Get Connected Day!

Thanks for that.

So you get your new perky boobies Friday I hope your husbands home to see them and help out. You must be very excited! You are nearly there!!!

I really hope it all goes well and you wake up to the new you, feeling good.

In 3 months time, you deal with another thing it just seems to take so.... long to get from start to finish!

I also think it depends on the Dr and surgeon you get how things are approached.

I have been on the phone all morning trying to find out if they have familial counselling here in Ballarat or whether I have to go to Melbourne or Geelong for it about 1 hour consult for the first one and filling in of forms.

Because the Dr has no idea! i ALSO SPOKE TO THE pATHOLOGY AND A SCIENTIST there today who explained that the blood I had sent cannot be used as it was not initialled by me which is one of the proceedures that you are agreeing it is your blood. Plus it will take some time to book in and see a counsellor to find out about how it effects your future job prospects and health insurance as you may not be able to get cover! You must disclose any genetic testing for ins. policy. Plus costs etc...

Anyway I'm talking too much!

A slow road is what I'm finding out.

Good news Wed I go have ultra sound to check lump in right boob to see if it's bigger. So doing the right thing there.

Hope you are doing ok, will contact you soon. In some pain at the moment with my RA and still not well with ear infection etc.

Bye for now.

H

Hello Louise

You have answered a lot of the other things I was worrying about and didn't know what others thought.

I also want to get my ovaries removed, TO GET RID OF AS MUCH USELESS ORGANS/TISSUE THAT ARE NOLONGER NEEDED AS i HAVE 3 WONDERFUL BOYS, I WANT TO BE AROUND FOR SO WHY HANG ONTO potential risk??

I thought I'd like to use my tummy fat to use for boobies. But I'm scared as I have keloid (not spelt right) scaring and it results in thick purple bubble like scars on my body. I'll look like a bloody mess if they cut my back for muscle, my stomach for tissue and remove nipple!

Sounds good from someone like you because you have experienced BOTH approaches.

Why didn't you go the same technique again instead of going for another approach with second boob?

Is it a must to have muscle taken from somewhere else in body and placed in breast area??

Did the skin where your original breast was stay or go in both proceedures? As I read that cells can be in the skin as well as the breast tissue and nipple.

When the surgeon reconstructs the nipple does he just achieve this by clustering and clumping tissue into a PUCKERED SHAPE?

I keep hitting my Cap Lock key on the keyboard so forgive my writing!

Hummm..... I'm excited to learn so much more.

For me, the education takes away the fear!

Thank you so much and maybe you can chat to the familial cancer counsellor to see whether you need to have the test done or not as maybe they can work out if you are a high risk with your family history as it sounds to me like you are, so why worry about testing just do it.

If your Dr ok's it and you want to, you certainly have your own history to back up why you want it done.

THANK YOU so much for your honesty and sharing of these sensitive issues with me and others. I know it's hard and that's why I really commend all these brave lady online!!!!

Well Done and thank you all for all the help to work through this situation.

Heidi

Hi Heidi & Ree

I had a mastectomy and reconstruction on my left breast back in 2003 and then was diagnosed again in July 2010 and had a mastectomy and reconstruction done on the right side!  you could say I've had the works!!  The first time I had a TRAM flap reconstruction which uses part of your flabby tummy (great, got rid of the baby bulge!!!) to make a new breast.  The second time I had the same as Ree, tissue expanders and now permanent prosthesis.  The breast with the TRAM flap reconstruction is a lot softer than the one with the implant - more realistic in my mind, but I am also really happy with the implant side.  With the implant I had my lattisimus dorsi muscle moved from my back to the front and the implant is behind that.

The beauty of having the TRAM flap operation as opposed to the implants is that if you lose or gain weight, your breasts grow or shrink accordingly.  Also, as I said it is also a lot softer.

With both reconstructions I have had my nipples reconstructed also.  My surgeon uses the skin on the reconstructed breast to make a new nipple.  There are no grafts so maybe your surgeon does it differently Ree??  I had the left one tattooed after the surgery last time and was really happy with the result.  It looks very lifelike LOL,  I have to wait another couple of months before I can have the other side done as I only had the tissue expander replaced with the permanent prosthesis at the end of Feb.  My surgeon did the nipple reconstruction at the same time as this operation, which was great :)

Obviously once you have had your nipples removed there is no longer any feeling in them, even if you have them reconstructed, so I definitely don't have to worry about the "high beams" being on (to use your terminology Ree!!).

I am in the process of organising to get genetic testing done but haven't got an appointment yet and I understand that it could be a few months yet before I do.  I have a cousin who was diagnosed before the age of 40 and myself with 2 separate diagnosis (one at 35 and the other at 42).  My grandmother also died of breast cancer. If I test positive to the gene I may decide to have my ovaries removed so that I don't have to go through all of this a third time!

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions regarding the reconstructions etc.  That's how we help each other :)

Louise xx

PS my pain was minimal both times, although the TRAM flap is more painful due to the major abdominal surgery.  I had a couple of weeks off work each time.

Hi Ree,

Are you Post Op now and all healed?

If so are you happy with things?

The look, the feel, the emotion??

Did you get nipples tattooed on?

Sorry to be so blunt but I need to ask and know.

Heidi

Just a quick reply re: removing and replacing the nipple. My surgeon advised me against it, even though those cells came back clear, it means leaving more breast tissue cells behind and increasing the chance of (re)occurence in that area. I was devasted, was VERY attached to my nipples (pardon the pun) but I chose in the end to have a clean sweep, as such and make my statisttical chances as low as I could. Perhaps some of the other ladies got different info or advice? This is one of the questions you would need to talk to your surgeon about if you choose to go down the path of surgery...

Thanks Ree I will talk again as a little of the  terminology I don't understand so would like you and others to educate me.

You have had it hard for a long time, I would have had them cut off a long time ago with all the testing and worry etc.

I saw a programe on SBS I think last week about a girl who's Mum died and her search for infomation, it was amazing now what they can do removing the nipple and pulling out all the breast tissue through that hole and giving you perky silicones and sewing nipple back on. Apparently there is a min chance of nipple cancer?

Another thought I don't really know is true or not???

Good luck talk soon

Heidi

Hi Heidi,

Welcome to our little place of sanity - well, mine anyway although I'm sure the other girls would agree  :O) My name is Cherie - Ree usually - and I am 34 with 3 small boys as well. Don't they get to be a handful at times! 

You have had a rough trot haven't you? Make sure that you take time just for yourself, it will make it easier to find your balance.

I don't think that I really know anything that can help you with your questions. I had thought about having the test a few years ago but put it off - young, breastfeeding devotee, regular checks, blah, blah, blah - then got caught anyway :O( I am the same as your family background, a really strong matriarchal history of BC and OC. I know one of my cousins chose to have a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy and has never regretted it but she had the gene test as well and although she never disclosed to me the results, I assume it was a very high likelihood of her developing BC.

I am sure though, that the other wonderful ladies in here with the wealth of knowledge will jump forward to help you or point you in the right direction. I hope your journey will be a positive one and if you ever wish to just chat, vent or need support, feel free to contact me.

Ree xoxox

Hi Narelle,  just wanted to say welcome to the site -- I'm glad you found your way here. :)   I'm Di, the network admin, so ask away if you have any questions, otherwise enjoy browsing around.

Just wanted to let you know that this is a reasonably old post so you might not receive many replies here.  Best idea might be to make a new post in your own blog (click on the 'my blog' link in your pink profile box on the right side of the page, and then the 'create a post' link.  That way your post will show up on the "all posts" page and others will see it (you can find the "all posts" page here: http://www.bcna.org.au/node/all/blog/network).  ;

If you want some more information about how the network works, then take a look at the 'Help' page.  There's a link at the top right of all network pages, and here's the page link if you want to bookmark it: http://www.bcna.org.au/help.

Anyway, enjoy the network and don't be afraid to try things out, you can't break anything! :)

Hi

I had a Left mastectomy 2006, right mastectomy 2008, senital nodes clear. No further treatment. I have CHEK2 breast cancer gene.

I am interested in basic reconstruction, using tissue expanders and then silicon implants.

I was wondering what the usual down time, and what the limitations/time of recovery. Time in hospital, time when you can drive or lift etc.

Also pain level of this surgey.

I would appreaciate any information

Regard,

Narelle

Hi

I had a Left mastectomy 2006, right mastectomy 2008, senital nodes clear. No further treatment. I have CHEK2 breast cancer gene.

I am interested in basic reconstruction, using tissue expanders and then silicon implants.

I was wondering what the usual down time, and what the limitations/time of recovery. Time in hospital, time when you can drive or lift etc.

Also pain level of this surgey.

I would appreaciate any information

Regard,

Narelle