DIEP 2011

zogo

Here is another link to try

www.breastrecon.com/id10.html  

Hope that helps you Daisy. 

carberry

to all my fellow dieps...yesterday was 85 deg. went boating and wore my tankini from last year and it totally looked awesome, great cleavage and flat, flat tummy.  Everyone commented on how great I looked and my girlfriends thought my new boob was awesome..  I actually pulled the front down quite a bit to show them "no visible scars"  and they were like "how did they do that"  the funny thing was when I got in the lake (it was freezing!!)  my DH said, "hey honey you've got a headlight out"  Dont have the nipple done yet,so only one was sticking out.LOL

ladym13

carberry....I just CRACKED up at your headllight being out...LMAO! that's hilarious.

I'm so happy to hear stories about how great the boobs look, honestly that is my biggest fear, more than the pain...just want my cleavage back.

Carberry were you immdiate or delayed? just curious since you were saying there is not much visable scarring...I'm having delayed in 2 weeks.

alexanjb

I am one week and one day from my surgery date....eek!  At a BBQ yesterday my niece asked if I was more excited or nervous and I said I just want to get it over with and still wonder if I am nuts for doing this.  She put it rather succinctly by saying it is a type of reclaiming yourself.  I think I am ready.  I have been trying to follow all of the tips from this site and I will just have to see which ones work best for me.  I appreciate all of the sharing of things to have on hand and use, and of how it feels and looks to go through this surgery.  Does is seem likely I will want to attend a family BBQ on Father's Day, June 19 if my surgery is June 8? I said chances are slim.  My mom is a tough love kind of gal and she thinks I should be fine.  I don't know about sitting out in the sun for hours in a lawn chair, it doesn't seem likely does it?

carberry

ladym13  Yeah my husband is a character.  I had immediate diep and the scars are there.very flat and still slightly pink, but they are so low no one would ever see them, even in the skimpiest bathing suit, only naked. My tummy line would show in a low bikini, but that aint happening!  I am 52

alexanjb  You could prop go, just not stay all day, as you may tire easily. Sit in a comfy chair and use your ca card and let everyone wait on you! Ha Ha  Can someone take you home if you get tired?  You will be surprised at your recovrey and you might enjoy the company at that point.

blondie45

XRAY - oh yes you make sense and you will be VERY happy that you decided to go that way. I have not had second thoughts at all. In fact, my anxiety has gone down now that I do not have to have mammograms anymore.  I can also feel your excitement, let you know how you are doing as soon as you can afterwards.

blondie45

Susan - mine are still at least 1 cup size difference but from the time I woke up I was soooo grateful to have them both back. For me, they feel huge compared to what I used to have. I am extremely happy already at this point and stage 2 is in a couple weeks. When is your surgery?

ladym13

blonde45- I think I remember you saying that you had delayed on your right side and immediate on the left.  What is the scarring like on the delayed side? can you see the scar in a bra, or is is far enough down that it's hidden. Good luck with stage 2 in a couple weeks

IowaSue45

Two weeks out from Diep and I went to work this am. I am the social service consultant and activity director and a nursing home so I am mostly doing paperwork and planning activities. I only had 2 weeks PTO so I had to get back in there and make some money. I was fine all morning, on my lunch break now.

 Yesterday I noticed a red ooozzzie spot on my incision and it looks a little irritated about a 1/2 in long. I called the ps a little bit ago and of course they are in a bi lt diep again today but the service said they'd let them know. I hope it is nothing, I started putting triple antibiotic on it.

alexanjb

IowaSue44-OMG, back to work at 2 wks?  it doesn't bother you to sit for so long? Or to be dressed?  I know we gotta do what we gotta do, BUT

carberry

WOW iowasue you are tough.  I did great after surgery but there is no way I would have been able to work two weeks out.  My surgeon said he didnt want me to go back till 2mo. out. I am doing rads now, so still wont go back till all is done.  Take it easy.

SAMayoFL

Blondie, I am scheduled for August 3.  That seems like a long time away but it's 2 months from Friday.  Not that I am counting or keeping track or anything.  LOL!!!!  Also, I am with LadyM - what do you look like, especially on the delayed side?  Is the scarring bad?  Do you feel like you have Frankenboobs?

Sue, YOU GO GIRL!!!!  You have totally rocked this.  As you know, I am there with you.  At a maximum of three weeks, I gotta go back to work.  I owe, I owe so off to work I go!  Let me know how the ickie spot goes.

Susan

SAMayoFL

I keep reading about everyone's binders.  After my mastectomy, wearing anything tight over my incision KILLED me.  I bought a soft, microbead foob from the American Cancer Society but I could only wear it a couple of hours before it had to come out.  Doesn't a binder over your ab incision hurt?

Susan

blondie45

Susan and ladym - yes I have a huge scar across the top of the delayed side recon but it has faded big time already so is looking better all the time. I haven't used anything either. I don't think they look too great yet but I still am not caring cuz I am still so happy to feel somewhat normal again after 2 years of feeling lopsided and well just not right.  

Also, make sure you try to get the best physical therapy you can after your DIEP. I went to the same hospital my plastic surgeon is associated with for 10 sessions of physical therapy (basically working on both arms for an entire hours, stretching and massaging) and I feel better range of motion wise, etc, than I did before I had the DIEP. I don't think I had very good physical therapy after the mastectomy so was still in some pain from that. A good therapist after the DIEP makes a world of difference.

blondie45

IowaSue44 - you go girl on being able to work already. I took my entire 6 weeks, though because I have a desk job I probably could have gone back after like 4 weeks but again you go girl being able to do it after 2 weeks.

daisy4ever

Zogo, I will check out the website now. thank you for sharing the site info. my PS said he has does them on a regular basis, and he also works with another local PS to do them. But then I was researching online and found that someone had noted he was not board certified. I'm not sure how important that is if he is experienced and working out of a good hospital. He has his license, but not the board certification. I felt at peace after meeting him, and he patiently answered all of my questions.



Do most PS have their board certifications?

treesprite

daisy4ever:  If you do a google search asking what board certification means for a plastic surgeon, you will find a good explanation. I wish I knew how to cut & paste! 

You can call his office and ask why he isn't board certified.

Do a search on this forum for your county & diep and also for closest big city & diep - you will find a lot of posts and you can PM asking for specifics. I would try calling the hospital and see if they can provide any info. I would also look for reconstruction support groups in your area and attend - that way you can find out first hand.

I really like the first PS I had a consult with but after a second consult found out that he was fairly new out of med school. He may have been fantastic but for my comfort, I sought out a more experienced surgeon as well as a hospital that does a lot of dieps and has a lot of experience. The more they do, the more experience with all the things that can happen, even though the problem rate is very low. Ask your PS how many he has done post med school? How many the hospital does in a year?

I checked the online lists and they were out of date for my state but can be a good starting place. 

I would have looked into going to the reconstructive center in New Orleans (NOLA), but it wasn't really an option for me.

IowaSue45

They told me to stay active , so I am. I asked about pt and they said as long as your active I wouldn't need pt. I really don't have any problems reaching.

 I called the ps about the little icky spot and of course they want me to drive 3 1/2 hrs so they can see it. So no work tomorrow its off to Rochester. This little spot is on the incision just below my belly button. The spot is less than a 1/2 in. so I'm just hoping its a stitch or something that has become irritated.

Good luck and prayers to those having surgery this week.

alexanjb

OK, I bought my 3 pack of wife beaters!  And Tresemme foam (no water) shampoo.  Hopefully, I am done with all the prep purchases!  I think I am over prepped.  IowaSue44, you are an inspiration.  It sounds like I should be ok to work from home after 4 weeks after all. Yeah, yeah, everyone is different I know. 

I hate bad money surprises too!  On July 1 it is back to square one on deductibles and out of pocket for me.  And we will be changing insurance carriers.  This could cause some confusion.  I probably should count on it causing confusion: getting the DIEP stage 1 under one insurance, and stage 2 under another.  Yeesh.

NotAfraid

A&D Ointment.   My lips were SOOOO chapped and cracked after 2 surgeries, the lack of water, the bear hugger and the oxygen.  I thought my lips would shatter.  No chapstick would help.  The nurse put A&D on my lips and they were healed almost miraculously.  It the hospital was a desert island, I would bring A&D.

daisy4ever wrote:

Does anyone know a great PS who does the DIEP surgery in the Orange County area of CA? My breast surgeon, Dr. Helen Mabry, is fabulous and board certified. I was hoping to go through Saint Joseph's or Hoag hospital.

Daisy, I only ran across 1 doctor that got good reviews in OC and he works out of UCI Medical Center.  His name is Kobayashi. 

Can you go to UCLA?  I had an AMAZING experience at UCLA (and switch medical groups to do it - I'm on Long Beach).  Dr. Festekjain was great as was my breast surgeon Dr. Prati.  They are also used to working together and my surgery went really fast.  It's a bit of a hike, but so very worth it.

treesprite

alexanjb: keep your receipts and do the take back thing when its all over - it adds up!

Yikes - insurance! I worked for BX for 15 years and it still trips me up but I am good at getting answers . . I used to train them. "I really need your help figuring this out" and "I need to be absolutely sure on this" are good ones and when all else fails " I think it is best if I speak to your supervisor". Thank goodness the doc's billing staff handles a lot of this.

IowaSue: maybe ask about a local referral if anything else non-diep blood supply crops up . . . how about a house call? hmmm.m.m guess those days are gone and the mileage charge would be a bit high! Enjoy the trip and treat yourself to something as a reward for your endurance and positive attitude!

alexanjb

I am one week away from the surgery..........

SAMayoFL

Joy, HHHOOORRRAAYYYY!!!!!!   I am so excited for you.  You know I will be so anxious to hear.  I promise you that my every thought that day will be filled with good thoughts and healing prayers for you! 

Today, I am 9 weeks away from surgery.  I have started putting a pile of stuff in my spare bedroom so I will be prepared.  I have walked 3 miles for the last 4 days.  It takes me right at an hour to do the 3 miles so I am not a world class sprinter by any stretch of the imagination but I have lost 3 pounds.  17 more to go in 9 weeks!

Blondie, thanks so much for sharing that.  When I get to the other side, please help me remember how much I hated having only one breast and, as Treesprite has said, that I need to love every molecule of my new body.  Scars are the reminder of the battle we have fought!

This is the best group of ladies in the world.  I feel like I know each one of you and you are my very best friends - actually more like a life line right now.  I hope that we all have great results and are healed at the end of our journey!

Susan

ladym13

alexanjb...Whoo hoo!!! OMG ou are SO close...when is your preop appoinment and are you having a CT scan?

mscal02

Hi Everyone! I got all my drains out yesterday and just that makes me feel like a new woman. My post op with my PS is next Tuesday. I quess we will talk about stage 2. I asked my DH what he thought about the way I looked this morning and he said it all looks kinda strange to me. I have seen ps on tv ,but up close and personal is another thing. And I said ,I love it and am so glad to have a boob ,and he said that is all that matters,your are happy and have no regrets about having it done. So then I eased stage 2 into the conversation and he asked if it would put me down again and I told him it is totally different from stage 1. I think that eased his mind.

mscal02

Joy: Time is waiting on no one. You are going to be sooo relaxed going in,because this is something you want to have done.

Sue: you are something else! I don't want to think about going back to work yet.

mscal02

mspradley: How are you ?

SAMayoFL

Carolyn, it is funny you brought that up.  Last night my DH and I were laying in bed and I asked him if he was still going to be scared to touch me after my DIEP surgery.  He said what, I am not afraid of touching you now.  This may be under the category of TMI but since I was diagnosed it's like he is terrified to touch me during sex.  Instead of just being natural he puts his arms down to his side.  I wonder what he will think and feel about how I look after surgery.  We have both looked at DIEP photos because I think he needs to be prepared mentally as much as I do.  I am happy to hear you have your drain tubes out.  I hope I get mine out 12 days after surgery!!  I had one of my draing tubes after my mx for almost a month, the dang thing got clogged up and he put another one in for a week.  UGH!!!!  I do not look forward to that part at all!

Susan

SAMayoFL

C8ndygrl, thank you so much for that list.  I was able to print it out and hang it on my calendar.  I wish I had done that with Treesprite's list but I can't find that post anywhere.

Xray, Alexan and Misszed are all up next week!!!  We can't wait to hear from you!

Susan

mscal02

I think that it is important to get our partners involved so that they will feel a part of or ordeal eventhough they pretend that they are really not interested.My DH would not touch my mastectomy side under any circumstances. I can't hardly wait to see if he will touch my new breast.

I have not been able to take a shower yet,and was told to wait a couple of days after the removal of the drains. The other day my DH heated water and put it in a spray bottle and sprayed it all over me. I told him the Dr. said no showers but he did not say anything about spritzing. It was so refreshing.

Any word on nowords yet?

Disneydawn: How are you?

 refreshing.