Nipple sparing mastectomy?

Hello, my first op was the nipple-sparing mastectomy with implant reconstruction, it looked great, as my surgeon only went in through the top of the areola so you couldn't actually see the scar. I did eventually have to have the nipple removed though when the pathology results came back as the margins weren't clear enough and they found IDC which wasn't picked up on the scans etc.  Are you having the sentinel Lymph node biopsy at the same time?  I recently had a nipple reconstruction and will get it tattooed in January. 

Good luck!

Hello Lindsgab, thanks so much for taking the time to respond and share. How frustrating for you that the nipple had to be removed in the end, especially if you liked the result :( Very sorry to hear it. 

I am actually considering having the nipple sparing mastectomy without the reconstruction, as I have such small breasts I don't feel like it's worth reconstructing my left breast to match my right, which is tiny as it is!! I would want them both to be enlarged if at all, haha! But am still mulling things over. Ans yes, I think I would need to have the sentinel node biopsy too.

Do you mind if I ask you a few more questions? 

Can I ask you what the recovery was like from the operation? How long before you were back to being properly active, and are you having any issues with it now? (Fully understand that it's different for everyone, but I have 2 small kids so it's really helpful to get first-hand accounts from others to get a sense of what to expect, and how long I'd need to get help with that side of things)

Also how does the implant feel to you? Does it feel very alien/heavy/uncomfortable, or are you overall happy with it? 

Thanks so much! 

Apologise for the delay in replying, it all seems like a blur from my first op, my parents came down to help for a week as I'm a single mum so they helped cook etc as lifting things was tricky, mainly from the SNB as I had cording down my arm, once you are able to do the exercises it helps though. Pre cook some meals for the freezer as that will take a headache away. With the implant, it looks pretty much the same size as my other side, I to have small boobs and implant was the only option for reconstruction as I couldn't have the majors ones but also didn't want to be flat. I had a quite a bit of fluid build up so it felt heavy to start with, once they drained it off a few times it felt easier. It does feel like it rubs a bit, but having the lipo fat transfer has helped cushion it a bit, I need to get a bit more fat on me to have a bit more transferred though as I do feel like it could do with a bit more as some of it has been absorbed back into the body. Once I get my tattoo I will feel happier, having the nipple reconstruction helped with it feeling and looking more normal. 

When do you have your op?

Hello! Please don't apologise at all, I'm so grateful for your response and the time you're taking to share your experience. I can imagine it's all a bit of a blur!! My family has also offered to come for a while to help around the actual time of the operation, so that would be great. Thanks for the practical tips to make it easier. 

I'm so skinny at the moment, and losing weight from the stress around this whole saga that I really don't have much fat to take. I'm supposed to be seeing the plastic surgeon in early January to discuss the various options in more detail, but at the moment I'm honestly quite tempted to just stay flat. My mind was pretty made up when it looked like it was one side, because honestly there just isn't much to match to on the other side and it would have seemed like such a big op to take on for very minimal result. But I had some blood from my nipple yesterday on my supposedly healthy breast, so now everything is up in the air again. I could cry. No date set yet either, although I've been told the very earliest would be Jan 18th. I was all set to not go back to work after Christmas as I'd been given the impression that it would be 'as early as possible' in January, but apparently there are a lot of ladies in more urgent need than me booked in already. Which of course I fully understand, but it doesn't make it any easier!