Question about implants

Hi Menna welcome to the forum and I am so very sorry to hear about what is happening  for you. There certainly sounds as if something needs someone to look at this for you and I note your concern re the Breast Care Nurse and that a shame as they are often our first point to contact. However, there are Nurses at Macmillan that may be able to answer your query or direct you to what you need to do, if you feel unable to contact your own Breast Nurse. i have inserted the link for you below. You need only click on this and it will, take you to the forum and then you can post your query in there and see what they say.

Ask a Nurse

Hi Menna

Just wanted to quickly say that I'm a lobular and ductal lady too.  I had mastectomy on left side with implant and mine did take a while to settle down.  Everything is so tight as they had to fit the implant into what remained which was quite a small space! It felt like it hadn't relaxed properly with ridges etc.  I now have what feels like pockets of air that I can poke in and out (sounds weird but I think it's where the implant is "bunched up").  I have two or three different areas like that now as everything has tightened around the implant.   I had a one year follow-up with my surgeon and she thought it was all normal, so hope you find that reassuring, but as Granny59 says have a chat with someone if it's worrying you and definitely not good to be in pain.  I'm not overly keen on the breast care nurse I was assigned either, so I know where you're coming from.  Let us know how you get on x

Hi there, A hard op and you are still recovering. Ripples are common I have a slight one but doesn’t bother me. Conscious of it in a bikini but otherwise good. I would see if it settles down fist. Also speak to your surgeon who did the reconstruction as they will be able to give you options. Go directly to them to request a meeting if possible. You might have a follow up scheduled anway but I would wait a while. My surgeon said they can smooth them out which I think must be done by taking fat from one place but am not sure. They don’t like doing this though as you might thnk down the line that the fat is a lump and a recurrence when it’s not. Hope that helps but nb is that your cancer is gone so hope that’s a relief too. The meds are hard to try not to think toomuch about the size and shape now and it will get better. ️‍ Do check out the pain as I had pain from the nodes being removed but can’t rem too much pain from the mastectomy. Xx

Hi Menna

I had a left breast radical mastectomy/ implant reconstruction in October and am due to see my surgeon for a follow up in a couple of weeks' time, pending a symmetry operation sometime later.  I have got minor ripples, and I can feel, sometimes, see the outline of my port in my breast.  It might look better when the swelling has gone down, you've had major surgery on both sides and it is still early days.  Can you request a different breast care nurse to talk to? 

Hi Menna, firstly, I hope you are feeling better and healing well. No doubt you will be seeing your consultant post op, so do have that conversation with him, as they can do corrective surgery, once you have completely healed (6 - 12 months). I had a single mastectomy with immediate implant reconstruction, 3 years ago, and I found it really uncomfortable - hard and tight and it took around 6 - 9 months for it to soften and settle down.  I too had rippling around the whole implant as my skin was very thin.  However, I was offered corrective surgery, which took place on Saturday as day surgery.  They removed my original implant, took fat from my thighs and flanks to thicken up the skin, then put in a slightly bigger implant. They have also injected fat around the implant.  I had forgotten how stiff a new implant is and the bruising, including the fat grafting sites are quite epic, but time will tell if it has made any difference. I wish you a speedy recovery xx