DIEP Flap Reconstruction 2016
Comments
-
I'm doing ok! Post op day 2. Off fluids, Foley, pain pump. Getting Toradol and Percocet. Still in ICU being checked every hour. Don't feel much like eating, but haven't needed any Zofran since yesterday afternoon! Getting out of bed yesterday wasn't fun, but today wasn't bad at all!
0 -
Hi all. I have been reading but haven't been posting because life got rather busy. I came down with shingles last week and that really sapped any energy I had. Thanks to antivirals and essential oils I am almost all better--just a little residual pain. My extra pain pills from my DIEP sure came in handy!
On a happier note, my very first grandson was born last week--a darling little boy. I couldn't be happier. My girls and I were able to travel out last weekend and see him (they live in the next state). Oh, the joy of holding a newborn.
Wings2Fly, I hope you are getting the help you need. How awful to get the response from your PS that you did. I read in the breast reconstruction book that you should find a PS that you could hug. I sure concur! I didn't get along with my first surgeon, but I love my DIEP guy. He and I have great conversations in my follow-ups and I know that he has my back. I hope you can get a second opinion and find someone helpful.
Sportysister, talk to your PS about what you want size-wise above and below. They can take the whole shebang off the abdomen, use what they need, and discard the rest, so going with a B won't mean more tummy.
I will say that the DIEP breasts are soooooo much more comfortable than TEs. I never made it to implants because of multiple infections. Now that I have the DIEP, I am so comfortable. My daughter was hugging me today and said that she is so happy that it feels normal again to hug me, especially since she doesn't have to worry about hurting me now that I am healed.
Myajames, you are looking fantastic. Thanks for posting the picture. Your photo explains why it is better cosmetically to go with an immediate DIEP instead of a delayed one. You got to have the keyhole incision, which leaves you will fewer scars than I have. Nevertheless, even my scars hide just fine under a bra, and I would bet I could wear a bikini and no one would know the difference. They will continue to fade over time, so I can be content with them.
Since you shared yours, I'll share mine.
I am 8 weeks out from surgery today and feel pretty good, despite the shingles! The scars on my breasts look big in the mirror, but they hide just fine in a bra--nothing shows but my beautiful new cleavage.
There are some "shelves" that need to be corrected where the thickness of the flap and breast skin didn't line up quite right. In my Stage 2 this spring, I'll get the incision lines cleaned up, get some fat grafting to fill in divots, and have nipples created.
If I had to live with what I have today, I would be happy. They feel so natural and ME.
The abdominal incision continues to fade, so it isn't as scary as it was the first couple of weeks. My belly button is a little smaller than I like when I look at it from above, but when I look at the picture, it looks pretty cute! (The wrinkles are from wearing my yoga pants.
Hopefully these pictures will encourage those of you who are in the wings waiting for your turn.
Tanyarocks, hang in there! Your time is almost here. I suspect your nesting instinct is setting in. I know I got so much work done the week before my surgery! It was a great way to pass the time and meant that my house was in pretty good shape for when I was down and out.
0 -
Hello BigSister....you look absolutely fabulous....you have healed so fast in 8 weeks...that is really an inspiration to me. My surgery is Monday, now I'm just anxious the get this behind me...is there anything that you experienced that hasn't been posted by all our fellow warriors? Prayers an happy thoughts on your speedy recovery....congrats on being a new Grammie....
0 -
Hello ducky179...prayers and happy thoughts on a speedy recovery...we are all here for you....
0 -
Coolgrammie, all the best on Monday!
0 -
BigSister2 - thanks for the photos, you look great. My surgery isn't until April and I am getting anxious. Wondering if I have enough fat in my abdomen to make new breasts.
0 -
Hi BigSister,
Wow! You look great! Thanks so much for the reply! That's good to know that I have options! My dr is going to be using my ceserean scar so I hope my looks as good as yours! When I first started this whole thing he wanted to do diep but I didn't want to go under that long. Wound up having around 10 surgeries in the first 3 years due to infections and capsulations. So much for not having a lot of anesthesia!!! Thank you again and you look WONDERFUL
0 -
BIGSISTER: your 8 week pics are awesome!!!! encouragement!!!
0 -
Last drain was taken out! Yay! I have also traded my binder for Spanx. feeling a bit more like myself. Updated photo attached....
I've been lightweight dieting so the rest of my body matches this new waist I have. It's kinda amazing. I'll take pictures latter tonight.
Below are my foobs one week out. I forgot to post
0 -
hello Myajames you are my inspiration along with BigSister!!! Wishing every one a speedy recovery....you guys look fabulous....👍🏻
0 -
Myajames and Bigsiaster -Absolutely Fabulous! So, so happy for you 0
-
Coolgrammie, I think they all had it covered. Frankly, I don't remember much at all about the five days in the hospital. My husband said I kept drifting off to sleep in the middle of conversations. My kids said I FaceTimed them, but I don't remember a bit of it! I don't even remember the 2 hour car drive home, so I guess ignorance is bliss! I think I spent all my brain energy worrying about the surgery and when it was over, my brain checked out.
The main thing is to plan on taking it REALLY easy at home. Since this was my 5th surgery in one year (due to TEs and infections), my kids had the routine down and took great care of me. (I still have four girls at home, ages 11-20.) I just focused on eating, sleeping, gentle exercise (walking), and pooping. Making sure your bowels are working daily is crucial!
Since I had sepsis last summer, I have been pushing healthy eating and probiotics to heal the gut. I am sure that was a huge contributor to my well-being. I have also gotten into fermenting foods. I started with sauerkraut last summer (easy!) and just got on the kombucha bandwagon. I still take a probiotic capsule, but the ferments supplement that. I haven't felt better!
Wishing you the best on Monday.
Here is what I would add to or edit in jlstacey's wonderful list above:
At home:
- Walker? (They might send you home with one.)
- Lift chair or recliner? (Some loved it, some didn't need it.)
- stool softeners and prune juice
- yoga pants (same size you wear now)
Take to the hospital
- a small pillow to use for the car ride home (between your chest and the seatbelt)
- comfy clothes for the ride home (you can go home in what you came in, just bring a fresh pair of undies)
Sportysister, I hear you about fearing the long anesthesia. That was my biggest fear going into this whole thing. But I read on the 2014 DIEP forum that they don't have to keep you deep in anesthesia for your DIEP.
It is just a light dose to keep you just under because they are mostly working on the surface of your body. It is harder on your loved ones having to wait so long than it is on you. They took my husband's cell number and just called him with updates every couple hours. That way he didn't have to hang around the hospital all day. Grateful, you might be surprised what they can make out of your abdomen. When I first started this journey, the plastic surgeon said I didn't have enough belly for two breasts. When I finally met with the PS who does DIEPs, he told me that I was the perfect body type--enough fat for two breasts but not too much to risk wound healing problems.
To show me what he thought he could get, he pinched the fat on each side (top and bottom), pinching really hard! He thought he could get me two Bs out of what I had. I ended up with two almost-Cs! I couldn't be happier. We'll round them out with fat grafting at the next surgery. I was 5' 11" and 178 lbs going into surgery. That put my BMI on the high side of normal. I let myself gain another five lbs before hand, just to give the doc a little more to work with.
Myajames, you look great. Some might be wondering why the incisions look so dark. They use surgical glue to hold things together. It is kind of like contact cement and eventually will peel off. I was still working on mine two weeks out!
I think the glue helps to prevent too much redness and scaring. My doc said that scaring is worse when skin is stretched, so the glue keeps the skin in place so it isn't tugging. He also said something about docs using duck tape over incisions to further minimize stretching. Good ole Duck tape! Good for everything. LOL. I didn't use it, btw.
But, with that in mind, don't play with your new foobs until the incisions heal. You want them left pretty undisturbed.Mya, I am also glad that you were able to switch to spanx. My doctor was of the au naturale variety, so I went home with nothing--no bra, no dressings, no nothing. I did find that wearing yoga pants really helped the abdomen feel better. The light pressure that they provide with the nice wide band was juuuuusssst right.
I started wearing a sports bra about 4 weeks out. Just a couple weeks ago I went with my girls to Victoria Secret to take advantage of their bra sale. I came home with a 38C that fit perfectly and made me look/feel pretty awesome.
0 -
I had DIEP stage 1 SEPT 10 and stage 2 DEC 10. Trying to figure out if my bigger waistline is here to stay or if it may still be due to swelling. My tummy is still a little tight but getting softer all the time.My waist was 26" before and now it's 30". Did that happen to anyone else? I'm trying to figure out what clothes will fit. Right now I'm still wearing stretchy elastic waist pants. Love to all.
0 -
Yay to ducky and myajames! So glad to hear of things going well for our sisters!
Jill (BigSister), as always, you are such a light of hope. Your recovery is looking flat-out amazing, and I'm so very happy for you. And CONGRATULATIONS on your precious grandson! What a darling!
I'll find out on Tuesday whether my MO will let me have any more Taxol. I'm doing everything I can think of to get my nerves healed as much as possible--three visits to my chiropractor, a great massage from the therapist who works in that office, keeping off my feet as much as humanly possible. I'm really concerned about the likelihood of her stopping me at 10 out of 12. I don't have the option for hormone, AI, targeted therapies, etc., because of the triple negative tumor, so it's important to me to finish every treatment protocol I DO have.
0 -
Myajames, you look fabulous!!! All you ladies are totally reinforcing my decision!!!
0 -
BigSister2015,
That makes me feel better! My husband will take me to the hospital and leave for work when I go in the OR but my mom and sister refuse to leave. They say they're packing lunch and wine and they'll picnic in the car!
0 -
Coolgrammie best of luck u will do great I'm right behind you on the 11th sporty sister love the way your mom and sister think :-) :-) :-) :-)
0 -
Today was my sons 13th birthday. We had sushi dinner in. Can't believe I'm the mom of a teenager. 13 years passed by so quickly.I'm exhausted and a bit more sore than I was yesterday, but worth it. Gonna spend the rest of the night, and most of tomorrow... Resting
0 -
Post op day 5! Going home today! My PS likes to monitor the flaps a full five days with the Doppler. Getting in and out of bed is much easier. Finished the Toradol and antibiotics. Still haven't pooped, but passing gas for days. I can get by on one Percocet every four hours during the day with two doses of two at night. Actually took my morning dose almost 2 hours late this morning and it wasn't bad. Eating is still really hard. Almost no appetite. Trying to make myself get good nutrition at meals. Graham crackers with Percocet during the night seems to help my stomach a little.
Going home will be wonderful, if only to be unhooked from almost everything. Drains haven't been too annoying. Allowed to shower when I get home but a little worried about doing it. Stuck wearing a bra 24/7 for about another week. Have to even keep one on in the shower. But at least I'm allowed to change them. Not sure how that's going to go though... At least a two person job trying to keep everything supported while the bra is off!
0 -
I just found some information about DIEP written for surgeons, so it's quite graphic and technical but for those of us who want to know exactly what the reconstruction surgery involves, here is the link: DIEP
then follow it to Breast Reconstruction.
Now I can see why the surgery takes so long! Although here, I see that sometimes the surgery involves two plastic surgeons so that it does not take as long.
0 -
grateful, thanks for the links. I watched surgery before mine, that explains a lot. I think they always employ a second surgeon to decrease the surgical time.
0 -
myajames: I think your "growing a penis" reply was hilarious and not at all snarky, sarcastic, or negative, at least that's not how it "sounds" to me in print. Some times you just have to let people know where you stand and to me that sounds more like a gentle nudge rather than a snarky remark. Good luck on your operation!
0 -
myajames and bigsister you look great!! Thanks so very much for posting your pictures. It helps a lot in my decision (as someone else said also).
0 -
I did have two plastic surgeons as well.
0 -
Lilyn, yes, they are going to be "celebrating" me getting my implants out! At least that's what they're claiming! LOL!!
0 -
Tanyarocks- I'm counting down the days, are you? 10 to go...I can't wait to get these TE out! Lots of shots of pain from them right now. My mind and body are both done with them. I got some bikini underwear and some more lounge pants I can actually wear in public post-surgery.
Coolgrammie- Good luck today!
Myajames you look great!
0 -
NOLA uses two PS's. I was in the OR for 6-7 hours.
0 -
http://mdvideocenter.brighamandwomens.org/specialties/cancer/deep-inferior-epigastric-perforator-diep-flap-breast-reconstruction
Not sure how to make it an active link but you can copy it into your browser and watch a very detailed video of the surgery0 -
jlstacey: just had my pre-op today. one step down, one to go! i am counting down, fingers crossed all goes well for the next 1.5 weeks. i am becoming more ansxious as the days come but it will be here before we know it. wine tonight ladies!
0 -
Thanks, jbdayton. Your link is live.
That was the video I watched when I was looking into the DIEP. Very helpful to me as a nurse!
Something my PS told me is he does his best to find 2-3 perforators. Although it sacrifices a little of the text is muscle, it results in less fat necrosis because the flap gets a better blood supply.
On me they did 3 perforators on one side and 2 on the other. I never had hard spots develop on my breasts, so I am sold! I didn't think it affected my recovery much.
I wanted to tell you all of my bra find today. I needed a few and didn't want to spend a fortune since things might change after my Stage 2.
I found these at SAMs Club today: Bali comfort revolution bras. I remember that they were recommended on the 2014 thread. I like!
0
