Reconstruction after Radiation?

So I woke up today feeling like making toast was far too hard...quite bizarre as I haven't had "exhaustion" like that so far! Dragged myself out of bed, had breakfast, then went back to bed and nearly missed the appointment altogether!!  Aaaargh! 

Made it there in the end, had an almost 2 hour consultation with the lovely radiation oncologist, and found out a few things that put my mind at ease. 

She said that in some situations, even if a mastectomy is done, radiation is required due to the cancer being close to the chest wall, or if there is lymph involvement. This does limit the options for reconstruction, but thankfully it doesn't apply to me. So, all going well, I would be able to choose the type of reconstruction I would have. 

Then she said that although radiation can affect the tissue & skin, the opinions of surgeons on the best way to do things swings back and forth, with new techniques & developments, training etc - and currently there is a lean towards implants being ok after radiation (results wise) it just takes a bit more work on the surgeon's part, and may take longer to get there as the expanders need to be filled slowly. 

In a nutshell, she said that a good surgeon will be able to deal with irradiated tissue and skin, and if it comes to that, to shop around til I find one that has multiple examples to show me, that I like the look of. 

So now I'm just waiting til next Tuesday so I can FINALLY get the results of this genetics test...hopefully, all my worry about mastectomy and reconstruction can be forever banished out of my mind, and I can get on with chemo, radiation, and loving my Frankenboob!!

And, on the way home, I had a total stranger on the tram tell me that she thought I looked wonderful, and she had had BC 11 years ago. She wished she had been so brave back then to go without her wig! Made my day :-)  I said how I hate covering it up, and how I have wigs at home that have still not come out of the packaging! We chatted for a bit about how it changes your outlook on life etc etc.  Never ceases to amaze me how we get these little bits of encouragement from strangers more often than people we know! Anyway, I feel better about the whole situation now, waiting for Tuesday to be over and done with!!