DIEP Reconstruction

Had my DIEP in ' 06 at 56. All went well and I was thrilled to finally get the prosthesis out of my life ! I was not scared ,but was apprehensive re: the time allotted( aprox. 10 hrs.) for surgery. I was given major tests and evaluations prior and nothing was found to be a concern .The actual surg. was more like 8 hrs . Recovery was uneventful . Perhaps I am atypical,but I was quite pleased with the process and even more pleased with my results....I wish you the same !

Letha

Hi Mikita - you already heard from me - just wanted to say I'll be praying for you to have a completely successful and uneventful surgery and recovery! Check out this link to learn how to protect yourself as much as possible from MRSA and other hospital infections, taken from the RID web site (committee to Reduce Infection Deaths):

15 Steps You Can Take to Reduce
Your Risk of a Hospital Infection (click below):

http://www.hospitalinfection.org/protectyourself.shtml

Hey Texgirl,

If you had your surgery in Texas, can you recommend a plastic and breast surgeon/center there?

Thanks!

Ina

Ina..had my  breast surgery (mast) done by Treneth Baker..just a baby from my perspective...but a fab. breast surgeon.  My breast reconstruction surgery was performed by Dr. Aldona Spiegel....both from Houston and done at The Methodist Hospital.....Dr. Spiegel ( www.breastrestoration.org) Has more talent that I can even express..My DIEP results were incredible..I cannot say enough...PM me if I may give you more info !

Letha

Hi, Mikita ~ I was also very scared about my surgery.  I think it's only natural to let your mind go to the "what if's."  One of the things I found so helpful in overcoming my fear was a guided imagery CD for surgery.  It's something one of my SIL's gave me, and it made a tremendous difference in my outlook.  (I'll PM you the details.)

Yes, I had one side, and I was told it was an hour for the mast + 6.5 hrs. for the Diep recon.  Since they have to do each breast separately, 12-14 hrs. sounds right for bi-lat.    

I don't think I would worry about either lymphedema or MRSA.  You will have a very experienced BS, and I'm sure JH has the same exceedingly stringent safety precautions that UCLA has. 

I was in the hospital 4 nights; up and walking (with the help of 2 PT's) the 2^nd morning.  And yes, you are slightly bent over for a week or so due to the tummy incision.  My biggest problem the first 3 days turned out to be that the morphine (which I'd never had before) did not agree with me, although it certainly keeps the pain totally manageable. 

We live 3 hrs. from UCLA, and sitting in an SUV with a pillow between me and the seatbelt for that drive was fine.  I'm not sure lying down would have been comfortable because you will not be able to use your arms to push or pull or move yourself around at all.  Maybe some of the other gals here have some practical suggestions to make your long drive easier.

I'm going to PM you, too ~   Deanna

Hi, Mikita,

I had BL DIEP in November 2005 in NOLA, three months after Katrina, at the age of 58. My first mast. was in 2003, so mine was delayed two years. At the time of recon., I had the "good" side done, too, just for my peace of mind because I had ILC, which is more likely to come back in the other side.

I have been thrilled with the surgery...would do it again in a second. As well as two perky breasts, I have a flat tummy because of the tummy tuck that results from the DIEP. I had no problems with the surgery or the recovery. I had extensive liposuction when I had stage 2, which resulted in a lot of bruising, but that only lasted a few days. I love not having to deal with the prosthesis; plus, I can wear any neckline without worrying about it. I actually have clevage, a first for me!

I wish you the best with your surgery. I think I was more excited than scared since I had waited so long for my recon. I know it is normal to be nervous, expecially if you haven't had your mast. yet. That's a lot to deal with at one time. I know you'll do great!

Hugs,

Trish

Mikita

All the best for your surgery.  Looking forward to hear how it goes.

I'm 54 and waiting to see PS on 3 May about my reconstruction.

I'm glad the suppository worked Mikita. On July 1st I'm having opened abdominal surgery to repair the large hernia I'm stuck with since the MRSA infection destroyed what was left of my abdominal muscle after the muscle-sparing free tram last year. At the same time, the surgeon will be removing my gall bladder since it has a large stone. I am NOT looking forward to this surgery - it means a week in the hospital, more pain and drains, but the surgeon is excellent and my new plastic surgeon will be working alongside him to fix my awful-looking abdominal scar. So when it's over hopefully I'll be complaining less about my appearance. The same PS will be repairing my "foob" on May 6th - which is outpatient surgery - so little-by-little I'm being put back together - and hopefully the pain under my right ribcage will finally go away. They tell me it's from the gallstone - it's not debilitating pain - but it's annoying especially if I sit for too long. How long ago did you have your gall bladder removed Mikita?

Hi, Cheyanne ~ I've had Diep flap reconstruction, so can answer your question from my own perspective.  With Diep, they make a long incision across your tummy and remove tissue to replace the breast tissue they remove.  It takes an experienced vascular PS to do this surgery, which takes approx. 6 to 8 hrs.  I live in an area with abundant, upscale medical facilities, but I still had to travel into LA to get this surgery.  You can find photos of Diep results on the web.  The outcome is a very natural looking breast.  Of course, you have to have enough tummy tissue to do this (I had barely enough), and you have to be willing to live with the tummy scar.  Since I've never had an implant, I'll let those who have tell you about that surgery, which is more common.

The fact that your surgeon is advocating for "seeing about reconstruction later" without giving you options is a bit of a red flag to me, probably because I'd initially gotten the same answer from a BS who wasn't set up or aligned with a PS to do immediate reconstruction.  When I went to an NCI-designated breast center (UCLA) for a second opinion, I was very relieved to find that immediate reconstruction was not only available, but strongly encouraged by that BS, whom I ended up using.  I think you will find that the larger hospitals, especially teaching hospitals like UCLA, Johns Hopkins, MSK, etc., have PSs on staff who offer many types of reconstruction in tandem with your mast, and can explain which one(s) would be best for you. 

So sorry you're going through this, but I hope this helps  ~   Deanna

Hi jillisucat, Thanks for the information.  I doubt if I could have a DIEP done even if I wanted to, I am sure it is not available here in my town.  Johns Hopkins is a bit too far away, as I live in central Texas!  It is probably available in Houston, but that's even too far for me, we are a couple of hundred miles away from there.  As far as implants needing to be replaced - I am already 68 years old.  I won't be having a reconstruction at the time of my mastectomy.  My surgeon says we can think about it later, that I may get along well with a prosthesis.  Like I said, I am 68 years old and unlikely to go out to Vegas to become a topless dancer.  Or, for that matter, have anybody except doctors see me topless, anyway. 

Cheyanne, where do you live in TX?  I lived in Kerrville at one point in my life.  The hill country is beautiful.  Definitely big spaces to travel out there -- but as swimangel said, people travel for this surgery all the time.  68 isn't all that old these days!  My mom is 77 and plays tennis most days of the week and certainly doesn't feel or act old.  But reconstruction (or not) is a very personal decision and it is all in what you are comfortable with.  I like having the shape, don't care about the nipple and am not sure if I'll bother with that part of the reconstruction down the road.

Cheyanne, there is a fabulous group in San Antonio called PRMA. I met w/Dr. Pisano there and spoke with a patient of Dr. Ledoux's. I still may go there, but I don't have enough belly fat for DIEP, so may go somewhere that does bilateral GAP flaps. Oh and PRMA is "in-network" for most insurances. You can see them at PRMA-enhance dot com. Good luck on your quest.