Trust Your Instincts...Double Skin/Nipple Sparing Mastectomy with Fat Grafting - Toronto, ON

Thank you for caring enough to message me on the cost. Sick as it sounds this pioneering procedure of fat grafting is not ALL covered here yet but I hope to lobby for it when all is said and done. It should be one of the reconstruct options offered and it isn't. Canada is behind the times because I'm told we are very conservative here!! I am paying for extra O.R time, anesthesia and fat spinning. I try not to complain because I was about to travel south to have this if no one willing to try here. Thank God my PS thinks as I do. Gods speed in your recovery edzell

In the US, any health insurance that covers mastectomy is required by law to cover the cost of reconstruction and any related surgery or revisions associated with reconstruction for life. So, if you have implant issues, pain, scar issues, or another treatment becomes available , or you are not happy with your reaults, health insurance must cover it. Even ten or twenty years later.

The exception to this law of course is that some government insurance including some medicare and veterans benefits have found a way to deny payment. Not sure how but they say they are exempt in some cases. I know a veteran who is not covered for reconstruction. Nice going US government. Way to support our vets!

I currently have tissue expanders and on my last fill My rib broke. So now I'm dealing with tissue expanders and a broken rib under my left fake breast!

Except for your deductibles, which in my case was 7k because my husband and I are self employed and can only afford a high deductible policy. And because my bilateral mastectomies were in October, I had to meet my deductible again in January when I had my second reconstruction surgery. So in all, it has cost me in excess of 14k, but that isn't much when you consider what my insurance company did pay!

I am just now finding this post. Thank you so much for this info. I am going to look into this further for sure. I was ready to eat it but it sure would be a treat if it was covered. Bless you

I agree disgusting way to treat a cancer victim / vet. Keep pushing those pencils CFO's but let's see how you feel when it's you or someone you love!!!!!

Just seeing this post now??? I am so sorry! I hope your doing better now. God speed in healing.

hi Karen, I haven't posted in a very long time but, was diagnosed in Feb 2012 w "Triple Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma", PCP said over the phone after my biopsy, that everyone, including the biopsy doc felt that it was just a fibroid. Then she calls me at work to tell me it's invasive and aggressive!! I needed to have a lumpectomy and immediate chemotherapy then radiation. I didn't have any family history of cancer to my knowledge and wanted to be tested for BRCA Gene. They needed to start chemo right away because of the aggressive nature of my cancer and then tested me. I came back positive for the BRCA1 Gene.
Still going through the horrible chemo visits, I went for the Rad consultation and mentioned possibly wanting a bi-lateral mastectomy. The Rad Doc informed me, if I was going to have a bi-lateral mastectomy, I would not need Radiation!!
After they explained all of the damage that radiation can do along with the high risk of reoccurrence of cancer because of the BRCA,.... It was basically a "no brainier" to me, yet still a very difficult decision and procedure to go through with!!
After my rambling explanation of my diagnosis and my decisions, I have a couple of questions. One is,.....why are all of the stories I'm reading who've had mastectomies had to still go through radiation? The next question is actually a statement to your comment right here to " must believe" about insurance paying for cancer related surgeries for life in the U.S.!! I thought so too until I just went for hopefully my final procedure for a long time. (It's been 3 yrs of surgeries including removing ovaries and tubes because of the GENE). I chose the expanders and silicone implants for my breasts and there was no skin or nipple sparing with the mastectomy so, the final step was to get nipples. My PS referred me to a very talented 3D tattoo person to make my nipples and areola. I think some places may have a tech do it in the Dr office but I think the new, better trend of PS is to use a cosmetic artist. Who can give a realistic look for us women who have already been through so much and deserve not to have breasts that look like a very bad botched job!
Well, I was given all of the procedure codes and the paperwork, the cost was around $1,000 , I am extremely happy with the look and prior to the nipple/areola tattooing, I did not feel complete.
Well, BC/BS will not reimburse for the procedure!!!! I was in tears today and asked them why would they pay for wigs and scarves but when it came to reconstructing a breast..... You would leave me without a nipple and make me pay for it myself???
I'm so sorry for the rambling but, I've been reading a lot of stories today and it's gotten me a bit emotional. Then the insurance Co. Leaving me to pay for the finishing of my reconstruction!!
This is a great site, I come here just to see I'm not alone. I was on a high dose of Taxol at the end of Chemo and it has left me with excruciating Peripheral Neuropathy in my feet a a small amount in my fingers so, I fight every day still to get up and try to put one sock on at a time so I can be a normal person in society again. Sites like this just show me that I'm not the only one out here.
Thanks for listening!!
Deb

How scary is that

Omg this site needs to fix itself as I wrote you a very lengthy message only to read a one liner

When I have ore te I will rewrite to you. Care for now.

Ok. You take care as well.

What I was trying to say was this.... Everyday I am able to spread the word that pain is a sign I scream it out. I could have been at the DIC stage instead of stage 1. Happy to hear you saved yourself too. Don't give up your fight. Keep fighting for every test you feel necessary. Let's pray for the cure in OUR time.

I had my first abnormal mammo in 2011. They repeated and decided what they were seeing were calcifications. I actually believe that if they had biopsied me at that time they would have found dcis. By the time I felt the lump in 2014, (same breast and in area of calcifications) it had become invasive. I had two large invasive tumors and the entire upper third of my breast was dcis and idc. I was low risk (or so I thought) so I was lulled into a feeling of security by my condition being labeled as benign. When I felt the lump some part of me knew it was cancer but because it was painful, I was still hoping for another benign diagnosis. I was in job transition so I had to wait nine long months for diagnosis. I was very lucky to have early stage cancer and no lymph node involvement even after waiting so long. But I tell everyone else that if their mammo is abnormal to ask for further testing. I think I may have been diagnosed years earlier had my suspicious areas been biopsied. I may have been able to get away with a lumpectomy and avoided mastectomy and chemo perhaps.

Yes your correct, these tests are not the end all to be all. We need to spend some of the donated money into more defined imaging technology (non invasive or carcinogenic of course). I asked about heat images but was told too broad? Although I read positive early detection for DCIS which mammo cannot detect, he'll it couldn't even detect I had active cancer just before my mastectomy!!!!!!! We can only thank God we are early stage and pray for no reoccurance. I only have weeks to decide on radiation or not, killing myself researching if risk worth reward??!!

Amen sister ;)

I apologize for the delay in reply but I find this site could be layed out better (down right confusing actually). I had no idea this message was even here except by accident today! I am reconstructing with fat grafting, had first fat fill to pectoral muscles at time of bilateral mastectomy. I just updated my review so you can read that and get up to date with the rest if you like. I did not take tamoxifen because of the research I found on it, only 2% difference is not enough for me with all the side effects that come with taking it. I did take the radiation because they found DCIS (which is stage 1 cancer) when they did my mastectomy!!! And all the MRI's and ultrasounds and mammograms showed non of it, only the pathology showed it was there. VERY scary to say the least. I had stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma that was non invasive and negative BRCA testing. But I still felt my gut telling me to move forward and so I did and Thank God I listened and pushed. A long, happy and healthy life to you Meh527

Thanks for getting back. Just had post mammogram, no calcification seen. Saw the rad and oncologist last week, neither were pushing for further treatment. Leaving it all up to me. Racked my brain so much my left eye is twitching. Had the oncotype test with score of 28 which is high intermediate for recurrence after an invasive cancer, but is a low number for non invasive (15% recurrence of in situ and 6% for invasive). BUT read an article sent to me today by a member of breastcancer.org site and several studies here and in French and Sweden show backing down from 'over treatment' may not be advisable when radiation is statically positive to reduce recurrence for even lowest risk, small DCIS, in study after similar study of both non and invasive.   I'm not sure of my HERS or BRAC but get those results from DNA testing the following week.  Given that tiny micros could be there, just not yet seen, I'm leaning to rad, yet both the don't and do decisions are still scaring me add radiation has side effects to best and lungs. Mine is left breast.

I meant side effects to heart and lungs.

I hear you sister, been there and done all your doing. It's dizzying!!!!! Only you can decide. There are two sides to the rad fence. Some say it could increase stem cells to more aggressive state and the other side says the risks are very low with new technology and it kills everything?? I know they have way too much to learn and it's a crap shoot we will only know later which is the right way to go. My feeling was, I've been given a second chance and come this far so make sure to kill what I can and worry about secondary cancer years down the road then and hope by then they have a cure or at least can control the beast. You only have a short time span after surgery to accept rad and I didn't want to say later ... Holy sugar I should have done it buts it's too late now. That's about all I can share on that subject. Try not to send yourself to the crazy farm trying to make a decision. God bless your heart.

I am so sorry for the delay in response but this message has a date of recent and below my pic from the beginning when I first posted and I find that very confusing? This site is hard to navigate I find. Anyway thank you for your message and sorry to hear your second time around, not ideal for sure. Just do your research and you'll make all the right choices and I would look deep into natural sites as well. They have been sorely squelched by the huge money from big pharma and they have wonderful proven methods. Try Suzanne Somers book Knockout too, chalk full of world renown doctors that have great insight. Many healing vibes to you my fellow fighter.

Thank you for your support and Gods speed recovery to you. I will keep posting to help in the decision making process for the newly diagnosed. . I pray daily we can find THE cure for all cancers. It truly is the beast. But we must never give up!!

My post op went well, looking good but still lots of healing to do. I am pleased with the shape it is taking