NOLA in September?

cider8

I can't wait to see the clip with Vinnie!

willy5js5

I would love to see Vinnie's clip too if anyone does find the link. Maybe he will add it to his website. Mermaids, I had ideas what I thought should be done and Dr M hit on everything. I waited to hear her plan first. I needed some fat grafting for my righty for symmetry so much that she said we would need two rounds. So for 2a I had lipo to the flanks and love handles. Started the surgery on my tummy. Then I was flipped over for donor site revisions. I had two hefty sized incisions on both hips to correct dog ears. The mid section of the abdominal scar was reopened and I had some more tucking and tightening. I had a weird dimple from my old belly button that that left a good sized area sunken. Then I had fat grafting to the right breast.She made two small incisions on that side. Last I had fat removed from the left side and some minor shaping. For 2b, the plan is more lipo and fat grafting to righty and bilateral nipple reconstruction. I think that's it for now but I will go with the flow and trust Dr. M. I could have gone home after 2a but chose to stay the night for extra TLC. Initially the plan was for staying the night so I did. It really wasn't too bad. I was really alert after anesthesia and the discomfort was easily controlled with the dilaudid and immediate release oxy for break through pain.

bdavis

Hi Cherrie... Send pictures.. but I would wait to hear what Dr M has to say first. Then present the list if something was missed. Just my opinion. For me, I didn't want to implant an idea that might sway the doctor, so I wanted my additions to be after the doctors opinion.

LindaG47

Cherrie,  Dr. M prefers a 23 hour stay.  It really is a good idea.  Bring your list.  She may have some differnt ideas, but she knows best and together you will come to some sort of agreement.  She will make everything beautiful.  I had one breast that was so huge from swelling and such.  I called it Pamela Anderson!  I thought something was really wrong with it, but guess what? It is perfect now and both breast look pretty much the same.  

Hope I can find that CNN clip. I'm considering Vinnie for 3Ds

LindaG47

Just found this on Google.

http://outfront.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/11/tattoo-artist-creates-3d-nipples-for-breast-cancer-survivors/

MartyJ

Hmmmm, maybe with my current photos, I should send Dr M a photo of me in a form fitting dress at 35 right after my first reconstruction? Okay, maybe that would be too much for a 60 year old to wish for?

harmonysun

congrats on making it back to work betsy, that's really good, that is a lot to travel and have all that you did and be back to work....are you really tired or was it ok?...thanks a lot for your thoughts on what to expect....really helps through all this to get some understanding or what to expect....

....my preop is on the fri before surgery feb 15(omg, yikes, that's in 4 days!)... and surgery is feb 19....i think it was offered that i could do it on day before feb 18, but that is my 5oth bday but kinda really didnt care as not like i will be up late or having a beer on my bday with surgery the next day...lol...darn...:)....i am local, in a suburb of chicago so that's why the timing......in fact, i will be talking with my sister, who lives close to see if perhaps we can help someone in the future that has trouble with a place to stay, etc...my house is not fancy, but i do live in a good neighborhood within walking distance to the train that goes right downtown and is a cab drive to dr m office by navy pier....

....cherrie, your surgery is at magna?....mine is at masonic....anyone know why either is chosen?....

.......getting nervous.....trying to get a couple last workouts in and the house organized...i know not as big as stage 1 and that was so stressful as 10 days before my sgap  they were removing a lump from my stomach wall......all was fine, but dang....so hoping to get through this ok...

....big question....of those who had lipo and fat grafting...do you feel it was worth it?.....how do the lipo'd sites feel?....any lingering numbness?....i just dont want anymore numb...altered sites....please share.....

......hope all had a good monday...:))

LindaG47

Well darn ladies,  I didn't view the CNN link first.  I was hoping to see the procedure done and it finished.  This was the clip from today, so I don't know if more was shown on TV or not.  At least you can see what Vinnie looks like.  

bdavis

Harmony... Work was fine... but I was hoping to lose my drain tonight... but nope. Numbers went up to 27cc. So it'll be at least Wednesday. And Wednesday I am going to Anderson Cooper in NYC for the day, so probably not.

About lipo and fat grafting. TOTALLY worth it. Dr D has lipo'd out areas and really changed the look of my 50 year old body, all for the better. Yes, some numb areas, but I am just fine with it.

bdavis

Saw the clip... That was Susan... I love her... very kind woman. I didn't see her this trip (unless I was on morphine), but I saw her in October. She and my mom really bonded back in Nov 2011.

Cherrie

Brenda- she chose Magna because she felt I would not need a hospital stay. I may have less work that needs to be done.



I will send in pics, but carry my list with me. Thanks Betsy and Anita. Your comments were helpful. I do trust Dr. M and know she will do what is best. 😘 I think I get nervous as this gets closer. I know.....take deep breaths.

LindaG47

So am I to assume that Vinnie only tattoos areolas for breasts with a reconstructed nipple? Anyone know?

LindaG47

I just looked on Vinnie's site and he does do no nipple reconstruction tattoos.  YES!  They look so realistic.  

cider8

Vinnie does it with or without a recon nipple.

LindaG47

Thanks Cider.  I just saw that also on his website.  

motherandchild5

Glad I caught most of the CNN coverage... although I missed th tail end. I was having a weak moment today and that's why I decided to call Vinnie.  This was the first time I have talked to him in person... the past was via email.

He was wonderful and very reassuring.   We had a nice talk about the nipple sparing procedure and I told him I was disappointed I may not be able to keep mine... He gave me some perspective and some things to think about which I hadn't yet considered.  

We did talk about his nipple tattooing... I got the impression he was most excited to work from a clean slate... I think he said his 3D nipples are so realistic you could never tell they aren't real when looking at them straight on.  He wasn't trying to sway my decision in any way however he thought Dr. D was an absolute master at nipple recon which apparently is a very very difficult skill.....

Anyway... it's so cool that I happened to chat with him about 2 hours prior to this CNN thing... and he mentioned it so casually at the end of the convo... like he almost didn't tell me.  What an interesting character he is.

bdavis

Dr D is a master. I am wearing his art on my chest.

Jaimieh

Mother Vinnie is wonderful!  I honestly can not say enough nice things about him.  I will be seeing him hopefully sometime in the next year if I can get an appt...lol..  He said that if you have any part of your nipple it can take any where from 2-4 hours.  I was a clean slate so it was about 1 hour tops.

bdavis

I have most of my right and left side is nipple constructed out of aereola... so I will be the complicated patient.

Springtime

I am the same as you Betsy. I am so glad Vinnie is there. I know where to go when ready to have mine redone. The left that is reconstructed out of the areola needs a bit of touch up, which I know will mean a redo, I am sure. (and the other one too most likey, to assure a match!)

Pamela44

Harmony sun- yes, the lipo is worth it. I was vey reluctant to have a lot of lipo. Unbeknownst to me prior to surgery, Dr. s. lipoed my entire abdominal torso above the Deip scar. Had I known I might have told him not to, but really it was a good idea because I look much better now and the above the scar and below the scar areas now match. I did ask only for a little outer thigh lipo, I was afraid of an indentation. There is no indentation and now I wish he had lipoed more from the outer thigh. I have no thigh sensation loss which is good. I still am numb above my abd scar which I was after stage 1 and I don't know if that ever gets better. The fat grafting so far has been worth it, it covered a slight indent in my upper chest on one side and increased the fullness of one breast that needed it. Whether this will remain or not it is too soon to say. I would say to go with their recommendations and not to tie their hands too much. I did refuse inner thigh lipo. Dr. s. told me some are left with loose skin in that region and I didn't want to take that chance. I don't regret that decision.

harmonysun

thanks a lot betsy and pamela for the insight on the lipo stuff....helps me a lot to understand the real deal...lol...

....regarding nipples....any doctor in particular that seems to be the best at this?....has anyone gone to someone besides their surgeon for this?.....

....so i have a concern that is weighing a little heavy on me right now....my daughter is 10 1/2....the pediatrician said she would probly be starting her period this year(based on physical, (pubic hair, developing)....we havent even had as much conversation about this as we should because i didnt expect it to be this soon....well...now several times when ive been doing laundry, there is blood and it seems like really a lot to me for a young girl just starting her period....anyone with any insight on this?...she also sometimes has urine leakage, and i'm not sure if there is a physical issue or if she just gets so distracted by what she is doing that she doesnt go to the bathroom enough....we did a urine sample, no infection, and have orders in to schedule for an ultrasound.....i am worried....is it normal to have bleeding like this for a young girl's period?....i just now started keeping track on the calendar for what i see...just had bleeding fri sat sun mon...probly just her period?....

....hope all are having a good day....lil overwhelmed over here with the time a ticking...:))

Russell1

harmony sun ...I'm sure that is her period. Same thing happened with my daughter at that same age!! Also, she has heavy bleeding. She is now 16. She also had the urine leakage. I know it is from waiting too long to go to bathroom. It seems they don't like going to the restroom at school:( So frustrating! I had to drill how important it was. She did get one urinary tract infection, so now she believes me!!! I so remember those days. Don't worry this is all normal:) hugs!!

Pamela44

No daughters so can't help with that one.

Today is day #14 post surgery.  Tomorrow I am throwing out the compression garments! Yay! I will also stop wearing the bra when I sleep and just during the day until 4 weeks when I will not always have to wear it.  One more night! I have no abdominal swelling that I can tell.

bdavis

Pamela... I will wear them for 6 weeks (during the day at least)... I did that the last time (stage II) and feel it was a good course for me. Especially for the lipo'd areas.

trk1018

Erin Burnett Out Front Link:  http://outfront.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/11/tattoo-artist-creates-3d-nipples-for-breast-cancer-survivors/

Dovehome

Willy, when you had lipo to the flanks, was this something your doctor  said was related medically necessary?  Just wondering because when I asked my surgeon about my concerns about my flanks (kind of looks like a half moon of skin sticking out from my side just above incision down to my hip area, about 2 1/2 inches long), he said you had them before the surgery and the nurse said they only fix anything that would be related to whatever 'work they did'. 

Wouldn't this be considered medically necessary if my flanks were not so dominately before surgery?  How do I get him to work on this area of concern so my insurance covers it?

bdavis

Dovehome. I had love handles beforehand and small saddlebags on thighs and dr DellaCroce removed them for contour. I am sure they are not really making money on all the lipo they do. But if they can use it for fat grafting that is how it gets covered. Not all doctors will do this. And this is one reason I chose dr DellaCroce. I had consulted with dr Allen in NYC and he does not even really offer a stage II and told me to go to the gym to resolve that. Spot weight loss is not practical so I am thankful for dr dellacroce's approach.

willy5js5

It was coded as donor site revision and fat harvested for fat grafting for insurance billing. Dr. Massey also includes the contouring for best aesthetic outcome. Medically necessary? I think yes but was happy my PS provides a complete package. The dog ears are a donor site deformity and DIEP left me "boxy" shaped. I still don't really have a waist and keeping my pants up is a challenge.

Dovehome

ddavis, yes I think I read where you posted your doc 'didn't bill for extra lipo'.  I haven't had that discussion with my surgeon about the details of stage 2 (been focusing on recovering first from surgery).  I'm sure he will be fixing my right breat that is kind of square/flat and will do fat grafting?  If so, I will ask he uses my love handle fat! .  I know I will want to get fat taken out from my left armpit, my right lymph node removal took out a big chunk and you can definately see a difference - and I dont' want any fat from anything near where I had breast tissue used to be injected in my flaps.  Also, where I had my chemo port it left an indentation that my surgeon said he will fix so I will ask he take fat from my love handles or thighs.

Do you have or know of a posting where someone has made a list of questions to ask your doctor regarding stage 2 procedures? 

Thanks