While I am lying in bed with a head cold from over doing it last week, I thought I would write a short post that BC sufferers can reply to and will hopefully help me make up my mind 100%.
I saw my surgeon last week in East Grinstead to discuss my breast reconstruction. I went thinking I only had on option which was to have implants. When we spoke my surgeon gave me three choices. This totally threw me and I could not make up my mind. I should be a Libra as I am so indecisive. I went away thinking of all the options and decided on one, then five minutes later I would change my mind! Friends and family that know me well know this is what I am like..... a nightmare!! Its great to have choices in life but it doesn't half make my life less simple.
So here are my choices
Back (latissimus dorsi) flap (LD flap) and mastopexy - The skin, fat and muscle are removed from the back but the blood vessels of the flap remain attached to the body at the end nearest the armpit. The flap is then turned and carefully threaded through a cut made below the armpit and is brought round to the front of the body to lie over the chest wall and form the new breast. I then will have an uplift on the other breast to make me look more symmetrical. This is quite a big op and takes about 7 weeks to recover and will leave me with a big scar across my back/
LD and implants - The same applies with taking some skin and muscle from the back and using for the breast reconstruction with implants too. This will make it harder to detect breast cancer in the future though.
My last option is to have another mastectomy on my right breast and have implants in both. No skin or muscle will need to be removed from the back which is one less scar and will be less recovery time. It will mean having no feeling in my breasts but does mean I will not have to worry about getting breast cancer again.
I only had the first two options at first and then my surgeon throw the l last option in at the end just to confuse me even more. I must say that the last one seems to be appealing as I will never have to worry about getting BC again and hopefully that will mean no mammograms and tamoxifen but it does mean i will not be able to breast feed when I have children and I will lose all feeling in my right breast as well.
I guess I have to weigh up the pros and cons of each and then decide from there.
If you have been through any of these reconstructions then I would love to hear from you!! The sooner I decide the sooner I can get it done! I obviously do not want to rush into a decision either as it is a big one to make.
I saw my surgeon last week in East Grinstead to discuss my breast reconstruction. I went thinking I only had on option which was to have implants. When we spoke my surgeon gave me three choices. This totally threw me and I could not make up my mind. I should be a Libra as I am so indecisive. I went away thinking of all the options and decided on one, then five minutes later I would change my mind! Friends and family that know me well know this is what I am like..... a nightmare!! Its great to have choices in life but it doesn't half make my life less simple.
So here are my choices
Back (latissimus dorsi) flap (LD flap) and mastopexy - The skin, fat and muscle are removed from the back but the blood vessels of the flap remain attached to the body at the end nearest the armpit. The flap is then turned and carefully threaded through a cut made below the armpit and is brought round to the front of the body to lie over the chest wall and form the new breast. I then will have an uplift on the other breast to make me look more symmetrical. This is quite a big op and takes about 7 weeks to recover and will leave me with a big scar across my back/
LD and implants - The same applies with taking some skin and muscle from the back and using for the breast reconstruction with implants too. This will make it harder to detect breast cancer in the future though.
My last option is to have another mastectomy on my right breast and have implants in both. No skin or muscle will need to be removed from the back which is one less scar and will be less recovery time. It will mean having no feeling in my breasts but does mean I will not have to worry about getting breast cancer again.
I only had the first two options at first and then my surgeon throw the l last option in at the end just to confuse me even more. I must say that the last one seems to be appealing as I will never have to worry about getting BC again and hopefully that will mean no mammograms and tamoxifen but it does mean i will not be able to breast feed when I have children and I will lose all feeling in my right breast as well.
I guess I have to weigh up the pros and cons of each and then decide from there.
If you have been through any of these reconstructions then I would love to hear from you!! The sooner I decide the sooner I can get it done! I obviously do not want to rush into a decision either as it is a big one to make.
Comments
I had breast cancer 18 years ago & had bilateral mastectomy. right before surgery saw show where woman had saline implants & because of the bodies regular 98.6 degree temp, it had made the saline so toxic, one of the implants could kill 20 people. Needless to say, I did not get the reconstruction & have been so grateful ever since. If I would have had enough body fat to do a flap, I may have done that. you can see my blog at www.IAmAtPeaceWithDestiny.com
you can also get Radiant Impressions, where they can make the one breast to look exactly like the other right down to the nipple. Since I had a bilateral I just got both the way I felt looked best :-)
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I had breast cancer 18 years ago too. We have emailed each other before. I live in Seattle in the US. I chose to have the other breast taken and had implants put in. I liked the idea of the other surgery but I just couldn't deal with the thought of wondering if the cancer would come back in the other breast. I just wanted to be done with it! I don't have much feeling there but it was the right decision for me. The recovery time is much quicker. I did grieve a little about that but in the long run, it was a good thing. You can always email me if you have more questions or if I can help in any way.
Wishing you the best!Kelley
kel.h@comcast.net
I had a 3.6 cm tumor in my rt breast, am triple negative, & grade 3. Both of my surgeons (general and plastic) and the oncologist said there was no reason to do a bilateral mastectomy.
My decision: bilateral mastectomy on January 21st. They took 21 lymph nodes from the right side. Only 1 had a cancerous tumor in the final report. Left breast tissue was in the category of high risk for future conversion. Even if that had not been the result, I would have gone this way.
What you need to know: there is always a chance the cancer can come back--my gen surgeon told me 5-6%, my oncologist said taking the non-cancerous breast reduced my chances of cancer there by over 90%. The issue is they can never remove all of the breast tissue--some can always be left--So, it is not a 'sure thing' but it is much less anxiety about the future.
The procedure I went with was a newer one--and I had a stellar set of docs (general for the mastectomies and plastics for the initial phase of the recon). The initial pain is more intense because more is done and it is done all at once, but less time under anesthesia. The surgeon used Alloderm
rather than a flap-he likes the alloderm because of the lower risk of infection (from the cut areas), less other trauma on the patient (and we all need that!) and less scarring that cant be covered by minimal clothing (swimsuit). He has a good website with photos:
http://www.sakhanplsurgery.com
As far as the breast feeding issue....I'm turning 42 shortly and have never given birth. My second grandchild was born a few hours after my double mastectomy. My daughter (step daughter--got all my stretch marks honestly....pizza, cheese....) wanted to breast feed and did for a bit, but was grateful for the ability to bottle feed. You can bond with a baby without breast feeding-children go on to be healthy, happy and well adjusted without the tit-the way I look at your situation is your first job is to kick cancer's butt, fast, hard and swift- any baby hearing how their mommy was a superhero who kicked cancer's butt will benefit more from those stories and your positive attitude than some breast milk. Especially if it means you don't have to take a time out from mommyhood to take on another mastectomy or cancer fight.
What has helped me most is being on one message board consistently (it is through breastcancer.org) where I get a lot of support from people who are where I am in my fight now; having a caringbridge.org page where I post almost daily and get guestbook sign ins from a wide range of friends--high school to now--who send prayers, positive thoughts, funny stories and sometimes just commiseration. I've had to learn to say "I hurt". Now that hurts.
The most important thing you must do:
Make a decision, trust it and don't look back. Listen to what resonates within you and know that will be the right answer. People will give you tons of advice--some actually good. But if they have not been there, be wary of advice about the cancer itself.
Lots of mainstream books are out there--some not so mainstream (and many not good). The two that have helped me most are:
"Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips" and "Grace for Each Hour: Through the Breast Cancer Journey" by Mary Nelson. For fun that made me laugh and cry: "Why I wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy"
I wish you all the best and will say a prayer for you right now Emily.
May the Grace of God surround you with His loving strength and give you the courage, peace, wisdom and serenity to make this decision today, trusting it is the right one for you.
My friend Debbie Brewer passed the link to your blog to me.
I had a lumpectomy, chemo, radiotherapy at 32 yrs old followed by 4 and a half years of tamoxifen, I could'nt manage the full five years, not without commiting murder or throwing myself off a bridge!. Then at 39 had to have a right sided mastectomy followed by a profolatic left sided mastectomy in 2006... I have a cancer gene.
I'm kind of at the stage where having reconstruction is not appealing to me (I flounder with this weekly!) I would choose if I could to have my breasts made up from my stomach but its not possible due to other operations I have had.
I run another risk as the radiotherapy damaged my skin a fair bit and do not want to add more surgery to an area that is already damaged.
Anyway this is about helping you with your decision.
This site http://brcaumbrella.ning.com/
is really good and has some excellent discussions on reconstruction and photos. Lots of women who have gone through the same decisions..
It may be an idea to contact your local Macmillan Centre and find out when their breast cancer groups meet, you can then get some first hand information from women who have had treatment from the hospital you attend.
Wishing you well in whatever decision you make x
I just stumbled on your blog, and saw that you're considering the lat flap procedure. I just had it done 2 weeks ago, and while I can't really help you make a decision on what to do, I'll tell you that I had the lat flap with implants. And I just posted some info on my blog as to what to expect in terms of the recovery process, if that helps you at all. Feel free to contact me if you want any info about the procedure!
http://thethighmasterroutetokona.blogspot.com/2010/02/psa-for-lat-flap-inclined.html
I saw thlink to your blog on the Umbrella and came to have a look.
I haven't had cancer, but had a prophylactic mastectomy in October 08 and had reconstruction using permanent expander saline implants.
I have a blog http://lisaschoice.blogspot.com which you can lok at for all the details, (I recorded the whole journey there) and have just had nipple recon a week ago.
I'm happy to answer any questions that you have (or you may find the answer on my blog).
I'm on the Umbrella, Lisa Roy, or you can email me at lisaroy22@aol.com
good Luck with your decision,
Lisa
x
Ive written about my journey on my breast cancer blog. Feel free to stop by for any more info. shellylomu.blogspot.com
I'm now four years out from my diagnosis. I had a right mastectomy initially but delayed any reconstruction - partly because I needed radiotherapy and partly because I wasn't sure how best to move forward in the early days.
I eventually chose to go for another mastectomy and bilateral reconstruction with TRAM flaps from my tummy wall. I waited almost two years all in all - I had chemo, radiotherapy, more chemo, my ovaries removed and then herceptin. By the time all that was done almost 18 months had gone bye.
The TRAM flap surgery was a big deal. Almost twelve hours in theater and then quite a long recovery phase with lots of problems from the tummy wound.
I'm doing well now and pleased with the results.
My advice is to listen to all the advice you can get and then go with your own gut instinct on it. Only you can decide what's best for your own body.
Lots of luck and love
Marjory
PS - like you I've blogged my own breast cancer survivor experiences over at http://www.twinkletwinkles.com
M
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