DIEP 2013

Sbelizabeth......AWESOME NEWS, we'll be recovery buds, I'm 3 days before you. I know how much you have wanted this, so it's great you weren't told you have months to wait!

Bleugirl....sucks about the seroma. How long did your drains stay in?

ElizabethinPa....understandable that you came away frustrated and feeling "unlistened to" by the PA. However, as frustrating as it must be, it does sound like the PS has good reasons not to jump onto diep as a solution, given that your pain is atypical. How long a wait is it for the pain specialist appt? Sounds like she didn't absolutely rule out a flap, just wants to be sure it would resolve your pain issues. Yes, disappointing, for sure, but does sound like good medical practice. Hang in there.

Kiwimum...sounds like great progress for you. Just wondering, have you been using a recliner or a regular bed? I understand you aren't quite upright yet while on your feet, but are you able to lie flat yet? Or is that rushing things? 

Marty..or anyone...do you know if they encourage you to try lying flat before you are standing straight? It seems we probably spend more time "lying" than "standing" for a number of weeks after surgery, and maybe that makes it harder to get straightened up? I know we aren't supposed to force it though.

Marty...great advice, thanks. Probably normal for those of us in the "waiting room" to try to plan for every possibility, when in reality, we are all so different that although similar, we will each have our own timelines. SOOOooooo tired of waiting.....59 days and counting.

Sounds like everyone is doing well

Keznick I was wondering how long you have to wear the binder for? My ps told me but I forgot what he said they could have different time lines but I'm just curious.



MartyJ which merena did you get? there are two types I found without a bottom half to make bathroom visits more manageable one had shoulder straps I assume so it wouldn't roll down and the other was simply for the middle area about ribs to waist.

Joellelee,

I had my surgery out of state and needed a refill script for percocet. It cant be faxed or called in so patient has to have a paper copy to take to pharmacy.



So please just tell Upenn docs to MAIL it to you. Better yet, ask them to overnight it to you as my microsurgeon kindly did for me.



We all have differing levels of pain tolerance, but only 4 days of percocet for a major surgery such as DIEP? I hope you are doing much better now, but there are plenty of us that still need percocet even 8 weeks post op. I did although just needed it in the evening when pain would set in.

Take care!

Keznick...good to hear from you. Always nice to know that someone is over the biggest hurdles and happily back at home. Sorry to hear of your "day of surgery" issues. Kind of bizarre events! Who told you a nurse's lack of experience slowed down the OR time, cause 6 hours sounds pretty good, from what other people have reported? I'm thinking a 3 hour stay in recovery sounds about right for monitoring you after 6 hours of anesthesia, and monitoring the flap itself. If I remember your story, you had your surgery in Red Deer?

Sounds like getting home has been the best medicine! Glad to hear it is going so well and with minimal pain. We always want to get home, don't we . Happy recovery.

Last drain out, woo hoo!  So nice to lounge around in civilian clothes without grenades attached.  Talked with the PA yesterday with complaints re: skin tenderness and breast pain.  It feels as if the skin is sun burned, although it looks good.  Any manipulation of the breasts is not comfortable, although they have gotten softer.  She said to just give it time.  My concern is that post-radiation, my right breast was painful all the time.  It would be a shame to go through all of this and have two lovely new ta-ta's that no one can touch because they hurt. 

Seagan - just a thought, I found that I needed more help after I got home than in the hospital. 

Kiwi Mum - you are amazing!  I still have to take the strong stuff in the evening as that is when it seems like it still hurts.  I am actually trying not to stretch per doctor's orders as I don't want to open the abdominal incision.

Bleu Girl - sorry about the aspiration, but at least you knew what to look for.   

sbelizabeth - congrats on the SX date!  Yeah!!!!

MartyJ...you are always so calming and reassuring. Just wanted to say thanks for all the guidance you offer to us "wanna-bies and new-bies". 

Hi There  - 

Does anyone have any recommendations of pre-surgery exercises? I'm still waiting for my surgery date, and the limbo is driving me crazy. (Not as crazy as waiting for test results, but still....)

I read on these threads that someone recommended leg squats, so you can rely on those muscles when getting up. Are there other areas of our bodies I should be focusing on to make post surgery less difficult. 

Saegan - I'm with you on the crazy dreams. I think our bodies are so incredibly smart and they give us what we need to get through.( But I do hope you are getting enough sleep). I had a dream last night that I was climbing a crazy cliff and being nervous, I  kept slipping, and then then I slowed down and closed my eyes and started climbing very slowly and let my hands gently brush the rocks and then I started finding places to grab on to - then I stopped being scared and knew with great certainty that as long as I kept going slowly and carefully, I'd aways find something to hold on to, and a place to put my feet. 

I woke up feeling like everything is going to be okay. Then I got a call from my surgeon's office to book my CT scan, so now I'm nervous all over again. But it's so so soencouraging to hear everyone's progress.

Janet

What great posts.  I've been making a list of questions to ask at my preop appointment and you all have given me a lot of ideas. 

My surgery is scheduled for Feb. 26 still a few weeks away but since my son is off school next week we've decided to go for a long weekend at my brother and sister-in-law's beach house to relax before the big event.  I've spent the last few weeks reorganizing drawers to burn off nervous energy and just now realized that because of the trip and our needing to spend the night prior to surgery near the hospital, I really only have this weekend to get what I want to take to the hospital together.  I remember too that someone posted that it helps to put clothes etc downstairs so you don't have to go upstairs all the time.  I've done neither of these things however.  I am spending the day watching Pride and Prejudice and surfing the net.  I think I'm just upset that even though my DH wasn't working today he decided to spend it with his friend going out for a long lunch.  He says they are shopping for Valentines gifts for their wives.  I'm expecting something nice and shinny since lunch is now going on four hours.   Ah well.  My lovely son came home with a Starbucks for me so all is good.

Happy Valentines to you all.

Hi folks!  Joining this thread...albeit a bit late.  I was diagnosed with IDC on January 11.  I decided that I wanted a BMX with immediate DIEP reconstruction.  It's been an uphill battle for nearly a month in trying to line up my BS and the PS that he recommended for the DIEP.  I finally have a date for my surgery, March 8.  Never thought I'd be excited to have major surgery, but since it's been a while since my diagnosis, I'm very eager to get this cancer out of me and move on!  I'm still trying to work through the kinks in my health insurance to get the PS approved (since he's out of network), but I'm hoping everything will go off without a hitch.  I'm just beginning to read this thread and I already see a lot of great tips and feedback.  Thanks!

Ketch and peaceloves dogs - Let us know how are you doing post SX when you can.  Praying for you!

Hi everybody,

I've been lurking here, but not posting. Glad to see Nihahi here though! Just heard from my PS that my DIEP flap surgery is scheduled for May 21. So glad to have a date at last! This TE have been sitting on my chest for more than a year now. It's time for it to go, and a nice, soft boob to come in its place. Let the countdown begin!

Christina... Most women actually have their MX and DIEP all in one surgery. If pathology is unknown, and radiation is a possibility, many surgeons will overstuff that side to accommodate for shrinkage. Some women are delayed because they either chose that route, or they had implants initially and then chose to switch to DIEP or the doctor preferred to delay like your doctor. But I would not say that most delay just to delay. Most have it done in one surgery. The best cosmetic results are when it is part of one surgery, skin sparing etc. Personally, I wouldn't want it split into more than one surgery for aesthetics and anesthesia and recovery.

3Mom, When I had the mastectomy and SNB in Feb. 2012, a TE was placed, because the pathology was unknown. As it turned out, I had a positive node which led to chemo and 25 radiations. Rads finished in July last year, and my PS wanted to wait for the skin and tissues to settle before doing the DIEP. The TE was overfilled before chemo and rads to ensure that there will be enough skin for the DIEP surgery.

3mom, In my case radiation was certain so my PS did insert tissue expanders after my bmx in order to keep the skin stretched because elasticity is lost after radiation. Also the chest skin needs time to recover before the diep procedure which my understanding is that it is beneficial because it then brings new tissue with better blood supply.