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Purdy11
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Breast Cancer newly diagnosed and trying to be brave. 
Hi all,

I'm at the beginning of a journey none of us ever wanted to be on. Having just been diagnosed with stage 1 Breast Cancer I have been offered a lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy or mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. It was a difficult decision as I'm getting married in 3 months and recovery was obviously a concern but knowing how anxious I would be about the cancer returning I have opted for the mastectomy and am hoping for the best. I am seeing my consultant today to discuss the type of reconstruction, yet another decision. Can I ask does anyone have some advice following the procedure? Implant or tummy or both? I wouldn't really want tissue taken from my back as I'd like to avoid scars there if at all possible. Thank you in advance

  • Hello Purdy11

    I'm sorry to hear about your recent breast cancer diagnosis. It's understandably a difficult time for you and making decisions about your surgery is a huge choice to have to make. 

    I hope that your appointment with the Consultant yesterday was productive and that you came away feeling clearer in your mind about things. We do have some information here about different types of breast reconstruction that you may find helpful. 

    I know we have a few women here on the forum who haven't reconstructed after surgery but I'm unsure if we've any members currently active who have had immediate reconstruction. If you use the forum search function to look for the terms "diep" or "lat dorsi" or "reconstruction" I'm sure that you'll find lots of posts that you can read through and hopefully will help. You could also have a look at the Breast Cancer NOW forum where I'm sure you'll find a lot more posts about the topic. 

    It's worth keeping in mind that many women have immediate reconstruction and have no issues with their healing but some do experience problems and further surgeries may be needed but it sounds like you're doing lots of reading around the subject and I'm sure you'll make the right choice for you. 

    I hope that all goes well for your sentinel node biopsy on Monday and that the results bring positive news. Let us know how you get on if you feel able to. 

    Best wishes, 
    Jenn
    Cancer Chat moderator 

  • Offline in reply to Moderator Jenn

    Thank you for your kind words. It's involved a lot of research but I've finally decided on an implant only reconstruction now with reassurance from the surgeon that if a good aesthetic result is not achieved it can be revised at a later date. The most important thing is to be cancer free as soon as possible. 

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