50 Years Old and Diagnosed with Lobular Breast Cancer in my Left Breast - Sioux City, IA

I was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer when I was 50 years old. I chose to have a double mastectomy 2 weeks after being diagnosed. My nephew, who is also a doctor, recommended Dr. Gallego to me, saying that he had heard good things about him. Dr. Gallego started by putting in my expanders after my double mastectomy. I would come in every week or 2 to have my expanders filled. The first day after each fill was uncomfortable at most, but the next day I was back to normal and felt great! After about 6 months or so I had my implants put in…finally! I looked and felt wonderful! About a year or more after my initial surgery, I noticed a spot that looked like it was red and irritated. Due to my smaller frame and my skin being stretched, my implant was trying to work its way out. He tried a simple repair by cutting out the bad skin and sewing it together, but my skin would not hold it. . Dr. Gallego said it was rare that this had happened and that I had two options. One was to take out my implant, or he could perform a latissimus flap. He thought that the flap would be a good option for me considering my active lifestyle. Dr. Gallego explained exactly how it would be done so that there were no surprises. To do this procedure, Dr. Gallego cut out some muscle from my back and threaded it through my armpit and placed the muscle (from my back) over the implant where it was trying to come through my skin. I had 4-6 drains after that surgery, but they were never a problem at all, just inconvenient! The scar on my back looks so incredible that you can hardly see it! It did not affect any lifting or other activities that involve my back or arm pit that it was threaded through. It healed in no time and so did the area of breast where the muscle was placed! I have not had any problems since that and my scars are barely noticeable at all!