Has anyone started reconstruction and have cancer?

[Lisa Smith]

I was in the process of getting reconstrution when my cancer is back. I have the expanders in bilateral. The breast cancer has return in my neck, clavical and in the skin. This is a terrible set back. The onc. doc doesn't want me to have the expanders removed for fear of my cancer getting into the blood stream. They are painful now that the cancer has gotten in my skin of my chest. Has this happened to anyone? What did your doctor do? Thanks.

[Sheila]

Lisa
It was during reconstruction that I had my 1st recurrence, to the lymph nodes in my neck...I also had the tissue expander in but only on 1 side. I was told to go in immediately and get the tissue expander out and have the implant placed in my chest. I did this, and then after healing for about 3 weeks, I started on Herceptin.....that kept everything under control for 1 year, and the lymph nodes again "popped up" in my neck area above the collar bone. I have remained on Herceptin and they are being monitored. If they begin to increase, the onc. said she wants to add Xeloda to the Herceptin. Unfortunaltely by having the tissue expander removed before the skin was totally stretched, I ended up with poorer results on the reconstruction. Makes me wish I had never done it in the first place....and wondering if the surgery stirred up something to cause the recurrence. The whole ordeal was very frustrating...in the hopes of looking and feeling normal again, I seemed to open a can of worms so to speak. I feel great except for the lymph node recurrence, something I will be dealing with the rest of my life. I continue to remain on Herceptin. Hope this helps.
Hugs
Sheila

[*_Barbara_*]

Lisa and Sheila:

How far out from your diagnosis were you when you had the expander placed? Was your orginal tumor large and your surgical margins clean and did you have any posiitive lymph nodes? I am 18 months out from diagnosis and have been considering reconstruction. My gallbladder has also almost stopped functioning and my physician thinks I should have it removed as I have had four gallbaldder attacks in the last four months but I worry about reoccurence even after gallballder surgery as it is on the same side as my mastectomy.

[Sheila]

Barbara
I was 18 mos out when I started reconstruction, my original tumor was very small, 0.7 cm., had a L mastectomy with clean margins, no positive nodes, and I still had a recurrence.
Hugs
Sheila

[suzan w]

what kind of cancer? ductal, lobular...?? Did they test your Her2 initially?

[*_Barbara_*]

Sheila:

Did you have the dose dense AC/T after your initial therapy? I am glad you get a pretty good response to Herceptin. I had the dose dense and then went on Herceptin a month later and now my oncolgist is willing to give me a second year of Herceptin even though I have not had a re-ocurrence. I still worry about any surgery as my tumor was a grade 3, 3.5 cm with a clean but small margin and one node postive.

Thanks for your response. You must be very young with a young family according to your picture.

[Sheila]

Barbara
I did not receive chemo originally, just a mastectomy due to small tumor size and neg. nodes....I probably should have being her2 3+ and ERPR neg. I have been on herceptin almost 2 years now, with 3-5 more to go if it continues to work. Thanks for the compliment, but the little girl is my grandaughter and the other is my daughter...I am 53 ( the dark haired one..thank God for Clairol!).
Hugs
Sheila