Ask the Expert: a Breastie shares her experience with Resensation
When I first heard about Resensation my jaw dropped.
How could it be possible that a technology exists that could help me regain feeling back in my breasts after a double mastectomy?
…and how was this not offered to me when I underwent my surgery?
The more research I did, the more incredible Resensation sounded and to be honest, the more skeptical I became.
I guess I didn’t want to get my hopes up that one day I might be able to get feeling back? So, I interviewed a few doctors and they all said how much they believe in this technology.
Which was a good sign, but I still wasn’t convinced…
Though getting insight from an expert surgeon is helpful (interview coming soon!) I felt that no one is a better expert to interview than a patient who has undergone this procedure. After all, I firmly believe that WE are the experts of our own bodies!
I connected with a Breastie named Jane who had reconstruction with Resensation to find out if it ACTUALLY works. She is a survivor who underwent a double mastectomy and later chose to swap out her implants and undergo a PAP flap surgery in conjunction with the Resensation technique.
I knew if anyone could tell me if this actually works, it would be a Breastie.
ReSensation explained:
There are sensory nerves that run from your breast to the brain, sending messages that allow you to feel touch, temperature—even pain. But these nerves need to be cut during a mastectomy so the breast tissue can be removed. If the nerves aren’t repaired during breast reconstruction, they no longer send signals which is why many of women’s chests are left numb.
Resensation is a surgical technique that is performed in conjunction with a flap (or natural tissue) reconstruction to reconnect the nerves cut during a mastectomy. The plastic surgeon uses a nerve allograft (donated human tissue) to bridge the gap between the nerves in your chest and the nerves in the tissue flap (tissue from another part of your body to reconstruct the breast).. The nerve allograft essentially acts like an extension cord and guides regrowth of nerve fibers over time and potential return of sensation.
Breast implants pose one limitation in that they are artificial and do not contain nerves that can restore sensation., therefore this procedure is currently not available to patients undergoing breast reconstruction via implants though surgeons are always innovating and advancing techniques so perhaps it’s possible in the future.
You can find a doctor near you that performs Resensation using their surgeon locator HERE.
Ask the Expert
Meet Jane. She is a wife, a mother, a Breastie, and a breast cancer survivor. After losing her mother to breast cancer, Jane had always been vigilant when it came to monitoring her breast health. When she went in for her annual mammogram, her doctors found multiple tumors in both breasts. They acted very quickly and Jane underwent a double mastectomy with implant reconstruction. This is her experience with Resensation:
YOU ORIGINALLY DIDN’T HAVE THE RECONSTRUCTION WITH RESENSATION, WHY NOT?
I originally underwent a bilateral mastectomy with implant reconstruction. My sole focus was on surviving; Loss of sensation was not something I thought about, nor am I sure anyone ever spoke to me about it. When discussing my reconstruction options, there was discussion about size and shape, but sensation/losing sensation was never brought up to me. Also, at that time, Resensation was not available.
WHEN DID YOU HEAR ABOUT RESENSATION:
I had implants for six years and I started experiencing autoimmune issues, with pain in my hands and arms. I just kept thinking, “I need to get these implants out of me. I need to get these out.” The surgeon who perfomed my original surgery had retired by that time, so I met with Dr. Constance Chen. We discussed taking out my implants and having a PAP Flap surgery, where they would use tissue from the back of my thighs to create breasts. I put off the surgery for a while since my daughter was so young and I didn’t want to be out of commission for a period when she still needed to be held and carried.
When we finally scheduled the surgery Dr. Chen said to me, “I am so glad we didn’t do it before, because NOW there is Resensation.”
She explained that by using this technology, I would gradually regain sensation back in my breasts and would require just an additional 20-30 minutes in the OR. At the time, I wasn’t thinking, “Omg this is amazing.” All I was thinking was, “Get these implants off of me.”
WERE YOU AT ALL EXCITED ABOUT THE THOUGHT OF REGAINING SENSATION?
I wasn’t thinking about it like that. I was thinking that I should be happy with what I’ve got, I survived. There are so many women who haven’t been as lucky as I have been. There is that sense of survivor’s guilt and the idea of, “What right do I have to ask for any more?”
But now that I have gone through this surgery and I have so much of my sensation back, I have realized, yes, you do have the right to want more for yourself, and its ok to want that sensation back. I just didn’t know it was an option.
ABOUT HOW MUCH SENSATION DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’VE GOTTEN BACK?
I have almost all of my sensation back, I would say between 80% - 90% of my feeling is back to how it was before my surgery!
HOW VISIBLE ARE YOUR SCARS ON THE BACK OF YOUR LEGS?
They take the tissue from the back of your legs and create 12-inch incisions underneath your bum. So, portions of leg tissue are now my breasts. When I get out of the shower, you cannot tell that they are not my breasts and you cannot see the scars because of where they are placed. It is pretty amazing actually.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCIBE THE IMPACT RESENSATION HAS HAD ON YOUR LIFE?
As someone who has had implants and now my own tissue with Resensation, I can compare both experiences, and I realized the impact of the Resensation, it truly has been life changing.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of my “Ask the Expert” series, coming soon! If you have any questions for Jane, please leave them in the comments below!
This information should be used as a tool to better understand what YOUR options are and to feel empowered when you talk to your doctor to ask the right questions, understand the procedures and the benefits and drawbacks. At the end of the day, it is YOUR body and it is YOUR choice. Knowledge is power and you should always feel empowered to take charge of your health and ask for what YOU want.
To learn more about this surgical technique and if it may be helpful for you, please go to the Resensation website for more information.
IF YOU LOVED THIS INTERVIEW AND WANT TO SEE MORE LIKE THIS IN THE FUTURE, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW, SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS, AND LET ME KNOW WHAT TOPIC I SHOULD COVER NEXT!! LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!! XO
This post was created in partnership with Resensation. All opinions my own.