Diep 2012

Jennt28

fredntan - looks like you are well catered for in pain relief :-)



Welcome to the other side!



Jenn

jenlee

Congrats to fredntan & jennt28.  You are officially on the other side and this will soon be behind you!

dltnhm, I had a very positive experience as well, minimal issues, and sometimes almost didn't post, because I felt bad for the ladies who were struggling.  On the other hand, I felt an obligation once in a while to say that things went well, because there are ladies who get scared away from these procedures.  I watched it happen in the NOLA thread.  This is a place for those going through the healing journey to vent and find support, but of course others who might be interested in these procedures are watching to see how it goes.  And of course those with an easy recovery might be more occupied elsewhere and less likely to post.

Beckers, you mentioned about lifting your granddaughter.  My daughter is eight and still likes to be picked up (or "uppies" as she called it, ever since she could talk).  She's somewhat small for her age, forty-five pounds, but I was just starting to be able to lift/carry her at about 3 months past stage 1, that is, until I had my stage 2 last week  

sptmm62

Thank you guys for posting about all your experiences, especially the positive ones.  My surgery is in two weeks and I have been getting very nervous reading about all the potential problems, etc.  But I keep reminding myself that there are plenty of surgeries that go with minimal problems and even those people who have problems are glad that they had the surgery.  So, in the end it seems it usually all works out so I am holding onto this.  I healed well after all my other surgeries, so I am hoping for the same this time.  Thanks everyone for sharing your stories and I am sure I will be back for plenty of advice after my procedure. 

RonnieKay

Awesome Jenn & Fran...so glad your spirits are up, up, up!   Beckers...I lifted my 2 year old grandson early on & thought I'd hurt myself..it hurt in upper abdomen. I emailed ps and he said it was ok...that they "dissected my lower abdomen" so it was probably a muscle that would be fine.  He was right...but the fact that he said they dissected me was a little odd!  You're only 4 weeks out...today...you must be feeling super!!!

Jennt28

In a soft bra and t-shirt today, 11 days after surgery, and these breasts and my flat stomach look amazing!



Sitting on our front porch in the sun with the dog by my side, good music playing and watching my husband painting the porch. Life is pretty good right at this point in time :-)



Jenn

Hoya03mom

Jenn...glad things are going well.

I met with PT today to discuss lymphedema issues...she was amazed that I had developed it (even if it is minor at this point) given that I only had one node and no radiation.  Feels it can be controlled with the sleeves...daytime and nighttime...and massage etc.  So appts twice a week for a while.  Also have a cording problem in Rt arm...she massaged it a bit and said with more massage it will probably go away.  Very tender:)

She was also amazed with how good my toobs look (love the term!)  Said except for the middle part, they look so natural.  Took down my PS name (Alexander Au - Smilow, Yale New Haven CT) to recommend him to a patient who was considering that kind of reconstruction.

Guess I better stop posting...and start exercising...have a whole book of them to do! 

regenschirm

Fredntan that is fabulous news! So happy to hear.



I had consult today with surgeon and he recommended lat flap for the right side. I am not comfortable with this at all. The only thing left for me activity wise that is unlimited is swimming. I hate to do something to impact that.



We discussed the GAP and he is reluctant but agreed to defer final decision until after an imaging study. Wishing so that I had a "sister breast". Sigh. This can be a long journey. I am so happy with the one that turned out. Just feel a tad impatient about now.

kimdy

Frendat,

So glad you are dong well!!! Take Care! 

CookieMonster

Hey all, add me to the list of minimal complications. I had a unilateral DIEP and apparently I heal fast, so i'm quite lucky. I took no pain meds once I left the hospital, so some say I have a high pain tolerance. I don't know.

cg1234

So glad Jenn and Fran are doing well! 

sptmm62, my surgery is scheduled in exactly 2 weeks as well.  I will try to post my progress, and will be thinking of you!

Regenschirm, I hope the imaging study goes well and you can move forward.  Let us know.

Good luck with pt Hoya03mom!

cg1234

Also, thanks for the info on lifting the little ones!  I figured it would be several months, especially because my little guy is now 40 pounds. We'll have to settle on sitting next to each other and snuggling for awhile. He is such a snuggly boy too, so I hope he doesn't grow out of it before I'm healed!  :-)

fredntan

I have gotten excelnt car from the prma docs. The nursing stsff is excelllen

regenschirm

Imaging next week and then hopefully a date. All dependent on healthy vessels in potential donor site(s).



Fredntan- they are great in SA. So glad that you are moving through this with a wave of positive energy.

nans

Hi all,

I'm new to this board.I'm scheduled for surgery the first week of November.  Thank you for all sharing your experiences.  It's nice to hear that so many of you are doing well. It has helped with my ever increasing nerves.  Do any of you have words of advice for immediatly after surgery or questions to be sure to ask before surgery?

Thanks.

Beckers

Cookie monster, absolutely amazing to me! No pain meds after hospital stay. I still take ibuprofen in day and 1/2 to 1 vicodin at night. I think I'm a sissy. It took me to 8 weeks to stand straight too. I know I have a cousin like you. When she was younger, she had a baby on weekend and went to work Monday. She just had colon resection, with complications due to infection and was like you with no pain meds at discharge. I admit, I'm jealous!



Good luck to those who are getting everything ready, trying to find the donor site (wish I could donate some for ya!) and welcome nans! Hope you are healing well fredntans!

Jennt28

Received a copy of my surgery report in the mail today. Too much information for me I think, and as a trial coordinator I am used to reading patient reports...



I was feeling pretty good this morning and now I know that I've had parts of my 3rd rib dissected and removed to get at the mammary veins I'm feeling paranoid and tight in the chest :-/



I've put the report away and am attempting to blank it out ;-)



Jenn

fredntan

As long as this surgery was i actually think it was easier thanmy rt mast with TE placement.am off iv morphine.not taking muchpain meds. My boobies look fantastic. Had real foodlast night

regenschirm

Those reports are tough. I read my mastectomy report several months after surgery and it made me feel woozy. Won't be reading it again anytime soon!

fredntan

I get shower today! My boobies look great

Beckers

Good news fredntan! Are you still in hospital? Shower will feel great! How are the drains treating you?



Jennt28, I can feel where they took rib when I sneeze! Ouch.



Hope everyone is doing well. It has been 9 weeks and now I am taking care of my brother after a foot surgery. Feels good to be on this side of things.

Jennt28

Good to hear you are doing well fredntan :-) And Beckers it is good to see you so back to normal.



I thought my chest didn't hurt at all before I saw that report yesterday. Now I could definitely tell you exactly where that rib came from. Stupid power of suggestion...



How long till you all could standreasonably straight with your shoulders back everyone?



Jenn

RonnieKay

Glad to hear people are feeling good!!!   I second the "ouch" where the rib was taken.  Had totally forgotten that was part of the process and at 6 weeks told the ps it was strange I had a little pain in the midchest.  He laughed and said it was because 1/2 inch of rib was gone   

I must have had lots of fat to take because I stood up straight from the first time I got out of bed....didn't do the diep shuffle, as my nurses called it.  I've heard that when you don't have much fat, you're stitched much tighter....so is it a good thing or a bad thing to stand up straight...LOL!

kimdy

ok don't want to seem stupid....planning for DIEP in January.  But tell me about the rib issue please:)

ttay

I want to know also....exactly where on the chest is the rib resection pain?

jenlee

I remember feeling it in my sternum area.

Jennt28

My report says they dissected (removed) about 3 inches of my 3rd rib from the sternum/rib joint. It does not state if that was 3 inches on both sides or 3 inches total across both sides... I will ask at my follow-up appt in a couple of weeks.



They have to remove a bit to give them access to the mammary veins they use to rejoin the blood supply to from the flap.



My chest wasn't hurting - until I read the report, lolololol.



Jenn

Beckers

Jennt28, I could stand up straight by 8 weeks but I thought I would never get there! My doctor told me no to though in the beginning, but I couldn't have if I wanted to.

kimdy

Thanks for the great explanation:) and for sharing your journey!:)

cg1234

Glad everyone is having a good week!



My ps said he'd take about 1/2 inch from 3rd rib on each side since I'm doing bilateral. He said most women don't feel it because it's mostly cartilage but I dont think he would have ever mentioned it if I hadn't read it here and asked. I haven't been able to look at pics or videos of diep. It's good to know what to expect from all of you, but I can't think too much about what they will actually do to me in the OR or I'd probably panic Just want to get through it and on the other side!

willy5js5

Dug out my report to see about the rib question.  I had bilateral Diep and the verbage was "partial 4th rib resection, right chest" and same verbage for the left side. The details in the description said " A subtotal 4th cost-chondral cartilage resection was performed using a biting Rongeur".  What ever that might mean, I had no chest pain or problems because of it.  I probably would not have known about it if I had not received a copy of my surgery report.  I'm six weeks away from stage 2 and still have no incidents that I could say were from the rib resection.  Every woman is different.  My biggest pain had to be the lower back pain.  It didn't seem like it subsided to the pain meds for me until the third or fouth week.  I still get a nagging pain in my back when I have a lot of activity in a day.  Endurance continues to improve with every week that passes though.