Trying to figure out what I want from surgery has been an exercise in managing expectations... My dream was to have immediate reconstruction, nipple sparing, DIEP flap.
The surgeon I saw in Boston for a second opinion thought I'd be a candidate for nipple sparing but maybe she was just looking at my anatomy and not my case, because my surgeon here said that multifocal, aggressive cancer disqualifies you from NSM.
Immediate reconstruction was not recommended either, because they recommend waiting for the pathology report after surgery to determine if you need radiation or more chemo before final reconstruction.
Then the plastic surgeon I saw here said I'm probably too thin for DIEP (I guess we all feel like we have more belly fat than we actually do!)
So my current plan is to run with the expanders and then consult another plastic surgeon for a second opinion about flap reconstruction instead of implants. I don't need to figure that out right away.
I'm also researching prepectoral implants, which are less disruptive. A bonus would be having expanders on top of pecs, which would be better for flap reconstruction.
One of my big considerations is how I will take care of a toddler while recovering from surgery. In a way, it's a relief to hear I'm not a candidate for an immediate DIEP because that would be like 2 months before I could lift a kid. At least this way even if I can do DIEP he'll be a little older and maybe not sleeping in a crib, able to go down stairs, etc.
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