Newbie..therapeutic mammoplasty

Hi Sam,  they can give you something to put in your bra top even it out.  Usually reduction on the other side is later as they need to wait for your new boob to settle:)

Hi Londonmumof2,

Hope your pain due to PIC line is settling. Sounds painful.

I am so glad I didn’t have to have one but now my veins are bruised and I still have 15 herceptin to get via cannula !

I would keep a check on it though as you don’t want an infection to set in. I know someone who had to stop after two chemo sessions due to it becoming infected and she was so poorly her treatment has been stopped long term.

So take care. Hope you feel much better soon and all good wishes for 2020.

Love Jojodot 

Hello ladies and ,

Thank you for your input on the therapeutic mammoplasty. I have still to decide and just taking time to consider.

Sounds as though you are all pleased with results although surprised it takes such a while for swelling etc to settle down.

As I explained the surgeon wasn’t too confident with a neat result for me so I will have to ensure she is before I consider it further.

The thought of surgery does scare me and although this sounds an attractive option to keep some shape I am still considering a mastectomy as in my mind it’s safer ( although that’s just me ) and it’s a more straightforward procedure (that’s me too ) which has a quicker recovery. My main concern is to get better !
 Thanks again and if I have questions after further meetings I will get back.

All good wishes for the New Year.

Jojodot XXX

Hi there

I hope by now you've had your surgery.  I had mine end of June.  Only on one boob - as I was due radiotherapy and wait until the side effects of that calmed down before I have my other boob fixed.

Unfortunately, I had wound breakdown at the 'T-Junction' - essentially it reopened so it took weeks and weeks.  Plus, by then I was reacting to everything so they internal sutures decided they wanted out, so kept pushing to the surface, so I had blisters and sutures poking out.  And then my skin decided to react to most of the dressings, so we finally found an old fashioned silk tape and gauze that my skin wouldn't react to.

I had a large reduction, 5 cup sizes and the greater the reduction, the greater the risk of breakdown. Plus I perhaps didn't fully adhere to the advice not to do anything so even a small bit of hoovering is off limits for 4-6 weeks!!

So it took ages to be ready for radiotherapy, and I only started it end of October and finished end of November.  Surgery however to fix my other boob is now booked in for the start of March.  Which is a great relief, as while I'm so grateful to be alive and have relatively easy treatment, I am severely lopsided and I just want this to all be over.  

So I hope you don't have any of these complications and remember at the end you'll have the boobs of a 20 year old! (silver linings and all that)

Good luck with everything and I hope you're recovering well.

xx

Hi ,

sorry to hear that you have had trouble with healing, I have had a little bit that is being a bit stubborn with healing but the rest have been ok. I had the mammoplasty on my left and reduction on my right. I am not sure how much smaller I am but I did buy a new coat in the sales (online shopping is too easy when I’m off work!) and I was very pleasantly surprised being able to zip it up without having to wrestle my boobs in it first! 

I have my first oncology appointment on the 21st and will hopefully have my onco type results then to see if I will need chemo. If not then radiotherapy at some point soon x

Sounds like we have very similar cancers - mind you I now say I am being treated for cancer, as opposed to saying I have cancer, as my cancer is gone in my mind, they are treating me so it doesn't come back.

Very glad to hear your healing is going ok, hope the stubborn bit sorts itself out.  

Good luck with your Oncotype DX test and whatever hormone therapy they'll give you.  I find tamoxifen ok, it did interfere with my mood the first month and hot flushes (but cutting out booze massively reduces them) and now 6 months in the side effects are minimal.  

Let us know how you get on x

Hi ,

I had a therapeutic mammoplasty on my right breast just before Xmas, following 9 rounds of chemo. They recommended only the side with cancer first, as I need radiotherapy too, which can reduce the size as well.

I was very big to begin with (H cup) and gone down about 4 sizes. The surgery and recover have been fine - T-shaped scar like someone else mentioned, so there is more pressure on it & it takes longer to heal. Any excercise or pressure will cause issues (hoovering, dog which pulls) but it's nice to still have a boob!

Radiotherapy is now delaying the healing slightly (I'm 10 sessions in), so I need to wear a radiotherapy proof dressing, but hopefully that will clear up once radiotherapy is finished.

Ive been wearing sports bra day & night (recommended for 6 weeks after surgery), but have now bought a couple of post surgery bras, which have pockets which you can stuff with padding, or a fake boob, so the difference in size between my boobs is not so noticeable. I can have surgery on the other side in 6 months, once any potential changes have settled down after surgery & radiotherapy.

So worth considering, but go with your gut, and what makes the most sense for you. 

Good luck, 

Fi

Hi ,

l think we had surgery at similar times. I had a therapeutic mammoplasty to my left breast and reduction to my right at the same time on the 16th Dec. I too have been wearing a sports bra day and night but I am finally going to get measured for new bras tomorrow and find out what size I am now! I have healed well and waiting for the results of the Oncotype test to see if I will need chemo before radiotherapy. Waiting is annoying! My surgeon did tell me radiotherapy can make my left breast firmer and smaller and if I wasn’t happy I could have something done about it but she doesn’t want to do any more surgery for a year. I will wait to see what happens after radiotherapy.

i am pleased with the results of the therapeutic mammoplasty even if I am still getting used to smaller boobs. It’s just different I suppose.

i hope the rest of your treatment goes well x