DIEP 2011

Mscal, good for you!!  I am so happy to hear you are walking!  One of the things I do to motivate myself is every Monday I record my weight on my personal calendar so I can see how I am doing.  Every day I record how far I walk and how long it took me.  On Monday, I tally up and record how many miles I walked.  Last week I walked a total of 17 miles.  When I see that I feel happy and feel like I really did something.  Anyway, just a suggestion!

Have a wonderful, skinny day!

Susan

c8ndygr1, sorry i am just reading your questions now. i need to stop by more often!

stage 1 surgery was 10 hrs. that included the removal of implants. It was pretty grueling. (not for me, I was sleeping, hee!) i had to lay completely flat the next day, doc's orders, just to lessen strain on the boobalas. I had special nurses assigned to me, they were wonderful. Angels. Truly. I don't remember the pain being horrific. I DO remember the drains. That was by far the worst part, for me. I had four, one on the side of each boob, two in my pubic area for the tummy incision (most surgeons insert them at each end of the incision, but mine thinks that's riskier as far as them loosening). i had to wait a solid week after I went home to have 3 removed (I probably could've had them removed sooner, their output was low, but I had to wait for the doc's schedule to open up) - and then I had to live with the last drain for another week, even though I cried for him to remove it. it's truly a question of better safe than sorry. But those days CRAWLED by. The thing that saved my life was the shower chair - at least I was able to take a shower every other day - with my mom's help - and with the water aimed at my back, not the front. (it was ok if it dribbled, he just didn't want direct spray). When mama washed my hair, it was pure heaven. And hell, because the drains were there, of course. i made a "necklace" out of gauze and attached the drains to that - some women use fanny packs - that didn't work for me, i had one drain that was sore at the incision (left boob), so it was too delicate to be stretched or jostled. Changing the dressings and stripping the drains were tres annoying, but mom and I got to be pro's. I went off the pain meds fairly quickly - just relied on motrin for the most part. i needed my sleeping pills alot more - it's difficult for me to sleep on my back, propped up with pillows. The tummy incision pain was pretty tolerable - maybe because I'd had a c-section so many moons ago. Went for a short walk on day 10. felt pretty normal after I got that last blasted drain out. I went back to work p/t at week 4, but I couldn't gone back week 3 (I'm a secretary, I sit all day). I felt comfortable driving around week 5.

Stage 2 (nipples, lipo, reduction on one side) was a breeze. No drains - thank all things holy - the surgery was 4 hrs, and I went home that night. I was a little sore, but nothing horrible. I took 10 days off from work, but I was milking it.

I love my new body, frankenstein scars, different-sized boobs, weird hairs, hard part under the right boob, flat tummy, all of it. completely miraculous surgery. You're going to feel that way too, when you're on the other side. Even when you're still plugged with the drains from hell, you're going to marvel. I promise.

thinking all good thoughts for (((joy))) + sending out a squishy group hug to (((everyone)))!

Canarychick - my story is slightly different than yours but has the same result - double MX. Because of my family history (sister, mother, two maternal aunts all with BC) My OB/GYN authorized an MRI this year. Thank God! I had THREE tumors!! My tumors were difficult to spot and not detected on the mammogram and even after I was told exactly where they were I could not feel any of them with a self breast exam. I am BRCA- but have ILC which is invasive cancer and is known for 'traveling'. My tumors are all in my right breast. I am chosing to do a double because of the difficulty in sometimes detecting ILC and because of its 'invasive' tendencies. I don't want to have to be worrying for the rest of my life. Much like you - you are being proactive in the same way.

DIEP is a scary. I totally agree. But it is also SO doable. While you were reading the pages of this forum you may have been scared but weren't you amazed too? These women are amazing! And you are too! We can do this!!

I am new to this also - only diagnosed 30+ days ago, but I decided on DIEP on about my 4th day of diagnosis. Implants weren't for me. Too many potential problems and too many surgeries for 'upkeep'. Of course I am saying this and I haven't had my DIEP yet. My surgery is next Tuesday June 14th. I will be happy to share my experience with you and answer any questions you might have as I go through the recovery if that will help you in any way. Frankly I'm terrified (I have never had surgery in my life - and I'm starting with a big one) - but I also know that I am in good hands and that this is absolutely the right surgery for me.

Learning about this surgery here has helped me SO much. The doctors tell you a lot - but you get the real scoop here. I want to know what to expect. I think it would be scarier to have something happen that I wasn't expecting. From what I have learned here I think I can handle anything that gets thrown my way. 

I hope that this doesn't scare you more - I am really just trying to comfort you. It is scary (so is cancer) but YOU CAN DO IT! Good luck making your decision - I know it will be the right one for you. 

Hi All,

Do anyone have before and after pics that they are willing to share...

Thanks for the update Sam:

Canarychick: We just have to pray for each other and everyone involved in our surgeries.I am 19 days out and I am doing great. I am not sore at my incisions just uncomfortable. I started back walking today to build my stamina. My PS was really surprised yesterday at my progress.I was a single parent for many years and I quess I learned that there was no time for me to feel sorry for myself and when I fell off the horse I had to get back on and ride harder and faster.You probably will wake up the next day and ask yourself why in the world did you put yourself through this. The answers will come though when you see your body and realize that you are preventing BC.

I am really trying to get the word out to let women know that there is an alternative (DIEP) If I had not found this site I probably, never would have heard of DIEP.

Canarychick,

Just wanted to tell you how brave you are for what you're doing. It is sad to go through what we have to go through, and I understand that it's harder when you're not sick. I wouldn't have the guts to do it, but I often wish that my cancer had been found earlier and I would have had BMX for prophylaxis instead of for invasive breast cancer. As it is, I had cancer on both sides (DCIS on one side and multifocal), and I had to have MX. (no family hx)

You are doing the right thing, and you'll be glad when it's over, cause it'll really be over.

Good luck!

Hi Ladies, I am reading that some of you are scared of this surgery and I'd like to know what your greatest fear is? I was not afraid and very confident in the 2 PS that I had and the hospital that I went to is the 3rd best hospital in the country. I really felt like I couldn't have been in better hands. I  also don't think they'd do this surgery so often if it was risky.

The 1st few days are kind of miserable but each day is better and by the end of a week I was thinking that wasn't so bad after all, it really is a great felling to have breast again what you gain is so worth it.

This is my friend Annes tractor, she is riding it in a 2 day tractor ride this Fri. and Sat. She is also going to ride it in some of the local parades. It is an awesome thing she is doing in honor of me.

Thanks Treesprite & Ladym for the encouragement....Friday will come real fast. 

 Sue that pink tractor is soooo cute, probably not what a farmer wants to hear a tractor referred to lol!!!

Misszed - go forth and conquer! We will all be thinking of you on Friday as you 'slumber' and are having sweet dreams of your new noobs and figure. Let the pain meds take care of the first day or so then the worst will be over. Good Luck, lady! (((Hugs)))

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback on the sentinel node dye injection. Good luck to all the ladies with surgeries coming up, and thank you to all of you that return to let us know how you are doing! What am I afraid of? Thank you for making me think about this, because I think I was just letting myself be afraid without really thinking about it. I guess one thing is the surgery itself, and the pain that I will suffer afterwards. I have never been under before, and aside from two c- sections, I haven't had surgery, so I have some fear about how I will deal with things both physically and emotionally. the other thing has to do with the cancer. Since I am having a mastectomy at the same time, I am really terrified that my diagnosis is going to change to something worse, and then maybe I will always wonder if the cancer spread because I dared to chose vanity over practicality. If I had agreed to have a mastectomy without reconstruction, then I would have had my surgery in March.



I have always been an optimistic person. Not once did I worry that something might go wrong during my c-sections, but that might just be because of the weird hormones that accompany pregnancy. Maybe I feel like cancer was a message to me that I shouldn't be so optimistic. DIEP is a way to make lemonade out of lemons. So, maybe I am afraid that my optimism is riding on things going well. And I guess that is why I appreciate this forum so much, because you ladies are so positive and optimistic, even after everything you have gone through, so maybe cancer won't kill my optimism either.



Phew, if I knew how to post a picture of myself, I would need to try to find a picture of me lying on a therapist's couch :-)

My doc recommended against the nipple sparing as well and I was told to do the BX Diep as a delayed proceedure at first.  That was because of the lack of staff at one hospital so fortunately I went to another that had a plastic team that worked well with a breast surgical team.  BRCa 1 did give me the reason I needed for a double at the first sign of cancer.  I would not have done it unless I had the cancer dx and was done with my children.  (For me)  This is a very personal decision but thank God we had better knowledge today to predict these cancers.   Best of luck with all the newcomers making this hard life choices.

c8ndygr1  I had a hysterectomy three months before my DIEP and find that the menapause is really what I stuggle with today.  Not being able to take estrogen having been dx with the BC soon after...my bones are hurting and hot flashes for example....I do not recommend these major surgeries so close together, especially if you don't have the family support.   I am sad that NO ONE said...gee, YOU made it through one year!  My family didn't seem to remember a date...ok so it was big for me...guess I expected too much from them.   Tomorrow is a new day...enough of feeling sorry for myself

I was unable to watch the nipple procedure but it only took half an hour to complete.  Because I had 2 towels that shielded my mouth from breathing on the nipples I was unable to watch.  I did not need any pain meds although I have taken  motrin.  The nipples will always be on, but if they are done correct they should not stand up too much.  I was awake the whole time the nipples were being made.  It is a real simple procedure and no reason to lose any sleep.  Good luck to all of those ladies having a surgery this month.

Dutchy, thanks for the information on the nips.  I am just wondering, what do you think about tattooing without creating the nipples?  Would that look weird?

Mscal, go girl.  You amaze the heck out of me.  I hope I do as well as you have done!

Susan