Hi, I'm new to the group. I had a mastectomy in 2004 followed by chemo and radiation. I chose to have reconstruction surgery and had a tissue expander put in during the mastectomy surgery. Unfortunately due to some complications the implant didn't work out so I opted for a free tram surgery. Essentially they take a chunk of stomach tissue and created a breast. The upside is that it is your own tissue so it looks and feels more natural and it will lose or gain weight and age (read sag) as you do. The surgery is not an easy process and you need a GOOD surgeon who specializes in breast reconstruction. The other benefit is that you get a tummy tuck and breast lift/reduction on the other breast. The best part is it was all covered by OHIP including a five day stay in the hospital. Oddly the only thing that wasn't covered was reconstruction of the nipple (you get an areola tattoed and then the surgeon does minor tweeking of the flesh to make it look like a nipple). I paid for the nipple reconstruction ($250) as the eye tends to be drawn to the nipple instead of the scars. Don't expect perfection, even after the long healing process (I had to have a few touch ups) but I am very happy with the result and would gladly do it again. Hope this helps.