DIEP Flap Reconstruction 2016
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Stellamaris, I needed time off solely because of general anesthesia. I took one day off after phase 2 but should taken least one more. Just tired and unfocused for a few days. No pain. Skipped the pain meds after day 2. Messes with my sleep cycle.
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Help!! does anyone know of a great PS who can fix TE mistakes in NY.?
MY TE keeps breaking in one breast and the other breast was sewn in a straight line.
I want a DIEP or Seia but need someone who can fix a mess-up.
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Nan, I'll PM you
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Have any of you been able to get a real deep tissue massage after your recon?
I am in so much pain, and my back is such a mess, but I can't lie on my stomach at all. It is too painful. I'm 6 months out from p2, and it doesn't seem like I'll ever get back on the table.
If you have, what did you do to get to that point? how did you stay comfortable on the table?
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JWoo, no one would let me have a massage yet, so I tried acupuncture (nada) and yoga. Yoga yoga yoga is saving my body from the intense aches and pains. Is there a yoga teacher near you who understands how to modify poses based on your needs? Oh, my acupuncturist is also a homeopath and she gave me some muscle relaxers that weren't flexerol. That helped too, to relax my muscles.0
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I haven't found one that I feel knows enough about bc or this kind of surgery yet. I'm on the hunt, but really could use some elbows in my back right now. ugh- i tell you what, this is the longest I've gone without a massage in 15 years (I am an RMT myself) and i am miserable. .
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Hello American Ladies,
Had my Diep flap construction on the left side on the 24th April (on the NHS) so just three weeks in. Tummy very tight and pain in armpit on standing up ( had 2 lymph nodes taken on the 4th April.) but pain is bearable and able to do stuff. My question is; just because I am now able to wash up, yield a broom, walk a mile with the dog, does that mean I should be doing these things? My family tell me I'm doing too much but how much is too much please? I do hate sitting around but I have been back in hospital for 2 days following one seroma and I don't want another.
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Stretchmummy, your family is right--you are likely doing too much. At 3 weeks you do start feeling better, and it is way too easy to get back to the old routine. However, the more active you are, the more fluid will be created, and the likelihood of more seromas is greater. So, take it easy.
Think about it. You were supposed to relax for 6 weeks after having a baby. Think about how much greater this surgery is for you! Plus, if you are older, it will take all the longer to get back to your new normal.
Be patient. The more rest you give your body, the better it will heal. I am an over-the-top Type A personality and I somehow managed to take it easy, so you can too! I found listening to books on CD and Audible helped to pass the time, not to mention Netflix. You can certainly take leisurely walks as long as the dog doesn't pull you around. But housework is completely off the table. Close your eyes to the mess and enjoy your time to relax!
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Good advise BigSister2015. I am 5 weeks out, incisions have not completely healed yet and by body sure tells me when I attempt to much. A little bit each day, short walks. Have not tried walking the dog yet as he does pull. I honestly don't know how people get back to work at 6 to 8 weeks. Shows we all heal at a different pace.
Take is easy stretching!
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Good advise BigSister2015. I am 5 weeks out, incisions have not completely healed yet and by body sure tells me when I attempt to much. A little bit each day, short walks. Have not tried walking the dog yet as he does pull. I honestly don't know how people get back to work at 6 to 8 weeks. Shows we all heal at a different pace.
Take is easy stretchmummy!
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I think you are right, definite signs of issues with my tummy incision tonight and the fact that I would be unwilling to tell the surgeon at my appointment tomorrow just how active I've been suggests that I know I've been doing too much. Time to break out the box set of Dr Who and spend some time on the couch. Thank you
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stellamaris, that's great you have a June date.
Did you have a phase 2 surgery after your Diep last year? Just curious what they are able to do.
Hoping to even out both sides, do they do anymore to waist?
Thanks!
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What what what are the "dog ears" I keep hearing about (no pun intended) that women have fixed?0
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Dog ears are little or big flaps of skin at the end of the incision line. They kind of flap over like a, well, a dos ear! The docs clean up the incision line in stage 2.
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question for anyone in PA area. Where did you go for Your DIEP. I live in north central PA and here they only do Tram flaps or Lat flaps and I Refuse to sacrifice good muscles. I am looking in the Phili area or Pgh area.
Thanks ladies. Your post here are so helpful in my decision to do this procedure.
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CrazyWabbit- good luck with your surgery decision making. My PS is in several sites around the NY area- his name is Dr Greenspun. Haven't had my DIEP yet (May 30) but he finished the UMX and TE and all has healed well so far.0
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Hi crazywabbit,
I live in Pittsburgh and had my surgeries at UPMC Magee. My care was top notch and I'm a big fan of my surgeons. There is a thread on here about surgeons in Pittsburgh. Search "Pittsburgh" and it should come up. (Sorry; not sure how to link it.)
Good luck
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thanks Big Sister. Really excited to have the last nip and tuck behind me!!
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Beach4, I had my DIEP uni March 24 2016. Had my phase 2 balancing reduction on the left August 24 2016, and now my phase 3, new nipple June 9. My PS will also clean up kitten ear on my waist and left boob. Long, long process.
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Jcn I had my second stage done in march. I had no problem with my anesthesia for my flap surgery but when I had my second stage done ( breast reduction and stomach bulge fixed) I was so so sick. I was in bed sick to my stomach off and on for a week. I think that was the worst part, the breast reduction was nothing, no pain at all. Haven't had my nipple done yet. That will be done in October along with some fat grafting to fix the shape. I guess you just never know how your body will react after anesthesia.
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any recommendations of good plastic surgeon in Michigan??
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Hi 2016 friends. I was exploring this forum and stumbled upon a post by Myajames! Sounds like nothing came is those headaches. She's now struggling with some autoimmune thing. ugh.
(Her post below--you have to scroll up
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It has been a while since I've been on with an update. Mine and my mom's life has been completely changed by this surgery and not for the better. My mom's results have been devastating.
A week after my mom's flap surgery, she developed tissue necrosis in her tummy incision and in her right breast. She was admitted to the hospital and put on a wound vac. She had surgery 2x a week for 9 weeks to wash out the incisions, close the wound little by little and replace the wound vac. We were in the hospital a total of 38 days and she had 18 surgeries in 9 weeks.
I told her PS that she was having shortness of breath at her last surgery. He didn't seem concerned and proceeded with the washout and closed her incisions and removed her wound vac.
The next day her breathing was so bad that I took her to the ER and she had blood clots in her lungs from so many surgeries. She now has to be on Coumadin for at least the next 6 months.
Last night she spiked a fever and had terrible redness and swelling in the right breast. Called her doctor and spoke to his nurse. We have an appointment tomorrow to find out what's wrong now. She's in chronic pain all the time. Her breast pain is extensive. Her stomach incision hurts all the time.
And let's not even talk about the reconstruction results. They are awful! It looks nothing like what we expected.
This has been such a hard, devastating journey. I really wish there was more education out there about how many things can go wrong with this surgery. I find myself just waiting for the next shoe to drop. Scared of everything. If she has redness, swelling, a fever - it devastates me.
My dad died last year and my mom is all I have left. This surgery has left us shaken, terrified and permanently scarred - both physically and emotionally.
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Chelsea, my heart goes out to you and your mom. What a terrible journey you have been on. I trust that you have other doctors involved than just the plastic surgeon? I find they don't handle complications well. Mine just about killed me when I developed an infection.
What helped me the most was an integrative medicine doctor. She helped me on the road to regaining my lost health. It's been eighteen months since my sepsis and I am just now beginning to feel better. I changed plastic surgeons along the way as well.
I how you find help
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BigSister, I am so sorry to hear of your struggles with your surgery as well. Sometimes you feel like you're the only one until you hear that someone else has gone through the same kind of hell too.
I wish you the best and I am glad to hear that you are finally on the mend and feeling more like yourself.
My mom is currently seeing her plastic surgeon, her GP, who is an internal medicine doctor and going to the Coumadin clinic near our home.
She was referred to a Pain Management doctor today because Hydrocodone isn't controlling her nerve pain and Gabapentin just makes her sleepy.
The redness and swelling is apparently due to fat necrosis that has hardened, partially due to radiation from 2013 and the flap this year. It's a relief to know it isn't an infection. I was terrified of having to go back on the wound vac or worse - sepsis
I feel like I have Ptsd. Every time a scary side effect or symptom emerges, it's easy to go to the worst case scenario. It's a huge relief to have women to talk to and share our experiences with on here.
Hugs,
Chelsea
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You and your mom very likely have PSTD. Between the cancer, loss of your dad, and the complications, I would be surprised if you didn't have it. Any one of those is enough!
I hope you both are taking some good quality vitamins (with methylated B's), lots of D, and tons of probiotics. You need that for your bodies to overcome all of the challenges you have faced.
Glad your internist is on board. An integrative medicine doctor is another good team member. They are trained in restoring health through diet and supplementation. It is complicated, but helpful!!
My complications were from implants that got infected. My DIEP went without a hitch. I waited several months to let my body recover before challenging it again. I also take a ton of stuff to help me heal. Cancer and its treatment messes with us such that we just don't bounce back. We need help.
So glad to hear that infection is not the issue right now! I hope that things continue to settle.
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Morning ladies,
Chelsea Amber, hugs! That is rough. I had a lot of issues myself, and am still trying to resolve some of them. Thinking of you two!
Hope all others are on the healing road
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bigsister, thanks for the update on Myajames.
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I'm considering having a DIEP Flap done to replace my implants since they have always been uncomfortable.
- Are you happy with the DIEP results?
- If you had implants first, how do you feel internally (implants vs. DIEP)? Any discomfort?
- Shape:
- Are you happy with the shape of your breasts after DIEP as compared to shape with implants?
- Any sagging after DIEP?
- Do you need to wear a bra "all of the time" after DIEP or no, like after implants?
- Anything else to take into consideration?
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lab44- I didn't have implants but I did have immediate DIEP recon after BMX. To answer your questions: I am very happy with the DIEP results. They've looked great from the start (minus the stitches of course). They look pretty much the same as the breasts I went to sleep with for the procedure. They are placed a little lower and they are a cup size larger (went from 36c to a 36d). They overfill during stage 1 as they know there will be some necrosis. They will refine for size and shape and lift during stage 2.
I define how they feel in 2 ways: how they feel as a part of your body and how they feel to the touch. At first they felt like 2 foreign blobs on my chest. I think that's from the long acting analgesics they use during surgery,the swelling and the numbness. Now they feel like a part of me and pretty darn close to how the original breasts felt. To the touch (mine or DH's), they are warm and soft. And they move with me. I wear a bra simply to lift them where they're supposed to be. Other than the low placement they are quite perky. I'm pretty confident I will be able to go braless after the lift in stage 2.
Right after surgery they will have you in the bra they want you to wear-soft cup front close. Absolutely no compression. After 4 weeks you can trade out to a non-underwire non-compression bra of your choice. To a great extent the bra is about shaping and supporting the skin covering the transferred tissue. I used a genie style bra starting with week 5 as I needed something with a wider & softer band. At week 12 I switched out to a wireless push-up with a wide soft band from Victoria's Secret.
I will say that the experience level of your surgeon will make a big impact on your outcome. I had mine done at NOLA (traveled there from NC). Make sure to see plenty of before & after pics of that surgeon's work and verify how many per week they do (1 per week is the minimum). Before deciding on NOLA, we compared all the other center's before & after pics to NOLA's as they are pretty much the gold standard for the world. Having the lowest flap failure and infection rates helped a lot too.
I hope this answers some of your questions. Feel free to ask more and/or pm me. Sending you well wishes!
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