Latissimus Dorsi Breast Reconstruction
Comments
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katehudson - My catheter was taken out in recovery and I had the IV in the entire 4 day hospital stay. Surgery was 3 hours. I only had the left side done and that was after a lumpectomy.
Update on my dreaded back seroma. Had first drain last Monday -80ccs, second drain on Friday - another 70 ccs. Will most likely call on Monday and get in for another round of needle aspirations. Then will see PS on Wednesday afternoon. Leaving Thursday morning for a 2 week vacation - 7 days of that on a Carnival Cruise ship. Can't wait to get out of dodge for a while.
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Sunny, It took quite alot to rebuild my right side from the radiation that I had on that side 10 years earlier. My surgery was supposed to only be 3-5 hours, but I guess the PS wanted it done right and took the time to do it right!! I love that guy!!!
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MClark55.
Thanks for the youtube link. I had this surgery about a month ago with a bmx, and am having the soreness/stifffness you described, particularly in the evening. How soon after the surgery can this massage technique be used? I just had the last of my drains removed last week, and still have TEs in place. I'm also slightly fearful of lying on my stomach and crushing my newly reconstructed chest!!
Thanks,
Cheryl
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Had another 55 ccs of fluid taken off my back today. This is the third time I have had to go in to have this done. Looks like all the fluid is finally gone - no more seroma. Have another appt on Wed afternoon with my PS before DH & I head out on a 2 week vacation. We are driving from south Texas to Tampa, FL and get on a cruise ship for 7 days. We are leaving Thurs which is also my 2 year cancerversary. I am going to celebrate big time.
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Hi Jo! I'm glad your drainage is done and you can enjoy your vacation. Let us know how it goes. I'm hoping to talk my husband into another cruise someday to someplace warm (we did our first to Alaska).
Enjoy your vacation! You deserve it and a big congrats on the two years!
As for me, tomorrow is my first day back at work since my nipple/fat grafting last Monday. The new nip looks pretty good, the grafting places are bruised but no pain unless I forget and press on one. I was told by PS to not wear a bra until I see him on Wednesday. It's been weird for me to be without a bra on but if I dress in layers no one can tell. Lucky we have a very chilly air conditioned office!
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Jwilco - So glad you are liking the new nips. I was not able to wear a bra for 4 weeks after the initial recon surgery. I bought tops with built in shelf bras and now it is hard for me to wear a bra most days. I would never have given it a thought to go braless until now. I am really liking no bra with our heat.
Not sure how much longer I will have to seen my PS. I know he still wants to take some "after" photos. He mentioned this the other day but wanted to wait 2 more months. He wanted at least 6 months from the initial surgery. I have told myself, I am in this for the long haul and do whatever it takes to get through this.
We have not done an Alaskan cruise. We basically stay in the Western Caribbrean. I am so ready to go now!!!
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I see in your post of two years ago you had the same problems I am having now, four months post op. I just had last fill and have exchange surgery in December. I go to physical therapy one to two times a week which helped with range of motion and strength but I still have a lot of pain, stiffness, numbness, nerve spasms, hard to get up or scoot out of a booth. Wondering if any of this has gotten better for you. Appreciate your response. Thankyou
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My surgery is scheduled to start at 8am tomorrow morning... wish me luck! I'll be sure to report how everything goes.
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sunny - Best of luck and will in your pocket. Oh wait! You won't have pockets. Then I will sneak in under your pretty blue surgical cap. HEHEHE! You are going to do great.
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Good luck Sunny. I will be glad to hear about your experience. My surgery is Sept. 12
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katehudson - We will be back from our vacation when you go in for surgery. I'll be back just in time to jump in your pocket so I can go with you and hold your hand. You won't be alone.
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Thank you Jo
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Katehudson - welcome!!
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Hi all,
I had my surgery on the 10th July and the surgeon is keeping an eye on the muscle as it is not taking too well. He mentioned it may have to come out and to use donor tissue from a deceased person. Hmmm...
If has only been 7 weeks but quite tender? also lumpy , bumpy , corrigated and bruises pop up then go away. On sunday I was holding the boat and a sea surged and as I had to use by chest muscles I noticed my new boob went like a Madonna pointy one..It has settled but there is a dent.
Can anyone tell me if this is all normal as I don't see the surgeon till October and I feel fine. Also I was told my implant had shifted abit on a new angle, boob still looks good though.
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Hi jo - thanks for the feedback on the video. I haven't had anyone else mention that to me - I'll check into it.
Stanzie - a couple of my BC subscribers (on my website) are having lots of success with using certain pain-relieving essential oils and massage for their surgical scarring. I did a video about it - let me know if you'd like the link demonstrating that. Sorry to hear you're having so much trouble. I know that's disheartening for you. I'd love to help you if I can. xoxox
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Hello to all you brave ladies! I am new to this forum and I will be having a UMX and LD flap with implant on Sept. 11. I have a lobular tumor and have considered having a BMX (with bilateral LD flaps) because lobular tumors have a higher incidence of starting in the other breast and I don't want to worry about getting a breast tumor in the other side. However, I don't know how recovery from the LD flap usually goes in both the short and long term. How long would I need someone to stay with me if I have bilateral surgery? My sister is coming to stay with me for a week after I get out of the hospital- I know I can't drive or do housework, but will I alright alone after this? Are loss of shoulder/back strength and other side effects significant enough that I should avoid a bilateral LD flap if I can? I jump horses competitively and need to keep my shoulder and back strength (Yes, I am 59, but I am not ready to give up riding and jumping). I would appreciate advice from those who have had either a unilateral or a bilateral LD flaps.
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Good luck SweetCaroline! I do not know the answers to your questions for sure. My latissimus flap surgery for my right breast is 1 day after yours on Sept. 12. I will be in the hospital for 4-7 days, and my surgeon said I should be able to function alone after that. I live alone, and I won't have anyone come to help me. I do have a lady that cleans my house. I will have someone take me shopping, but that is about it.
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I had my (right side) LD flap surgery yesterday. It went from 11am - 3pm on Wednesday, and I left the hospital at 2pm on Thursday :-) I'm so glad to recover at home and not in a hospital room where someone comes in to bother, I mean check, on me every hour. I was so nauseous the first few hours after surgery. That has never happened to me before and it was just awful. Finally, I felt better by this morning. By the time I woke up from anesthesia, the catheter was out, and I was walking around some yesterday, and lots today, including up and down staircases, etc. As far as pain goes, I am just going to see how ibuprofin works, because I wasn't in much pain at the hospital. The pain from the LD flap surgery is so much less than for the mastectomy with TE.
Also, I asked my PS before surgery if he would cut the nerve, and he said "no". When I asked why other surgeons do cut it, he said it is because they don't know what they are doing. He was pretty opinionated. Since he is a professor at a teaching hospital, I figured, ok, let's do this his way. He says it is becuase the muscle is only connected on one side now, so it doesn't matter, or something to that effect. Everyone else here seems to have had their nerves cut though right? What reasoning did you plastic surgeons give?
Right now, I am just so grateful the nausea is gone, and I hope I'll be able to get some sleep. The one thing that disappoints me is that I was hoping my new breast mound would be bigger. My normal left breast is not very big, and I was hoping the LD flap would sort of match it, but apparently not. Since I won't be finishing the breast reconstruction until I decide I am done having kids and breastfeeding them, it is sort of depressing to think this is as big as my right side will be for the next 5ish years.
Also, the doctors already took off all my gauze/bandages on my back and foob. Did you guys wear bandages over the incisions for a long time? When did you all start wearing some sort of bra?
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Sunny, I, probably gonna doLD as well... my left TE failed twice, I don't have enough skin there, no fat either...I have to choose between LD and DIEPand I don't know what to do- chemo brain. But it is so nice to be at home next day! wish you speedy recovery!
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sunny - I have heard of many plastic surgeons cutting the nerve. By doing so, it stops the blood flow to the muscle and allowing it to atropy and get soft. It also keeps the muscle from contracting. Mind did it at the original surgey and I still had muscle contractions that drove me crazy. He went back in and found another nerve branch and cut that one. That was 3 weeks ago and now I feel like things have really softened up and are more natural feeling. Also, I no longer have that pillow feel under my arm and range of motion is at about 98%. No tightness in the back. It sounds like your PS has a real ego problem. You know there are those that all they should do it teach. Sending you wishes for a speedy recovery.
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Nah, I actually like my PS a lot. I would rather that he didn't vut the nerve at first, and only if there is a issue, have it cut. I don't want something done unnecesarily, and it seems (from reading online) that some PSs cut the nerve and some don't for various reasons.
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sweetcaroline2 - I had UMX with LD Oct 11, 2011, and I feel like I don't have any physical limitations on my UMX side. This summer I went kayaking on the lake and that was the only time I really noticed a difference, and it was slight. The difference was I seemed to compensate with my good side when paddling and got tired a little sooner than I would normally. I also doubt I would have any chance at all of winning a kayak race with my husband. LOL I'm not sure about having both and how it would change your performance with horse jumping. There are others here that have had both sides done at once that might be able to respond. For what it's worth, I still can lift my 20lb weights with no problem when I work out. Good luck!
katehudson - good luck on your surgery too!
Sunny - wow! Out of the hospital so soon! You are lucky! I'm glad you are doing well at home. It's much nicer to be in your own surroundings. I didn't have any bandages when I got home execpt for where the drains were attached.
olgah34 - I would really research the LD vs the DEIP. I probably would have had the DEIP if I could but I wasn't a candidate due to prior abdominal surgery. I've heard the recovery can be a doozy, but so can the LD flap. However, you don't give up the back muscle.
Jo- When's that ship leave? LOL I'm jealous. Stear clear of the bad weather. I'm glad it's passed before your trip.
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I wish I could research with chemo brain... I cannot concentrate on long reading... English is not my native language, either...What happens after we are losing back muscle to us?
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Olga: I'm not sure what I would have chosen if my choices were that of LD flap or DIEP. My PS told me that a) I don't have enough stomach fat for DIEP, and b) I'm planning on 2 more pregnancies, and he couldn't recommend DIEP on someone planning on getting pregnant in the future, and I didn't want to delay all reconstruction for that many years. Because of how thin the skin on my right chest was, there really wasn't much of a choice for me besides the LD flap. In a way, getting a 'tummy tuck' sounds exciting, though I haven't researched it.
It is great to be home recovering with family right now though!
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sunny321 - The nerve is cut to prevent discomforting muscle spasms. As Jo1955 said, there can be atrophy. The blood supply is left intact as the skin pedicle/flap would die if the thoracodorsal artery was cut. www.microsurgeon.org/latissimus - this site really helped me understand the procedure.
I feel that my PS may have left some tiny nerves uncut. At times I have a sensation that something is crawling around about 2 inches deep in my foob. It tickles and some times feels like an itch. So glad it doesn't feel that way a lot or it would drive me insane.
sweetcaroline2 - I only had a left LD flap and cannot really tell that I am weaker on that side. My mother stayed 2 weeks and helped. I am back to doing every thing I did before even weight training. Actually I am quite surprised that the surgery did not affect my strength.
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I had a double and after 5 days in the hospital, I was doing pretty well once I got home. The only limitation I had was reaching upwards or bending down low, but I moved everything I might need to easy to reach places prior to surgery. I had help - I had a 6 month old puppy at the time and would never have been able to manage him on my own! But, after that first week, I think you can be pretty mobile. I stopped taking painkillers after the first day, so pain was never much of an issue. It's more of a difficulty in getting comfortable.
I don't notice much of a difference without my back muscles. I can do everything the same as I did before.
Best of luck to those of you waiting for your surgeries. I don't regret mine for a minute!0 -
Hi everyone,
I had my LD reconstruction with extender on August 21st. I spent 2 nights in the hospital and then came home to recuperate. My PS is 55 miles from me because I live in a rural area. This bothers me sometimes because there is no one locally that is qualified to do anything with this type of surgery. My husband stayed home with me the first few days - thankfully it was near a weekend so he could stay with me longer. I originally had 3 drains, I have 2 left. The drains are a pain but after they took out the 1 I'm not in a big hurry to get the other 2 out. It was not a good experience. I am not having a problem staying alone during the day. I don't move around much so it's not a problem. I am having a lot of swelling in my back though. I have what looks like a fat roll under my arm. It concerns me but my husband (who changes my drain bandages and puts ointment on them for me) says it is actually going down. I am trying to recuperate as much as I can because I only have 2 1/2 weeks off of work. Is there anything that can help with the swelling? My first "fill-up" is scheduled for the day I go back to work. My PS said I will come every week for a "fill-up" and then I don't have details on what happens next. He did say there would be 2 more out-pt surgeries. I know one of them is to change out the extender for the implant. I didn't realize that I may not be able to go back to work right away after the post-op surgeries. How long does it take to recover from them?
I'm glad I found this website and discussion board. It is nice to talk to people that have been or are going through the same thing.
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debbiemm1 - was off 6 weeks with the LD flap, but I am a nurse and work 12 hour shifts otherwise I would have just had to take off 3-4 weeks with a desk job. I was off 4 weeks with exchange surgery but I also had fat grafting. Not sure why your PS said you would need 2 outpatient surgeries. I never had any swelling in my back. Your drain may be clogged causing the fluid to collect in your back. Call your PS and let him know about the swelling. My PS is 70 miles away, so I know what a hassle it is to have to drive back and forth. I had to go twice a week for 3 weeks. Not pleasant riding that far when you are in pain.
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jwilco - The ship leaves from Tampa, Fl this Sunday at 4:00. It is just around the corner. Can't wait - I am so excited!!
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jwilco- Thanks for the encouraging feedback! I am happy to hear that you are doing so well. I am amazed to hear that you are lifting 20 lb weights- what kind of lift are you doing- do you mean that you are doing biceps curls with 20 lbs?
nurseronda10- Thanks for sharing. I am an LVN and had just applied to a RN bachelors program when this bc came along to mess up all of my nice plans. I am very grateful that my sister (who is an RN and now works at a wound care center) will be staying with me for the first week I am out of the hospital. My squeamish DH (very bravely!) says that he will stay home with me after that if I still need help. I hear that it is difficult to get in and out of bed unassisted after a MX and LD flap. As soon as I can comfortably get in and out of bed by myself, I hope/think I will be OK staying alone. The offices of my BS and PS are a 3 hour drive from my home and I am not looking forward to the drive to my first post-op visit! I just heard from the assistant to my PS that I will be having an permanent implant instead of a TE with my LD flap. I don't know why he changed his mind, but it upsets me when one of the doctors changes something without informing me and I accidentally find out. I don't like these kind of surprizes. That said, I will be happy not to have to make multiple trips to have fills for a TE and I am certainly happy to avoid the exchange surgery.
jenn78- Thanks for letting me know how well your double went. You are brave to do both sides at once. I am not sure if I can change from a UMX to a BMX this close to my surgery date, but I wish that I could get it all over at once.
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