DIEP 2011

bdavis

My stage II will be rather extensive since I had both DIEP and hip flaps... revisions needed for all plus my breasts need a lot broken up and a lift and need one nipple,

c8ndygr1

My Stage 2 took 5 hours, 3.5 hrs in recovery, 1 overnight stay, extensive lipo, more painful recovery than expected. Lipoed areas sting like the devil, I won't lie. Despite that, it was worth it in the long run as results are truly awesome.

bdavis

Oh Boy.. can't wait.

IowaSue45

My lipo areas do not hurt at all. The only area that I have pain in right under my breast where they opened it up and added fat and they had t raise one a little bit. They look great and even and kinda big lol maybe they are swelling. My hips and abs look great. I don't even have any bruising to speak of.

IowaSue45

My lipo areas do not hurt at all. The only area that I have pain in right under my breast where they opened it up and added fat and they had t raise one a little bit. They look great and even and kinda big lol maybe they are swelling. My hips and abs look great. I don't even have any bruising to speak of.

Snobird

My stage 2 coming up this Thursday. Anxious to be done.

bdavis

And mine is MONDAY!! Yikes.

Snobird

Wishing you the best Betsey. I know you have been through the wringer on your previous. Surgeries but wow what a great attitude you have. You go girl.

ReadingMama

Finally I finished the whole thread!! Thank you all for posting your experiences Now if I can just figure out TimTam's picture site, I'll be good to go.  I tried to take good notes along the way, but still have some questions.

 - what is good for constipation?  I want to buy something now to use right away.

 - Alot of what I read was summer surgeries, so I know a lot of you wore summer dresses, but as my surgery is Nov 30th and I'm always cold, I will not be doing that.  Last night at target, I bought some large light sweatpants, that I think I can roll down if needed and I'm going to get out some of my maternity pants, any other ideas?  I have a nice zip up maternity shirt also that I will pull out.

Kay_G

Good luck Betsy and snowbird and reading mama! I think some people thought large hoodies worked well. I think they pinned the drains to the inside. I think there may even be some you can get with inside pockets that you can put the drains in. Looking back, I think the drains were the worst part of the whole thing.

Snobird

Readingmama, my stage 1 was last December. I found cotton yoga pants in black and brown to be a life saver. I also wore my husband's button down shirts over "wife beater" undershirts to which I pinned my drains. I wore fleece vests over the shirts if I required extra warmth. My down coat kept me warm when I needed to travel and was not too heavy to wear. I took it off in the car and used more like a blanket for my 7 hour trip home from NYC. There are very nice cardigan style sweaters out now as well as shawls and poncho which could work also.

Colace is the stool softener I've seen recommended here.

Wishing you the best outcome.

Seashellie

Betsy, I will be thinking of you Monday and sending good energy.

ReadingMama, looks like our surgeries are just 2 days apart.

I'm scheduled for 2 weeks from Monday. I've been getting so much done and gathering things I'll need (thanks to this wonderful thread). I've been feeling so positive and excited but then the PS office called yesterday to confirm my pre-op appt. on Monday.... I guess the reality of it really hit me and I've been having a little anxiety. The idea of a 9hr+ surgery and anesthesia is what's scaring me. I did fine with my BMX and recovered really well but this is so much longer and more intensive. It's comforting to read about all of you ladies that have gone before me and are doing great but there are still those "what if's" in the back of my mind. This is probably normal but I don't like it. I'm going to keep my positive attitude in check and continue focusing on getting things prepared. Hopefully the PS will help ease my mind when I see him. I so look forward to being on the recovery side of this and getting my body back to somewhat normal (or even better!).

Thanks for listening and for all of the great info. here.

mrsnjband

I pinned my abdominal drains to the compression garment & the breast drains to the surgical bra. That seem to work best for me.  Wore yoga pants.  I found a fuzzy pajama top that had velcro across the the front.  Made it really easy to take on & off and it had Helly Kitty on it.

I was thing there was a video link in this thread that showed the DIEP surgery, anyone know what page it was on? NJ 

BTW: My incision closed this week!!! Doing the happy dance:) 

bdavis

Yay for closed incisions!!!

mgm1953

Hi ladies,

 Had my uniMx & DIEP on Nov. 8. Released from hospital yesterday. Looks great, but feels tight and sore, itchy and a bit blistery near the tape.

I had previous rads- no problems at all. No probs w/ anesthesia, but vomited once after getting back on solid foods, and taking pain meds.

 I took too much stuff to the hospital, and needed help taking out my bag cause it was so heavy! My pants barely fit, though they were initially loose, cause my drains are really low- making it hard to pull up panties and pants.  I am not happy with those drains. So unwieldy. I spilled some blood when emptying one in a cup, and I squished one open while sleeping last night. Where did y'all pin them at bedtime? I was propped up on pillows- it happened after a trip to the bathroom. By day I have them pinned to the surg. camisole, w/ a large men's shirt on top. I couldnt fit them all in the fanny pack i have.

speaking of bathrooms, i've yet to have a bowel movement. they gave me a liquid stool softener at the hospital, tasted NASTY so I bought gel caps instead. Nurse recommended against laxatives unless I get no action by Tuesday.

I'm very uncomfortable, OUCH OUCH OUCH but my boobs look great and I'm not saddened by the event. i wish it was a month from now.

good luck to those of you w/ upcoming surgeries! 

xo

m.

Kay_G

Hang in there. It will get better. I didn't have a bowel movement before leaving hospital either despite the stool softeners. They advised me to use dulce lax suppository. I used that the day after getting home and it worked quickly and with no pain. Sorry about the problems with the drains. They were the worst parts for me. I really don't remember what I did with them. I think I pnned them to one of my DH's tshirts. You'll be rid of them soon. Take it easy and let yourself heal. Congrats on being done.

bdavis

I had a kangaroo pouch, so they all fit in there...

I used colace and had no stool issues.

sunflowerE152

DIEP was this summer, so I tied the drains to a string around my waste.  That way I could wear them under my clothing, and when I went to the bathroom I did not pull on them.

When I had my MX a year ago, I wore a hoodie and put the drain in the pouch around the house.  I had a drain for over 2 months with the MX, so I got pretty good at disquising it when I went out also.

Mina1

bdavis

Thanks for sharing. I understand that yu want to wait until you are done before you show your husband. I will definitely PM her to see pics.

Kathe

They can not do skin sparing with me since I had radiation after partial masectomy 2007 and then another partial masectomy 2011 due to recurrence. I am thinking of masectomy because I have a 30-40 % chance of recurrance but they did get clean margins...stage one no chemo both times...can not give me adiation again. Sometimes thinking i should just take a chance and risk and wait until it comes again hoping there will be a more humane way of reconsrution like full breast reconstruction with fat grafting which presently is not avaliable everywhere and not all insurances accept it. Any opinions on the subject ladies?

Mina

Snobird

I was radiated on my left side so I could not have skin sparing also. Thr PS used my ab skin and fat to make a new breast. The scars are almost invisible at 11 months out. Everything depends on the skill of the PS and how you communicate your fears with him or her. Ask to see photos of before and after results from the surgeon you are planning on using. As for feeling mine feel very normal to touch and the skin has some sensation but the underlying tissue has no feeling. It does not feel so much as numb but when you squeeze or pinch it you can't feel anything. To me and my husband they look great and I don't have nipples yet. My husband still likes to fondle them so I let him but i don't get the same feeling from it as I did prior to my BMX. But I am very happy that I did it and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I think of it as making the best out of a bad situation. We do what we can do to better our lives and fight this disease.

Wishing you the best as travel this road with us.

mgm1953

I had a skin sparing Mx even though I had radiation, and it turned out fine. I'd also had 2 lumpectomies at the same site (for a larger clean margin).

So now 6 dys post surg I can say the pillows were a good investment. No recliner needed. Got a wedgie for the legs, a body pillow, a small one for under arm, and another regular size for propping up. The nurse taught me how to use a stepstool to help get in bed at the hospital- so I put one near our bed. When I lied down last night I could feel my abdominal incision/skin pulling pulling and thought no way could I get to sleep but I actually did. 

I got the message from posts here that some improvising was going on w/ the drains so I loosely bundled them up w/ some yarn, pinned them closer to the center of my belly, and didn't squish them during the night.

And that stool softener worked Plus my old standbys: prunes, yogurt, peanut butter, whole grains and lots of HOT water or weak tea.

I do believe I may have turned the corner, and am feeling somewhat better. I only have 20 pain pills til my appt on Friday, so hopefully just 1 every 4 hours will be enough. 

Gotta go. time for that sponge bath.

 hang in, everyone

 xo

m.

KatheW

Those darn drains! When I was released from the hospital in mid Oct, I pinned them to a loose sundress dress. By the time the last one was removed --10 days ago-- I was wearing yoga pants and warm up jackets or hoodies. I stuffed the drains into the inside pockets of the jacket. I used 2 OnQ pouches to hold them in the shower.At night I put them in the pockets of light robe I wore to bed.

Mina --  Like mgm1953, I had a left skin sparing MX, then radiation, then DIEP. It can be done. Was your skin terribly damaged by the radiation? In any case, with a 30-40% chance of another recurrence, you should seriously consider MX. You can always delay reconstruction. No doubt something better than DIEP will come along --eventually.

Norma June -- How long was your incision open? Mine just opened this week; I don't like it. Will be seeing he PS in a few days.

mgm1953

ow ow ow I spoke too soon. One "norco" is not enough, altho I liked having a clear head. Those of you who've been thru this- How long did you need pain meds in the first week or two? the nurse told me to manage my pain, but encouraged me to wean myself off ASAP.  At this rate i'll have to re-up my Rx before the appt on Friday.

also wanted to mention that the surgical bra they gave me at the hospital was painful to wear, tho it was a size 36 and I wear a 34. So i've been going braless. Pinning drains to the camisole or a button down shirt, then a big shirt on top. And I can barely pull up my underwear and pants. So I'm not excited about going out in public, shall we say. 

it's amazing how lifting the lightest things can hurt a little- even a blanket.

some day this will be a distant memory- that's what I tell myself.

 thanks for your support!

xo 

m

bdavis

mgm.. I took pain pills for one week and then stopped cold turkey... after that I think twice I took an 800mg of ibuprofen... The loritab was making me nauseous. I was fine on nothing.

RetiredLibby

mgm, I took narcotics for about 4 days and was utterly miserable. They gave me dilaudid, which made me sick and dizzy and gave me hallucinations (Jackie Kennedy, Ricky Nelson and my late mother, among other things!). And it didn't control the pain. They finally got me a pain management doctor who promptly prescribed Tylenol 3. I came out of surgery at 4:00 am on Wednesday, went home at noon on Saturday, had my last dilaudid on Saturday at midnight, and had 3 Tylenol 3s between Saturday and Tuesday. Then I only had regular strength Tylenol for a couple of days. The pain management guy told me that Tylenol uses a different pathway to manage pain than narcotics. My PS and I are agreed that for Stage II, we will start with regular strength Tylenol and work our way up if necessary.



L

db53

Hi Ladies

I have been reading this site for many months now and just wanted to thank everyone for all the great information.  Just knowing there were so many others that were able to do this gave me the strength to forge ahead.  I had my Uni Diep/mx on Nov. 8th.  My surgery was 5 hours.  I day in ICU, 1 1/2 days in regular room and home the afternoon of the 11th.  Had 2 drains and came home with the noob drain.  Saw my ps yesterday for first follow-up and she pulled the drain.  I have an area that is "bruised" and very dark.  That worries me of course but my ps is very unconcerned.  She she is having me use the silvadene (sp) cream and something called biogel that increases cell turnover.  She said not to worry because she can easily fix it if it doesn't improve.  Today is 1 week since my surgery and I must say the hardest part of the recovery so far has been getting myself to look at my breast - it's a bizarre looking creature at this point!  The other thing is sleeping on my back.  I haven't slept more than a couple hours at a time since I came home.  I haven't been taking any pain meds except for extra-strength tylenol since I got home and I don't take that too often.  Thinking maybe I should take a vicodin before bed?

 I am glad to be on the other side of the surgery and yes, the anticipation is so much worse than the reality. 

Kay_G

I took pain pills for several weeks after sx, but cut back on the amount and stretched the time in between pills. At the end I was only taking a pill at night to help sleep with the discomfort. Everyone is different, don't be a martyr. If you need the pills for relief, take what they prescribed. They may change you to a different pain med to help wean you off when you need a refill. They changed mine from oxycodone to Vicodin. Don't take more than they prescribed, but don't suffer. IMO

bdavis

I had Loritab last time and it made me feel sick, so this time I will get oxycodone, which I have taken in the past (for lumpectomy and port installation) and handled it well.. and still have my 800mg of IBprofen... While here in the hospital, I am still on a pain drip, but will move to oral meds later today before discharge.

KatheW

I agree with Kay: take pain meds if you need them. I read somewhere on this forum that pain raises your cortisol level which can in turn interfere with healing. I am 4 weeks out from surgery today and still taking pain meds (ibuprofen during the day, 1/2 percoset at night). Left side is more sore than right, but both axillas are aching. Left noob is 2x bigger than right; more swelling because of rads and ALND on that side. Still sleeping on my back even though I am a side sleeper.

My abdominal incision opened up this week :-( . I am using a lot of gauze! I am going to see PS on Thursday, but will probably have to buy another pack of 4X4s to get through today and tomorrow.

Has anyone had their incision open? What was your experience?

KatheW

Betsy -- How did it go?