Reconstruction

We have an appointment booked for the following day to see a nurse in plastic surgery at the hospital, (again, amazingly fast turnaround time for an appointment) and trot back up to the hospital.

We see a lovely nurse called Ruth, who explains in huge details the types of reconstruction that are possible, both natural and silicone, and explains how the expanders work as well as highlighting the pros and cons of immediate temporary reconstruction and the wait and see approach.

Pros:
I get to keep my own skin (eeeewww)
I retain a breast mound (no nipple - that gets removed during the mastectomy)
More of a semblance of normality

Cons:
Expanders can be uncomfortable (basically you have a silicon implant which is slowly filled with saline solution in order to expland it to the desired size) - they are inserted under the pectoral muscle, which I guess also has to stretch.....
More hospital appointments in the short term for top ups etc
Risk of body rejecting it
Scar tissue is probable
If I have to have any radiotherapy (RT) this can/will cause scar tissue to form and compress the expander, possibly into an undesireable shape and I'd have to wait 6mths post RT to have it removed, and it could be more uncomfortable in the meantime
Longer operation time and a 3-4 night stay in hospital

As you can see, the list of cons is slightly longer than pros. Also, during discussions with Mr Pain and Ruth, whilst ladies who have immediate recon are happy with the results, the ladies who have delayed recon tend to be happier in the long run as they actually get a chance to mourn what has been removed and then the reconstructive surgery can be viewed as a more positive experience not related to having cancer.

In the end, after we go away and think about it, I decide to opt for a straight mastectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy with no recon. I'd like to try and encourage Murphy's law by not having recon and hopefully avoiding RT. The idea of having RT with an expander in and not being able to get it out does not appeal.