Need your advice ladies

Hi tameeka  ...feeling calmer glad that the decision hs been  made ...i am certain that you have made the right decision surgery first ...recovery should be quick then holding bub will ensure you are strong ...recon can wait ...no rush to do this...some here still have not made the final recon ...time will unfold and you will feel stronger..all the best Bright xooo

@Tameeka. Maybe just get the expanders put in before rads. They are there then and so you can still decide later. Just a thought. Think some ladies have done that. Hugs lovely. Feel your pain, so much to take in. 
Paula. 

Thank you so much for all ur advice ladies I can't thank u enough I'm so overwhelmed by everything at the moment so I've decided to have my double mastectomy then think about reconstruction later as I still can't make up my mind on what I want.. and talking bout the tram flap becoz I'm quite big breast and have little tummy fat/skin so my surgeon said it will be very difficult to get enough skin from my tummy to fill my breast and that's even after having a reduction as well.. so it's all very overwhelming so thinking of putting it off until my mind is a lot clearer to make the decision thank you so much for all ur advice xx.. p.s my surgeon is a breast surgeon but also does plastic surgery aswell I was quite lucky to have her she on very high demand xx..

Hi @Tameeka, Going direct to implant is definately less surgery but your surgeon is wise to tell you to do your research. Is your surgeon a plastic surgeon or a trained oncoplastic breast surgeon?  Whilst some women do have radiation after immediate reconstruction there may be complications such as capsular contracture.

If implants are the only option, then expanders are usually put in, and then after radiation the switch to implants. However I am not an expert, just another lady like you who happened to get breast cancer and then sort through the minefield of information before my reconstruction.

 My breast surgeon was happy for me to have expanders and then implants after radiation, however upon my own research I decided to get a second opinion from a plastic surgeon. He advised me that with the damage to my skin from previous radiation that a tissue transfer surgery was my best option. That is what I eventually had (I had a TRAM flap). 

I will give you a couple of links from the reclaim your curves website. One is on implant reconstruction the other is on radiation and reconstruction. This will be good research for you. The radiation and reconstruction one actually has a podcast to listen to which you should find helpful.

The order of your treatment would have been decided by a multi disciplinary team who would have considered the type of cancer etc and what was best for you. This may vary from patient to patient.

 I know you probably must want this all over and just to get back to your baby, and it must be so hard for you doing this on your own, however as your Dr said talk to others and do your research. Please don't be rushed into a surgery just because it sounds like it will be easiest. In the long run it may not be.

There is another type of reconstruction that involves a small implant and tissue from your back called a Lat Dorsi. This was the other option my surgeon suggested for me. 

I hope I haven't confused you but just trying to give you a little more information. We do have a choosing breast Reconstuction group on the site which I can see you are a member of. There is an announcement at the top of the page in that group with lots of photo stories from ladies who have had different types of reconstructions. Have a look through the implant ones and hopefully they can help as well. 

Sending you a hug. 
Paula xx

@Tameeka, I too had chemo first, will then have a mastectomy, followed by radiation.
I am 57, so older than you. My breast surgeon has told me that implants will not be an option for me as I have to have radiation. She says the potential complications with them rules them out. Just my surgeons opinion here though.
she said that the skin can tighten around the implants and adhere to them, making it necessary to have them removed. 
She has told me that the only option is a skin and fat transfer for me. I will consider having that done in a year or so, allowing myself to get over all this trauma and surgery first.
If leaving your baby is such a problem you might have to consider what you would do if there were complications with the implants during or after radiation, and what you would do then, is it worth the risk?
You can still have implants later if the skin heals well enough to allow it, and perhaps you will be in a better position with your baby by then.

Good luck making your decision, it is so hard to make these important decisions when you are going through such confronting treatments.
You can really only be guided by your team of specialists and your own instincts.

@Tameeka just thinking of you and wishing you well. Each breast cancer is treated differently. I too had chemo/surgery/radiation. I luckily did not have a masectomy so no advice to give. It will be over before you know it. Sometimes you have no choice. Although you want to be with your daughter make sure you take time to heal.best wishes

This is the thing I've been advised to have implants done as it will be the best result after a double mastectomy but I was to do my research so I knew exactly what was going to happen complications and infections.. it wasn't about the quick recovery at all more about me and me feeling normal again and being back with my baby.. as it's just me and her so she will be with a paid sitter for my surgery which I'm not happy about to start with then I have to go back and get her I don't have the joys of thinking bout having serval surgeries to get this ryt hence why I needed help as I wanna get this ryt the first time and don't want to have more surgeries as I can't be away from her coz it's just us.. Um I'm not sure why it's this way it's just the way my doctors set it all up for me from the start first was chemo then surgery then radiation don't know why just how my doctors wanted it I guess.. thank you ladies so much for all ur info I'm trying to make the ryt decision for me for the long future with my daughter an all ur comments make a huge difference thank you

Hi @Tameeka, I didn't have radiation after my single mastectomy with immediate implant But my surgeon was fully prepared to go ahead with immediate implant even if I needed radiotherapy. She told me all of the risks and said her team would grumble about the radiotherapy but they would do it. I was lucky enough to not need it bit would have had it should it have proven to be necessary. Xx  

@Tameeka, ok story is had 14 lymph nodes taken out 1 positive that was in Oct 2015... 4 x AC chemo finished Feb 2016.  Scans all showed cleared then in 1 April 2016 proceeded with double mastectomy with BS and PS both agreeing to do a skin sparing mastectomy with immediate (tear-drop shape) implant recon as DIEP/TRAM was not an option for me (too dangerous).  Then unfortunately more cancer cell found so had radiation started end May and finished end June 2016.  So it's nearly a year!  Yes was told about the affects could have on my implants later on (maybe in 5-10yrs time), unfortunately for me there was no choice to make, I followed Drs orders and did as I had to in regards to my treatment.  Yes these things happnen, like I said only discomfort is left breast (where BC was originally) is more tight than right breast and I do get slight swelling under the armpit where lymph nodes got taken out but with messaging all seems good.  Can I ask why are you having mastectomy before radiation???? Is this what your Dr has advised?  Would I recommend to others?  I can't do that as only Drs can tell you the right path to take in regards to your treatment.  So far yes both my BS and PS are very happy with the results, haven't had nipple recon as yet PS said to wait but at the moment don't even know if I will be do that either, decision to make when time is right.  Hope I have answered your questions let me know if you need anything else!

@Tameeka can I encourage you to please make sure you research, a lot & not make a rash or hasty decision based on your desire to get back to normal life as quickly as possible, my plastic surgeon was quite adamant I would not like the results if I had radiation after having either implants or a DIEP reconstruction..