DIEP 2014

Teacher64

Day 12 and the fog has finally cleared from my brain. I still walk like a lowland gorilla and get into and out of bed like a lumbering bear. Skin tears are slowly getting better. Now if that last drain would only diminish output more quickly. 

Ridley

Teacher - I had one drain that would just not quit.  When I went for an appointment with my surgeon, he and his fellow took one look at it and said it was coming out anyway - too much risk for infection at that point I guess (was about 25 days post op).  Made my day!!

Etoile - how are you doing getting ready for Tuesday?  I hope you have been able to shovel yourselves out from the latest snowstorm.  My fingers are crossed for you that the nurses don't strike in Halifax, and that you are a go on April 1.

jmb5

teacher, getting in and out of bed was a struggle for me too. I'm 9 weeks out and sleeping comfortably on my side with no pillows or anything. You are definitely on the upswing. Hope that last drain comes put soon!

So I have this tiny little bump near my abdominal scar. It hurts if I put pressure on it. I'm assuming it's a stitch since it feels like something is trying to poke it's way out if my skin. I made my teenage daughters touch it just to freak them out. Lol!

brendarj

Has anybody ever heard of self massaging your scar when you are having delayed reconstruction. I read it on a web site. Can't remember which one, I was trying to find some extra stretching (My left side still gets really tight) back to the subject. The site gave instructions and said that the scar could attach itself to underlying tissue and should be massaged to keep it separated until surgery. Any thoughts

BlueFox

By this time next week my operation will be done.  

Now D(DIEP)-Day - 7

lemon68

BlueFox- when I read your post I got nervous for you. Hope you are calm and getting all ready. Best to you, will be thinking of you.

Teacher64

BlueFox, wishing you the best during the next week. Try to relax because you will come through fine. I'm 12 days out and doing well and so will you!!

Wynne50

I'm back.  Surgery took 12 hours. BS said he had  to really look to find more cacer.  He thinks They probably got it all ain't the biopsy.  PS Said I have tiny blood vessels so that took more time.  Friday is mostly a blur to me and today I got in the chair for several hours and walked around the roo. The pay hasn't Been bad at all.  Mostly just when I cough

Thanks for all the encouraging words.  I'll probably be in hospital until Tuesday k79Miller. I'm tired now so need to get off this thing

Ridley

Brenda - re massaging the scar - when I saw Dr. H for the first time, he mentioned to me my lumpectomy scar would be removed.  He said it was standard practice (I guess in case there were stray cancer cells in scar tissue?). At that point, I stopped worrying about the scar, which was somewhat attached to the underlying tissue.  

Wynne - welcome to the other side. Sounds like great news on your pathology and nice to hear the pain is not too bad.

Blue fox - just a handful of sleeps and you will be on the other side!

laurie2025

Hello all.  I got my date!  My reconstruction will be October 17.  I am excited!  Hopefully the beginning of the last steps on this road.  

My best to those in the hospital, and home recovering now.

Thanks for letting me share.  How odd to be excited....

lahela

Wynne, so good to hear from you. Glad it all went well. Rest and heal now  {{{hugs}}}

Sorry you have to be here, but welcome to the new ladies on the thread. Any questions, just ask!

Sunone

Wynne, congratulations, sounds like you are doing well, great that you were up in the chair and walking around!

BlueFox

Thank you so much Teacher and Lemon for your kind thoughts.  I'm sort of looking forward to it - which sounds weird - but I want to be out the other side ASAP.  I just want to get back to being (reasonably) normal and to leave cancer behind.  I know you can't really do this as you never know if it will come back, but I will feel like I've left it behind once this is over.

Teacher64

Wynne, so glad to hear from you. You will be so surprised about the progress you make. I got to a point I could identify the Doppler sounds really fast and felt wonderful that those little veins and arteries were working.  It will be so satisfying just to see the new you. Congratulations!

BlueFox, it is not weird to look forward to being on the other side. It will mean you have leapt a hurdle and are in the marathon. Enjoy the move forward...anticipation of amazing body changes, looking forward to vibrant, healthy times with family and friends, getting back to day-to-day living, and living life with joy.

Janet_M

laurie 2025 - It IS exciting! We (I) get so caught up in the inconvenience and anxiety that it's easy to lose sight of the fact that this is actually a fabulous surgery. We're rebuilt and emerge completely whole with all our own stuff in the healthiest possible way.

I remember the first time I sat in the PS's office as he explained the procedure and thinking 'Wow. amazing.' Then there were the months of fear and indecision, followed by surgery and an uncomplicated recovery. Eight months later I'm still in awe of what the surgeons have been able to accomplish. 

October will be here before you know it. And it's going to be great.

Ashira

Welcome Laurie! I'm glad that you're here and recall my excitement when JMB put me on the list and I saw my name listed up top. It's been a long road since, making it through chemo, but I'm three week out from surgery and preparing for the next step. 

Janet, as always, your appreciation for life and your positive attitude is an inspiration!

Anonymous

Good morning ladies! Love to each. I am busy so having a hard time keeping up here, but I do.read posts and say prayers for all. 

But of couldn't drive by your post Brendarj. YES! I did (or actually DH did) scar massage every day for months before my diep to try to remove and prevent new adhesions. My modified radical mx left me with a long scar.....and several issues.....but once everything else was resolved we worked on scar massage. My DH would sit on the floor with his back against the couch and I would lie on my back next to him with my butt flush with the couch and my legs resting on the couch seat. We would throw a blanket over my chest so the teenaged boys wouldn't get too freaked out lol and we would watch tv while he worked on the scar.

My PS office was MOST IMPRESSED with how loose we got the scar. Despite all of our efforts they still spent an hour in the OR during my diep removing adhesions so.They could do the diep.  

My adhesions were caused by RADS.

Let me.know if you have more questions.....happy to help!

goldie4040

Yeh! Bluefox.  Almost there.  I am starting to count the days down too.  It's exciting and scary.

Wynne, glad you are doing okay.  I already know I have small vessels, so it is encouraging to know you are doing well.  Keep up the good work, and do not overdo!  Keep us posted.

Welcome, Laurie.  You will learn a lot there by the time your surgery date comes.  I know I have.  I feel I am very ready(well, almost) for what is ahead of me.

Bailey, you and your husband are so amazing.  When my husband "had" to help me, he did.  But, when I became capable of doing for myself he prefers not to look too much.  I guess the DIEP will put in back into "have to" mode, and he will step up to the plate, I know that, but I just think he is ready for all of this to be over.  He asked me the other day if my implants still hurt.  Uh, yeah! I just don't run around whining about it all day long.  What good would that do?  Personally, I think he likes the way the implants look in clothes, and wishes we could get on with it, and so do I, but.....

Teacher64

Goldie, I lost a bit of abdominal muscle on the left side because of vascular integrity. PS said couldn't get  big enough veins. The belly loss was the breast gain because the Doppler picked up sound immediately. The left side of belly seems to feel sneezes or coughs more right now, but that will go away. Your May day will be here fast.

brendarj

Bailey thanks for replying I'm glad to know that my info was correct and the massages will help I will keep doing them now that I now it will help. My scar is from armpit to armpit and some areas are still tender even after 3 years. Maybe those are the spots that need massaging the myo hear theost.

Wynne so glad your on the other side and doing well Rest and heal well

Goldie and Bluefox excited for you and waiting to hear when you are on the other side and healing well

goldie4040

Thanks, Teacher.  Who knows, I might have a muscle sparing tram too.  I don't know.  He says he doesn't do them.

I know what you mean about the coughing and sneezing.  When I had my laproscopic hysterectomy it hurt to do those things even with that.

Teacher64

Going to call dr tomorrow. Today I've noticed a hardness in my left breast that wasn't there before. Anyone else have something like this?

melissa2013

I had a hardness develop under my right breast.  They said it was a seroma.   Often times the body reabsorbs these.  They drained part of it in the office, but then ended up doing surgery to drain it and flush it out to prevent an infection.  They also put a drain back in to prevent another buildup so I am back to having a drain for another week.  I wasn't excited about having another surgery, but it seems to have fixed the issue. The hardness developed around day 14 post-op, and I had the surgery day 20 post-op.  

I have heard that sometimes a hard spot can also be fat necrosis or scar tissue ?? 

jbdayton

I saw my PS Friday.  The entire lower half of my new DIEP breast is very hard.  He said not to worry but I could wear a sports bra to relieve some of the downward pressure on my rib cage.  I am 3 weeks post op.  

Let me know if you hear anything different.  

I will be seeing my PS again Wednesday to go over my options to build me a right breast.  Hope I get good news.  I still do not want an implant.  

k79miller

Wynne...hope you are doing well.

Teacher...hope you get good news from the dr today.  I have a hard spot above my right breast that is discolored now.  Looks kind of like a bruise.  I called the nurses station yesterday & talked to a PA.  She told me that it could be a bruise that has just now worked it's way to the surface or it could be the end of the drain.

I have an appt today to see my PS's nurse.  I'm hoping to get both of my chest drains pulled today.  These stomach drains are such a pain.  I got some gauze pads & cloth tape yesterday to try & give them a little support because it always felt like they were kind of pulling.  One of them was bleeding a little bit too.

lemon68

Wynne- hope you are doing well.

Laurie- I got so excited to have my date too. Now a month away I am scared but still excited, its a roller coaster!

Teacher- hope your DR visit went well today. Hope you got lucky and got rid of the drain but it seems too early.

k79miller- I also hope you got those chest drains pulled today and your feeling good.

nervous, I am getting nervous!

Kat-ski

Hi Sisters!!  My husband pulled the last drain today.  So, this week is shopping week for high-waisted support!!  I am doing(this is what I dreaded) wound care on right side but at least I can say I have blood flow.  I have a feeling it is going to be a long road to healing.  Right now, I am putting one foot in front of the other again.

Kim, I hope you got those pesty drains out today!!

Ashira

Kat-ski, wishing you continued healing. That you have blood flow is wonderful news!

Lemon, I'm just under a month out and getting nervous too!

Teacher64

Good report from dr. The hardness is scar tissue forming and I have instructions on how to massage to make it better. Relief.

KooKoo621

Hello, ladies!  I am scheduled for stage 1 next Wednesday, April 9th in NOLA with Dr. Wise. I am extremely excited about this step in my BC journey. Looking forward to something positive for myself after all the "loss" of the past year!

My question is for you who have already had your surgery. Is there anything you didn't take to the hospital with you that you wish you had? Something that you took that you couldn't have lived without?  I live about 4.5 hours from NOLA by car and will be traveling home upon discharge. Any suggestions for clothing for the trip home?  

Would truly appreciate your insight.