I have no advice, but I will say this: ask about the time line and the what-ifs. I put in the expanders during my double mastectomy, at the time we thought I had 1 tumor, stage 1. turns out it was 2 tumors, stage 3A, had to start chemo, now rads. have been stuck with the expanders for 8 months, they will have to stay in for a minimum of 6 more months, if not longer. I find them VERY uncomfortable, and if I had known this, I would not have put them in. I would have waited. yes, it would mean an extra surgery, but right now, that would have been a better option for me.

The trouble is you can't compare it to how you would feel if you had gone a different route. I was an A cup and, for a variety of reasons, the thought of a second surgery to swap the expanders out seemed too much. And I had read so may stories about the pain of expanders (realizing that people who didn't mind them were less likely to post about them). I just didn't want more pain. The surgery was fine and I don't think I had any additional, actual pain from having the implants put in. They were very tight and sensitive (to water in the shower and even to the weight of blankets). But my understanding is that it is the same with expanders, only maybe with a little less intensity and over a longer period of time while the skin is stretched. I was lucky that I did not end up needing chemo, so it was one surgery and done (besides anti-hormone medication). My PS did not think I needed physical therapy, but my primary physician sent me 4-months post-op and I highly recommend it (and sooner than I started). The muscles between your ribs, in your back and, of course, in your chest benefit greatly from targeted stretches (not just walking your fingers up a wall). Get referred to a physical or occupational therapist who specializes in mastectomy patients. It will definitely lessen the feeling of being naked yet feeling like you have on a too-tight sports bra.

I was scheduled to have a nipple sparing mastectomy (5/17/13) with immediate reconstruction with a saline implant but the one of the 2 sites of dcis had doubled in size in 6 weeks, changed to a high grade carcinoma and there were cancer cells in the lobes behind the nipple so the surgery was revised midway through as the nipple had to be resected. An expander was placed instead. I was devastated at the unexpected loss of my nipple. My breast surgeon was really apologetic. She had not expected this change in such or short period of time or the surgery would have been scheduled sooner

After a week, the expander had to be deflated because the incisions weren't healing. A couple weeks later the incision where the nipple was removed had to be restitched. These finally healed 6 weeks later and my ps was able to slowly refill the expander. The expander implant exchange took place on 8/21/13 along with a lift and implant on my non cancer breast. On 11/25/13 I had my final surgery....nipple reconstruction from a groin skin graft. Everything has healed with minimal scarring and looks great. I feel like I was really lucky in that it was caught early and I did not need chemo or radiation.....and that I had such a great bs and plastic surgeon who is so incredibly talented, knowledgeable and practiced in the most current techniques of breast reconstruction. Honestly, my reconstructed breasts look better than what I started with.

It was no picnic and it was really hard to believe that it would eventually be over at times, but it is now over and I'm cancer free. Hang in there....

@A MyBCTeam Member,You truly don't know what you are dealing with as far as treatments until the pathology is available following the mastectomies. My advice is to have the mastectomies, obtain staging info from the pathology, understand treatment options, THEN determine if you want reconstruction. Blessings.

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A MyBCTea...

Lumpectomy not an option for me, too much in too many places. It was off the table to begin with. I decided on a double since I am young and just can't live my life looking over my shoulder :/