DIEP 2011

me too carberry... being someone who is about to enter into the whole diep journey am appreciating hearing more and being forewarned about the reality of post surgery depression, expectations met or no etc

I am so excited!!!  I just got a text from Mscal and she said she is doing fine and is up walking around.  They took the IV out today and she expects to go home tomorrow.  Hoooorrrraaayyy for Caroline!  She is only 4 days post surgery.

Sue, I hope you are doing great as well!  The two of you are giving the rest of us courage and hope!

Susan

One week out today. Don't be scared off, it is a rough week but I feel better and better each day. In the hospital I kept telling myself in a few day I will feel a lot better and I do!!!!  My incision sights have not bothered me, it has been my shoulder and low back from being in bed those 1st days and stooped over the 1st few days. I have been standing straight the last few days just because of my back.

I have hardly taken anything but Tylenol since day 3. Anything stronger is hard on my stomach and I told them so before surgery. But they insisted  even tho I told they I wasn't having pain. I ended up Thur. evening dry heaving for and hour and a half and did get sick but imagine how that felt on my stomach.

I have not experienced and depression.

How long til the swelling goes down?

ok guys so I tried to get some pics here, got them loaded to photbucket, but that is as far as i could go.  i have no computer sense!  Will keep trying.  Wish I had one of my kids at home.Ha!

 I have stretchy shorts and today I thought I was going to sit out in the sun so I put on my shorts and a zip up cover up with a wife beater. Been pinning my drains to my shorts. I do have to drive back there tomorrow for my follow up, I know long drive huh? I think after tomorrow I won't have to go back for a month. If my drains aren't ready I can have them removed local, it looks like they will be ready to come out.

Eating- nothing 12 hrs.out from surgery except a suck on a mouth swab. Then I started with jello, applesauce, juice and water. then the pain meds. made my bellyache and I had a hard time eating.

Hubby drives me.

I almost pulled my own drains - they billed my insurance something like $280 for each visit, had I known that, I think I might have! There is nothing to it, but I think it is pretty common to have a local doc pull them.

Massage helped the pain associated with my drain exit points - it felt like scar tissue pulling when I moved my arms. I have occasional pain at the hip incision and where the incision scar goes under my breast - sometimes it feels like a bruise.

Yoga and elliptical today, only a couple of poses that produce a twinge here & there in my chest/breast. I'm 9 weeks out.

 hen I had BMX with TE and 4 drains was not allowed to shower, great risk for infection because of the Tissue Expanders.  But I did shower anyway after installing a hand-held shower wand and put a big plastic bag over me and Hubby washed my hair.

 After DIEP PS said it was ok to shower with my six drains.    Another difference with PS instructions.

alexanjb: I did the Lance Armstrong program but had to stop in the middle for my diep. I don't plan on getting back to my full program until I'm three months out - too much strain on abs & pecs. I eased myself into things and didn't use my right side very much, so a lopsided attempt! I'm still not pushing myself on the elliptical. Not sure if starting stuff too soon caused some of my ab scar tissue.So hard to know what causes what or if it just how my body 'does' things.

Dee: A big plastic bag is a great idea . . you could cut arm holes in a big trash bag and be all set! 

The doc that didn't want my drain exits to get wet gave me "Tegaderm HP; transparent film dressing frame style" kind of a clear bandage with an adhesive frame around the edge, so I could protect the drain exits but still shower. I used a shower chair and a hand held shower head with my DH standing by to hand me things and help out (a good long back scrub - heaven!).

The back ache and med side affects were the worst; the surgical stuff wasn't too bad.

Hi Everyone, haven't posted lately.  I am 10 weeks out today from my Uni-DIEP.  I am walking/running 2 miles every morning before work and last week I started a toning class at the gym.  Last week which was the first time was tough, was extremely sore since I haven't had much exercise since before my treatments last year.  Today I am going for the second time this week.  I am feeling really good and more flexible everyday, we just have to listen to our body but push passed the comfort zone.  My clothes are starting to get lose all though the scales don't show it yet.  I want to lose as much of this 25 lbs gained in chemo as I can before my next surgery July 19.  Stay encourged girls, this side of surgery is feeling great, so glad I did the surgery just ready to get finished but I know I have to be patient.  Good Luck to all you girls recovering & waiting on surgery.

I am trying to get my surgery info, sorry guys.  Maybe I have it this time. :-)

Hi mscal02!  I am happy you are doing so well and I appreciate you delaying la la land to tell us.  I had my pre-testing today and of course I am second guessing myself about going through with this. I told my daughter that maybe I am nuts to be even considering putting myself through it.  She said that it something I need to do or I wouldn't have gone this far.   So, you saying you are glad you did it, when you are less than a week out from the surgery helps a lot. 

SAMmayoFL, Yes my surgery is two weeks from today.  EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEk

I am going for a unilateral.  I asked the anethesia nurse if she could knock me out now and wake me up when it is all done.  She just grinned. 

By the way, what are you all telling people about your surgery?  Like the people at work that are not your closest friends, but people you have known a long time?  I am not ashamed or embarrased but I don't really feel like making an announcement either.  Hey everyone!  I am getting a new TA TA!  I mean a Noob.  But I don't want them to worry that it is surgery for cancer either because that is what people think of first and I don't want to scare them.  Privacy is nice, on the other hand I don't live in a vacuum and I see these people every day and have been for years.  I am kind of handling it one by one, so far.  But when I come up missing everyone that doesn't know will be asking my daughter because we work at the same place.  I am amazed at how comfortable some of the men are about asking questions. 

I haven't given my phone number to anyone on here yet.  I will PM you.  Probably posting it on here is not a great idea.  I've read about some of the hijacking of posts on here to bogus websites.  I guess the moderators handled it, but that doesn't mean someone won't try it again.  We don't need whackos calling us.  I will probably ask my daughter if it is OK to give you her number as well, or give her yours.  She will probably be the one to give updates and she is much attached to her iPhone, I wouldn't want to ask her to monitor my phone as well as hers, while I am out of it.  She doesn't consider MY phone to be user friendly at all.