If people are questioning a second opinion, I tell them to know what they are going there for (presonality conflict, looking for different answers than what you are getting). Some people get second opinions and others dont. As long as you are comfortable with what is happening, I dont think there is a NEED for a second opinion. Surgeons and oncologists go by a set of standards that have proven to be the best at the time. I think there are slight variations in how one presents the information but overall, it is very similar.

My initial care consult with a newly diagnosed person and their family consists of quite a bit of education. I give them all the information on surgery options (which is usually but not always the first treatment choice for patients), also start the conversation about radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy, all which may or may not be needed. I answer many questions that families have. This is a time to help people through that initial shock factor and start the process of "where do I need to go next to start getting rid of this cancer." I am a go to person throughout the course of their treatment.

Hi Clare. One of the main considerations is the length of time post-surgery. Women must be completely healed to have a bra and prosthetic fitted. It is important to be at least 6 weeks post-surgery. At Lily, we work with women when all incisions are healed and the drain tubes have been removed. We measure for the bra and the prosthetic, allowing for post-surgical swelling. We fit the bra and prosthetic at the first appointment and make sure the fit is perfect when the client picks up her items. It is very important to have a certified and trained prosthetic fitter work with you. Proper fit is important in order to avoid neck, shoulder and muscle issues later on. I will defer to Ashley on what happens to the body after a mastectom as I see the healed patients.

With a mastectomy, the post-op period of time is about 4 weeks. By 2 weeks you will feel better and the area is pretty well healed. Sometimes by this time the steri-strips are starting to come off and you are able to actually see the incision. At 4 weeks I feel like patients are feeling more comfortable with the entire idea and are very well healed. We tell people to wait until 6 weeks to get fitted for a prosthetic.

I am not an expert in this area but I do know what options there are. Plastic surgeons do not always recommend all three to every patient. It all depends on what other types of surgery a person may have had in the past that would hinder blood supply for some of the options.

1. Belly fat that would be moved from the abdomen up to your breast. This is a very extensive surgery lasting many hours. It is the longest post-op recovery time as well, at 10 weeks. Some people have to retrain their abdominal muscles for instance to sit up again.

2. Back fat and muscle moved forward to your breast. This is a bit shorter surgery and post-op recovery time, at about 8 weeks.

3. Tissue Expander breast implants. This consists of a surgery either at the time of the mastectomy or at a later date. This is personal preference. Most people like to do it at the same time as the mastectomy since they are already in surgery. This consists of a plastic surgeon putting a temporary expander in place at the time of the mastectomy. This goes under the chest wall muscle. You would go into the plastic surgeon office every week and have fluid added to these until you have the size you want. After you get the size you want, you then have to wait 2-3 months before you have a final surgery. At this time you get the final saline or silicone implant placed.