Diep 2012

I'm actually in the same boat as Rainess......but i'd like a little more information from you ladies if possible.   I'm currently scheduled for a Lat flap surgery with silicone implants on 1/3.   A surv sister shared with me the DIEP method and was very happy with it.   My PS said she does not do them and I would have to go to someone else.   There is a Dr. here in Phoenix who does the surgery and i've read that people have traveled to go to him.   His pictures seem normal based on other pictures of the final outcome that i have seen yet i have not spoken to him yet.   

My questions are about the process itself.   What made you ladies choose the DIEP method over the others.   I'm an active person so of course i'm not fond of my muscles being cut and repositioned.....but what is the long term effects of DIEP?   what circumestances made you choose DIEP?   Is there anyone who has had the surgery with regrets?  please help educate me.  My other issue was that i'm tall and big boned.....i had larger breasts (DD) prior.....and although i'm not concerned with going that big again....i would like to be more proporationate.   I was told that the DIEP option will help me with that......whereas the surgery i currently have scheduled will only allow me to be MAAAAYBE a small C.   is that true?   does anyone have experience with that?

i just need help......any thoughts would be sincerely appreciated.    Thank you!

Did anyone have lymphedema issues after their diep? I was told I would have an increased risk of this swelling on one side because of radiation.

Definitely no regrets here. I'm 6 weeks out and only have a bit of tightness in my tummy, which is normal and would probably improve quicker if I exercised! I can't say I really suffered any pain at all, not even immediately after surgery. All I had was a bit of soreness at the drain exit sites and at the ends of my abdo scar. I hate the sound of having TEs and implants and am thankful I was eligible for DIEP. Apart from the lack of nipples and areolas, my breasts still look and feel very natural. I'm so happy with the results I wish I had done it years ago when maybe they would have both been prophylactic...

Sptmm62, I work in dept where we put the drains in. I took out my own stitches too.



My rad side has issues still,soft at top harder at bottom. My PS is going to lift and reduce the leftbreast more for part 2, & add some lipo to that rt side. Both nipples have hair growing on them. They just look so differant now. The rt had large TE in it and has football scar, the left has lollipop scar. Looks like i will be a b size.



My ps recommends compression until 8 weeks out. I feel like a sausage in casing. Can do compression daytime after 4 weeks. Does everyones docs have similar guidelines? My original ps said no compression at all

Yea sptmm62!! I hope you feel as well as I do today. I feel like I turned the first corner even though I'm still pretty tight. I'm with Fran though and about ready to pull the last drain myself. The np said I had to keep it until my appt mon. Hope things are getting better on the east coast. Have a great wkend everyone!

It was 5 weeks yesterday since my surgery. Was back at my full-time office job this week and made it through the week - just very tired by the end.



My PS does not give any directions for abdominal compression after this surgery, but after reading about all of you who are using it I hauled my "hold it all in granny pants" out of the bottom of my drawer the other day. After wearing them for a whole day at work I was much more comfortable and less swollen and tight in the abdomen by the end of the day. I have about 3 different pairs of these things that I bought over the years (could never find a very comfortable pair) so will be washing pretty much everyday unless I can be bothered going shopping to buy some more - hardly worth it for a couple of weeks wear though.



I really feel like I have turned a corner this week. I can now sleep (carefully positioned) on my sides again and I stopped having to have the pillow under my knees in bed. I can move from sitting to standing wothout having to strategise too much beforehand.



My incisions are well healed, however there are a few places where internal stitches are working their way out a bit. The nurse and PS said this was normal and to just snip them as they get long enough. Problem is that they don't seem to be working further out but just sitting with a tiny bit poking through. Doesn't hurt or irritate physically but is irritating psychologically!



Jenn

Dnadebbs, to add to the other responses about choosing diep...I have to admit that last week I was having a hard time looking at myself and asking why I had mutilated my body so. The first week post surgery was tough for me both physically and emotionally but I am early in my bc journey. At 10 days out I feel very different now. My new breasts are still a bit numb but I couldn't have asked for better incisions and I know they will end up looking and feeling very natural. I have a small circular scar and 2 inch horizontal scar toward one side. I didn't want to deal with te and replacement implants all my life. Plus the complaints of firmness and how cold implants feel didn't help. I know these breasts are still me and will age gracefully with me. Everyone told me they just keep getting better with time. My ps also described diep as taking all the risk up front relative to implants which entails risk over multiple years and procedures. I liked the idea of having diep and never having to worry about contractures, leaking, etc. That's just my thinking if it helps you. Wishing you strength and good luck as you make your decision!

dnadebbs... I live in NJ and saw Dr Allen in NYC and a local PS and in the end decided to travel to NOLA... I suggest you inquire locally and distantly and see what your options are. Traveling is far easier than it sounds. And all my local doctors thought I was crazy and discouraged me from getting on a plane. But I did what I KNEW was right for me. And here I am a year post stage II and my doctors are eating their words. A) you need to trust the team 110% you need to feel comfortable with the financial burden C) You don't want any regrets later so don't take any shortcuts up front and D) (most importantly) your surgeon should have hundreds or thousands of DIEP under their belt... experience is paramount here.

sptmm62 How long was your surgery?  After the surgery the breasts  are hard but, as everything starts to heal, the change is amazing! 

Beckers, my surgery was just last week so my breasts are still firm.  Everyone says they will soften over time.  They look pretty good.

Rebecca.. Thanks for asking... I am fine. Got my power back on Tuesday. I have been hosting my parents and a friend of my son who were/are powerless. My parents and brother (from LI) still don't have power, and my sister lives on the CT coast, so she has some major issues... Lots of damage here in NJ - the coast is destroyed. I have many friends who have lost their homes - luckily, they are second homes. For me, I got gas this morning without a line, so improvement there. No work or school since the storm, so looking for that to get back to normal. School campus had about 200 downed trees and lots of downed wires, so who knows when we get back to that. And of course my son is a senior, so we're dealing with college app deadlines/extensions.

Funny cg i went for a walk yesterday and noticed i was walking a littles hunched over. I had to consciously keep reminding myself that if i could lay flat on the recliner I could stand upright! I am glad to know it isnt just me.

For those on the cusp of being straightened up at 6 weeks, I am almost a year out now (Dec 15 last year), and when I am not thinking, I catch myself stooping slightly, say, when I am trying to make a quick dash to the washroom between appointments. Since 6 weeks, I can straighten up but I have to consciously do it even now. Also good news, I have not done anything as far as oil or ointment on the scar, and it's completely blended and to me, looks invisible, in the centre where it is stretched by the straightening up. The ends of the scar at the hips are pink because they don't get stretched and I don't massage them as much as maybe I could. I don't know when it happened but the bloaty bigness is gone. I now really notice when I can't resist a big meal because the stomach protrudes more than the lower abdomen. Kind of freaky. Most importantly, I also didn't notice when it happened, but in the past couple of months, my head came back. The fog has gone. I just pulled through a really intense couple of months for deadlines, and coped fine. (Hate to think about having a touch up and more anaesthesia, but I will. However, I am going to lay down some productivity now, and do it maybe in the summer.) I just wanted to give you some good news from not too far out along the path.

All sounds like me Fran... except my slightly radiated breast is actually larger than the other. The PS made it slightly larger in case it did some shrinking. It is barely noticeable but he did say it could be fixed when I do the nipple origami surgery early next year.



Jenn

Good to hear everyone's progress! And good luck Marcie! I got my last drain out today and commenced with the irritating binder. I can see why you all bought marenas. I can't wait to get rid of this. Am super grateful for clear nodes and margins today. Am not seeing ps again until dec and he'll evaluate whether I need stage 2. I am very tender and need to work on range of motion. Everything else is healing well but energy is still limited. Husband has been wonderful but heading back to work. Cancer has stolen a bit of my dignity and modesty at times but it has also reminded me of all the love I have from family and friends. I am blessed.