Therapeutic Mammoplasty

Hi

I had a lumpectomy, therapeutic mammoplasty and reduction in the other side at the end of May. Pre surgery I was 40 G. It was a long operation , 6 hours as they removed a lot of tissue. I had drains in both sides and PICO dressings. I healed well. I had a small area in the crease which took a little longer to heal. I was given antibiotics for 3 weeks. It did heal though, in total about 6 weeks. They did a good job, I am quite symmetrical and pleased with my shape

Hope this helps 

Hi Jo,

I had WLE and mammoplasty in June. I'm a 34G and the doctors felt I would be a good candidate, so I agreed. 

Op-wise was a breeze to be honest. Everything went like clockwork and I felt absolutely fine when I woke up. I had to stay in overnight as I had a bit of a bleed (not op related, I'm just a bleeder) and didn't have any painkillers until just before I was discharged the following day.

In terms of healing, I had no problems whatsoever. Obviously it was sore but I managed with codeine for the first couple of days and then paracetamol  after that. The main pain was from the sentinel node biopsy though - I didn't really have much boob pain at all. I was pottering about the house in no time and was back out walking about a week later. 

The wound was super neat, but I needed a cavity shave to clear the margins in July and the re-excision has caused a dent along the scar.  I'm not sure if it will settle down as it heals but it doesn't really bother me to be honest. Appearance wise, there is definite lop sidedness, my normal boob sits about 3/4 of an inch below the other and my nipples aren't even.  I'm not sure if I will request treatment on my good boob at some point in the future to level things out; that being said, I am SUPER self critical and my husband says you can barely notice. When I've got my clothes on you can't tell at all and as my topless sunbathing days are loooong over (I did it once aged 22 haha) I'm not really sure that getting them evened out is worth it. At the moment I'm focusing on getting through chemo and radiotherapy so I'll give it more thought when all of the treatment is over. 

I'm ten weeks past my first op and four weeks past my second and feel pretty much back to normal now, I still get tired but I think I'm just mentally drained as much as anything else. 

Best of luck with whatever decision you make - I'm sure whatever you decide will be the best decision for you :) xx

Hi Jo, 

I had this surgery in march this year. I had the cancer boob done only and will be having the good boob done to match next month after i have finished radiotherapy which i am half way through at the moment. 

I did request both breasts to be done at the same time. My surgeon advised against this as radiotherapy can change the shape of the cancer breast which could cause asymmetry. 

I stayed overnight in hospital and left with a drain in (very much a pain in the back side, mostly due to trying to sleep in an upright position & carting it around with you. Mine was in for 10 days and it was such a relief to see the back of it. Im hoping I dont need one when i have the next surgery next month.

My scars too quite a while to heal, 6-8 weeks & 3 lots of antibiotics. At the time it was annoying with it not healing quickly but I am really pleased with my new boob now! I was a 34F & now around a D cup. Im looking forward to getting the other boob to match & have a nice new pair of pert boobs! 

I would recommend the mammoplasty but just be prepared for a little extra time to heal.

Good luck with whatever surgery you choose and I hope all goes well for you.

Paula x

Hi Jo,

I had invasive lobular, 6cm for one and 2 the other, and invasive ductal x 2 tumours in the other breast.

I was fortunate to avoid the mastectomy and so had a WLE in each breast and the fat was moved around to make the breasts look as normal as possible. I had 3 lymphnodes removed under each armpit. 

My surgeon cut round my niplle

sorry, cut .myself off

anyway, the surgeon cut round my nipples and used that, and my armpit hole to remove the tumours.

When I spoke to my surgeon before hand he said that the tumour was large but he advised against a mastectomy.

My breasts, at 34c, were considered small so that may have something to do with the decision? 

I'm 3 weeks past surgery and my boobs and nipples  are still  little misshapen and lumpy but that's due to swelling which I am told can take a long time to resolve. 

Speak with your nurse and go through your options with her. Mine showed me a PowerPoint of different results from different procedures and talked me through each one to help me make a decision.

I'm really sorry you have such a big decision to make x

Thanks Emma

This is really helpful. Can I ask if you were a 34C before or after the surgery? I've read that you go down about 2 cup sizes... I've also got lobular in my left breast, three multifocal masses. I wonder why your surgeon advised against a mastectomy? Anyway,  I'm going to ask to be considered for a mammoplasty and see what my surgeon says.

I hope your boobs even out over time! Good luck with the next steps of your recovery xx

Thanks Paula

Your reply has really helped me make my decision - I'm going to go for the mammoplasty and just hope it's the right decision!

I hope your new boobs are pert and stay out of trouble in the future!

Jo

xxx

Hi Jo,

they were a 34c before treatment and I expect to go down a cup size eventually when the swelling has gone. 

My biggest tumour was growing from front to back and not side to side so my surgeon could effectively cut it out, like taking a slice of cake and stitching the remains together. It would have been a mastectomy if it was growing side to side. He was able to keep both breasts looking 'normal' so all the stitching is under the skin and in the tissues. I was very fortunate to have such a caring and talented surgeon. 

I think the idea of my lumpectomy was not to throw the baby out with the bath water. Additionally, I didn't (and still dont) know for sure if I will have any further surgeries so I wanted to have as much breast as possible for no to play with, so to speak.

Do you know which way your tumours are growing? and please speak to your nurse x

good luck x

Hi Emma

Thanks for your reply. I don't know which way the masses are growing (noone has mentioned this??), but my surgeon is apparently very good in this type of surgery and he suggested the mammoplasty to me -  I hadn't even heard of it before! Yes, I've spoken to the nurse, she spent over an hour with me explaining the type of cancer I have and the mammoplasty procedure. She doesn't think it will be a problem.

I'm glad your op went well

Jo

xxx

Thanks jo.

isn't it amazing what surgeries they can do now for us and how amazing our nurses and surgeons are. 

Do you have a surgery date yet? xx