breast reconstruction for one larger than other?

Question

Hey, I had an accident when I was younger and now one of my breasts are larger than the other, id say 1-2 cup sizes difference. Im pretty sure my insurance would cover it but im scared to have an operation.
has anyone had a similar experiance?

Will they look and feel the same? (like one obviously has an implant, the other doesnt?)

Is an implant better than reduction? (one is like a b, other is a d)

What kind of implants (silicone,etc)

What does it feel like afterwards, how long to heal..

How do I know a good doctor from a bad one, or where to look up good doctors, or how can i choose one? My insurance doesnt cover many.

Answer 1

I can only tell you about my experience. It's related, although not exactly what you're asking about. These are just guidelines so that you can get an idea of a bad case scenario and be better informed, so you can make your own intelligent decision, based on what's best for you :)

1) I had a mastectomy (complete removal of a breast), due to breast cancer.

About 1-1/2 years later, I had a tram flap breast reconstruction, from a plastic surgeon @ a very prestigious hospital here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A tram flap breast reconstruction involves taking extra skin/fat layer from my stomach (like the extra spare tire that's just ugly to look at anyway), and putting that on my chest, where the breast used to be. Plastic surgery shaped it just like the old breast that was taken away.

Sounded like a dream come true, I'd get my breast back and a tummy tuck to boot -- whoo hoo!

The bad thing, was that less than 48 hours after the initial surgery, I was back in the OR because the surgery "didn't take" and the tissue was dying off -- like the entire breast.

This happened @ 3am, mind you, and I was awaken by a nurse who handed me a phone, and told me to "say goodbye to my husband". There were nurses/orderlies rushing everywhere and I was unable to reach my husband. Both he and the answering machine picked-up at the same time, and the nurse grabbed the phone away from me, while muttering "i can't find a vein" (because my veins have gotten really tiny from all the chemo i've been having). anyhoo, i felt a sharp prick on my neck, i saw blood shoot out into the sky, landing on my face and chest (i felt it was hot, i was surprised), and i passed out -- all the while thinking that it was ok i didn't reach my husband, i wasn't ready to die that night.

to make a long story short, i had subsequent surgeries every 1-1/2 weeks for the next 2 months after that. a total of 6, i counted. each being more painful and traumatizing than the next.

the breast didn't take. it was awful to see it die off every day. it was turning more and more black. they had to take it away finally or it would have taken me with it.

i have a scar that now runs from my left knee to my ankle, this is where they borrowed a vein to stick to my chest the first OR incident. i have a rectangular scar, about 6" long and 4" wide, going from the top of my bikini line, longwards toward my knee so I can never wear a miniskirt or shorts or a normal length swimsuit ever again. (i can only wear shorts over a swimsuit now, or a fake skirt, otherwise the hideous scar shows). i have a scar that runs the entire length of my stomach -- no 2 piece bikinis for me. i have a hole below the scar, oval shaped, about 4" at the widest. the skin on my chest where they attempted to place the breast is now soooo thin, that my rib cage is completely visible. it's quite gross, really. and all this happened during Thanksgiving, through XMas and New Yar. Recovery was about 6 more months afterwards.

what else can i say? oh, make sure you do your research about your doctor. don't trust that because he comes from a prestigous hospital doesn't mean he'll be conscientious about YOUR needs.

honestly, i felt that the since the guy is a plastic surgeon, the more surgeries he did (i had fabulous insurance at the time), the more money he and the hospital made. like he did surgeries that were not exactly necessary, that could have been done away with by other therapies. the guy didn't tell me any of these worse case scenarios, i have come away from all this with more scars than i started with.

i just wanted to get my breast back. i thought that was easy and simple enough. i didn't know i could almost die (3x this happened) from all the surgeries (which btw was to fix one problem from the previous surgery to another).

be very careful. take care.

Answer 2

My wife's breast cancer returned in that breast, so a masectomy was the only choice. They went in through the area of the lumpectomy scar and removed the breast tissue. The nipple is also breast tissue, so it was removed as well. There are several methods of reconstruction surgery, my wife's blood vessels were really shriveled up by the radiation, so the surgeon elected to use the abdominal muscles with their blood supply. Recovery from the surgery was pretty tough since the abdominals kept trying to pull her over into a hunched over position. She received a bikini incision for the access to the abs. Since the nipples were removed, that tissue was replaced with some tissue from the tummy tuck incision. It is a different color and though the Dr. tattooed the nipple color onto the skin, he didn't put the new nipple shape in exactly the same place as the original, but rather tried to make the two more symmetrical. So my wife looks perfectly normal except for the lumpectomy scar on the side and the lighter color skin by the nipple. I understand that they could have tattooed this skin as well to match the color of the surrounding tissue, but since she and I (plus a Dr. or radiologist) are the only ones likely to see the breast she opted for less tattooing. A bikini would cover up ALL the scars and different colored tissue.

Answer 3

First make sure he is a board certified cosmetic surgeon.I know your concern.I have had a tummy tuck and lipo.It is scary.Sit with your doctor and have questions ready ahead of time for him.Ask to see some pictures of other breast surgery's.My best friend had implants put in and saline is safest if they happen to leak.Also talk about scaring.And see if it can be done around the aola so it doesn't show as much.And massaging the breast softens them so they feel more natural and the breast settle into place.If your going to do it do it for YOU!

Answer 4

IMO I'd just go for a reduction since you have a D cup, but it is up to YOU as it is your body. Do you prefer the B cup size or the D cup size?

http://www.breasthealthonline.com

Check out that site, there is an excellent forum there for you to find out all the information you are asking about.

I had a reduction Feb 2006 and don't regret it one bit!

Answer 5

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