Diep 2012

Red.. I don't mind... what's your email address?

sent

My suggestion is wait 3 months and then at stage II get lipo and have them revise the incision to remove the excess skin... What you see in my picture is as bad as it got... Yours looks red.. Is it hot??

Oh.. no suggestion of stage II?? Well.. that is PS to PS, but you can certainly ask for it.

I didn't have bloat after stage I, but do have it after stage II and the only difference (besides more trauma) was lipo... So I am hoping I am just healing from the lipo and all will be good shortly. I have been making it to the gym regularly, but I fear this tamoxifen is keeping me at a status quo... I think with after surgery fluid retention, I should have lost weight, and since I haven't lost but maybe a pound, I worry that my fluid loss is counter-balanced by fat gain. Otherwise, wouldn't I see the scale move?

My Ps doesnt really do a stage 2 either. He looked at me really funny when I mentioned it and said it is all done the first surgery. I hope this is not what I have to live with.

Just a quick question...I had my preop appointment yesterday and my surgery is Feb 20th. I go from being extremely scared one day to so excited the next. Yesterday at my appointment my doctor didnt say anything about any special bras or undergarments to wear immediately afterward. As a matter of fact, he said I may not ever need to wear a bra. Is this common? Also, can someone tell me how long I can expect to be in so much pain that I cant do some computer work? I know everyone is different, but I would love to hear from some others who have been through recovery and can explain to me how it went. Thank you so much.

bdavis...Thanks for the name, I'll definitely check him out. I know that most of the hospitals and docs in Maryland are in network for me, hopefully that doc will be too! I'm not anywhere near ready to have surgery yet, but I figure now is a good time to get the ball rolling.

rthrift1

I don't know how 'usual' it is, but my PS told me absolutely no bras, no restrictive or compression garments on my reconstructed breast (or the other one for that matter) ;-) I am four weeks out and the girls have not seen a bra at all. I wear a loose cotton tank every day. It is super soft and does not chafe or rub against the skin. I wear other things over that -- sweaters, tops, hoodies, etc. Straight home from the hospital I wore loose button up pajama tops. Often at home I wore large t-shirts that we cut up the middle. I closed them with tiny binder clips. In the beginning I wore loose boxer shorts and pajama pants at home for about 12 days post-op. Then I wore my own underwear and my jeans. They actually helped me stand up straight and tall.

My PS knows what he is doing. I trust him implicitly and am beyond pleased with how well everything is going with my reconstructed breast. It looks awesome. I have one circular scar around abdominal skin and tissue that was transplanted next to my areola in order to monitor the oxygen and place the doppler. One day, when all the chemo and radiation, etc. is over, my PS will remove that circle of skin and close that area with a single line scar to the left of my breast in the 3 o'clock position. My abdominial scar is healing nicely. My PS actually replaced my 21 1/2 year old c-section scar when he did the DIEP so my abdominal incision dips down into my public hair where the old incision was. I think it looks lower than some 'after' pics that I have seen of other women. 

You have to trust your PS to know what is best for you. I know that there are all sorts of different experiences on this site and elsewhere and women will tell you that they absolutely needed a special bra or a special camisole or a special girdle. I believe that that was true for them. I know it was not true for me.

The only thing that bothers me now with this is my axillary web syndrome which is cording. Once I am cleared for physical therapy that will be addressed in a larger way. I don't doubt that the vascular connection to the transplanted tissue being accessed through my axillary incision site plays a HUGE role in my PS not wanting me to have anyone trying to break down the cording when that main blood supply to the tissue is in the same vicinity under my arm. Ditto for why he wanted me to lay low on reaching and stretching with that arm a lot longer than many women on this site.

You are going to do famously!

Take a deep breath! When they come in and place that doppler to monitor your breast tissue and you hear that little 'heartbeat' you will be thrilled :-)

Blessings,

Diana

Breast size, body type, weight, etc. must have something to do with needing more or less support and compression. Where incisions are made and how many would be a factor. Whether you have a nipple sparing one also.

goldlining - you said, "my concentration and motivation comes and goes even now (almost 8 weeks)" that is EXACTLY me. And as a teacher it's difficult because sometimes when I have lessons to plan, I just can't seem to get them done. It's been less than optimal, I'm sad to say. I'll get through, but sometiems I worry that I'm shortchanging my kids. I guess I should let it go and say to myself that it'll get better over time. It's pretty hard sometimes though.

That and my new bloat are bugging me - I'm now wondering if the PS saying to wear the binder all the time even now, was actually important or if it was just postponing the bloat until I stopped. I don't know and I probably never will.

Boy am I whiny tonight. I think I need to go put DS to bed and get some snuggles too. Have a good evening all.

In my info packet on the DIEP procedure from my PS it stated that there could be up to 4 surgical stages for flap surgery but that 2 to 3 was the norm. The first stage is just getting the flaps in position and viable. The second is shaping the breast form, scar revision, nipple building and 3 is fine tuning, fat grafting, and nipple tattooing. Sometimes, depending on the amount of revision required in stage 2, the nipple construct gets pushed to stage 3.

In Canada, do they build the nipple during stage 1 also?

I don't know if nipples are covered by our provincial insurance plans. I am not really that interested in nipples personally. Mine stopped working when I had a reduction 35 years ago, and were just decorative, but now I use clothes for that! Maybe another Canadian knows. I know that reduction and augmentation have been delisted (no longer covered by provincial insurance) and are now self-pay. Bad news for my daughter who is shaped like I was.

Edited to add: a post on the Canadians topic indicated that nipple tattoos are not covered. (Not sure about the tissue-flap nipple construction.) 

Edited again: someone else has said nipple tattoos are now ON the covered list in Ontario, anyway. 

goldlining - today I've been joking that I'm the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz (if I only had a brain). But when I told my husband, I even got it wrong and told him I felt like the tin man instead of the scarecrow. So sad.

I wish I could prep so far ahead as you!!  And grading is my LEAST favorite thing!! Nice to know I'm not alone in all this, at least. Take care.

-Judy

Hi folks,

I just had DIEP surgery in Ontario, Canada.   The first operation was stage 1 with flaps only.   I will be discussing the next surgery for nipples and tattoos with my PS but he does not refer to the surgeries as stages. I was told that all stages will be covered by our provincial insurance.  So far, I just had to pay for the support stockings during surgery.

I think that what is covered may vary between provinces.

Well, I'm home and six days out since the surgery.  For me it went very well.  None of my fears were confirmed - thank God.  I had about 15 minutes of nausea after I got back to my room Friday night, but they put something in the IV that worked immediately.  I had some dinner the next night and ate three meals a day thereafter - though the meals were small.  I had the catheter removed on Sunday.  I have four drains which are annoying, but my husband and I have the stripping down to a science.  Very little fluid, so I anticipate getting them all out next Thursday.  I wear a binder, which I would have asked for anyway, since I've had three abdominal surgeries before.  There's a strip of velcro that attaches to the binder and the drains hang from that.  I can shower every day and that's glorious!  I sit around the house in a hospital gown that I confiscated and I'm very comfortable in it.  I am sleeping in a chair still because it works for me.  My husband gave me a whistle to wear around my neck in case I need him and he's in another room.  I'm off the pain pills though I will probably still take one at night just to sleep.  Stairs are no problem for me either.  As far as the surgery, my PS was a genius.  The breast is perfect and the stomach incision is extremely precise.  I had it done in Pittsburgh and would tell people to come from California to use him.  The dopler was annoying every hour, but I held my breath until I heard the sound.  I also packed way too much stuff.  Books, magazines, etc were a waste of space.  I slept when I could and kept the tv on all the time.  The IV in my hand was pretty painful as  I expected and it blew out three times.  I drank a hot glass of prune juice twice and that allowed me to go to the bathroom.  I was very worried about the surgery, but for me, it was okay.  I intend to sit in my chair and relax, eat, walk and sleep.  Everything else can wait.   In three months, he'll reduce and lift the right breast to match.  Thanks for all the kind thoughts and let me know if anyone would like more information if you are heading for surgery.