DIEP 2014

bdavis

4acure... I am 5'6" and weigh 155 (more before surgery). I was a C/D cup before surgery. Dr Allen in NYC said he could give me a C cup with my abs, but that was because he intended to leave breast fat behind. He said he asks his breast surgeons to leave fat, so he wouldn't need to harvest as much. For me, as I am sure for most, having a MX is all about taking all breast tissue. A local PS and my NOLA PS both said I did not have enough belly fat for 2 C cup breasts. I, of course, worried about the retaining breast tissue approach and went to NOLA. Down there they told me that they get a lot of patients whose MX was not a complete MX, and they re-do it prior to reconstruction. The other thing is, my body type was such that I just didn't have fat you could grab in my belly. So that was rather telling.

Sharon1942

Well, we are all different in outcomes.  Goldie, "our" PS took 12 hours to do my delayed uni DIEP!  But I think he was working solo.  My daughter expected half the time & was a nervous wreck waiting!  All's well that ends well!

goldie4040

Hey Sharon was just going to PM you about the laser appt I had today. Wow, you uni diep took 12 hours?  He must have been solo.  But, didn't you tell me something about  a double diep.  Still not sure what it is, but you said he was excited to do yours and you are going to be an example at his conference presentation?  I am sure that is why yours was so long, and such a good result!!!!

Sharon1942

Yes, Goldie, a double DIEP is what he calls it. He probably had to connect double the amount of blood vessels.  I THINK this means a layer of fat on the inside & a layer with skin on the outside to make a large flap to match a large natural breast. But that is a guess.  He is presenting this month. 

bdavis

Maybe what it is is a stacked DIEP, using the whole flap on one side... both sides of the flap are stacked on top of each other.

Zenful

I am 5'6" and was 134 at the time of surgery.  I was a DD before surgery and I still am, although things will be reduced and lifted in Stage 2.  They used one DIEP and one GAP flap stacked on top of each other for each side.  I never would have guessed they could get that much fat from me, but they find it.

goldie4040

Zen, how is the fluid build up problem? All gone?  Your stage 2 is right around the corner.  You are going to be gorgeous in you swimsuit by summer!!!! 

Have you stayed around the same weight since your surgery?  I know they redistribute the fat, so there really shouldn't be much weight loss, right? 

Betsy, I think you are right, but I think that he must have used her Diep vessel from both flaps, hence the double deep?

bdavis

I am not sure how they do all the connecting but a stacked diep uses both flaps stacked on top of each other. Top one can have skin if needed. Both are connected to blood vessels and both are stitched in place. My right breast is a stacked diep flap. My left breast is a GAP flap and a tdap flap. 

Jeannie57

Just chiming in that my DIEP (both sides) took twelve hours. My PS had another surgeon with him, well, a whole team, and I know one side did not have a super-strong vessel. But it seemed like minutes to me!

Zenful

Goldie, I did have my left hip drained again last week, and it was considerably less this time.  I have kept it compressed, so I am hoping I won't have to do it again!  I lost maybe an additional five pounds after surgery, but I think it was just related to eating less.  I lost some weight during chemo, too, so it seemed like it was just a result of eating less and healthier until my weight reached its comfort level.  I have remained at 129 for months, so I guess that 's my "fighting weight" (pun intended).

Anonymous

I had a uni flap procedure with a lift on the right side....two surgeons.....10 hours.  Sewing takes a long time, especially when they are connecting a larger vein to a smaller vein and making a piece of tissue fit on your body in a new place.

nihahi

Two surgeons for me....removal of small augmentation implant, reduction and lift on one side, removal of implant and lots of work to resolve capsular contracture, uni flap on the old mx side. Surgery was 8 hours. I'm 5'6", was 130, 36C at time of surgery, now seem to be holding at 128 and likely will end up around 34 C...will have a better idea after next week. Smaller was my goal....fits my frame better, and I've seen on myself how age affected the "larger lady"....not flattering!

zenful.....gosh, you like so tiny in your photo....I would have guessed you to be much shorter and tinier......"elf-like"!!!!!!

Anonymous

I always mean to tell Zenful how beautiful she looks in her picture....you ROCK the pixie haircut sista.

Do any newbies want to see a picture of a surgical drain before I get this one taken out....would that be helpful?

sbelizabeth

I'll chime in...my DIEP was 12 hours, and we were all expecting it to be that long.  It was a delayed flap on the left, a prophylactic mx with flap on the right, and I had three surgeons slicing and dicing.  I'm told it took a while to clean out the radiation damage before the flap was attached.

I had a couple of friends in the OR the whole time (the newspaper journalist and photographer) and they said the surgeons would take breaks occasionally.  That makes sense.  Who could stand at an operating table for 12 hours?

lahela

My BMX with immediate bilateral DIEP was 15 hours, with the BS doing the BMX and SLN removal with her team first, then the plastics team with two lead surgeons and two residents doing the DIEP.

Cherrie

My BMX/DIEP was 10.5 hours. I had two surgeons. I am 5'2" and 145# and was a 36C and still am.

Moviemaniac

My BMX/immediate DIEP was 18 hours.....BS went first, then a team of 2 PS/residents after.......I had venous congestion in one transplanted flap within 20 min of the "mopping up" block of time at the end of surgery....10.5 hours......PS made decision to reopen my ab incision and harvest another vessel to correct the problem.....better than losing the flap!   Defo not the average, or the norm, for him, either.  I'm just glad he persevered, and re-did the problem flap.....coming up on the girls' 1 year birthday on January 18th!

goldie4040

Cherrie, I am little too.  Only 5'3".  How did your tummy do after surgery?  I am more worried about my tummy after surgery than anything else.  It's weird, I know.  But wound healing on the tummy seems to be one of the biggest issues from diep.

Jeannie57

Nihahi, 128-130 sounds tiny to me! I am not sharing, lol! Yeah, yeah, comparison is the thief of joy. I really do believe that.

nihahi

hahaha..jeannie....I have the squishy tissue....must just have really skinny bones, because, honestly, I don't think I look thin. Actually, I was just looking at all the posts and thinking..."why are we on this topic"???? 

goldie4040

Jeannie, I love that saying.  I am going to keep that one in my back pocket.  It's so true, and I do it often.  I was real happy with my new Ford SUV till I same my neighbors Mercedes SUV.  That's the kind of stuff that is just so unimportant, and it does steal your joy!!!!  Thank you for sharing.  

Anonymous

Haha....notice I didn't share either, Jeannie! I am 5' 4" and a good, solid Irish German girl  

kuka21174923

hey girls!! I had some time on my hands and decided to come in here and see if y'all were still hanging around. You are all here?!! I've missed all of you, but work and kids keep me busy!

Only 4 pages to catch on, that should be easy😄 I read this last page and I guess you are all comparing surgeries length. I'll add mine in: 10.5 hours for immediate bilateral. My ps now usually does unilaterals in about 4 hours by himself and bilaterals in 5-6 hours with another surgeon. I don't know if this info helps, but here it is. 

I'm 5,5 and now 130 lbs. I was a DD and asked my ps to just give me a C. He had enough for both of them. He had to pull me very tight and I was hunched over for about 2 weeks, but all worth it if you ask me:)

aemcat313

Zenful and Betsy

I'm really curious - how were you able to recover from having the surgery on your chest (front) and DOUBLE GAPs on your back side (and for Zenful also a DIEP flap on the front - wow!) all at the same time! Seems there would be no way to lay or sit without squishing something. I'm surprised they could even do all that surgery on both sides of you in one operation. Must have been very talented docs !

I'm currently considering single sided reconstruction. I was thinking the GAP might be nice to do (donor scars on the back instead of on the front with DIEP), but the nurses at the PS office tell me he only does GAP when there are no other options due to it being more complex or difficult (need an CT to find the vessels and such). (Am finally meeting PS on Wed 1/8) They also said that if someone was doing bilateral, he'd do each GAP/reconstruction in separate surgeries since its hard logistically difficult for the patient to sit, lay down, etc. But sounds like that doesn't have to be the way.

Curious to hear from anyone else who has done GAP too.

Thanks,

Rebecca

bdavis

Hi Rebecca... I had my MX and GAP July 2011 and then DIEP a month later due to a complication. So mine was two surgeries but still had my hip drains when I went back into surgery. Initially, he was going to do the "body lift"  (GAP and DIEP in one surgery) but I had enough fat in my buttocks.  Anyway, sitting, laying was no problem. I actually had no pain at all in the buttocks. Just days after surgery I was walking all over the French Quarter. And then with the DIEP, my only pain was muscle pain in my back from walking hunched over. So IMO, the difficulty is the actual surgery for the surgeon, not for the patient. And then for my stage II, I had all scars revised, a butt lift, lipo in multiple areas... sore all over, but only when I moved... and only for a few days.

Zenful

aemcat, it really wasn't that bad.  It is a lot of incisions, but I was able to lay comfortably on my back in a recliner or in bed with pillows under my knees.  Just couldn't lay flat right away like anyone with a DIEP flap.  Although I was cut almost all the way around, except for about two inches on each side of my tailbone, the majority of the fat flap is taken about halfway between the side of your hip and the tailbone, if that makes any sense.  So it is not really the part you sit on, but more toward the side.  My DH joked with the PS that I must have at least three feet of stitches, and the PS said "more like nine feet, because there are three layers".  Despite all that, I am very glad to have had it done all in one surgery.

goldie4040

Yeah, Kuka!!!!  Hey.  Yes, new thread for a new year.  Glad you stopped in!!!!!  

Just got back from my walk  I think Texas is the only place in the country that is not frozen under.  I was almost sweating when I got back.  By tomorrow it's supposed to get cold here, but no snow, thank you. 

Betsy, every time I hear you tell about all your surgeries it blows me away.  The way you have bounced back is amazing.  

kuka21174923

Goldie, I think it's great! Maybe I can keep up this time. The other forum had too many posts for me to keep up with it. I'm glad you got your walk today, it's going to be cold the next couple of days here!! I did everything today so that I can sit next to the fire all day tomorrow

goldie4040

Kuka, the little energizer bunny!!!!  I can't picture you sitting still, but sitting by the fire watching an old movie sounds like perfect Sunday afternoon. 

I might bake something.  I am in the mood.  Something simple like oatmeal cookies. 

kuka21174923

hahaha Goldie! I don't sit for very long periods of time, but when it's cold, I can sit by the fire all day! I'm sure I'll either go running or to the gym, but the rest of the day the fireplace will be calling my name!