[KellyA]

Hi Patty,

I had a double mast. when I was dx'd even though the cancer was in only on one side. I did choose to have reconstruction at the time, and we were unsure if I would wake up with expanders in or if they would be able to get the implants in at the time of surgery. My doc did get the implants in- I was very happy, but couldn't stand up straight for a couple of weeks! :-) Anyways I did have radiation down the line and we all kept our fingers crossed as there is a very high failure rate with implants and radiation. My doc said they can harden, become very painful, or even MOVE to a new location. He had one patient whose moved to the center of her chest and she became the proud owner of three breasts. GREAT, I thought! But he said she took it in stride and even laughed about it and they were able to fix it. Luckily, I had no problems at all. Looking back, I am very happy I went with the decision I did, but hve to admit it was all luck, because I had no idea what I was doing, and relied on others advice. Good luck to you.

Love, Kelly