Hi there, I had radical mastectomy in 1998 and continual treatment since. I was scheduled for reconstruction October 2003 but went into heart failure due to thyroid treatment so I have to wait. My skin on chest is really crappy and my recon surgeon told me so but he was going to do the DEIP and remomove from my stomach, since then I still see him regularly keeping in the loop. I had radiaiton this year to remaining breast and he told me he would not touch me for at least 12 months after radiation and then I would have to have stable disease. I was sooo looking forward to a tummy tuck with the reconstruction but still waiting for fate to raise its hand and let me get on with it. I have no chest or pectoral muscle on one side so I was to be one of his difficult cases but he did not think for one minute that he couldn't do it so fingers crossed for you. I knew one lady who was so thin she had to grow a tummy so she could be reconstrected and it went well for her, another had expanders but opted not to have nipple reconstruction because she wore a lot of T shirts and didn't see the point, no punn intended. My own cousin husband side 42 has just had a mastectomy reconstruction same time but she didn't have a tummb so the muscle was taken from the back and she was OK about it and said it all turned out beautifully, so I guess it all depends on who does the stitching/staples for the best result. Hope this helps.
Love & Hugs Lyn
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