overweight and breast cancer

@jmindy
this https://www.melbournebreastcancersurgery.com.au/body-weight-and-breast-surgery-complications.html
give a broader perspective of increasing risk of complications from the surgery from 2.2% to 18.3%. It isn't the risk of failure but the risk of complication like infection, longer hospital stays etc.
I like this
“The authors should certainly be commended on their efforts to put a number on the candidate seeking reconstruction to simplify the encounter and the decision algorithm, but the variables are many and those in the obese category typically do quite well with the right approach,” he told Breastcancer.org. “BMI in and of itself has also been reported to be an imperfect measure of a patient’s health status.https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/flap-reconstruction-complications-bmi
https://www.breastcenter.com/your-doctors/dellacroce/
We often don't have the luxury of traveling around the country to find the most capable surgeon. Not being close to home certainly increases the difficulty of surgery and the cost.
Sometimes surgeons turn us away because they are aware that they lack the specific skill, thank goodness.
Best luck with your choice and your surgery!

Where did you find this rude physician? Having had breast cancer myself, I understand your fear and panic. I also understand your desire for breast reconstruction. Instead of total negativity, I believe you deserved an honest response while at the same time a response of encouragement and respect. I wish you a successful surgery and timely recovery.

"...that she can guarantee I won't heal even from the mastectomy."
Holy cow, did she really say that, word for word? There are some truly questionable doctors in the world if so.
I don't have any expertise in this, but I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry you had to be told something like that.
Do you have any options in terms of traveling to a place that has more specialized care? Wishing you the best no matter what you end up doing.

Thank you! And yes, she did. I was actually floored myself. Especially since I had a lumpoctoy prior and healed great. I don't have high blood pressure, my A1C is good, my heart is healthy, and I have no history of illness or slow healing. I'm not on any other meds than those associated with this cancer. I could understand her hesitancy if I had any other conditions other than some extra weight.

While I can't travel, I do have another set of Dr's I can work with inside my insurance network. So I'll be going that route.

I'm over 60 lbs overweight and was never told that. I had a recent lumpectomy with no complications and am nearly healed. I am losing weight because I am concerned about its possible effect on future recurrence or other types of cancer, diabetes, etc. My initial doctor told me that I needed a double mastectomy, and although I went elsewhere for care, he never mentioned my weight as a problem. The doctors I have now are some of the top in the field and if weight were a concern, they would have mentioned it. If possible, I would get another opinion. I'm wishing the best for you.

Thank you for sharing! It's so helpful to hear others journeys.

There are options!! Did research and happened upon this article from Mayo and knew this is what I wanted! I cannot begin to tell you how pleased I am with the results of the Goldilocks procedure and it was one and done! Just got my tattoos from https://www.reneemaschinot.com/ and super impressed! Prayers for you to find your best option!
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/patient-stories/goldilocks-for-breast-reconstruction

Wow! And nonsense! I was 40-50 pounds overweight at diagnosis and DIEP Flap was the first choice at UCLA. By the time I had the surgery after chemo and such I barely had enough fat for my single reconstruction.

How can you get the fat for the double if you have no fat??

I am truly sorry.

Also, the thing about implants is that you can never get MRIs with them. If you have dense breasts, you're going to need those secondary scans to check for reoccurrences.

Hugs!

My experience is different because I wish my surgeons had advised me that my risk for infection was increased due to my extra weight. When I asked my oncologist surgeon about how my breast would look after a lumpectomy, she mentioned that I could have a breast reduction and a lift. I went and had the consultation with the plastic surgeon and nothing was ever mentioned to me about the risk of complications due to being overweight. I ended up having both breasts with dehiscence (basically the incisions were opening up). Both sides got infected and I missed 45 days of work. When I would call the surgeons or email them with my concerns, they basically dismissed them as “normal healing”. (I sent pics and went in). . Finally, I referred myself to a wound care center where they told me that both breasts were infected, and that I would need to stay home for a minimum of three weeks. I weighed approximately 220 pounds and I should probably weigh 140. So yeah, I wish my doctor would’ve explained the risks. If anyone ever asks me my advice, I always tell them to just get the lumpectomy and worry about how the breasts look later. I’m all healed now, but my left breast is considerably smaller than my right due to the radiation. (The plastic surgeon was supposed to make my right breast bigger than my left to compensate for that but after the surgery, they were the same size )Lots of pain and suffering for nothing. I think I was just looking for a silver lining by getting the reconstruction. But dang, bacterial infections of the skin are serious and very painful!