Breast surgery (explant) after radiation

naps
naps Member Posts: 61
edited October 2019 in Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy

Hi all,

Gearing up for tissue expander removal and going flat on one side next week. Worrying that my irradiated skin is going to have trouble healing. PS said if wound doesn't heal well, I might need a skin flap, which I'm really hoping to avoid. Any stories of successful, uncomplicated healing following explant or exchange in irradiated breast? Please share them.

Thanks so much.

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Comments

  • DesertPup
    DesertPup Member Posts: 53
    edited October 2019

    Hi! When did radiation end? I was told by a few surgeons that they wouldn't consider doing anything to the radiated side for at a least a year. And I had really-really good luck as far as my skin holding up and staying healthy.

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  • Anotherone
    Anotherone Member Posts: 633
    edited October 2019

    I had an expanded placed and exchanged for implant 10 years ago after radiation- not sure why removing it would have caused any problems.

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  • naps
    naps Member Posts: 61
    edited October 2019

    Thanks to both of you for your input!

    Anotherone, sometimes irradiated tissue can have prolonged or complicated/difficult healing; the surgeon had told me it can be hard to predict who will experience that, and this had made me a bit anxious. Glad to hear it sounds like you had a relatively smooth course.

    When I had the TE removed, almost 3 years had passed since the original surgery, so while the area had had time to recover from radiation, there was also more scarring and adhesions for them to deal with. I'm happy to report the healing went well overall. There was scarring around the remote saline port, and removing that caused some localized swelling/tenderness that is still somewhat present. I also had some mild lymphedema for a while around the incision that has mostly resolved as well as some tissue that remains fairly adherent to the underlying bony structures. I saw a wound care specialist and do self-massage for that. Healing just takes time. Grateful there were no major issues though.

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