DIEP 2013

Goldie.....you are such a positive presence here.....always giving positive encouragement! Love it! (And thank you so much!)

Sherbarb.....I blew open soon after DIEP......wet to dry saline-soaked gauze for 3 weeks......PS is right....not a big deal in the overall scope of things.....but it is pretty upsetting, nonetheless......make sure you have a definite treatment outlined by the PS.....and you can do it......it WILL. Heal.

Love you awesome ladies!

My MO was without opinion on my hyster & oopherectomy. She said that was up to me. My tumors showed mildly ER +. However, my obgyn said TAKE IT OUT to reduce my risks. I also had fibroids. Normally I might not listen to the advice of a nononcologist about my cancer.....however....the obgyn has been treating me for 25 years. We know each other well. They are great doctors. I trust their judgement. 

Another factor in my decision was the fact that chemo threw me into instant and complete menopause. I was already experiencing the hot flashes, vaginal dryness and sleeplessness. So wth. 

I was already a delayed DIEP, so decided to do that sx first. They took my ovaries and uterus, but left my cervix. The do a procedure that cones out the area of the cervix that gets cancer. There is some belief that keeping the cervix can aid in future, uh, satisfaction? And, even better,  can help keep the bladder from prolapsing. I definitely like my bladders unprolapsed.

Hystersisters.com is a good place for information on hysterectomy and oopherectomy and related such-n-such.

I am wide awake at zero dark thirty...guess I will start the day. Later, friends.

Well, it's over first below freezing temp morning in Texas this season. Yeah. When I walked last night my face went numb. Being from the east coast this makes me feel better, I know, weird! I am sitting on a heating pad right now so I can drink my smoothie without my teeth chattering.

Movie, thank your kind words. It means so much that I might be able to make somebody feel a little better, because there is no doubt that this group has done that for me.

Bailey, I had something called a Supracervical Hysterectomy, which means I kept my cervix, and all I could think about was if they took it then I would feel like a one way street, because from what I understand if they take it then they have to sew up the back of the vagina. LOL. Don't know anything about the coning. Will ask my gyno when I see her again.

good morning ladies!

Well I made the three week mark! I shaved my legs and swiffered my house so I am definately making progress.

Sherbab- my incision didn't come apart on its own but they did have to open it up due to an infection. It's been one week now and I am stuffing it daily. I know it is nerve wracking having an open wound. Just follow drs orders to keep it clean.

Christina and Goldie- I see a little clear thread on my belly button. Scared if I touch it I might unravel.

Hope your kids feel better RHGSR and you got your z-pak. I was downing the chicken soup days before my surgery.

Cherrie-happy belated b-day!

Mammalou--congrats on stage two. Hope you are feeling well this morning.

Hope everyone is staying warm. 24 degrees here this morning. Not ready for winter yet!

Yeah, Mamma!!!!!

All sounds good so far. Did he touch your tummy at all?

I've been reading along. Just being quiet. On Monday my PS removed the remaining dead skin and then stitched up the right breast from Stage 2. I have to say that I wish he would have given me a light sedation. I was so tense and it hurt in some areas. He numbed me but some areas have more feeling than others.

Anyway, it seems I catch everything that comes by since Stage 1. I was just starting to feel better and Stage 2 has knocked me on my ass again. Ugh. Just a reminder I also had a hernia surgery so it was a long Stage 2. 6.5 hours. I will feel better soon and I'm sure a huge part of this is a cold and just feeling sorry for myself. Lol

I wish all of you well and it IS worth it. Even feeling this crappy today - it is SO worth it.

Lucy - Stage 1 was over 12 hours so I think my body is just exhausted. Thanks for the well wishes!

I did get tested for BRCA. I'm + for a gene mutation of BRCA 2. Breast cancer is on my moms side but the gene came from my dad. His mom had ovarian cancer. Thankfully ? I had a hysterectomy and oopherectomy at age 30, 5 years prior to my BC diagnosis. I was still ER+. I call IBC my delayed ovarian cancer. Sick humor that I have ;-) .

mammalou-is he not touching your tummy for a year because it is too tight or because of the infection? I was going to try to do stage two by the end of year. That was pushing it already but now with the ab incision infection my guess is that won't happen....hello to another max out of pocket!

Hi all,

I haven't posted in some time although I do read the posts - by the time I'm finished I'm too tired to contribute..:-) Back to work last week and working full days now. Feeling good, somewhat tired but doing a lot better at 7 weeks out. Re the genetic testing, I have 3 sisters, one of my sisters had BC twice and now I had it twice. Neither of my older sisters had it. My sister that did have it and I were both tested and were neg. There is another genetic test called BART that further looks for mutations which I had done a few months ago and that was also neg. My onc told me they have additional testing and I should talk to my BS about it which I will do at some point. So... I went to see my PS on Monday - I had a UTI that just came on Saturday so didn't get much sleep on Sunday night (got some antibiotics later Monday). So, I didn't have any questions planned (cuz I was tired and I just thought once he examined me we would have a dialog and questions would arise). So, he looked at my abdomen and it looks good and he says so anything else?? WTH? Why yes, I have a new boob that you created - would you like to freaking look at it?? I have a wound on the boob (caused by radiated skin) that I've been treating with silvadene cream and the VNA thought that he might want to scrape it to bring it along more. So, I reminded him of the wound and he said ok and it looked at it - said he doesn't scrape and to just treat it with aquaphor. I said what about a nipple and he said oh yes we can do that. Ok, so I said 'is there anything else I should know'? He just said just make an appt for Jan. Now, I do think the boob looks very good - much better than what I had because I had two lumpectomies so I was pretty deformed so I'm pretty happy. And he is probably the best DIEP PS in CT so I'm happy to have had him but I sure do wish he'd spend more time with me. He has never mentioned anything about a stage 2. So when did your PS' mention a stage 2? And why? I'm thinking this guy doesn't do them.. so am just wondering why a lot of you are having it. Thanks!

Hi goldie,

Thanks for responding. I think my tummy looks good - I think I have the dog ears.. not sure about a muffin top?? I think he did a really good job with the new boob - it's pretty much the same size as my other and I haven't had that in so long that it looks great to me. A little swollen (?) underneath my arm pit - really if it wasn't for reading your posts I would think I was done (except for nipple).

Hi -- I have a question for those of you on the other DIEP side -- does it feel any different to give someone a hug?  I'm not sure how the numbness works in that context.  I was out for dinner with my aunt and uncle who are passing through on their way to Texas for the winter and that thought popped into my mind as we were saying goodbye and my aunt hugged me a little tighter and wished me luck (which of course made me start crying on my drive home -- darn hormones!)   If it works out, I might go down and spend a week with them in the sun and warm weather during my recovery -- would be a nice break from winter in Toronto!

Ridley - I think it feels different to hug. I was told that I probably wouldn't have full feeling back in my stomach region for about 9 months. I have noticed more and more these past couple of weeks I am getting some feeling back and it feels weird....it is not coming back in a uniform way so some areas have more feeling than others and bandaids could hurt on one side taking it off and not on the other but they are in the same region. Very strange.

I would also love to get out of here in the summer! Too hot though we have a beautiful clear, cool and crisp evening going on.

You Texans are welcome to come to Toronto in the summer, but its probably not that much better -- we end up over 100 with humidity on lots of days unfortunately.   Eastern Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunwick) are generally a lot better for enjoyable summer weather -- really beautiful country.

LucyV - congrats on hitting the 3 week mark! I suspect you are through the hardest part. Good times are ahead!

Carmelle, I wonder if your PS wants you to heal up more before scheduling more surgery. If you still have a wound that warrants care from a visiting nurse, I wonder if you need to heal more before moving on to more surgeries. Also, my PS does not call it "stage 2," that is just lingo here on the boards for some of us. Once I was fully healed from DIEP, my PS gave me the green light to be scheduled for some "revisions," which not everyone even needs. When you go back in January, you will definitely want to address any concerns you have with your PS as far as the appearance of the new breast(s) and where your surgical sites are. Once all that is right, you'll get scheduled for nipple surgery, if you want them.

Goldie, Just spent some time outside with the dog...yes, I will agree - it is cold My breast surgeon is Lynn Canavan and my PS is Jason Potter. Love them both! How about yours - same - PM if if you don't want to announce here.