Thank you for your endorsement of bilateral mastectomies. My sister chose that and never looked back. I am so supportive of that (and all other choices!).

The reconstruction was right for me but now after 16 years I’m in a bit of a no man’s land (is that a pun?). There is a lot of information for making a choice in the moment (although the whirlwind of what to do immediately after the diagnosis doesn’t allow meaningful research time), but little to none about what happens 20 years later when the implants are aging and the idea of elective surgery is unwelcome when the implants may need to be replaced.

I guess I’m trying to find out what happens if you do nothing and leave the implants in place for life. Do they really need replacing? Is preemptive replacement a good idea when younger? This is not any sort of emergency but I’m curious about what other reconstruction survivors have done.

Thanks!