DIEP 2013

And yes you will feel different when you wake up! When I woke up from mx I was sad that my breast was gone and scared that they would still find cancer somewhere even after months of chemo. My first question was how much the breast that was gone weighed. And was crying.



When I woke up from DIEP my first request was to see it and 1st question was if they were able to do DIEP and the answer was yes and I was so happy. My mom walked in and I said, "Do you want to see it?" and ripped my gown open. It's a happy thing.....or it was for me anyway.

can somebody help me get to, or find the photo gallery on this site? I would love to see some real life before and afters.

Thanks, ssla.  i will give it a try.

I'm totally in on a recipe swap! I have alot of weight to lose during chemo and rads so my flap surgery isn't too problematic. Love the quinoa recipe ideas. Brussels Not so much! Lol.

I had BMX, skin sparing, in October with immediate TE placement. It was very hard. I was 6 weeks post chemo and I did not do well with TEs. I had them removed ten days later and had complicat Ions with that procedure. I lived on pain meds for a few weeks. Rads followed Nov- Jan.



I returned to work in late January and got stronger as the semester went on (I teach). I had SIEA two weeks ago and it has been so much easier. I expected it to be harder but it isn't for me. Between the TEs and the chemo and the emotionally draining experience of mx in the first place, I found that surgery much harder. DIEP is rebuilding, not taking away.



Everybody is different but you should not worry. Good luck!

Thank you everyone! Im just getting nervous as I get closer.

My surgery is less than a month away now.  I too am getting nervous.  I'm working hard to eat healthy (high protein, no sugar and low carbs) so I'm losing weight -which is fine with my ps.  I'm also walking two to three miles a day each day on the treadmill in our complex workout room. (to build cardio)  Add to that this is the busy season at work (I am the make-it-happen fairy at a landscape company) and you would think that I'm too exhausted to be getting nervous, but I am. 

I'm getting an RX for embrey (proactive since they don't want me barfy) and I'm going to ask for ativan at my preop- otherwise I'll be a wreck by the time I get to the hospital.

I'm mostly concerned about the recovery and pain issues.  I hate pain meds. (although I'm fine with Ativan) After my first BC partial mastectomy my sister (who is a nurse) insisted that I take at least one vicodin.  That was enough for me, I dealt with the upper arm pain and the drain pain rather than take another vicodin.  I'm told I'll wake on a morphine drip and don't know what kind of 'high' to expect from that.  (if someone could clue me in I'd appreciate it)  I'm pretty sure I'll be asking to be off the meds asap, but my ps really wants me on the morphine pump in the begining, and I will do what he wants.

Thank you again for all the info on this thread.  I don't talk a lot, but I'm here reading and soaking in all the well thought out advice!

Flappers.....been reading, but not posting too much. Such an active bunch! Thanks for the kind words about my Onsen experience....was totally prepared to go in there and rock their boats, and instead, they rocked mine.......such a positive experience.



Still recovering from jet lag....for some strange reason it has been a delayed reaction from this trip-I am more tired now, than the day after I returned.



Since we are on the subject of recipes, I will say that last week was the healthiest I have ever eaten......I managed to loose 3 pounds (as of today) ....no idea whether it is due to eating the Japanese diet, or the fact that I used chopsticks for 9 days! Kidding aside, vegetables are the FIRST thing I eat at every meal ( including breakfast-where I have been eating a Persian cucumber salad with my egg. Yum!) I have been cooking all Japanese meals this week ( I know.....I'm obsessed!). Monday it was sushi & salad, Tuesday was Yakiniku ( grilled meat-beef-and lots of veggies) , and tonight was ShabuShabu........hot pot veggies and thin slices of beef that are swished in the pot ( with chopsticks) about long enough to say: "ShabuShabu", and then pull the strip out with your chopsticks......love that dish! Takes so much effort, that I have to think seriously whether I really want to eat something!



For those of you facing difficulties.....you are in my prayers.....for those recovering, you are as well. And those coming up, I am in your back pocket! You can do this!



Love to all.......



Namaste and God bless- Jackie

Hi Ruth. Looks like I'm the other no sleeping night owl tonight. Ugh!

Robin, why don't you want to take pain meds? Do they make you sick? I had the pump when I woke up from my surgery, but only used it a couple of times. The recovery was really painless for me and fast! I was on only Tylenol on the third day post op. to me it wasn't painful, just discomfort.

So..., your job is landscapes? I would live for somebody to tell me what to do with my from yard where we keep missing grass because it doesn't get enough sun lightf

Here is a nice product developed by a survivor....www.thecushy.com



It covers the seatbelt and provides a nice cushion for incision areas. I bought one but really wish I had two! One for belly and one for new breast.



Love the recipe exchange idea!



B

Bailey, I started running at 4 weeks. My ps told me to listen to my body. Whenever I feel I can't keep going I just take a break and walk. So really, I run on intervals.

Ssla I hope you were able to go to sleep. I did 30 minutes after I took my ambien.

Robingy - I had all if the above, morphine, percoset and Vicodin - NONE made me feel 'high' at any point. Demerol however did and I asked the PS to not have me take it again. I was in pain, no medals given for martyrs (smile) - so took it when it mattered most and decreased when not as needed until off with Tylenol as needed. I kept thinking I would get high - "wasn't this stuff the things people get high with?" - but not then for me. However- after being off heavy meds for a while I took a Percoset one time (can't remember what pain made that seem like an ok thing to do) and FELT LOOPY - so knew at that point it was too strong for that pain and that it helped get through the immediate post surgery pain because it was strong enough, but no thank you for times other than when it was truly needed!



Robin, It's okay to feel nervous! At some point i would guess ALL of us have been - I surely was before surgeries. Heck I finally broke down and called a gastro doc yesterday and have a 2:00 appointment today - IBS for 30 years a family thing- AND I am nervous about it! He isn't going to remove, move, or fill ANYTHING in my body - not at all thinking cancer, but still nervous! So don't

Feel bad about feeling nervous - I think it's normal - however these ladies can surely answer most of your concerns from experience. Hoping you will soon be peaceful with your path you choose!



Kuka and Nahihi - I slept great last night, even though the AC is out until at least Friday - and hot in Atlanta, the good Lord provided rain, lightening and a cooler night, the DH provided a oscillating tower fan from our sun porch and the bedroom provided a ceiling fan - so humming of the tower, movement from the fan and Grace from God I slept!!!! Hope you both do tonight!

Bailey, I got all four of my drains out on post-op day 9, and I was on my mountain bike on post-op day 11.  The leaning-over posture was much more comfortable that struggling to stand upright, and I just tootled along enjoying the fresh air, sunshine, and the chance to move my body.  I was on my bike almost every day after that, gradually increasing the time and challenge of the ride.  I love to ride trails--I don't worry about getting hit by a truck--but I avoided the intense, technical ones for a time so as to not jostle the girls too much.

Here's my favorite chili recipe.  if you make it with ground turkey or no meat at all it's still great.  To print it off this post, highlight the recipe, right click, and click "copy."  Then paste it onto a Word file, and there you have it. 

Wendy’s Chili 

2 pounds ground beef

29 oz can tomato sauce

29 oz can kidney beans, with liquid

29 oz can pinto beans, with liquid

1 medium onion, chopped

2 chilis, chopped (I use Anaheim chilis)

¼ cup celery, chopped (2 stalks)

3 medium tomatoes, chopped (I use a 15 oz can diced tomatoes)

2 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp salt

2 cups water 

Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat; drain off the fat 

Using a fork, crumble the cooked beef into pea-size pieces.

In a large pot, combine the beef and all the remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer over low heat.  Cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for about 2-3 hours. 

In a crockpot, you can cook it all day.

Oh, Nihahi...of course I knew that!  If you ever REALLY want to offend me, you'll have to preface your remark with the phrase "this is mean to offend you."  You couldn't ever say anything inadvertently that I would take the wrong way; I know you love me.  And it's the truth, I'm a little crazy.  Just ask my kids.

Yeah, I'm outa here too.  Gotta go to work.