DIEP Post Surgery - tell me the truth!

MarisaC

thanks Cindy! My DIEP is scheduled for June 9th. So how was the pain level just after surgery?

GowanusGal

Hi -  I just had double mast and immediate DIEP surgery on Saturday, April 19th in NYC with Dr. Amber Guth, Christina Ahn and Robert Allen.  They were AMAZING.  The surgery was unexpectedly long (10 hours) because my veins were more delicate and intricate than they expected.  I am 40 with a slim build (plus mummy tummy) and in pretty good health and I have found my recovery easier than expected. I read all the threads and expected to be in a LOT of pain.  The first 2 nights were very uncomfortable (feels like you've been hit by a truck) because you are still coming out of it.  It wasn't so much painful as it was uncomfortable because you are heavily drugged and forced to sleep on your back in a hospital bed.  They put these leg massagers on you to prevent blood clots and give you blood thinners.  I was given morphine -- which did not agree with me.  I also asked for anti-nausea medicine and extra pain killers the first 2 days.  Make sure the catheter they give you does not twist...a couple of times, I felt a pressure on my bladder and it was because the catheter was not draining properly.  It was helpful to have my husband massage my butt because they were numb from being on them for over 24 hours.  

One thing that I did not expect was that I might cough after the surgery...but apparently this is very common after surgery because of the intubation. THAT really did hurt.  The nice nurses gave me a special hug pillow for this (and I have used it since coming home) -- try not to sneeze or cough. Ouch.

By Monday the 21st, I was shuffling to the bathroom myself and able to eat solid foods (slowly).  On the morning of the 22nd I was discharged.  It was really nice to be home. I climbed up 3 flights of stairs very very slowly and it was ok with the percocet. By the 5th day, I got off the percocets and went to extra strength Tylenol because I didn't like the feeling of the narcotics.  My mind just wasn't working very well. I did not take colace after the hospital and switched to one of those water soluble fiber mixes -- worked great.

It's only been 10 days, but my last drain and stitches are coming out tomorrow. It really does get better everyday. I still have a bit of a back ache from standing a little curved. I try to stand up straighter every day. I also shuffle around when I feel up to it and use my breathing gadget to expand my lungs as much as I can.  

I've peeked down at the new girls and they are definitely there (albeit smaller than before) and haven't really looked at them or my stomach head on yet, but every surgeon/resident/nurse and my husband insists they looks perfect and great.  I won't look at them until they are more healed because I get a bit queasy at the sight of stitches.  Until then, I have to give all my thanks to the great surgeons.  They did amazing detailed work.  I am not sure who your surgeons are, but ask them to sew up any hernia or separated muscles in your tummy and see what they say.  My team did it for me as a special extra kindness -- but I know not all doctors take the time to do this, so I do think it is important to ask your PS if they are willing/able to do it while you are under.  

Good luck with your surgery.  It is much better than I expected, and I hope you will also have a speedy recovery.

Teacher64

I had asked to have bmx/DIEP but wasn't a candidate due to heart issues and longer surgery needed. I had cancerectomy and tissue expanders in December and DIEP six weeks ago today. 

Marissa, your pain will be managed in hospital. I can't take morphine but did fine in hospital. Read the DIEP 2014 thread. It has been very helpful to be because we are all on the same journey.

Implants weren't going to work for me because of other issues and I wanted DIEP because it's all me. It's been the best decision for me.

laurie2025

DIep or implants...  I'm glad I never had to make that decision.  I always knew diep was the right choice for me, from the day I knew I would need reconstruction, and my surgeon explained my options.

A lot depends on where you are in life, and what you're expectations are.  There's a solution that's right for every one.  Good luck to everyone, pre and post surgery!

J-Bug

I, too, was not given a choice between DIEP or implants. It was DIEP or nothing. My tumor was 8.6 cm, so there would not be enough left to do implants. The biggest negatives that I found from the surgeries that it took to go through this is that my incisions came open on the underside of the both breasts and it took them around two weeks to get me back in for a repair. During that waiting period, I had so much drainage and huge open wounds that I had to continue to put clean diapers over and tape down, and I am allergic to adhesives. It was an awful experience. The surgeon found that he could not completely repair my left side and it sags under my armpit and is now twice as large as my right side. The other downside is that I didn't know that you could end up with areas where the tissue dies and forms hard lumps. I have quite a few of these and after having a tumor as large as mine was, everyone is concerned about missing new tumor growth.

If I had it to do all over again with this knowledge, I might skip reconstruction. At the time I was very excited to have the DIEP flap option. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but I think I would be very comfortable without the surgery. I had gone without any breasts for a year between surgeries, radiation and waiting to heal before the DIEP. It felt very liberating to not have breasts, maybe because of the fear that cancer brought.

ArmedBandit

hi, you are truly a warrior!!! How are you doing now! I was diagnosed 2/14/17. DCIS left Breast. I'm having MX with diep flap on 4/25. I'll be 70 in August but I'm in good health. I don't know if I could mentally survive multiple cancer surgeries like you did. I'm hoping, there will be none. My surgeons are saying, it willbe about 4- hours, but I'm sure they really don't know until they get in. Wishing you all the best, keep me In your prayers and I'll do the same.

Lula73

J-Bug- Don't know if you're interested, but the results you're living with from your DIEP can be corrected. The docs in NOLA at the Center for Breast Restoration Surgery routinely correct issues like you have. And the care there is like no other hospital experience I've ever had (and I've had a lot of them). Women travel from all over the world to have their procedures done there (I traveled from NC). May be worth checking them out.

J-Bug

ArmedBandit, I am curious to hear how your surgery turned out. I can't imagine going through that surgery at your age. I found over the last year that pain that I was having in many areas of my body was caused by scar tissue stuck to the muscles. I have done physical therapy after each surgery, but didn't have a lot of time available to keep going because of working full-time and going to grad school. I ended up going to the chiropractor a few times because of throwing out my back, neck pain and being in a lot of pain from those things. The chiropractor worked on realignment but then also releasing the scar tissue. It was a painful process, but it helped me to get functional again. So now I am working out again and getting my body back in order, but I am amazed at how long it has taken!

J-Bug

Lula73, is this their site? https://www.breastcenter.com

My surgeon told me at one visit that he could not make any repairs, but then I saw him a year or two later and he said he could totally fix it. He has a great reputation and is one of the earliest surgeons to do DIEP flaps, but I can see where going to a place that has more resources and docs would provide them with a better environment to keep egos in check and learn from each other. I am okay with where I am at right at the moment, but I may consider it in a year or so once my thesis project is presented and I have had more time to get in better physical shape. I have finally started going to the gym in the last six months. As I finish my grad school, I want to get into more strictly. Then I may consider surgery again... Thanks for the mention!

houmom

This has been a very useful thread for me. I had one child without drugs (and was home 4 hours later!), and a scheduled c-section with the other so I have both experiences to draw from for comparison. The plastic surgeon told me that the recovery will be only slightly worse than it was for the c-section, so I'm feeling positive about that.