Diep 2012

Hello!  I had a single mast in November 2008, and I am going back for a mast on the other side and a DIEP recon of both first of April.  Any advice?

I had a left MX in 2009. Almost four weeks ago (so delayed 3 years), I had the right breast removed (healthy) and bilateral DIEP. I did not have TE's at all. I wasn't planning on ever doing recon when I was first diagosed but I changed my mind after 3 years of being lopsided. No problems at all doing it that way. Not only supported by my PS but strongly encouraged as well to remove the right breast. I have no regrets even though the pathology was fine. It did show a very dense and fibrous breast though, so I am glad that I don't have the rest of my life to watch, wait and wonder.

I asked my PS about mammograms and he said no. I see my onc on the 20th, so I will ask him about MRI's or any other followups he would suggest.    

My breast surgeon said no mammograms, but since my bc was agressive/advanced, she would recommend a yearly MRI.

Hello ladies- I am 3 weeks post op today and Im finally starting to feel like my old self again. I decided to come back to work today. I still have a good bit of abdominal pain but I can tell it is getting better everyday. I do have a quick question though......Has anyone else noticed  that their shape is odd now? I have a flat stomach but I have this fat on my sides that makes me look strange. I am an average size but I know clothes are going to fit very different now. My boobs are alot smaller than I expected but I am truly grateful to atleast have boobs. So, I can deal with that. Its this side fat and odd shape that has me a little discouraged. Has anyone else had this or felt this way? Thanks a bunch.

Hey Betsy!!!   I haven't been on here in forever!  How are you doing?

Rthrift, it seems like yesterday that I was trying to decide if DIEP was right for me and now I am already 7 months out.  Stage 1 was in August and Stage 2 in November.  I still feel like I am oddly shaped.  My stomach is very flat but the rest of me still has fat.  My doctor did do contour lipo but I still have more than I need.  A word of warning too - if you gain weight I don't think it can go back to your tummy.  Maybe because of scar tissue?  So the weight goes other places.  I have gained about 15 pounds through the holidays and winter and my thighs are SCARY!  I have got to get up and start my exercise routine again.  I am still using chemo and surgery as an excuse.

I hope you are all well.  The best news I can share is there is life after treatment and surgery!  YAY!!!!

Susan

wrsmith2x - mine split like the Grand Canyon and looked absolutely horrible.  We have a fabulous wound care center here that "installed" a wound VAC which was a totally pain in the behind but so well worth it!  Wore it for about a week and a half, very little discomfort and it really speeds up the healing.  My incision is coming together nicely with just light dressings on it now and I think in a couple more weeks will be closed!  Also - lots of protein.  I need 80-120/day for my 5'8" 140lbs. body for healing.  Great product called Pure Protein Shake (chocolate) that doesn't taste awful, is convenient and has 35 grams of protein! 

Question for all - my PS said that silicone tape is the best for scars and that a lot of the creams on the market are snakeoil.  I have no desire to have stage II but would like to help my scars.  Any suggestions???

 Thanks to all of you for posting!  It is so very reassuring to know that I am not the only complication out there!

Just popping in to let everyone know that you are in my thoughts constantly.  I get to see your posts shortly after they come out since I have email on my iTouch, and am constantly amazed at your generous sharing and caring.  Thank you.

Surgery is creeping up quickly for me (3/23) and I leave for MDA a week from tomorrow (ack).  Busy cleaning and prepping and trying to guess what I will and won't be able to do when I finally get home around 4/13.  Other than sleeping issues (I've had some pretty wild dreams lately), I've been doing pretty well the last couple of weeks.  I take my Xanax before bed to help with sleeping but still finding myself almost needing a nap by mid-afternoon--which indicates I'm not sleeping all that well at night.  I suspect that I'll be "okay" until about Wednesday or Thursday next week and then will start to panic.  Anesthesia appt. is Wednesday morning so will talk to him/her about some pre-surgery meds to minimize the likelihood that I'll run screaming from pre-op.  = )

Quick question, is it usual to have a pre-op with both the BS and PS, or is it usually just with the BS?  I suspect the PS will want to do my body mark-up at some point but nothing has been scheduled yet with him (I do have a pre-op appt with the BS).  This is all done at MDA and I have sent an email asking but was just curious as to other's experience. 

Hugs and love to all. 

Ysa, My sequence of events was that I saw PS at the very beginning of the plan, months before surgery. I saw him once more about a clinical trial about pain control, but nothing more about the DIEP. I did not meet the BS until a few weeks before the surgery. I had the CT scan at the same time as I saw the BS. I didn't see either of them at the pre-admission appointment. They had their game plan and didn't need to see me again. 

The next time I saw the BS was in the OR. The PS had come around to the pre-surgical ward earlier the same morning where he marked me up. He did not return until I was under.

The pre-admission appointment was a couple of days before surgery and they covered day of surgery procedures, where to go, what to bring, what to do the night before (NPO and bathing), recording my medications, and briefed me about their pain control services. We also discussed the consent for the pain control clinical trial and I had the opportunity to meet an anaesthesiologist in the clinical trial team to help me decide whether to do it.

I'm sure there's a lot of different schemes but this seemed to be pretty efficient, minimal even, but it got the job done.

Dressager.. You should be fine... GO... I was walking in the Avon walk in NYC just 7 weeks post DIEP...

Ysa... I met with PS and BS for a consult about 6 weeks before surgery ... Asked all my questions and was marked up to show me the plan.. I had another appt with PS the day before surgery, but he was stuck in surgery so he met up woth me just before surgery.

Thanks to the ladies who responded re: the PS experiences.   PS took the (lovely NOT, embarassing VERY) pictures during my first appt. so it seems like it would be typical for me to not see him now until the morning of surgery when they come to paint pretty pictures on me.  Since everything is at MDA, I don't have a pre-admission appt.  They did the EKG and chest x-ray while I was there in mid-Feb. and I just have an anesthesiologist appt. 2 days before surgery, and then my BS pre-op appt the day before. 

Mary - so glad you got the billing worked out.  Seems like most the ladies who have had issues with insurance found out that something was miscoded. And am so jealous of your Hawaii trip!  Lived on the Big Island for a year many, many, many years ago and have always loved the islands.  You enjoy every well-deserved moment of it!!

dressager - I'll join you in wuss-world!  Goldlining and bdavis are pretty amazing (and a tad intimidating!!).  = )

Night all!

Hi Dressager - I agree with the others... you should be fine! I'm 3 1/2 months out, 47, have done no marathons in my life and probably won't, took a good couple of months of to heal enough to really feel "back to normal-ish", get around well and stand up totally straight comfortably (I was pulled tighter than normal, though.) Have a wonderful trip!

I had my surgery in November so that I would have 3 months to be healed up by the time my Daugher had her baby boy... on Feb 20th (which turned out to be exactly 12 weeks from surgery!) So I am a new first time Grandma now for 3 weeks and am SO in love with this little guy!!!! She found out she was pregnant right about the time I was diagnosed last year, too...... 

I'm going to have stage 2 in May and have some necrosis at the very top on my left side. I look forward to getting rid of it as a big bump/lump there is disconcerting even though I know it's not cancer. I just hope it doesn't take out too much volume. 

TexasRose - Love your anesthesia story!!! Oh Yes... they WILL be paying for that!! Or maybe they want to show you how that should be done without their services? 

Ladies, It is so good to be back on this thread.  I never should of stayed away so long.  I have to get ready for work but will answer your questions tonight.  Take care.  Dutchy...Evelyn

Eeks.  I'm getting closer . . . preop with the PS today and at the hosptial on Thursday.  I sent an email to my close friends updating them on my surgery.  It's becoming r.e.a.l.!

Hi Ladies,

I'm having a very difficult time right now - not physically, but decision wise. I saw my PS for follow up yesterday. Everything looks good and I'm healing well, then we turned to next steps. Right now I'm feeling a bit lost, I don't know what to do. I don't have a close girlfriend here to talk this over with either. DH is supportive, but basically says do what you want to do. I had a UMX on the right side with DIEP reconstruction. Before surgery I was a G cup size. I'm 5'1" with a fairly big bone structure. So here are my options and thinking.

Option 1 - leave right breast as it is now (it's at least a D cup if not more), do a lift and small reduction on the left side to match the right, then do nipple on the right (he says he can do it with the skin that's already there). This means, I think, just one more outpatient surgery for the left side and then just local for nipple and tattooing. Disadvantages of this - bigger boobs than I really want

Option 2 - do lipo on the right breast to decrease it to a C cup (1 surgery), wait 2 months and then do a lift and reduction on the left side to match the right (2nd surgery), then do nipple on right as above. This means 2 more surgeries rather than one, but getting my breasts to where I *think* I want them. Disadvantages of this - 2 surgeries (although I haven't had any issues yet with the surgeries and heal quickly), and the what if - what if they end up too small (DH asks, what's too small? - I don't know)

And I seriously can't decide what I truly want to do. PS says he doesn't want to do the lipo and lift in the same surgery because then symmetry can be off, it's better to do the lipo then wait and then do the lift/reduction on the other side, that way he can match better.

Sorry to go on so long, I'm just really struggling with what to do.

I also have small dog ears that the PS will fix during whichever surgery is first, but that's not a biggie.

So, anyone have any brilliant words of wisdom for me? I THINK I'm leaning towards 2 surgeries so that I can get what I really want out of all of this, but it is 2 surgeries which worries me. I'm also in the process of losing weight and don't know how much more I'll lose in the breasts - not THAT much I don't think.

Last thing - I'm a teacher and plan any big surgery for the summer so the lipo would be spring break and then the lift/reduction would be in summer.

Thanks for being my shoulder to lean on, thanks for listening, now I just have to make a decision. Aargh!!!