Reconstruction confusion!

While I am lying in bed with a head cold from over doing it last week, I thought I would write a short post that BC sufferers can reply to and will hopefully help me make up my mind 100%.

I saw my surgeon last week in East Grinstead to discuss my breast reconstruction. I went thinking I only had on option which was to have implants. When we spoke my surgeon gave me three choices. This totally threw me and I could not make up my mind. I should be a Libra as I am so indecisive. I went away thinking of all the options and decided on one, then five minutes later I would change my mind! Friends and family that know me well know this is what I am like..... a nightmare!! Its great to have choices in life but it doesn't half make my life less simple.

So here are my choices

Back (latissimus dorsi) flap (LD flap) and mastopexy - The skin, fat and muscle are removed from the back but the blood vessels of the flap remain attached to the body at the end nearest the armpit. The flap is then turned and carefully threaded through a cut made below the armpit and is brought round to the front of the body to lie over the chest wall and form the new breast. I then will have an uplift on the other breast to make me look more symmetrical. This is quite a big op and takes about 7 weeks to recover and will leave me with a big scar across my back/


LD and implants - The same applies with taking some skin and muscle from the back and using for the breast reconstruction with implants too. This will make it harder to detect breast cancer in the future though.

My last option is to have another mastectomy on my right breast and have implants in both. No skin or muscle will need to be removed from the back which is one less scar and will be less recovery time. It will mean having no feeling in my breasts but does mean I will not have to worry about getting breast cancer again.

I only had the first two options at first and then my surgeon throw the l last option in at the end just to confuse me even more. I must say that the last one seems to be appealing as I will never have to worry about getting BC again and hopefully that will mean no mammograms and tamoxifen but it does mean i will not be able to breast feed when I have children and I will lose all feeling in my right breast as well.


I guess I have to weigh up the pros and cons of each and then decide from there.

If you have been through any of these reconstructions then I would love to hear from you!! The sooner I decide the sooner I can get it done! I obviously do not want to rush into a decision either as it is a big one to make.