DIEP 2013

Well dnaddbs you made me laugh right out loud just now reading your post about the wrong doctor!!  I needed that now I will go onto my next patients room with a smile on my face!!!!!  It is hard for some of us to find a local doctor though - I totally understand.  I am in the medical field and have lots of connections but in some areas of the country there are not as many trained in particular things.  I am going for my own 3rd opinion to another plastic surgeon 2 hrs away tomorrow just to make sure I have researched the best I can before making a decision on if to have DIEP or not as initial reconstruction. 

Heavens child, I just had a breast lift and fat grafting in a stage 2 surgery. You mentioned breast pain. I have INTENSE stinging pain going on in my right breast. It is not near any incisions. Is this what you are experiencing? Does this resolve with time? I can handle the lipo much more than this sharp pain. It is not constant. It comes and goes. I have had a few "episodes" today.

Thanks Heavenschild. It really is my only complaint as otherwise I am doing quite well for four days out. I will look forward to this subsiding! Whew!!!!

Greetings....It has been one year since I first felt the lump...ended up being DCIS...but in several locations and pre-cancer indications on other breast so I eventually, after 3 lumpectomies, decided on bi-lateral mastectomy with modified DIEP reconstruction (aka muscle sparing TRAM).  Surgery on 7/25/12 and cancer free!!  If anyone who is trying to decide wants to contact me, I would be happy to discuss why I went the way I did (two sisters with cancer did impact my decision!), or any other aspects of the sugery (13 hrs) and recovery.   I am so glad I went the way I did...still some residual effects, but all in all, a positive outcome.

I spoke with around 20 women before I decided and got great input including questions to ask MD, so if you have questions about anything, please PM me or e-mail MiamiU72@aol.com and put cancer question as subject.

Hoya03mom - I emailed you, thanks for bouncing on the site!  What a journey this is...

dnadebbs - my PS did great cosmetic work, but last time I saw him he was in and out in five minutes, I really needed a lot more assurance than I got and still have more questions than answers.  I would go back to him because he is an artist (I think I now have the cutest bellybutton in town now), but for reassurance I need to look elsewhere.

Christina, I am so sorry that DIEP won't work for you, but I have yet to hear that a really fit gal can't have GAP surgery.  Before you go to implants, please see if you can find a PS in your are who does GAP - taking the tissue from the upper or lower hip or thigh.  

3Mom...We're all different in our needs and wants. Hope you find peace with whatever route you take.Some ladies are fine with implants, just as some chose to do no recon and are fine with that. It is so hard to juggle all this while still being a working mom with young kids. The good thing about implants, is, they don't rule out other paths in the future, and surgery is progressing by leaps and bounds. Stay well, stay strong.....you'll be in our thoughts. 

Keznick...OMG....stop the insanity eh! Yes, it does get hard to be strong sometimes. So sorry to hear of your complications, but glad to hear you are now back home. That must mean things have been resolved?????? Rest up, you've been through it for sure. ((((((x))))))

Keznick - you poor thing. You are right, it does get tiring having to be strong all the time! I hope now that you are home you can be pain free and get some rest.



Today marks 4 weeks since my surgery. I am doing well. I wouldn't say I'm 100% upright. I'd say I'm 98%, but am walking, driving and getting out and about. I keep having to remind myself to stand up!! My stomach just feels really tight.



One other thing I've changed is the stomach binder. I find it uncomfortable and it moves around when I stand/sit etc. Instead I've started wearing shapewear underwear. I find it supports my stomach and back, gives gentle compression to help with swelling, and is much more comfortable.



Tomorrow is also my 2 year cancerversary! Yay for 2 years!!

sbelizabeth....I hear ya girl....I am actually looking forward to going shopping, once the alien is gone, and the "all me, all the time" arrives!!!!!! As of this morning.....42 days out YIPPEE. Getting a bit scared of the early recovery days, but not of the surgery itself...weird. But I think it's because I have so many details about the surgery, but recovery is something that can only be "guesstimated", since we are all different in how our bodies heal.

Kiwimum....are you having much swelling in the tummy area? My surgeon says he doesn't routinely have ladies use compression. I told him I was concerned about my back, which can act up if stressed, and was wondering if some kind of ab support would help support my back during the early "bent over" days. He said I could ask for one at the hospital, if I wanted one, and it would be fine with him. I'm thinking that like you have found, the hospital version will be less comfortable than something I could find in the shapewear line. I'm not expecting to go the "industrial strength" support unless I have major problems.

Faith729 - it is normal to mourn the loss of a part of ourselves. It's just horribly personal and only someone who has been through it would understand. I thought I have having a nervous breakdown because I was crying over losing my breasts, but it is okay to grieve the loss. Be kind to yourself - gentle cyber hugs your way.



p.s. Although the new foobs don't feel the same, they look GREAT and my hubby is very pleased, so cosmetically it is a wonderful SX.

Sending hugs Faith!



Nihahi - yes I do have a fair bit of swelling in my ab area still. In fact I'm struggling with clothes because my waist is lovely and flat, but bigger. I tried on a dress of mine the other day and couldn't do up the waist. To say I was disappointed was an understatement!! I'm counting on my waist reducing as the swelling goes down or I'll be very unhappy!! Anyone with any tips on timeline?



The shapewear pants I'm wearing are gentle and make me feel supported. I've been having sore back issues from still hunching a bit and they help me hunch less.

Faith-you sound completely normal.....I swung back and forth on my mood swing-all the time. It is natural to grieve the loss of part of what makes you "you". Heck, the night before my bmx, I stood in the shower and cried-partly for my soon-to-be-departed boobs, but mostly over fear of the unknown. The unknowns of surgery, post-surgery healing, and altered appearance. It is scary, but a good friend (and b/c survivor) told me: "time to let go of your girls-they're trying to kill you!" That is literally what got me out the door the morning of my surgery. Here I am, 6 weeks later, and though I have had some issues, I am thrilled with my adopted girls, and would most certainly do it all over again, in a heartbeat.



Try not to over think everything. Go and have fun at your boobvoyage party (I LIKE that name!)......and the morning of your surgery tell your girls, I'm sorry, but it's time for you to go-I'm taking control again. You will be fine. And don't worry about what you look like in 30 days....it takes time to heal, and feel better about yourself.

Namaste and God Bless, Jackie

I've got a week until my DIEP surgery and I have to admit, I'm incredibly nervous and wanted to thank you all for sharing your insights and experiences (it is VERY helpful!).  I just met with the PS again today and I asked him if there was anything I need to purchase (binders, bras, etc.).  I was basically told that he doesn't like to use binders and that I would just have the bra that they would put me in.  At this point, I'm not quite sure what to do.  Should I even bother getting one then if he didn't recommend anything?  I'm also slightly concerned that he indicated as a possible issue from the DIEP would be an abdominal bulge that could happen.  He didn't say he thought it would happen to me, but I found it funny that was the only thing that he stressed could be an issue.  I know this PS does a lot of DIEPs and comes highly recommended by my BS (who I totally trust) as well as many other women on these boards that have had it done with him. 

Did any of you buy a walker or a cane to get around the house?  For your first-post op appointment (I have mine a week after the surgery), were you able to walk to the doctor's office easily for the appointment?  I feel like I'm in the minority here, but I haven't had any treatment yet for my BC (diagnosed 2 months ago) and had to wait this long to get my BS and PS together on the same day.  Sorry for the random questions, but I thought I had it together but now nerves have got the best of me....

Cuetang, I had my first post-op appointment yesterday (9 days after surgery) and I was able to walk no problem, just a bit hunched over.

Otherwise, at 10 days out things are going really well (knock on wood!). All three drains came out yesterday and I'm relieved to report their removal didn't hurt (I was really dreading that after experiencing pain in the drain removal after my mastectomy 2 years ago). I felt I was walking on air after that appointment -- my husband and I went out for milk shakes to celebrate! I was also relieved that my PS released me to return to work (I have a desk job, no lifting) on 3/11, which will be roughly my 3-week mark.

I'm still fairly tired and my back hurts when I'm up and around for any length of time, but I'm gradually straightening up. My PS encouraged me to straighten as much as possible, so I'm gently trying to stretch up and not give in totally to the (very strong!) impulse to hunch over. I'm also trying to walk and do the stairs as much as possible.  I wish it were warmer -- or at least not icy -- outside for walking. I make my son act as "scout" in front of me to warn of icy spots! I'm off pain meds now, except at night, though even then it's more for discomfort than for pain.

I'm undecided about the whole binder thing. I'm wearing the one from the hospital today and it does seem to help with my back fatigue in particular. I haven't really been using up till now (or a bra), as it irritated my drains. My PS said either way was ok, and that it might help with swelling but it was OK not to wear, too. I'll keep experimenting.

I did have a rough night last night, as I just couldn't get comfortable with the pressure and bloating in my abdomen (maybe I should have been wearing the binder more yesterday!). The wedge pillow under my back and other pillow under my knees, which had worked so well up till then, just were not cutting the mustard. Putting the binder on didn't help, nor did a Percocet. I actually sort of panicked, as the night wore on and I got all agitated with the discomfort and imagining my stomach was getting more and more distended. I think I freaked out my husband too!

In the light of morning, I realized it was probably just swelling and pressure caused by fluid that was no longer being drained out (I was down to very little from my drains when they were removed, but still some) and I just have to adjust to a slightly more swollen feeling for a while. I was able to nap just fine later in the day, and I'm hopeful tonight will go better. The whole swollen-belly thing is odd.

Faith -- I hope you're holding up as you go through this wave of sadness. I certainly had to go through that, repeatedly, as I approached my surgeries. After two years of no reconstruction, I even found myself grieving the loss of my no-boob body as I approached the reconstructive surgery, even though I had been very unhappy in that state. It was still a change in me, and therefore a loss.

I also wanted to say that I hope you won't feel you need to stay away from these boards when you're feeling sad like that. If anything, that's the very time to reach out and connect, if that's what will help you. It's a huge reason so many of us come here, and we are honored to "be" with you during such times.

Hope everybody else is doing well. Thanks for sharing here and please keep it comin'!