I had silcone implants placed after bilateral mastectomy. I had a lot of discomfort with expanders but felt I would get relief once final implants were placed. Its been 3 months and I still have a lot of pain around the implants and a very tight band-like feeling across my upper chest. Its uncomfortable to walk for extended periods or to lay on sides. My doctor says to wait it out. I cant believe this is normal.
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June 29, 2011
Answer: Possible reasons for continued pain after breast reconstruction
So sorry for what you are going through. Radiated tissue generally reduces the quality of the soft tissues and increases the complication rate of implant reconstruction. An experienced surgeon in microsurgery and DIEP flap is recommended. There are substantial risks with DIEP's. However, pres...
Tissue expansion is a means of generating sufficient skin by stretch to eventually cover an implant. Unfortunately, the discomfort and firmness is a necessary and unpleasant preparatory step to make a sufficient pocket to ultimately hold the final implant.
The quality of your soft tissues is the greatest factor in determining the size of the implant, its contour, and timing the intervention. 2.5 months is usually sufficient timing to perform the implant exchange. I would recommend a focus on contour and not size in your reconstruction.