I have not had implants and if you have been following me you know I, myself, have not had breast cancer so do not have first hand experience with reconstruction. I have, however, been witness to my mothers journey with it and prior to her getting cancer in her liver and bones 5 1/2 years later we went through quite a bit with her reconstruction.
The first thing I can say is, ALWAYS check out the surgeon you have chosen. Ask them for references of patients willing to share their experience. Whether you are getting your surgery done with the NHS or privately you certainly have the choice and don’t let them tell you otherwise. I learned through my mothers experience the price we pay for making a hasty choice. My mother did not do any research and chose the very first surgeon on the list. This later turned out to be a massive problem. That surgeon was very bad at his craft and proved to make the implant look considerably different than the natural side, notable even when wearing her clothes.
When my mother called me sobbing uncontrollably about being ‘deformed’ I thought she was being dramatic but when I arrived to her home a few days later (I lived 9 hours away and needed to arrange leave from my military job as an aircraft mechanic) I realised that she was very accurate in her description. My mum later described it as having a water balloon on one side and a natural breast on the other. So if you take away anything from this post, please make your decision carefully and look for these surgeons on a Google search. You’d be surprised how much you can find out about a surgeon gone wrong that way!
I am posting a link to an article by my, of late, a popular article writer: Professor Kefah Mokbel, Consultant Breast Surgeon
St George’s Hospital, The Princess Grace Hospital. He has written some very helpful articles on breast health and surgery. Have a look at this article: http://www.totalhealth.co.uk/clinical-experts/professor-kefah-mokbel/reconstructive-surgery-following-mastectomy-breast-cancer
He has a very simple way of explaining and I like that. I work with breast cancer survivors one to one helping them regain confidence after having been through mastectomy. At any stage during or after. Please feel free to comment, share or even contact me if you would like to speak further about my offering. I am very very focused on helping women to feel confident and vibrant again. Have a wonderful day!
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