Looking for Latissimus Dorsi Flap Surgeon in S. Cali

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Neennia
Neennia Member Posts: 8
edited February 2021 in Breast Reconstruction

Hello everyone,



I really need help, I was hoping some of you guys here could help me please. I am looking for a great doctor that does latissimus dorsi flap breast reconstruction with implants post radiation therapy in southern California. I live in Los Angeles but am willing to drive up to 2 hours out of my area to go to a great Dr. If need be. Have any of you had the latissimus dorsi flap post radiation therapy with a great Dr and could share his contact information? How was your overall experience, are you happy with how it looks? What size implants do you have? I have seen a few Dr.'s here so far and I just don't think they are the one for me. The ones that I saw had barely any or no before after pictures for me to see, that made me very nervous. Was your Dr. the same? In advance, thank you very much for reading my post and trying to help me. I feel so sad and depressed from the deformity left behind from breast cancer.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited February 2021

    Neennia - you could PM to Whippetmom. She has lists of docs all over the country.

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  • Trishyla
    Trishyla Member Posts: 1,005
    edited February 2021

    Have you been contacting plastic surgeons, Neenia, or reconstructive microsurgeons? The former usually have little or no experience in the flap procedures.

    My recommendation would be to contact the major cancer centers, UCLA, USC/KECK, Cedars Sinai, or City of Hope in Duarte (where I had my DIEP flap surgery). They are more likely to have experienced microsurgeons.

    Dr. Mark Tan at City of Hope was my surgeon. He did an amazing job on my DIEP flap, but I'm not sure he does the latissimus dorsi flap. Be worth a call, though.

    Good luck. I hope you are able to get a result that works for you.

    Trish

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  • Neennia
    Neennia Member Posts: 8
    edited February 2021

    Thank you so much Minustwo, I just sent her a DM.

    I am hoping I will also find ladies near me who have had the latissimus dorsi reconstruction after radiation therapy, who can refer me to their own doctor who has done a great job on them or on some one they know. I have had 6 breast surgeries so far, a partial mastectomy, 3 failed reconstructions and 1 removal of a ruptured expander and another removal of a expander due to severe infection. My current surgeon is saying my only option is to get the latissimus dorsi flap reconstruction. I don't have room for any more failures, so I am trying my best to pick the best Dr. I can this time. Hence why I hope some ladies near me will also respond and share their experiences and refer me to a surgeon they personally know that has done a great job.

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  • Neennia
    Neennia Member Posts: 8
    edited February 2021

    @Trishyla, Thank you so much for the recommendation, I will call your surgeon's office and ask on Monday. I also found Dr.

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  • Trishyla
    Trishyla Member Posts: 1,005
    edited February 2021

    Oh, Neenia, I'm so sorry you've been through such a rough time with your reconstruction. It's heartbreaking.

    Dr. Tan has a very good reputation, Neenia. He is a reconstructive microsurgeon, so he gets many of the tough cases. I hope he can help you. If he doesn't do the lattimus dorsi, his office may be able to steer you to another microsurgeon who does.

    Good luck. I hope everything works out for you.

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  • Hopfull2
    Hopfull2 Member Posts: 418
    edited February 2021

    hi neenia,, i had my lat flap done with Dr Caroline Min in south Pasadena. She’s amazing. She was referred to my by my breast surgeon from city of hope. Dr min is not with city of hope but she is referred a lot. Wish you well

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  • Neennia
    Neennia Member Posts: 8
    edited February 2021

    Thank you Trishyla.

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  • Neennia
    Neennia Member Posts: 8
    edited February 2021

    Hi Hopfull2, thank you for the referral. When did you get your lat flap? Did you have radiation therapy before the flap reconstruction too? Are you happy with the results? Did they use implants on you, if yes, what size are they? Does Min have before after pictures?

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  • Hopfull2
    Hopfull2 Member Posts: 418
    edited February 2021

    neenia, I had my lat flap 6/2017. So one year after initial diagnosis,,, but 6 months prior she started with tissue expanders. I did not have rads done ,,, she did show me before Pic. I honestly can’t remember exactly the size. I’m sure if I go through my documents I will find it but it was small, like two hundred something CC’s. But then run 8/2019 I went back to get them a tad bigger. Just that I have such thin skin she didn’t want to go too big ( I was a c cup before because I had a breast job done years before my cancer diagnosis). Let me know if you have more questions,, I will say that the recovery was not too bad. And I never really had any crazy SE after with movement or anything.

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  • Trishyla
    Trishyla Member Posts: 1,005
    edited February 2021

    I have to agree with Hopfull. Dr. Min is awesome. She was my first PS consult when I was initially diagnosed. But then my insurance changed and she was no longer in network for me. She was very highly recommended by my breast surgeon.

    Are you at COH, So. Pas, Hopfull? That's where I get my care. Wonder if we've crossed paths?


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  • Hopfull2
    Hopfull2 Member Posts: 418
    edited February 2021

    hi Trishyla, Now im mainly at COH Arcadia. Although my MO does work out of COH south pas. My breast surgeon onco was out of COH south pas. And that’s where I had my IV chemo back in 2016.

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  • Bonnie7
    Bonnie7 Member Posts: 57
    edited February 2021

    Neennia,

    Sorry to be a wet blanket, but I live daily with regret having had a lat dorsi in 2015, if you are small framed/no excess tissue as such, please reconsider!

    I know there are many successful stories, but I personally wld not recommend! 😪

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  • Neennia
    Neennia Member Posts: 8
    edited February 2021

    Hello Bonnie7,

    I am so sorry you had a bad experience with the lat dorsi reconstruction, I know first hand how devastating that is. What happened? Who was you Dr.? Lucky I am a tall girl with a large frame, so hopefully this will be to my advantage.

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  • Trishyla
    Trishyla Member Posts: 1,005
    edited February 2021

    Meant to ask this earlier, Neennia, but have you looked into DIEP FLAP instead of latimus dorsi? You don't need a huge amount of belly fat for it to be feasible, and unlike latimus, there is no muscle taken. Plus it gives great results. I'm thrilled with how my breasts turned out.


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  • Neennia
    Neennia Member Posts: 8
    edited February 2021

    Hi Trishyla,

    Thank you so much for the recommendation, unfortunately I am not a candidate as I have had a tummy tummy before. Summer 2014 I had a tummy tuck, Feb 2017 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I wish I never got the tummy tuck so I would have been a candidate for the DIEP flap.


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