DIEP 2013

Goldie, didn't mean to forget you. Glad you're home and healing!

Hey ladies, just found this forum tonight. Please add me to the list. My DIEP is scheduled for (yikes) tomorrow 12/5/13. I'm feeling a tad out of place since joining a BC board wasn't something I expected to do. There's no tidy place to add my dx of Angiosarcoma. I was told I could never own the pink ribbon. But the treatments are similar, surgeries same. I had a lumpectomy 1/19/12 to dx my AS and a UMX right breast on 2/1/12. I've gone thru 33 rads & just shy of a yr of chemo (5 agents). I'm 7 months post chemo & nearly 22 months NED (no evidence of disease) and I hopped on board the recon train as soon as I got a green light. I'm sick of my falsie to say the least. Can't say I read all 365 pages of this discussion, but skimming thru here sure helped. I'm feeling a bit less tense about my impending procedure.

Sydney - I will have mesh put in my tummy during diep. My surgeon explained they use it preventatively. I will not have any muscle taken, but putting in the mesh helps with the occurrence of a hernia in the future. With the mesh I will have a lower chance of a hernia than your average person that has not had diep.

Good very early morning flappers......Wilbur deserted me sometime last night (damn him).....I hate one night stands! Euphoria has given way to the awful fact that I am stuck in the garment from Hell 24/7 for at least two weeks....and possibly much longer......if I wasn't typing on my IPad, I would show the crying face...... ( I know it needs to happen, but I wish Wilbur had stayed longer....even the OxyContin did not allow. Me to sleep through the night....up at 1:30 and again at five am......waaaaaaaaah! Honestly, I cannot imagine doing this voluntarily......I am an Eddie Bauer, LL Bean, REI kind of gal.......and uber-tight girdles just don't fit in! Okay, rant over........I know I have to wear them! and I will! but ugh!!!! It is cramping my style !

Good luck to our ladies coming up this week (and next)....Ocean, you can do this....take an Ativan take an Ativan the night before if anesthesiologist says you can, and one again in the morning....and then JUST show up???that's all you are required to do. Your experienced team will do the rest....and we will be in your pockets cheering you on.....I will choose to believe that Wilbur left me for you, and the other ladies coming up this week, where he will be more needed!

Sbe , I know my rant over all things compression won't deter you....only one more sleep and Santa will be giving you an early Christmas present! Wish I could say more about my nipples, but haven't seen them.....I can shower after tomorrow, but they are pretty covered up for the next two weeks.....PS says Tegaderm for showering, but how will that work???? Isn't that stuff sticky all over??? I can just see me trying to remove it, and taking the nipple with it.....:|

Marianne, kkimich, torontogirl, and Sheri......best wishes for you all, too, as you enter into the Land of Wilbur......may his force be with you!

Okay, will try to get some more sleep........

XO to you all!

Post stage 2b, movie ==> moviestar! Sorry for the insomnia.

3 Cheers to goldie and movie!

welcome to all the new flappers to be

kkmich.....good lord lady, as far as I'M concerned, anyone who thinks you don't "belong" here can take their pink ribbon and put it where the sun don't shine!!!! Positive thoughts on express delivery to you. Safe surgery and gentle healing....THERE....you're one of us!

Movie....I'm sorry to be chuckling, but even in pain and coming off Wilbur meds....you're a hoot! Take it easy, let your body catch up for a day or two, before you start your usual levels of insanity. Hmmm.....I'm with you on questioning the tegaderm...yep....UBER sticky stuff. I guess if you somehow left the "backing" on most of it, and just had the edges be "sticky", but that would be tricky to do. Are you in the same protocol as jeannie, and have to shower in the "squeezer" too? Hang in there, hiking buddy.....trails await us!

goldie....sorry to hear you're having a tough go....from what the other lipo/compression ladies have said in the past, this stage is short lived...hope that is the case for you and movie, too.

ocean.....like others have said...you've got this....just show up. It's not like you have to learn how to do the procedure in 7 days. As much as you can, try to get out with friends or family and do things you enjoy, things that make you relaxed and happy. It'll be of more value to you in the coming days, than a month of intense prep!!!!!

donna....the more you read here, the more you will understand that there is very little that the surgeons have in common, as far as protocol details. What one doc is adamant about, another one dismisses as "whatever you want to do". They all take tissue from your tummy and plant it on your chest.....after that box is "ticked" it's almost like it's each one does their own thing. That's ok, really, as the end result is what we're all going for.

sbe.....good lord woman!!!! Sounds like you're going to have some bruises to explain "pre" surgery! I had to do that, most embarrasing. Are you sitting on a block of ice????? oh....I can send you some!!!!

Have good days ladies.......

Kat-ski- vent away! I hope you don't get an open wound but if you do you will be able to manage. I didn't think I could and now.....5 weeks later it's all healing up.

Nihahi- I get cold just reading your posts! -27 , wind! Do you have a fireplace on 24/7?

Goldie- yay you did it! I hope the pain lessens each day and you get some rest.

Movie- wow , sounds like you are going to have some awesome results. Sorry Wilbur couldn't stay with you longer but he is extra busy this week. Rest and heal.

Lahela- hope you get through to your gyn today!

Mammalou- I'm glad that you put your feet up and hopefully someone made dinner for you!

Zoemon- I hope they figure things out for you quickly.

Donna- I did use my diep time to catch up on a lot of movies. there is really not much else you can do! I found reading harder. Couldn't focus so I stuck to easy quick reads and magazines.

Butterfleye- so sorry to hear about the cording issue. I am not in any official therapy program. I am just doing exercises on my own. I hope it will resolve itself with PT. The weeks are flying by for us right? I feel like I can do more but I still have the five pound weight restriction so I really can't. But I can walk walk walk!

Welcome Sydney and kimchi!

Sbe- I always prefer early appointments. Gives me less time to stress in the morning and cancel! I see some chambers on my wound care visits. Do you have to do anything in there? If my DH yelled "toad" I would keep riding...faster hahaha.

I'm curious... How do they move scars? I have some hypertrophic/keloid scars. I want to get them redone, but I'm worried they just come back the same or worse.

Marty, I actually had my PS take a photo of me all marked up before stage II. I was quite amused by it and by his mental process. I wish I could post the pic with the purple squiggles all over me.

Christina, I woke up with a cold this morning too. I'm sure my favorite granddaughter gave it to me. Babies are little germ motels, but who can resist a cuddle? I'll have to tough it out for Friday's surgery; I'm not postponing this event for anything.

For those who develop keloid-type scarring, injections of a dilute steroid into the scar will flatten it right down. It's a bit of a pinch, but works very well.

My PS has a THING for purple markers. He loves to scribble all over me. Funny...it doesn't make me feel dehumanized, as I did when the radiation techs used to write all over my bare chest. My only complaint is that it gets purple stuff on my dainties.

I did some pre-surgery shopping during my lunch break today. Friday's surgery will include some abdominal muscle tightening, and the PS wanted me to go to Home Depot and buy one of those back-support binder things to help take the tension off the internal sutures. It's a marvel of stretchy material, suspenders, and velcro, and it set me back $14. I wonder what the same thing, distributed by a medical manufacturer, would cost?

I have a couple of friends who have colds, too. I don't want one...Sbel, hope yours is at least a little better by Friday.

Patty, I swear by Zicam. Works well for me. I will add the manuka honey to the list of cold remedies now, thanks

Thank you Lucy and Christina. Well my 3 month road to recovery has taken a detour (plot twist! as Jeannie would say ). My ab pain is due to an infection. I saw Dr Levine today and it was decided I need emergency surgery tomorrow morning to remove the fluid and they will put in a drain. He has to make a new incision as ithe infection is not near the donor site incision (a little puzzling actually-another plot twist).

Good luck to the other ladies in surgery tomorrow - kkmich, Toronto-girl Please send Wilbur my way!

BTW, Lucy- I am also in NY

Hi Betsy,

I was going to PM you actually. Yes Dr Levine was my primary and Dr Allen assisted. Aside from this infection, I am pleased with the results. I will need just a little contouring in stage 2.

Care was very good. He was very attentive and patient with me / my hundred questions and replied to all my emails himself. Are you happy with your last surgery?

Hi It's me. Just wanted to update before lights out. The drain has not drained all day so I am hoping it comes out but hubby said he was told if it stopped draining, they would put a larger drain in. sigh Also, cultures are not back yet so we don't know anything. And to confuse you all, my INR was down too low due to MO giving vitamin k so now it is to the injections. Geeezz, what next. Other than that, no fever and not as angry red. For laughs: 3 year old grandson gets on google talk and wants to play with Snickers. Mommy had to explain it twice about being in hospital. Talking to my daughter and boys make my day!!

There are a lot of gals going into diep surgery and many are recovering. Ya'll are in my pockets and prayers.