anyone have DIEP-lose weight=how did it affect your foobs

Pedicle tram June 2008 no noticeable bulge from muscle being folded.  Speaking from my experience.  It is a painful surgery, and as I have said before you MUST adhere to ps instructions about overdoing it for at LEAST 8  to 10 weeks.  I am very happy with my results.

Hi Debbie!

What I had heard before I went to NOLA was that their rate of failure was less than .05%.   I started with stage I in Los Angeles, but was unhappy with the outcome even early on (hamburger bun shape and they had gradually slipped down on my chest!), plus I was having a complication that my surgeon would not deal with, so I had to find another.  I had heard about Dr. DellaCroce prior to my surgery, but didn't think I could travel to NOLA and leave my family and business for 10 days to two weeks.  In retrospect, that would have been a lot easier than leaving four times (so far) for nearly a week each time to be fixed up, after being off work five weeks for the first stage.   

If you do happen to have a serious complication after leaving NOLA, I know that the doctors will arrange to fly you back immediately.  I know of a woman they've done this for, and everything ended up okay.   It's very unlikely that you would have a flap problem after you leave NOLA---most are immediate or within a few hours. 

 While I was in NOLA the second time I stayed for free at Hope Lodge, and met a woman there who was alone during her recovery, and she was really doing fine.  On my first trip, I happened to have a friend accompany me for the first few days, and then my daughter came for the last couple of days.  Honestly, I could have done any of the trips alone.  By the time I flew home, I was feeling pretty darned good, considering. 

 As far as TRAM flaps, it was completely unacceptable to me to sacrifice abdominal muscle.  I did a lot of research and found stories like this one, all over the internet:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/BreastAugmentationAndReconstruction/message/1366

 While some women may be just fine, I decided that if a better procedure was available, I would pursue it.  

The overall DIEP stats include inexperienced surgeons and the numbers look terribly high.  It's a complicated surgery and you need a highly experienced surgeon if you want to have it done safely.  I don't know what Dr. Allen's rate of complications is, but if you say it's under 1%, that's probably true.  I don't know if he is still doing the circular patches---that would be interesting information to have.  I do know that another doctor (commonly associated with Dr. Allen) still uses them, and convinced a friend of mine that he could remove them in stage II, but they are so large that I doubt he will be able to now, and she is considering going to NOLA to complete her reconstruction like I did. 

I agree with you, Summer.

I think that there are plenty of women out there who are as happy with their implant, lat flap, pedicled or not pedicled TRAM as there are women who are happy with their DIEPs.

True enough, women who have bi-lateral pedicled TRAMs probably cannot do situps.  Many women with unilateral pedicled TRAMs can still do sit ups.  Most women with muscle-sparing free TRAMs can do sit ups (as can most of the DIEP ladies.)

So, y'a just gotta' ask yourself...when's the last time you did a situp?

Back in the dark ages, physicians discovered that there was a relatively high incidence of hernia with the pedicled TRAM, so most (all?) surgeons who perform this surgery today insert synthetic mesh to reinforce the abdominal wall...largely solved the problem.

 The implant, lat flap and pedicled TRAM procedures are commonly performed and widely available.  "Regular" plastic surgeons can perform these procedures...and there are ALOT of women who have them.  Women who are making breakfast and cleaning house, and bringing home the bacon.

The DIEP, GAPs, and MS FREE TRAMS require a specialized surgeon.  And, I am willing to bet that there are lots and lots of women who are not willing or able (it doesn't suit their life) to travel hundreds of miles to a strange city to have a complicated operation. 

These women need breast reconstruction...and if the surgeon around the corner is willing to take care of it, I can certainly understand why women would choose the convenience of geography.

Tammy Lou

Bump for myself, lol. Will read later.

In response to Tammy Lou's comment:

These women need breast reconstruction...and if the surgeon around the corner is willing to take care of it, I can certainly understand why women would choose the convenience of geography.

I went with the surgeon "around the corner" who happened to be chief of plastic surgery at a large university teaching hospital in town, and was very highly recommended by my breast surgeon. 

I ended up with an accidental burn on my chest, a complication he refused to address, and required several major revisions to fix the poor job he did during my stage I DIEP. 

My life over the past two years would have been so much easier if I'd gone to Dr. DellaCroce/New Orleans in the first place.   I'm not walking around kicking myself now, because if things hadn't gone the way they did, I would never have known how much better the result is with a true expert rather than someone who does DIEP but doesn't excel at it.    I see an oncologist at one of the top ten breast centers in the country, and he sees a lot of reconstruction work.  He is absolutely thrilled with my result and asked if I would be willing to show other women just diagnosed who are considering DIEP. 

I don't need to do sit ups, but core muscles are essential to keeping the spine properly aligned, and I already have back problems due to scoliosis.  I didn't dare compromise the integrity of my rectus muscles, especially when it is no longer necessary to do so.