Bilateral Mastectomy with Expanders. BRCA 2 Positive

Dear Anstev, I am sorry you are dealing with this. I am about to go in myself and have a bi-lateral mastectomy with immediate implants on 07-11-18, due to finding cancer in my healthy-looking but lumpy feeling breast. I wrote off my lumpy breast as nothing more than 'caffeine cysts' like I had years ago. Now I find I have 2 kinds of cancer in the one breast, and so am having both removed for piece of mind. (I will find out if that was a good decision or not. Time will tell...)
Regarding the looks of yours currently, it looks like some fat and breast tissue may have been left behind which would explain the lumpiness. My surgeon tells me that after implants are placed, I may need to have at least one or more fat transfers to the breast to make them look normal again. Your breasts were so nice before, I hope you can attain the same look again!

My father died from breast cancer and I'm going to have the BRCA test. I'm 58 and recently (past month) I have felt a small hard nodule in my left armpit. I've also become very itchy in both underarms and some on my breast. No rash, but the itching is driving me nuts! I thought I felt a lump in my left breast, but couldn't find it again. No change in deodorant or cleaning products. Has anyone had these symptoms with cancer. My father died in 2003, I am going to ask my doctor for a mammogram. Not too worried, just want hear about others symptoms and if they had mine.
Thank you,
Margaret

Hi. I had my preventive double mastectomy with Aloderm and tissue expanders on July 25th (Chek2 positive). I had weekly TE fills, stopping at 600cc. I am 5'4 and 140 pounds. I had my exchange surgery on October 10th. My surgeon (he did both mastectomy and reconstruction) placed 650cc Allergan smooth SRX high profile silicone implants and also did fat grafting from my stomach and flanks. My tissue expanders were awful and were more under my arm pits than on my chest. I developed a minor yeast infection in the folds under my breasts where the incisions are; just dumbfounded me because I am super-hygienic. I removed my steri strips day before yesterday with the assistance of my hubby. They had turned brown and smelled funky. I used neosporin on the incisions, which has seemed to have cleared up the problem. I go back to my surgeon on Wednesday to have my stitches removed (two from each nipple, two from my stomach and two from my flanks. I finally slept in my bed last night- a first since surgery #1. My biggest concern on Wednesday is to ask why the implants still seem like they are somewhat under my armpits (UGH!). Please let me know how your experience went. Hugs and prayers to you!

Hi- I had my preventive double mastectomy a year ago September 20. I’ll be going in on October 26 to have my 4th reconstruction surgery. The first implants that were placed immediately following my mastectomy literally dissected my chest muscles and were under my armpits. Hated them from the time I woke up from surgery. I then went in for fat grafting to make them look fuller in the top. Didn’t work. I switched surgeons. June 3 I went back in, had the implants removed and he put a different implants that are different shaped with more projection. Although they look better, they’ve dropped and are back under my arm pits. This next surgery, which I pray is my last

I had unitlateral MX and the implant and the Expander were put prepectoral or on top of the chest muscle with alloderm like a sling. Worked perfect. Maybe you couls ask about that. Almost -0- pain. Chest muscle was not cut.