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Mastectomies are not an option for those over 65???!!!

Breast Cancer | Last Active: Mar 28, 2023 | Replies (84)

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@sandyjr

Check with your insurance company. If you have Medicare, they pay for reconstruction I think if you have had breast cancer or the BRCA gene. What Medicare doesn’t pay will be picked up by your supplement...at least they have for me. I do not have a supplement. I retained my insurance from my job when I retired. It is a bit expensive, but I have peace of mind. I am not familiar with the Medicare supplements, but I THINK if Medicare pays for something, then so does the supplement. I know nothing about Medicare Advantage plans. I have original Medicare. Also, just because your doctor/doctors do not want to fix your breast doesn’t mean it can’t be done. I had a breast surgeon for the bilateral mastectomy and I had 2 plastic surgeons...they work together. Only one of the plastic surgeons is my doctor, the other is his associate. When I went to the plastic surgeon that is MY doctor, he brought the second Plastic surgeon in to look at me and they decided right then that they would do it. I had 2 surgeons at this time because while the breast surgeon is doing the mastectomies, the plastic guys are on each side harvesting the tissue from my abdomen and will transplant it to my breast area. They are micro surgeons...which is what you need for diep reconstruction as blood vessels have to be cut and reattached to blind vessels in my chest when the other surgeon is done. Both or these guys are brilliant. My doctor just looked at me and he knew what he was going to do. I am so pleased. I am not sure if you can have diep reconstruction if you are skinny, so you would probably get implants and I do not think you need a micro surgeon for that. Shop around and be sure to look at pictures of their work. My chest was badly deformed from the two lumpectomies...they did not even come close to matching. Now I look and feel normal. I have feeling in the transplanted tissue, but not stimulating feeling in my nipples. I have no regrets. My doctor had no problem doing this surgery and I am 70.

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Replies to "Check with your insurance company. If you have Medicare, they pay for reconstruction I think if..."

@sandyjr You make a good point as to checking with your insurance company. I have a Medicare Advantage policy through my former employer. Medical professionals always are telling me that Medicare won't pay for something (like genetic testing, etc.) and yet my particular policy does pay for it. There are dozens of Medicare Advantage policies and each is somewhat different... crazy as it is.