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lu ann · 08-01-2007, 08:27 PM

At the time it was the best decision for me to have reconstruction. I was a young woman at he time, 35, and remember how my mother looked with her radical mastectomy. They used to take the tissue right down to the ribs.

Now I look back and think a bi-lateral mastectomy with possible future reconstruction might have been a better choice. At the time of my origional mast. and tram flap reconstruction, there was much controversey over silicone implants. My plastic surgeon did not advise implants for me. The surgery I had was very disabling. Tissue was cut from my lower abdoman still attached to a muscle and blood vessels. It was then tunneled under my skin to be put in place of my breast. I was horrified when I came out of surgery. I would need future surgeries to make it look like a breast. I could of had the 1st revission in 6 months but chose to wait a year. My plastic surgeon used lyposuction to mold the tissue into what looked like a real breast. I would then have 2 more revissions to make the nipple out of the end of my breast and tatoo the color of the nipple and areolla. This type of reconstruction has been been improved over the years and is not so disabling.

08-01-2007, 08:27 PM	#26
lu ann Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Streetsboro, Ohio Posts: 365	At the time it was the best decision for me to have reconstruction. I was a young woman at he time, 35, and remember how my mother looked with her radical mastectomy. They used to take the tissue right down to the ribs. Now I look back and think a bi-lateral mastectomy with possible future reconstruction might have been a better choice. At the time of my origional mast. and tram flap reconstruction, there was much controversey over silicone implants. My plastic surgeon did not advise implants for me. The surgery I had was very disabling. Tissue was cut from my lower abdoman still attached to a muscle and blood vessels. It was then tunneled under my skin to be put in place of my breast. I was horrified when I came out of surgery. I would need future surgeries to make it look like a breast. I could of had the 1st revission in 6 months but chose to wait a year. My plastic surgeon used lyposuction to mold the tissue into what looked like a real breast. I would then have 2 more revissions to make the nipple out of the end of my breast and tatoo the color of the nipple and areolla. This type of reconstruction has been been improved over the years and is not so disabling.