Hi Merryl
I haven't had radiation, thank goodness.
I'm not keen on breast implants, saline or silicone, and having the lat dorsi flap means I will only need a small implant when the reconstruction is finished. Honestly, my thoughts were not so much about the look and feel of the reconstruction but not wanting to live the rest of my life with a honking great implant in my chest. So, the only real choices I felt I had were the tummy flap and the lat dorsi flap. As I have had back problems in the past, I didn't want to compromise the strength of my core abdominal muscles, so was very happy to have the lat dorsi reconstruction. My breast surgeon was not keen on the tummy tuck reconstruction anyway and felt the lat dorsi procedure was a better option for me.
The reconstruction is still as it was after the operation in January. It hasn't had any more saline pumped into the tissue expander and looks virtually identical to the other side. I am certain that no-one could tell it wasn't a natural breast - apart from the missing bits.
All the best,
Helen.
