Therapeutic Mammoplasty

I had two operations as not clear enough margins. Then radiotherapy which was easy. I had my first meeting but the surgeon said he wanted the next mammogram results so come back in 6 months... I thk I've decided to have the other done but it seems to vary with consultant. I think you can request further surgery if there is a marked difference and mine is pretty obvious after the second surge ( shame as 1mm left and the second op made a massive difference). 

Decisions decisions - do you live with one droopy boob and one small pert one and uncomfortableness due to difference in sizes o and think I'm luckier than a lot ...or just go the whole hog and match them up???

Hi Sharlou

Yes, the surgeon said he would need to operate on the other boob by giving it a reduction/uplift type surgery to match but that would be in about a years time after any follow-up treatments have finished. I thought the whole point of having a mammoplasty is that tissue is moved around so it doesn't look deformed or wonky? Are you sure you had a mammoplasty and not a standard lumpectomy?

It doesn't matter to me now as I'm going for a mastectomy, sadly. My surgeon said he would need to takeout quite a lot of tissue due to me having three masses, totally an area size of about 7cm, plus a healthy margin, so about 10 cm in total. My cup size would probably go down 3 sizes, taking me to an A cup. So I think I'd rather just have no boob there and lessen the worry of future mammograms.

I'm gutted tbh.

I'd definitely ask your bc nurse about getting your other side reduced, if that's what you want. I believe the option should have been offered to you.

Good luck and hugs to you xx

Jo

Hi Emma

Meeting today was awful. I had a full blown panic attack.

I've opted for a mastectomy as the surgeon said the total area he would need to remove would be around 10cm in order to get clear margins. That would leave me with a very small breast. When I said I'd rather just have a mastectomy he looked almost relieved and said it was a sensible decision. Recovery time is quicker and the worry of recurrence in that boob is practically gone. I'm gutted tbh but it is what it is.

He then floored me by saying I will need a CT scan as the area is over 5cm, so straightaway I started thinking about it having spread somewhere else. He also said I'm likely to have chemo, but didn't explain why. Afterwards the bc nurse explained that because of my age (50), they would throw the kitchen sink at it.

So I left the meeting with mastectomy, chemo and CT scan thoughts going round in my mind. I'm petrified now of the future. Did they offer you a CT scan too as I thought you said one of your masses was over 5cm?

I really hope you don't need chemo. You'll be meeting your oncologist on the same day as my surgery. A big day for both of us.

Good luck Emma and please keep in touch. We seem to have a lot in common.

Hugs xx

Jo

I would definitely ask for the other one to be 'done' so it matches your new boob. Otherwise you might as well have had a mastectomy and possibly avoided radiotherapy altogether

I'm going for a mastectomy now after talking in more detail with the surgeon today. If I had a mammoplasty I'd be left with such a small boob, it wouldn't be worth it, sadly. I'm gutted tbh.

Take care Leaps

Jo xx

Thanks Jo :) Yes it was definitely a lateral mammoplasty, but the margins weren't clear so it got re-excised. There wasn't really a dent until after then. That said, there was still a very noticeable difference with wonky nipples and the good boob sits about an inch lower than the bad one. No mention has ever been made of 'tidying up' the other one. I'm having chemo at the moment so focusing on that, but may ask about getting levelled out once all treatments are over. 

I'm glad they are getting you sorted! Sorry that you need a mastectomy, I totally get why you'd be gutted.  We have so little control over anything through this and it's easy to say one day it'll all be over and we can look back at it, but in the here and now that seems such a long way away. 

Hugs xx

Hi Jo

We're chatting in the 'different chemo' group too - I've just messaged you there xx

I'm.so sorry you had a full panic attack Jo. Do you have anyone to go to appointments with you to support you or do you white knuckle them? 

xx

Hi Emma, yes my husband comes with me to every appointment. He's very supportive. It's getting a lot for him too atm, we didn't get any sleep last night with the worry of it all.

xxx

Mine comes too. sometimes I wonder if it's harder for him, although he does sleep well...

It must be quite difficult for the partners. My husband has been great - doing all the cooking and cleaning which is a godsend. But yeh, he doesn't have any trouble sleeping except from last night when I kept the bedside light on all night and was busy messaging on here at 0330 lol. I finally fell asleep at 0500 and awake again at 0730 and only had 2 slices of toast to eat in 24 hours. God knows how I've had the energy to put one foot in front of the other today! It really is shit, isn't it.