DIEP Flap Reconstruction 2017
Comments
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bigsister- could they do a stacked flap instead of using an implant?
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Michelle you should have plenty to do a DIEP and definitely a stacked Flap. I know NOLA and PRMA do these daily. They are miracle workers for making flap surgeries available for lots of women who were told they were not good candidates.
At least give them a call and have a discussion about your possibilities.
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jbdayton: thank you I don't think I will stray from my ps he is definitely an experienced micro vascular surgeon - 10 minutes from home... at University of Pennsylvania. I can't remember if I mentioned it is Dr. Kanchwala. If anyone else is in the area and has used him I would love to hear.
Maybe if I keep eating ice cream all summer I can grow myself some tummy boobs and not need an implant! (?)
One other question from you ladies who are post-surgery: what does your stomach feel like after you heal. Is it numb? or normal? I feel worried about wrecking another part of my body.
Thanks
Michele
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Lmichelle I'm I think 6 weeks out and almost healed. It was very numb initially above incision but seems to be slowly coming back. Not sure if it will be 100percent when all is said and done though
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LMichelle, I'm about 16 weeks out from my DIEP. I have a 6 inch square in the middle of my belly that is still numb. It has slowly improved since my surgery. It feels kind of funny. The numbness feels like it is trying to regain sensation. Everything below my incision feels normal. I keep a small pillow with me at work to use as a buffer between me and the desk. Otherwise I feel bruised on my upper abdomen by the end of the day because I don't feel myself bumping against the desk.
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lmichele - my ps said it doesn't help to gaim weight before surgery. When you return to normal weight the flap shrinks too.
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HI LMichelle. I had my DIEP 9 days ago. As of now my reconstructed breasts are mostly numb. My stomach feels tight, not numb. The skin feels unchanged, albeit a bit swollen but not much different from before surgery. All the best.
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New to this post. Finished with chemo 5/2016, right breast removed exactly one year ago today, radiation finished 11/2016. Had 6 month check today, wants to start me on Xeloda for 24 weeks. Am still considering the flap for reconstruction, but not sure of timing now with the recommendation of Xeloda for 24 weeks. I did not think to ask the oncologist. Also, not sure if waiting for reconstruction is good or should I just jump in.... Any thoughts, comments, suggestions would be great.I found this site to be wonderful when I was first handling this and was hoping for some good info now on this new aspect. Also, I noticed comments of Stage 2 - what is that? Thanks every warrior.... Wow- need to post a new profile photo - hair sure looks different now :-)
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10 days post Unix Diep flap and reconstruction. I had my 2 drains removed on day 6. The pain is not bad and not taking much for pain relief. My breast feels like a big numb lump. My biggest issue is hypersensitivity to my chest and breasts. If a hair falls onto my breast or between my breasts it drives me crazy. I don't understand why it can be numb but still be so hypersensitive. Does anyone else have this problem? Pretty numb through my abdomen also. I sure hope this improves
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Rist. That is normal . I had that too and desensitized it by stroking it gently often. I'm about 6 weeks out and it left around 3-4 weeks
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lmichele- its true that gaining weight really won't help. The tissue has a "memory" of where it came from and will increase and/ or decrease in size with weight gain/loss at the same rate it would have in its original location. Now if you gain the weight and maintain that weight after you'll be fine.
Rlsteadman and Mikie- the numbness and hypersensitivity is normal, the skin still has active nerve endings and they can be hypersensitive following surgery. The tissue that makes up you new breasts no longer has active nerve endings that can transmit signals to the brain so that's the numbness. Some of us experience just tight abdomen with not really any numbness and others have both. Both will subside with time as things settle and heal. How much time? It varies but count on weeks to months. I've read that it takes about 18 months for everything to feel 'normal' again.
Rlsteadman-That feeling of your new breast being a numb lump will go away too. Mine started feeling like they were part of me vs the numb lump feeling at about 12-14 weeks.
Mikie-stage 1 is for doing the BMX (if one wasn't previously performed), harvesting the tissue, transferring it to your breast skin and establishing blood supply. Stage 2 they go back in and do scar revision, reduce/enlarge, lift, lipo, work on symmetry, etc. it's a much smaller surgery to tweak what was created in stage 1. Every center does stage 2 differently with NOLA typically offering the most tweaking options. Where are you having yours done?
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RSteadman, I had the same sensitivity after my mx and my phys therapist suggested I use a soft towel to resensitize the area and it worked.
I'm almost 5 weeks post DIEP and I've noticed a big change in my body/ for the good! My abdomen feels almost normal and my noob is softening. I actually wore a bathing suit (didn't swim) but got my ankles wet at the beach. Im still a little self conscious about the slight lack of symmetry but I don't think anyone else could tell. Like many women on this site, if your surgery is complication free, I feel DIEP gives great results.0 -
Rlsteadman - I'm six weeks out from BMX w/ Diep. I know exactly what you mean by the breasts being numb, yet hyper-sensitive. On the one hand, if I stand in front of a fan or even exposed at a doctor's appointment, they feel so uncomfortably-chilled, compared to the rest of my body, that it's strange to not see erect nipples (which are gone). But on the other hand, I could barely feel my surgeon cutting into the flap last week when she had to do a revision where a couple of spots had delayed healing! So, it is normal and expected to have these contradictory sensations. I agree with the others on the time frame and re-sensitization techniques. It WILL get better. Hugs
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I have a question about numb breasts. I have had the BMX but not the DIEP, that's in about 11 weeks. My right breast is mostly numb, the left is not. Should I expect to loose all feeling in the left as well? Is that what other people have experienced, numbness in both?
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Tnd22, I seem to have less feeling on my cancer side than on the prophylactic side. I suspect that is because more nerves were cut when they went fishing for the sentinel nodes.
I can feel when my breasts areheld, but I don't feel like stroking on either side.
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Hello Everyone,
I had posted a single entry several weeks prior to my bilateral mastectomy with DIEP Flap. I elected to have this done due to an LCIS finding in my left breast last November and had a lumpectomy to remove it.
My mastectomy and DIEP FLAP surgery was on the 27th of June. The mastectomy went well. The DIEP Flap, unfortunately failed. My surgery began at 8:00am that Tuesday and was completed by 8:00pm. The PS indicated that it took longer than average due to the fact that my blood vessels were very small and that I bleed easily. By 10:00am the following morning, 14 hours later, my left flap was leaking, my breast was very swollen and taut. I had alerted my nurse an hour or so earlier, but my PS came in to check.and confirmed that it had to be removed, both of them. Expanders then would be put in. He initially scheduled it 8:00pm that evening.But I alerted the nurse again to contact my PS. My left flap was leaking so much that the surgery had to moved sooner. I couldn't wait.
So by Wednesday afternoon, I went in again for surgery to have both DIEP Flaps removed and expanders put in place. I eventually lost so much blood that I had to have 2 bags of blood infusion.
By Friday, I began hyperbaric oxygen therapy, 2 dives a day except for Sunday. I'm still doing two dives a day until Wednesday. Hopefully this treatment will help save some of the exterior breast tissue such as the nipple.
The expanders, the drains, and huge abdominal incision seem surreal.
I should have opted for the implants in the beginning. But I am grateful that I had a DCIS removed (it was found in the pathology report).
Needless to say, two surgeries within 2 days and constant HBOT leaves me exhausted. But it's the end result that keeps me going.
I hope this gives others out there some personal, anecdotal information regarding the possible downturns of a DIEP FLAP.
In the end, I am cancer-free and that means more than anything else.
Best of luck to all you warrior women!
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JenPo- So sorry to hear your surgery had complications. It stinks when you already are dealing with cancer and then have complications from the surgery. Hope you continue to improve
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tnd- all I can tell you is it's different. The skin still has sensation except for in certain spots. I'd say 80-90% of the skin has feeling. But the tissue underneath does not. You can feel pressure though. Nipples completely numb but they still respond to touch and cold. Where are you planning to have your DIEP done? Finding a surgeon that does at minimum 1 flap surgery per week is imperative and can be a chalkenge
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Jen, sending well wishes that you will continue to heal. ((hugs))
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How long before you started doing exercises? My PO didn't give me any exercises yet. Also when did you start sleeping on your side? I have read up to a month. Also worried about phase 2 contouring. I am overweight and worried I will have no shape. Hope to lose some weight.
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RLSteadman - Thank you so much. Things are moving in a positive direction!
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TPRalph - Thank you so much! The journey hasn't ended and all will be well.in the end.
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Hello everyone, I am new to this post. I've been reading through many of your entries and found a lot helpful information!
I had Unix April 27 and DIEP May 9. I am happy with the results. The only concern I have is that my stomach is still very tight and uncomfortable. I think I read in one of the responses that it can take up to a year to feel normal? I was starting to worry that my stomach would always feel like this. I find walking for extended periods difficult and was hoping to get back into my exercise routine. Is this typical for 8 weeks out?
I have cording too but my PT and BS told me to massage every day for at least 10 minutes a dayand it will eventually break up. It is definitely getting better and I am back to about 90% ROM.
I have the numb, hyper sensitive feeling in my breast too. It's a weird sensation for sure but I'm trying to acclimate my body to the new breast. My BS told me massaging would help.
I appreciate all the great information and support! Sending hugs and well wishes to all
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rlsteadman- the only exercises I was given were ones to help reduce risk of le, walk and after 4 weeks to stretch the muscles in my arms gently. 4 weeks before you can even try to sleep in your side and 6 for tummy. I'm 5 months out and still not comfortable on my stomach-breasts are fine but stretching tummy that way not too comfy. Swelling on my sides kept me from being comfortable on my side til about 3 month point. I still have a hard time rolling to and from my side from my back-it's slow and likely resembles a beached whale but it's progress :-) I don't know how overweight you are but I am about 30lbs overweight and still have a shape-a little less than I did prior to stage 1 and looking forward to getting it corrected in stage 2 hopefully in the next few months.
Deni-yes it's normal to still feel tight at 8 weeks. Here's my theory-they take out all our extra wiggle room when the do the tummy tuck part and now there's not as much wiggle room left. Plus the tissue from our upper abdomen that's now been pulled down was tighter to begin with. I'm hoping lips in stage 2 will at least give me back some of the wiggle room. I also still have a hard time if I have to walk a long ways-Disney and universal will have to wait. I'd never make it. If I have an unusual amount of walking and/or carrying things at work I end up coming home a little bent over. Again hoping stage 2 gives a little more wiggle room
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Rlsteadman - I'm 4-1/2 weeks post-DIEP and also have hypersensitivity on the upper and inner margins of my breast where the internal drains were. It can be very painful even if a breath of air blows on the skin, but fortunately it's intermittent. It will hurt like the blazes for 5 minutes then go away. Other than lots of Tylenol, the only thing that seems to help is placing my hand gently and firmly over the area for a few minutes. It does seem to be getting better this week - I've cut down on the Tylenol dosage.
I've just started sleeping on my side so yes, about a month. So long as I bring my knees up a bit it doesn't pull on my abdomen.
PS said I could start more vigorous exercise at 6 weeks - so far, I've just been hiking and a little biking on smooth roads. No jogging, etc.
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I am 6 weeks out and get abdomen spasms if I walk to far. Can do a couple of km a couple times per day. Also find that ive been using the right side abdominal muscles to get out of bed and that side is tender. So now using other side. Was told no abdominal exercises for three months.
Aquila - biking? Wow. I'd love to get back in my bike. Didn't know we could. Although the roads around my house are pot holed so maybe I'll wait another few weeks and see how it goes.
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I'm 4 months out. My PS said I could exercise but not anything that engages the core, which is none of the activities I like to do (or really anything, if you are doing it properly). I was disappointed that he didn't have more direct information for me, so Irequested a referral to PT so I can learn what I can do and when. PT is affiliated with the hospital and has people who specialize in rehab after this type of surgery. My appt coincides with the end of Taxol, so perfect timing.
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JenPo- I'm so sorry to hear about your complication with DIEP Flap. I sincerely wish you a speedy recovery and take care of yourself
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Grateful99- yes Hofer is a very busy guy for sure. I believe he is one of the very best at what he does and didn't mind the wait for first surgery. Did they give you an indication of what they will do at Stage 2 surgery if not the nipple area? I'm wondering if I can have 1. My chest evened out and 2. LiPo on the waist/ stomach area. I'm not even on each side of my waist..maybe I just have to work at exercising to get it off. He's not back from vacation till July 25. My 3 month follow up. Hope your healing has been great. My stomach incision has taken a long time.
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My stage 2 included waist lipo which restored my waistline. Yay!
My tummy was tight for what seemed like forever. I was beginning to wonder if it would ever feel better, but over time it did. Took a long time--something like 3 months. Be patient!
JenPo, I am also heartsick for you. I am so sorry about your flap failure. I hope the rest of your recovery goes smoothly. Your positivity is inspiring.
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