Breast Reconstruction: Stories

Sue, I just found your review. I have a review also; I Had To Reconstruct the Reconstruction. I had an awful experience although not to the degree of yours. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 06, I asked about the Tram Flap. To his credit, the awful surgeon I unknowingly had at the time told me that he would only recommend a Tram Flap procedure by someone who only does Tram Flaps and that it is quite complicated and requires expertise in that area. He also explained that I would lose a significant amount of mobility. I decided on a tradtional reconstruction after bilateral mastectomies. You can read my review for what happened after that. I went six years with a deformed, uncomfortable chest. I finally decided that I would seek help from another plastic surgeon who specialized in reconstruction and he has worked a miracle for me! To answer your questions, my new surgeon did not have to make me any bigger. He used the extra skin and "pocket" that the first surgeon made but did not use. Go figure. The pain is minimal. So many of your nerves are cut that you feel very little pain. As far as your shape being concave, I can tell you that I didn't think it was possible to look as good as I do now. I truly looked deformed. I was expecting very little difference and have been shocked and pleased by what the right surgeon can do. Eventually you can sleep on your stomach. I don't know what you do for a living or what your hobbies are and I don't know why you would be taking blows to the chest. If you box, for instance, protective gear should protect your breasts. You can fix it. I did and I could not be more thrilled. It took me six years to decided that I had the energy to go through it again, but I'm so glad I did! The surgeon makes all the difference in the world!

I was. They could see the horrible mess I was in and the terrible pain, but they were very worried about me. I have two really funny stories of things I said that night. I was heavily medicated. One is short, I'll tell it. I asked if the elephant ears were still on sale. lol

The sunbathing and the heat lamp were to take the place of the wet saline gauze and to help dry up the wounds. This did work. I was so broken open in addition to the surgery that I was in extreme pain. I was not allowed to get out of bed in the hospital so I had a DVT in my lung. The RNs sat in a chair by my side all night. My family thinking I was okay was 2 1/2 hrs. away of which I reminded the nurses.

I am so sorry to hear what a difficult experience you have had. I'm curious what the sunbathing was doing to help with the healing?

As for your question about the amount of discomfort to expect, I would encourage you to read through the stories posted. You will be able to hear what they experienced, and you can reach out to them in the comments section to ask specific questions you might have. These are women who have actually been there, so they are a great resource.

Here is a Q&A that might help with your question about sleeping on your stomach:

Sleeping on Stomach After Breast Reconstruction?