tell you that you were not a candidate for it or just a regular PS? I ask because all too often the regular PS will say someone is not a candidate so they get your business. A regular PS is not equipped to evaluate for DIEP candidacy. In addition to DIEP there is also SGAP, stacked flap and TDAP flap. The website for the docs at NOLA has some great information on DIEP and the other flaps. They also routinely do them successfully on women of all shapes and sizes including thin women. I've read through the LD board and did some research on it as well. It does sound like its a nice option if you want an implant and need the LD muscle to hold it in place, but you do so at the expense of weakening your back. All of the decisions around BC are tradeoffs. One of the best things to do is research on your own to make your decision and don't take a doctor's word as truth on something they are not an expert in. Good luck!

www.breastcenter.com