DIEP 2013
Comments
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Damiana, you get today's Bravery Award!!!
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Hello, everyone! I am writing this from home! I came home yesterday afternoon, lung gunk and all. I have to take lots of short walks, deep breaths and breathe often into this little contraption. I can hear a little rattle in my lungs which is so disconcerting. Pneumonia after chemo ended in Feb. was the worst. Coughing right now is terrible. Goldie, I have chronic neck pain from a car accident 13 years ago with bulging discs, over-stretched ligaments, etc. Years of PT, injections, acupuncture, massage. My neck felt fine after surgery. Now that I am home and have slept on the recliner, though, it is very stiff and sore. I had one drain removed in the hospital.
. My nurse thought I wouldn't have the others for long.
I am happy that I can walk pretty close to upright even though my belly is very tight. It is a struggle not to use my arms in the usual ways. My two blisters are very messy which is annoying. I'm putting bacitracin on them but no bandaging. Of course, I don't want to wear anything I value, but I can't imagine this going on for months like it did for some of you. I am hearing more and more stories of the weird things I said after surgery. I'm glad that is mostly over with. On the drive home yesterday I was telling my daughter that the company DH works for is in the middle of a slough, meaning it is surrounded by water. Of course what I said was, "It is surrounded by money."
Damiana, I sympathize with your current struggles. My kids called DH "Doctor Daddy" when they were growing up....I did my part but obviously didn't make any kind of impression on them and I know it was hard for me. I'm so glad your husband is able to help. I know you are strong and will do whatever you have to do to keep that boob looking perfect.
Movie, I am so hoping that DD's surgery provides the relief she needs. Medical insurance can be so screwy. And mean! I personally am happy some of their power is being taken away--they have to provide yearly exams, mammograms, and next year pre-existing conditions will no longer exist and lifetime caps will disappear.
Liefie, have fun in Vancouver celebrating your birthday! What a gorgeous city. I am glad you feel up to all that walking .
Welcome to the newbies! Glad you found us. This is a great group of crazy funny encouragers.
Those of you having tests, treatments, waiting (Goldie), I am thinking and praying for you.
Glad to be home! I'll be busy, walking, breathing, breathing, walking, popping pills, walking some more, breathing deeply. Whew! And a shower today! Thank goodness as I am offending myself. -
The baby is stil tucked away, bobbing around warm and happy inside momma. Everyone's coming over for dinner tonight, but I hope tonight we'll be saying "PUSH! PUSH!" and dinner will be forgotten.
Damiana, we're proud of you and your steeliness. You are an Amazon. TOWANDA!
Nihahi, bless your socks to be helping like you are. It broke my heart to read the story of the little guy clinging to your leg. You're a hero to me, too.
I had a bone density test this morning. After everything else in this BC fandango, this test was very anti-climactic.
Have a great Hump Day (Wednesday) everyone!
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BAILEY, THIS INFO IS FOR YOU, OF COURSE I HOPE OTHER'S ARE INTERESTED TOO.
Fat Grafting (Lipofilling)
Fat grafting is a fairly new technique in breast surgery. Fat is liposuctioned from one part of the patient's body, purified and then injected into the breast.
Fat grafting can be used to correct partial breast defects after lumpectomy. At PRMA, it is most commonly used after mastectomy in conjunction with other reconstructive techniques, to optimize the breast contour and improve overall cosmetic results.
There are several fat grafting techniques that are used by plastic surgeons. There is no "set way" that has been shown to be the best in terms of long-term results. However, studies have shown that regardless of the technique used, the collection, storage, and transplantation of the fat cells (and the fat stem cells) must be optimized to obtain the best long-lasting results.
Studies have also shown that once the injected fat "takes", it can also help improve the thickness and quality of radiation-damaged tissue and skin.
Regardless of technique, some of the injected fat will be reabsorbed over time but fatthis can vary depending on the exact clinical situation. Patients must therefore be prepared to require more than one procedure for the best results. Your surgeon will be able to discuss this further with you during your consultation.
Several independent studies have evaluated breast cancer patients over several years after lipofilling and concluded that fat grafting is safe. However, because the technique is fairly new, no long-term safety data is currently available to prove definitively that it is oncologically safe in lumpectomy patients long term. Unlike mastectomy patients, lumpectomy patients still have significant breast tissue left behind after treatment - there are fears that the fat stem cells may help "stimulate" the development of more cancer cells in the area of the previous cancer. Techniques that concentrate the stem cells in the fat graft are under the most debate because of this concern. While no studies to date have shown this fear to be true, more studies are currently looking at answering this question definitively.
Unfortunately not all insurance companies cover the cost of fat grafting so the procedure can involve out of pocket expenses for some patients.
If you are interested in learning more about fat grafting, or to schedule a consultation to learn more, please contact us here or call us on (800) 692-5565
- See more at: http://prma-enhance.com/breast-reconstruction/fat-grafting#sthash.YhPXipWu.dpuf
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Damiana, you don't eat eggs, dairy, or steak? Geez, how are we going to get protein in you? Will you eat tuna, or salmon? Your diet is so important to healing.
Jeannie, sorry about your neck. I wonder why it acted up after you got home? I didn't realize you got blister's too. That darn tegaderm. I need to find that article and repost it. You are supposed to demand to have tegaderm off withiin 48 hours before it causes blisters.
Keep walking and breathing, and remember you can cough up that stuff, it might cause pain, but it won't tear anything.
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Goldie- I eat chicken, and lots of veggies
Jeannie- with my blister I was able to put tape on my old skin and kind of rig it so that it would still cover the blister without having to tape any of the new sensitive flap. Also, when I started wearing bras, it wasn't as big of a deal if I oozed on those a bit- it never leaked onto any clothing except my pjs because I wore those without a bra.
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Goldie thanks for the stem cell fat grafting info..looks like it is pretty much the same procedure as fat grafting to fill in the diep at stage II.
Was it tegaderm that you read causes blisters or steristrips? I thought you said steris before...but I might have been on drugs.
Good job Damianna....everything you NEVER wanted to know about the inside of your body comes with this whole "fandango" (awesome word, sbe) doesn't it?
I had never heard of having membranes stripped to start labor. Had to look it up. Umm...OWCH! Sounds unpleasant on paper. c'mon baby! -
Bailey, it was definately tegaderm, and I will find it again. It was an article out of a Canadian hospital.
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Damiana, go to Costco and buy one of those giant bags of frozen chicken breasts and just have at least two breasts a day for a couple of weeks. I make chicken salad out of those all the time. Hahaha...I made a bad joke there, did you catch it?
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Here it is. I found the original post in archives.
Jun 24, 2013 02:13pm goldie4040 wrote:
Here is a paragraph from the article I read that mentions the blisters, and the tape.
Dressings
Your incisions are closed with absorbable sutures, so no stitches need to be removed. There are small strips of paper adhesive over your suture line called steri-strips. These should remain in place until they fall off by themselves or in about two weeks, whichever comes first.
The dressings placed over your incisions in the operating room are water-proof, they are called tegaderm. Take these dressings off 3 days after surgery if the surgical team has not already done this. If you do not remove these dressings there is a chance you could get blisters on the skin around the edge of the tegaderm. If you see any blisters, remove the tegaderm immediately. This is not an allergy.
If the white dressing, called telfa, under the clear tegaderm does happen to get wet or soiled with blood, do not leave a wet dressing on your skin. Take the tegaderm and telfa off of your skin leaving the steri-strips in place. It is OK for the steri-strips to get wet in the shower. Don’t allow the water jet from the shower to directly hit them, just let the water roll over your shoulders gently. Blot them dry when you are done. Do not soak in a tub or get in a pool or hot tub until advised by your plastic surgeon
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OK ladies thyroid update.. went to the endocrinologist today and he showed me my films and all the nodules ...there is several I guess but three of them are more concerning than the others. One on the right has irregular margins and one of the two on the left is quite large and causing compression issues. He then referred me to "the best endocrinologist in Boston".... now I'm really worried.
Moving from one thing directly to the next.. for now I'll just wait we're all used to waiting right ..
SBE boy that baby seems quite content to stay right where he is -
Goldie, great article about the fat grafting! I'm sincerely hoping my insurance, who has been absolutely stellar through this whole thing, won't kick about paying for it. My PS is talking about fat grafting for countouring the breast as well as fixing the radiation scar.
The baby is a girl. Her stubborn streak is showing up early.
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Damiana - Good for you! If you can pack your own wound - you can do anything. Brave girl. A big 'Attaboy' to your husband as well.
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Goldie- funny girl, Yea, I got it
No way am I eating that much meat ina day though. I will stick to other methods. I am not vegetarian but I definately lean that way. I will make sure to up my protein uptake though! -
Thanks, Goldie...Just a note, because we all have different docs who do different things...and different bodies...I had no tegaderm or telfa on the flap or lift after DIEP surgery....just steristrips on incisions. Ps took the steris off the next day. And day after that I got the blister.....they said the blister was from the massive swelling. So even if you don't have tegaderm you might get a blister
darned things are no fun!
So...for those with scarring or large lumps of fat necrosis after stage I.....were the spots painful? If so, Have you found anything that helps? Cannot wait for therapy tomorrow! -
Prayers for you Faith!
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Goldie, great article about the fat grafting. I wonder about the women that need to have the procedure done more than ones because of reabsorbing issues, where else do the doctors get the fat from? Your fat cells don't reproduce, so once they lipo Your tummy they can't go back to do it again. I guess you can turn out like Barbie with all that lipo, lol! It's ok with me. Just lipo away!!!
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Great job, Damiana! I'm pretty much like you with my diet. However, My new CSA provides pork cuts as well, so I've been having more sausage and ham lately. Since the pigs are local and grass-fed and humanely raised, and are not commercially processed, the fat in their meat is more "good fat" than commercial pork products, which is great, but I still have trouble eating it sometimes. I cook many vegetarian recipes just because I find them flavorful, and the health benefits are a bonus. If you have the time to research recipes, and find joy in cooking, eating takes on a new form. Do you eat beans or tofu at all? I LOVE hummus, and butter beans, and black beans!!! Going to make some hummus pre-surgery since its pretty easy on my system and gives me some protein. It's good on toast and veggies too, but I'm thinking my tummy won't be too keen on raw veg for a few days after I'm home.
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Oh my gosh, I hope some of the fat in my new boobs reabsorbs! They are HUGE! I got a thorough and frightening look at myself this morning, almost a week out. Frankentorso. Science experiment. The blisters are nasty--thank goodness they are not painful right now. Lots of questions for the PS on Tuesday. We already called today because there is an almost 1cm opening on one of the flaps. Thank goodness for cell phones and email. Driving in would have been challenging. They said to keep an eye on it for now, but they aren't too worried. On the bright side, I am feeling better than I thought I would. This surgery takes a lot of courage and gumption! Haha,I like that word and hope to be able to use it more.
Sbelizabeth, we will all be cheering when your granddaughter is born! She doesn't know how many grandmas she has, waiting for her!
Damiana, I am so proud of you! I can't believe how brave you are! I'm raising a pretend glass to you!
Kuka, when I asked my PS where he likes to get fat for stage 2, he talked about how he likes to try to create female curves so he takes away here, adds there. Freaked me out a little, so we will be having a more in depth convo about it later. Not sure I want to be a walking wound again.
Faith, praying for you. Going to the best endocrinologist sounds like the best idea to me. No dilly-dallying! Go right to the source of some answers. Praying for comfort and peace as you are in the "waiting room" again.
All you ladies on DIEP 2013 are the best! I will be forever thankful that I found this thread and you. -
Kuka, I don't think they lipo you like they would if you "chose" to have lipo as a cosmetic procedure. I think they take a little at a time, What worries me about that is are you left with divots where they harvest fat to move it to your boobs? Like you once said about the thigh lipo, it can get lumpy looking? I don't know.
I was talking to a woman the other day who had her surgery by a doc who doesn't believe in fat grafting because he feels too much of it gets reabsorbed. I looked at his website and his before and after pics are aweseome. I wonder how he does it without the fat injections?
Has anybody who has/had a blister after this surgery asked their PS what causes them? I am curious. I read about the tape, Bailey's doc said something about the swelling causing them.
Jeannie, you mentioned you had two blisters. Where are they on the breast, and did your doc say what caused them? Evidently, they are no fun, and I am sorry for everybody who has had to deal with them.
Faith, I too went through the dreaded thyroid nodule scare. I had biopsies that came back benign, and my lab results showed my thyroid levels were normal. They irony is when I went back to have a 6 month check up on the nodules (via cat can) that is when they found my BC, but the thyroid nodules were gone! Maybe yours will disappear too? In the meantime, I hope everything is okay. I am going through my own scare right now,and I know how you feel. Hang in there.
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Wow-what a great group you guys are!!
I had my membranes stripped to start labor with my first child in 1989...didn't hurt and just caused me to start feeling like I had cramps an hour later...still ended up having to have my water broken, etc.
I hope to have my surgery on Aug 5...will be extraordinarily devastated if it can't happen.
I'm not hearing anything about radiation that makes me want to have to deal with it...I don't understand if you have chemo, why you need radiation too? Questions for the oncologists, who I don't see until after my surgery...ugh
And I'm reading horror stories about chemo...I think I've minimized this whole thing in my mind...I have to keep working, I have a husband I can't imagine not being able to take care of (I really love cooking and keeping up with our laundry, etc)...and now I'm reading that it's horrible...that people get sick and I'm starting to have some really horrible anxiety. thank God its still been less than a month since my diagnosis...much longer and I will be in full blown panic unable-to-cope mode.
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Jeannie, just saw your post. What you see in the mirror now is nothing close to the final result. You should take time lapse photos just to prove it to yourself. I have seen that done, it is pretty cool. Sorry about your incision opening, and your blisters. I am sure it will all work out.
You mentioned something earlier about arm movement. Have they given you restrictions on your arm movement, and if so, for how long?
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Relocatedtarheel, are you waiting to hear if you'll be needing chemo and/or rads? I'm thinking an introductory appointment with whomever you've chosen for your medical oncologist would be reassuring BEFORE your surgery.
I did both chemo and rads, and they're both very do-able, with some help and understanding from your family. I worked full-time throughout all of it, taking a couple of days off here and there. Everyone's different, though. Some of us get mondo sick/fatigued/run-down feeling, others breeze right through.
My advice is don't panic until you need to, and even then, don't panic. One step at a time, girlfriend.
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Goldie, my blisters: one is midway between my boob and belly button, not on the boob. The other one is just under my boob.
The arm restrictions are thus: you can't use your arms to get up or lie down. You can't put your arms behind you at all. You can only raise them 45 degrees, I think. No overhead or way out to the sides. You can only lift five pounds. I think you do it until the doctor clears you to do more. I will be asking that question Tues. at my check-up. It's hard! I'm so glad I did all those squats and crunches because it is helping me. Every doc probably has variations on these rules. -
sbelizabeth-
i met the guy I think I'll use as my oncologist...i'm a 'triple negative' so i wanted to make sure that my BS telling me that there was no difference between me having surgery first or chemo first and he agreed that there was no difference. I decided to have surgery first and not have to go through chemo dreading that. Other than being told that being triple negative limits my medication options...none of the hormone treatments work...to down and dirty chemo, he told me our plan would be dependent on my surgery (double mastectomy) and what the node situation was. So I'm pretty in the dark about what will happen post surgery.
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I have an appt with the breast surgeon on Aug 14 so things are starting to move along. I guess I will find out at that consult what the wait is for a mast + immediate reconstruction as this breast surgeon works with a PS that I wanted to do the reconstruction. If the wait is too long to get both done at the same time, will do mast first and wait on reconstruction. The reason why I am doing this is due to my High Risk family history as I have already had bc 8 years ago, I ideally would like to have both done but it might not work out that way...
Relocated Chemo is a major weapon on triple negative bc. I wouldnt sign up to do chemo again but if I had to I would. It is doable is probably the best word to describe it. I had 8 treatments over 6 months in 2005/2006. Loosing my hair was the hardest thing and the fatigue but it is only temporary for a larger prize at the end - being healthy.
Michele
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Wow, Jeannie. I hate to say it's almost better to have the bmx and diep together because then you COULDN"T do any of those things with your arms anyway. I was shocked at my limited movement after my BMX, and even today, almost 4 months later I can do a little bit more everyday. I hope they let you move more soon. Use it, or lose it, as they say.
So you are using you legs to stand and sit, of course, but are you allowed to use your tummy to sit up?
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Jeannie- how long we're you in ICU? And did they make you really warm?
Relocated- Stay positive. Did your MRI indicate any node involvement? That's not always conclusive, but can give you an idea. Have your doctors made indication that your nodes are more likely involved? Again, they can't know until the dissection, but my docs feel that the chance is low, which helped me a bit. but i have to just take this one step at a time. If I end up needing more than tamoxifen then I do, and I will handle it just like all of the other women who have had to as well. TOWANDA! I'm meeting with my rad onc next week before surgery with a bunch of questions. you can do the same if you choose- don't forget that you are in charge! How big was the cancer that they found? -
Tarheel - I had 4 1/2 months of chemo and 7 weeks of rads. Easy? No. Horrible? No. Doable? Yes.
I worked all through chemo and was mom to my two boys and wife and daughter and friend, neighbor, aunt...etc. You will likely do all the things you are doing now....but you fit in time for your new hobby, which is treatment (I call it my hobby because it takes up all my time and money I also decided the day I was diagnosed that I was not going to be "sick mom" to my kids. I was going to be TOWANDA mom lol!
I was able to keep up with laundry and most of housework...did employ the men of the house a little more than before, but it's ok....builds character. I did all the grocery shopping all through through tx. I took 6 vacation days for my chemo tx and was able to adjust my hours to accommodate rads tx. I called in sick twice and left early twice. I did my chemo on Wednesdays, worked Thursdays and Fridays...felt blah on Sat & Sun and back to work on Monday most of the time.
Can't promise you anything...you are a different person with different chemo, but just know there are lots of people that are able to continue with a fairly normal life. I think the people who have a horrible time of it tend to write more about it. If it's fairly uneventful or you are able to take things more in stride then there isn't really anything to write! -
Goldie, I can't really use it or lose it with my arms or I could lose a flap. I had worked up to some good muscle tone in my arms and I'm pretty flexible so I'd rather work on that again than try to figure out a new flap. I am using my upper abdominals but trying not to overdo it. I'm sure there are restrictions there---maybe someone else can remind me. I have someone with me for the first two weeks to help me get up---and get down.
Typewriterj, I was in ICU for two days only because there was no room for me on the med/surg floor. They kept me warm but honestly I was in cuckoo town and wasn't bothered by being too warm. I thought it would really bother me.
Bailey, you are so wise. I love your posts. I learn, I laugh, I am encouraged. Thanks.
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