DIEP 2013

goldie4040

Okay, i am getting worried about Damiana.  I really hope she didn't end up in the hospital with infection, etc.  I wish I knew her real name.  She lives so close by to me.  I was actually going to suggest to her and Kuka that we all meet up sometime after the kids go back to school since we all live within miles of each other. 

Kuka, did you ever get Damiana's real name?  PM me if you know something.  She was keeping us all posted in detail, and then disappeared. 

kad22

Congrats to the new grandma! Audrey Rose is a beautiful name.



Mamalou- how is your son? You haven't been on since posting you were in hospital with him.



I too have this severe pain and aching between my foobs, chest area thinkingit has to do with the ribs.



Welcome to newbies! Can't remember names yet but ihad implants in for 3 yrs. The reason I decided in the deip was one my implants sagged underneath armpits but that had to do with my ps and how he placed them, second decided didn't want foreign objects in me anymore, and last didn't want to think about surgeries for the rest of my life.



Keeping all in my thoughts as we are going through our journeys.

MartyJ

Deb - yes, you can do that.  It is a form of delayed diep.  Have you spoken with a medical oncologist about rads?  Sometimes their preference will guide the process decisions between immediate recon and delayed.

nihahi

7/29/13            sherry35    (Delayed bilateral Diep)
7/30/13            christina0001 (delayed unilateral DIEP) University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS
7/30/13            TammyT  (Stage 2)

This week's ladies. We are all thinking of you, sending you strength, prayers and good vibes. Safe surgeries and gentle healing to you all.

Movie has asked me to pass on an update. Not much said about how her daughter is doing, other than daughter was headed home. Movie is about halfway home herself, and expects to be back at her place this evening. She has been reading, but not posting. She has also found out her next stage of her recon will be Sept 3. She is grateful for all the prayers and messages of support. 

Deb....marty is right....you can do delayed diep's like you described....I think Liefie has gone the the exact same thing, in order to had the necessary rads, without submitting the flap area to rads. I wish you luck and life long success with the quitting smoking efforts. Remember, you don't just need to stop smoking to heal from diep, you need to heal from your other surgeries and treatments as well. Smoking will never be anything but an obstacle to healing, no matter what the reason.

sbelizabeth....bet you are spending the day giving thanks and giving cuddles! Exciting times.

Heading back to High River, have good days ladies. Hugs to all.

christina0001

Thank you ladies for reassuring me! I am so glad no one needed to use a bedpan! I recovered very quickly from anesthesia after my UMX and was hopping out of the bed in no time to use the bathroom as needed. I don't know why I had in my head that the abdominal part of a DIEP would keep me in bed for at least a couple of days. I'm still going to keep eating lightly though, just to be safe. LOL I could stand to lose some weight anyway.

Gini23

Nihahi - such a beautiful, rewarding experience you are having!



Deb- I third that. It is exactly what I did for different reasons. The skin sparing MX pocket will be held by the TEs, and also expanded to the size your PS believes he/she can get from your belly tissue, and your preference. Now post stage 2, I can say my scarring on my floobs is minimal. The skin paddles from the flaps has been pulled in - "purse strings" - to make the areolas for my fipples. Couldn't be happier with the outcome.



Guess what? Got an hour sitting by the pool in my bikini! Did not venture in.... Even DD who goes in anything got out in 10 min cuz it was cold. Off to shower and experience an authentic Brazilian soccer game!



Happy Sunday and big hugs to all!

((((((((X))))))))

Gini23

Christina - my experience was 24 hours in ICU with catheter. Moved to private room and catheter taken out next day. So it was about 2 days post surgery, but certainly no need for a bed pan!

faith729

Kuka good for you !!



Ssla01 my hat goes off to you girl ! I hope you get those drains out soon.



Nihahi kudos to you for working so hard with the red cross.



Goldie so glad you had a pick me up day. Remember we're always here if you need another



Movie how's dd doing ??



Newbies welcome I hope we can help you on this wild journey.

Janet_M

Sherry35 - Your four-year wait is almost over! So exciting - you've already been through the hardest part, and the rest is healing. I was bilateral too, and it was more manageable than I'd imagined. Sounds like your ready, and I'm sure you'll do great. I'll be thinking of you tomorrow.

My biggest complaint this summer? I desperately want to swim (it's been six weeks) but that's just a tiny blip in a very positive picture. I even made it to the coast last week, and was able to bike to the ocean, and waded up to my hips. Ahhhh.

faith729

Gini same here ! So mostly when I lie down under my right breast almost to the side I get an ache or a pulling sensation. Nothing requiring meds for pain just annoying like you said.



Re side boob I'm not sure who mentioned it but mine was corrected in stage 2 my PS called it "debulking"



CONGRATS !!! SBE so happy you finally get to hold your beautiful granddaughter

liefie

Debdylan, as Nihahi said above, that's exactly why I got a TE with mastectomy, and not an immediate DIEP simultaneously. Had rads with the TE in place like I said before - no problem. You can easily buy more time off frm smoking this way before DIEP. I had the TE for 15 months altogether.

Jeannie57

My PS told me the pain beneath the sternum was from the blood vessels being teased out for attachment. He said it could feel like a heart attack! I haven't felt anything like that yet.

MartyJ

Debdylan - Please accept my sincerest apologies for getting on you about smoking.  I don't know if we have upset you, but  I am sure it is adding to the pressure you are under.  Know that I have been there, though maybe a bit differently.  I was 33 when i was diagnosed and single.  Had a BF, but not serious.  That ended quickly after dx.   I also smoked for 25 years - 1 to 2 packs a day.  Yes, it was an addiction in all the classic ways and I tried to quit many times - hypnosis, therapy programs - you name it.  I finally just decided I wanted something different and made myself do it, not caring if I gained weight or whatever else people told me would happen on quitting.  I had to learn to deal with the excuses and I had to change my patterns because i associated so much of life to having a cigarette - wine & cig; coffee & cig; drive to work & cig; girlfriends & cigs; crazy boyfriends & cigs.  All I am saying here is that I understand that added pressure and I have a feeling others on this thread have a personal understanding.  So please do not be discouraged and feel that this is just one more thing you have to deal with.  You have been given a wonderful chance for change and a better future.  Relax and go with it.  The decisions will come easily.  Hugs.

Zoemom

Hi Tracy

Dr Joshua Levine is performing my diep in Sept. in NYC. I have heard he is very good. Dr Robert Allen will be with him, in fact Dr Allen trained him (and other surgeons) on the procedure. Levine is affiliated with the hospital in Hackensack NJ so I am sure he can do the procedure there



Zoemom

Anonymous

Hey ladies! Had the best time with my DH, college roommate and her DH. We've been getting together the last weekend of July for over 25 years! My stomach always hurts after this weekend....from laughing so much....(even more so this year with my TT !!!) We usually have one and sometimes two other couples with us but they couldn't make it this year. It was fairly low key as far as activity (it used to be a wild canoe trip until a few years ago) but that was ok with me. Last year my DH and I set off on a 36 mile bike trip and I got too tired to finish so we had to call college roommate & dh to come pick us up lmao...we took a lot of grief over that!



So...in catching up it seems that we are waiting to hear from Damiana and Mammalou. Prayers for y'all.



Debdylan and HRF and Lahela (did I miss any new ladies...I hope not!!!) How are you doing today? Wishing you peace in your hearts and minds. What are your ER, PR and HER2 statuses, if you know....should be part of your biopsy reports.



Sbel....I hope Aubrey and her family are well and enjoying their first days together....such a precious time



Nihahi - bless your volunteering heart



Liefie & Gini - loved hearing about your trips. Gini bikini...you go girl!



I know I am missing folks...so worn out! Oh! This week's class...Sherry, Christina and Tammy....no worries....you got this! Put me in the no bed pan column! Catheter went in after I was asleep morning of sx. It was in for 48 hours after (as long as I was in icu) and came out without any pain.



Ok...need to go unpack and get ready for work tomorrow...(sniffling....but I don't wanna go to work tomorrow....boo hoo hoo).

goldie4040

Deb, of course you can do that, and if (hoping you don't ) you need other treatment like rads, or chemo it won't effect your reconstruction.  I don't think the doctors would do anything that would jeopardize your outcome, and a bad notch on their belts, so trust them, and also go with your gut.  If you can, at least try not to smoke because the anesthesia will be easier on your.  As far as the recon, the TE are a good choice till you are ready. There is nothing scarier than having to make important decision while you are so freaked out.  So, have your mx, let them put the TE's in, and make the decision when you are more calm, and ready. We will all be here to talk you through it.

Anonymous

So assuming my assistant mother hen role here and looking for one of my "chicks"...anybody seen our little Bluebird144? She is about 10 days out and should be enjoying all that soft stretchy clothing she went on a shopping binge for! Thinking of you! Hope all is well!

goldie4040

Good catch, Bailey. You are right, nothing from Bluebird either. I am also concerned about Damiana. 

Well, Bluebird and Damiana, if you see this we are concerned about you guys, and wish you would drop us even a very quick line with a status update. 

christina0001

It occurred to me this afternoon, that tomorrow will be the last time I wear my prosthetic breast. 

Anonymous

Christina...I had two (wash one, wear one....just the fiber fill cloth ones....never had a "real" prosthetic lol)...one went in trash tues night...the other wed night....surgery thurs!



Btw....if you do have "real" prosthetics they can be donated to those who don't have insurance, etc.

hrf

Best wishes to those of you having surgery this week. I am eager to hear about your experiences. I am confident all will be well.



Beautiful day here today. Went downtown to the beach and the jazz festival going on this weekend. Managed to do 10,000 steps today. I am trying to do that every day.

goldie4040

Deb,

By law since 1998 insurance has to pay for your breast reconstruction until it works, and you are happy with result. 

ssla01

Congratulations and good luck Christina!



Deb, have you done the Oncotype testing?

damiana9

I have been out of town for a few days visiting relatives. Went on a bit of a hike yesterday to go to the lake (I didn't get in the water) and the hike was really hard on my abdomen where I have the torn stitches or whatever is going on there. It was good to get out, but ouch! I am really frustrated with my healing. I am almost 6 weeks out. I am still a normal amount of sore but this area on my abdomen where the torn stitches or whatever are is really painful and it really bothers me. The hematoma that it caused seems to be getting better though! Then there is the boob hole. Ugh! It is actuallly doing good but it has started hurting- maybe because it is healing? the packing is going okay, I suppose. Boy I can't wait to get it closed up.

Anonymous

Deb...what if you talk with your MO, PS and BS and say if they are in there and decide you need chemo/rads then place te's..if no further tx is recommended then do the diep? Can you get behind that if they can? Put it out there, see what they say.



As far as insurance, the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1988 says that if you have an insurance plan that went into effect after 1988 (October, I think) that covers mx it also has to cover reconstruction, prosthetics, complications from your mx or recon, and sx to make you symmetrical (whether you are bilateral or unilateral). The "extras" like some of the Lipo are done as a part of recon...they use the fat for grafting into the new breast(s) to fill them out or make corrections. Some surgeons are just a bit more generous in their Lipo than others, so it's not guaranteed you will get more than you need.

Anonymous

Debdylan...no! We are not sick of your questions (yet) (jk)....this is truly why we hang out here. It is hard to find much info on diep from a patient's perspective, I think. Until I found this thread I was lost looking for the down 'n dirty info lol. I didn't post....I read the whole thread and then lurked around for a while before I posted.



Have you had any other scans...like chest xray, bone scan, breast MRI.. or anything that indicates it may have spread? A blood test for a cancer antigen that is high? Just trying to get a feel for where you might be. In my experience a doc is noncommittal because the truth is sometimes they just don't know. We are mysteriously made and they don't have all the answers, unfortunately.



I was grade 3, pr-, er+ and her2+++....I had a palpable tumor in my nodes nodes that was biopsied and seen on mri ...So I was stage IIIB. They were also highly suspicious of inflammatory BC (which turned out to be negative). (Absolutely no sign of anything the year before on mammogram.) They said the chances that I had at least micrometasteses were high. I don't tell you all this to win any medals or to scare you....I tell you this to say, I am still here to tell you about it. I am NED (no evidence of disease) and have been since my mx in November 2011. If you look at the signatures of your new friends here, there are several that were stage II and stage III.



There are no guarantees of anything in life, but there is most definitely hope, Deb. We are all here with our fears before reconstruction and our drains, leaks, pains, open wounds, seromas, hematomas, swelling, constipation, differing protocols, fupas, glowing gloobs, bitches and hitches, soft, warm noobs, flat bellies, new navals and loose, flowing clothes after surgery! I'll say it again...WE. ARE. HERE. Some of us in tx, some of just out, some of us years and years out and some like you, waiting. All of us, whether because of a preventative measure in a "cancer gene" family or because of a cancer large or small, aggressive or slow-growing....we are all still here.



I will tell you what my surgical oncologist told me the day we met and she laid the bad news on me....She looked me right in the eye and calmly said, "Sheila, we have every reason to believe we can clear this up completely." I hung my hat on that. And, by golly, they did!



You are stronger than you seem and braver than you believe, TOWANDA!

Gini23

Damiana - the fact that you even feel like hiking at 6 weeks sounds like an amazing recovery to me!



Woohoo to you, Christina!



Deb - I knew going in that we would place the TEs and wait to make an informed decision about rads. If I did rads, PS wanted to wait for 6 months after last treatment before DIEP. I do not know if they can make a decision on this during surgery. Both surgeries were l

Gini23

Oops - were long anyway you look at it. But certain things need to be in place for the DIEP.

Gini23

Bailey - just read your beautiful post after submitting mine... Well said, DIEP sister!! xo

goldie4040

Damiana! I am glad you are back.  I got worried about you.  Glad you okay.  I am sorry the hike wore you out, but I am glad you did it.  Also, happy you hole is healing up a bit.  All good news!