2018 DIEP Surgery
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For anyone who has done fat transfer - How long before you know final results? It all looks good now, but not sure how long it takes the body to either keep or reabsorb transferred fat.
Also, I think I read a couple weeks for swelling/bruised feeling to go away. Is that right? Did anyone have exercise restrictions? Believe me, not ready to run to the gym right now, but I had just been getting back in shape before this revision was scheduled. It would be nice to not have to wait 8w or so like with DIEP.
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Glad everyone's surgery went well. Are there any restrictions, lifting arms up, moving around after revision surgery? I'm giving myself 1 week then I have company coming and will be running around doing touristy stuff.
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I was thinking the same thing. I was told no bra or soft bra only. Nothing tight. I do have to wear Spanx or the garment I came out of surgery with. Spanx is way more comfortable.
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lmdtm23:
My only restrictions were no strenuous activity for 1 week.
I had my 1st post-op follow-up today & got to see my reconstructed nipple. It looks pretty good! I’m feeling a little more normal now. I’m ready to continue healing & get back to some general exercising again—I had just begun to get moving & doing some light weight-lifting & yoga, so I’m sure ready to get back into that habit.
I’m also really looking forward to wearing a bra! I’ve found that since the DIEP surgery, wearing a light pull-over tank style bra with light padding is the most comfortable thing.
Glad to hear things are going well for others out there too!
Angie
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lmdtm23 - I was told no lifting over 5lb. Nothing about lifting arms or moving around, except to make sure I get up and walk. That's general stuff to avoid pneumonia. I'll try to remember to post after my 1w post op but I'm thinking they'll tell me I can lift more after Tuesday.
I feel like I was in an anesthesia fog for about 24h, then overall pretty good. Since then just very bruised and tender. I'm at day 3 now. It's all relative I guess. Bmx and DIEP fresh in my mind so this is comparitively easy. It's about how I felt at week 3 after DIEP in terms of tenderness. I've cooked dinner every night and done light straightening/housework. I wouldn't hesitate to do take out though, lol. Give yourself a break if you need or want it!
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Hi
This site is really helpful and there are many valuable informations from real experiences. I am waiting to see my BS and a PS on Dec 11 for double mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction after a video education on Dec. 9. My BS I saw on Nov 6 said I don't have enough tummy for diep flap but she would assess with a PS. I hope I can be a candidate for diep flap. I have been anxious with the process that seems to be too slow as I had MRI in Sept and biopsy in Oct 21 then saw my BS on Nov 6 who did my lumpectomy last year. She said the surgery would be after Christmas and New year holiday as OR will be closed for 2 weeks and she would think I could wait until Jan as it is DCIS. My BS and the PS (I never met) are great. I searched the reviews of the PS and she seems to be great for DIEP FLAP reconstruction and the hospital where they are is one of best in Canada. Some patients from other cities in Ontario or other province came to have reconstruction with a long waiting. I feel at least I am in good hands. I am worried if I should have another MRI before the surgery as it would be almost 4 mon to have the surgery in Jan. after MRI was done in Sept. I would mention to two surgeons but I am just stressed and anxious while I am waiting.
I had a lumpectomy on right breast last year for DCIS and had radiation. It was found I was a BRCA 2 mutation gene carrier right before radiation started. I went ahead for radiation even after genetic team suggested for me to go for bilateral mastectomy but I declined at that time. I have been in high risk screening program and another DCIS on right breast again diagnosed by a biopsy in Oct post MRI - Sept this year. I am not sure it is recurrence or a new one.
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Jkr - your surgery is scheduled fro Dec 10 or you're having a consult Dec 10? Hopefully this is your consult. If it were me, I might have another MRI to check the left and opt out of a sentinel node biopsy on that side. I'm assuming they'll do SNB on the right because that is your BC side. I had an MRI shortly before surgery to determine if there was anything suspicious on the left. There wasn't and I opted out of SNB on that side. If they plan SNB on both sides out of an abundance of caution, then I can't think of why you'd need another MRI. The pathology from BMX will tell you exactly what's in there and no MRI can do that.
Try to keep an open mind on the recon. I saw two PS for consults. The first said I didn't have enough fat to give me current size and I would need a lot of fat grafting. The second said I should have just enough. I went with #2 because he had better experience, not because he told me what I wanted to hear but turns out #1 was right. I just had revision 2w ago and they are looking pretty good after 150cc fat grafted in each. I may have one more round of fat grafting. My initial results were pretty disappointing in terms of size but I'm optimistic the PS will make them great.
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Hi all - I am scheduled to have a prophylactic DMX mid-February with DIEP flap (stupid BRCA gene). It seems very far away. I just finished chemo so I did not want to have right away but February seems like a long time to wait. The PS told me to gain weight over the holidays. I do not think I ever had a doctor tell me to gain weight before! Of course, you can never gain in the right areas... I think there is more fat in my thighs but he said stomach is an easier surgery.
Thank you all for posting to this forum, it has been very helpful. I told my work that I would probably be out of work for 2 weeks and then have 2 to 4 weeks working part time to full time from home. Does that sound reasonable? Anything I can do to prep for the surgery, besides worry? I had a lumpectomy this summer before I did the genetic testing and that was a breeze, but I suspect this will be much more intense.
Thank you and best wishes!
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hi Dottybird I also had a lumpectomy and for me, that was also a piece of cake. Bmx+DIEP is major surgery. No two ways about it. I took off about 4.5w after DIEP. I don't think I could have gone back to work after 2w and I work from home. Maybe I could have done it after 3w part time. I'm 47, in good shape, active, etc and it was a long recovery. I normally work long hours and push myself too hard, but I really let myself check out and take time to heal and I'm glad I did.
When I did go back, I was fine. I didnt work more than 8h a day for the first couple weeks. I didnt travel for another couple weeks after that. I was able to start exercising again after 8w. For me, the abdominal pain was really intense for a couple weeks but healed quickly after that. The chest/rib bruisy pain after bmx lasted a long time - around 10/12 weeks.
Good news is - revision surgery you can tap into that thigh fat, lol! And that surgery should be much, much easier than bmx+DIEP. I'm going to tap into my thigh fat at my next revision!
Prep - try to borrow or rent a power recliner to sleep in for the first couple weeks. Get a grabber thingy so you don't have to sit up or strain to reach things. I wouldn't buy anything because healing can be messy, but have some button down, soft, roomy tops (think hubby's flannels) and soft bottoms or skirts that you can wear low on your hips (below incision) I'd get some soft camis (not too tight) that you can wear under your abdominal binder. You can step into those and pull them up. Drains are a pain in the butt but you don't really need anything fancy to deal with them and God willing, they'll be out in 2 weeks or less. There are good ideas on the boards to deal in shower, etc - shoelaces, fanny packs, sweatshirts with pockets(cut on inside for access) I'm assuming you know you can't lift your arms after bmx. So, no driving, washing hair is tough and forget about getting stuff from top shelves. If you have anything up high, put it lower on shelves/counters prior to surgery. I had my hairdresser wash my hair a couple times in the first couple weeks to get out of the house and feel human and also because she did a better job of blowing out my hair than my husband, lol.
Best of luck to you!
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Hello - I'm not sure how to PM to get included in the list - I had my bilateral DIEP flap 10/11/19 - recovering well but I've noted that my right breast is now smaller than my left - has anyone else had this happen? Please advise I'm kind of scared that it will get smaller - the variance is still somewhat acceptable but it is noticeable - I'm calling my plastic today
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Thank you for the advice HopeWins! One good thing about doing this post chemo is that I have no hair to worry about. 😁
I will tell work I will probably be out longer. It is funny/sad how 2 weeks of no work seemed like a long time. I really need a vacation!
Luckily, I already have one those grabber things, given as a gag gift from an ex since I am only 5 feet tall and am always using stools or climbing on things to reach my shelves.
FNPMom- good luck! After my lumpectomy, I became uneven (and my nipples point in different directions). It is not noticable in a bra, but bugs me, so I understand. Of course now they are getting chopped off and hopefully the new ones will be even.
Thanks again and best wishes!
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Hi Dottybird, I went back to work a week early from the recommended 8 weeks - I was sore until the 5th week. but managed mostly by naproxen and Tylenol - I have restrictions at work still - was told by plastic to wear compression bras for 3 more months when he saw me 3 weeks after surgery - I’m very happy with it aside from the asymmetry 😊 you’ll do well and the pain does go away
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FNPmom - I'm a little asymmetrical too. I think the PS can address with revision surgery. In terms of what fat/tissue will stick around, the PA at my PS office said 4w, so you shouldn't continue to see shrinkage if that's right. I also have one just slightly saggier than the other and the PS will fix that at my next revision.
I'm still debating about going in for another revision and was discussing with my husband. It's weird- my boobs are around the same size they used to be and even look fuller face-on, but from the side they look flatter/smaller. It's not a huge difference, and I can live with it, but for me, DIEP didnt give much projection.
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I have consultation next week with different PS. I was told by current PS that gaining weight wouldn’t help me have enough for DIEP surgery. I was never told about DIEP previously and just went with TE. Now recovering from chemo and have been researching.
Curious to hear from others your size. I’m 5’7”. BMI is 22.7. 145 lbs.I currently have tissue expanders and hate them.
Hoping I am a candidate for DIEP.
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hello hopewins- how does revision happen? Is it as major a surgery as the one we had? Is it just a “tweaking”? How do they go about it? I’m seeing my plastic in 4 weeks - I don’t know if that breast being on my dominant side (I’m right handed) is a factor - thank you for your input 😊
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hi LoveFlorida! I had almost the same BMI- 22% I'm a little over 5'8" I was around 155lb. I'm now around 145-150. I was told by one PS I would have to go smaller. The other said it would be about the same. I don't see how gaining a few pounds would make a difference, honestly. My initial result was quite a bit smaller, especially from the side view. I was a C cup prior and I was a very small B after my first surgery.
FNPmom - revision can happen after 12w. Your PS and you just determine what needs to be tweaked. I had some divots/flat spots and one was a little lower than the other. I also had weird fat pockets near my arm pits. I guess they were there all along but the removal of the breast tissue made it look strange, so I asked him to do something about that. Most PS will lipo along the abdominal incision to make it smoother/flatter. Some women have dog ears at the edges of their abdominal incision that need to be fixed. I had very minor ones. I also had to have my lumpectomy scar revised and the skin paddles closed up. So, its scar revision, maybe some fat removal and then fat grafting where more volume is needed. We decided where he would take it from - love handles this time. Next time will be outer thighs if I have another revision.
In terms of the revision surgery - it made a huge difference for me. Prior to that surgery I was really discouraged and was considering adding implants, but he put 150cc in each breast and it seems to be sticking around. My surgery was 2.5w ago. I will probably have one more round of fat grafting. I wasn't sure what to expect but it's no big deal compared to bmx. I had my surgery at 5pm, was out of surgery at 6 and home by 9:30pm. I was working at 7am the next day, lol. I wouldn't recommend that, but I had meetings I couldn't miss or reschedule. I felt like I had been worked over with a baseball bat everywhere I had lipo. Theres still numbness in my abdomen, so that wasn't a big deal, and of course the foobs are numb. I think i took a pain pill before bed the 1st and 2nd nights and just a few tylenol the first few days.
LoveFlorida - it's a tough decision. On one hand I've heard that TEs are really rough and the actual implants are so much better. Implants will usually give you a predictable and symmetrical result (assuming bilateral) and cosmetically they look pretty damn good. On the other hand there's a lot to be said for using your own tissue, especially long term. You have to consider the abdominal surgery too. For some women, it's the main reason they choose DIEP, lol. I'm not judging! If you've wanted a tummy tuck half your life, go for it, right?! If it's something you never really wanted, the pain/recovery/scar may not be worth it. For me and my bmi/body type - I had more boob than belly when I started, so now I have less boob. However, I have an excellent PS and I'm very close to being more than satisfied with my end result. My stomach is flat as a board. I have less love handles and a smaller waist. My boobs have decent volume and are firmer than my old ones. Its not what the good Lord gave me, and I loved my pre-cancer boobs, but these are good. I was on the fence about regretting DIEP in the first few weeks after surgery - the pain, the cosmetic results, etc but I don't regret it now. It just takes time and a good PS.
This isnt for everyone, but there are women who have added implants after DIEP and there are some PS who do the hybrid surgery out of the gate, if that's something you're interested in. It's an option for thinner women. Some people might think that's crazy but I understand the cosmetic result is outstanding. Because you have real tissue on the outside, but the projection/volume of an implant, it looks more like a good boob job than reconstruction. Whatever you do, make sure you're comfortable with your PS and that they have lots of experience in whatever surgery you choose.
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thank you hopewins I spoke with my plastic's PA and she said, after looking at pictures I sent, that it's the breast just settling in; she added that they really can't tell which fat will take and which one will have some resorption - initially they were concerned it's not the right getting smaller but the left getting bigger from hematoma or something of that nature - I hope the left settles in too lol 😂- I don't have a lot of fat deposition elsewhere other than my lower abdomen which we already used but we'll see what they suggest - I really appreciate your feedback and sharing your story
Loveflorida - I too, didn't have much in terms of fat - I “grew" my lower abdominal fat deposition from my two pregnancies - my breast surgeon was skeptical that I'd have enough but I was not big breasted to begin with - I just wanted to have that “bump" underneath my shirts - it's not the same as what I used to look like but I'm happy with this new body, especially as the cancer's not there 😊
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Ladies, thank you for sharing as I am more hopeful I am a candidate for Diep. I was DD breasts before and I’m okay with being smaller. Really okay as my breasts always made me look heavy even if I wasn’t. My main issue is getting these TE out of me. When I was diagnosed I was in total shock. I made rush decisions as I was struggling with anxiety. I had surgery prior to chemo so there was no time to research my options.
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dottiebird and loveflorida,
My PS told me to lean over and grab the lower belly- that’s how much there was to make breasts. I am 5’7” and was 155 pounds at DIEP. I was a C/D and still am. Doing two would have resulted in significantly smaller breasts for me. At revision surgery (7 1/2 months later) I had side fullness removed and the natural breast lifted. The nipples line up and thus far I’m the only one who notices that the natural breast has more volume. I don’t have experience with fat grafting. I do remember my PS telling me it was easier to remove fullness than add it later.
And Dottiebird, plan to be out as long as your surgeon recommends. You can go back sooner if you are feeling up to it. I recommend taking as much time as you can with healing as you only get that time once. I was out for 6 weeks after my mastectomy and 5 after DIEP. I was very active prior to each surgery and was exercising by the time I returned to work. But returning was no walk in the park. It snowed the day after I returned from DIEP and i was never so happy to have a work from home day. You are undergoing MAJOR surgery- don’t be a hero. There are no medals for going back to work fast. Best of l
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Thank you all for the information! Now I am a D cup and accept that I will be a B cup after the surgery, but that is OK. For me, the important thing is reducing my cancer risk as much as possible and hopefully never doing chemo again.
If you are having only one breast done, they can do something where the fold something to add volume. I forgot the official term since it does not apply to me. 😁
Thanks again!
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DottyBird,
I was a H cup before my surgery and after my Diep flap, I am now a B maybe C cup (depending on the bra). I have no more back and shoulder pains and I feel awesome. I do not miss my big boobs.
Good luck on your surgery.
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Had my consultation and scheduled for surgery May 2020. I am so nervous! I’m going tomorrow to be given instructions on how to strengthen my core over the next 4 months. We snowbird in Florida so I want to go there and heal during the winter from all the stress of BC, surgery and chemo. Come back and have Diep surgery and maybe finally start to feel whole again. I’m going to be pretty small but I’m okay with that. I hate this expander in me but it’s going to be in there awhile longer
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Thank you HopeWins !
I saw two surgeons today and I could not decide what I am going for ( Diep flap vs Implant )
I posted own my topic “ Implant vs Diep Flap Reconstruction" to get some advices as they gave me a week to decide.
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Hello Everyone,
I had my phase 2 surgery yesterday. The post here were so helpful. I also looked at videos of my procedures. I had scar revision along with phase 2. Sore, but DIEP hurt more. I am happy with my results can't wait for swelling to go done. Our journey is a long one but we are doing it.
Insideout2
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Good afternoon! I’m 1 week post op and still can’t eat. I feel like I’ve had a chemo treatment all over again. My last meal was last Weds night before the surgery. I am HANGRY but nothing taste good. My mouth is still freaky dry and it feels like food grows in my mouth or sticks in my mouth. Also have a burning feeling on my tongue. Has anyone had this happen before or am I the only crazy hungry one?
I will share Thurs was HELL! All I could do is growl or moan in pain and begged them not to let my sister in the room because I didn’t want her to see me that way. They finally got that under control but couldn’t get my migraine under control. For the most part (unless coughing) the pain isn’t at all what I anticipated it to be. Yes it’s sore but nothing I can’t deal with. My biggest pain is my back. OMG it’s crazy. And it wears me out so fast. I can’t wait to get to where Im going to sit down cause my back hurts so bad. What has helped is that I use a walker. It’s takes a lot of the pressure off my back and puts it in my arms. PS took out 3 of my drains today and still have 1 abdominal drain in. He says everything looks great and healing good. I haven’t looked yet so not sure how it looks. I asked him if I looked like a Kardashian 😂😂😂and bless his heart I don’t think he’s ever met a character like me. I told him welcome to NC. He’s new here so I’m breaking him in right. As a whole it’s 1000 times less excruciating than I thought and so far I’m happy with my decision.
Thank you to all that have put their ideas, stories, advice, (all the above) because it’s helped me so much!!
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OCDAmy no my tongue has been really red.
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2 weeks post op and doing good other than the eating part. Go back tomorrow for another follow up and hoping they take the last drain out.
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Hey ladies! Hope you've had a great week. Santa's coming soon, hope you have all your goodies and presents ready. 2 weeks post op and doing good. Still having a hard time eating 😩😩 but pain is good, back is doing a lil better. As a whole I think I'm doing great and a lot better than I ever anticipated. Went to MO yesterday and starting Jan 1st tamoxifen. Woo hoo big fun. Hoping I have minimal SE's. Got upset while I was talking sign him over the only coming in every so often doing blood work and worrying if it does come back we won't catch it soon enough. At this point I've done 100% everything I can do and now it's in the Lord's hands and will. But he did explain to me better as far as me questioning the Pet scan and further testing. He said even if we did pet scan catching it then vs 6 months would have no difference in outcome. He said at that point there isn't really a lot we could do, that if it's meant for me to die there's nothing we can do to change that. I just feel like I'm waiting for the next bomb to drop. So that's that. I hope everyone is doing well either in chemo, radiation, recovering from surgery, or finished with it all. Oh and my hair has grown evenly so far, not a lot but no bald spots. Eyebrows and eyelashes are growing back good.
Have a good night 💕💕💕
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Just had my final step in this never ending journey. I had 3D nipple tattoos yesterday and they look so so good! I finally look complete! The artist was fabulous and took time to make sure I liked the size, location and colors. I’m finally finished.
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