Jeanne,
Perhaps you should post that article you have on reconstruction. I have not
really read too much about it. I do know that if I ever do require a
mastectomy, I would not have any reconstruction. Just a personal choice. No
one would even notice anyway. Another advantage of being small breasted is
you never have to wear a bra. LOL.
Christine
At 03:17 AM 16/01/99 +0000, you wrote:
>Dear Jeanne,
>
>I have learned from reading MOL, that they call this a tram flap. I always
>used to think of it as that stomach thing. It was offered to me by my
>breast surgeon and plastic surgeon when I had my mastectomy in 1990. They
>do a kind of criss cross removal of some fat and muscle in your stomach and
>then place this where your breast once was. I have read of several reasons
>why people on the list opted not to do this--mostly, I think, having to do
>with fears that they may not have gotten all the cancer in the surgery and
>that getting reconstruction done right away might just lead to more
>problems.
>
>I didn't do it, because I was chicken. My doctor told me all the things
>that might go wrong; he really believed in informed consent and it was
>enough to send anyone screaming off into the night. The worst, that I
>still remember is that the grafting of the skin might not take and the skin
>might--I think he said turn black and die. I told him it's OK; leave all
>my muscles and fat where it is. I did get, at the same time as my
>mastectomy, reconstruction with a saline bag.
>
>Love and Hugs,
>
>Martha
>
>P.S.: I'm sorry to anybody I scared...I think he would have done a good
>job if I had let him. I know there are a lot of people on the list who've
>had this done who could add to, and round out any distorted picture I may
>have given regarding the procedure.
>
>----------
>> From: james kissinger <jkissing@uvic.ca>
>> To: mol-cancer@lists.meds.com; eapat@yahoo.com;
>mol-cancer@lists.meds.com; suzanne1@erols.com
>> Subject: [MOL] Christine, Breast cancer reconstruction
>> Date: Friday, January 15, 1999 6:41 PM
>>
>> Christine, posted this a while back, I have an article on a local
>> specialist who does the reconstruction of breasts at the same time as the
>> mastectomy. He uses tissue from the abdomen to make up a new breast. I
>will
>> bring along the article for when I see you and can send a copy for anyone
>> who is curious about this...there is some debate about it.
>>
>> Love, Jeanne
>>
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