Charleston Bound, part 2

Just know how far you have come and.....keep on swimming! January 29 is my 5 year mark, so yes, 4 1/2 years for me in bc land. Hard to believe really. This hell will be over for you, I know it doesn't feel like it now but you are one strong woman. When the fog lifted, there were lots of blessings along the way, and I am grateful.

hi Pink

Yes I was only in for one night. And a fun one at that.  Never felt neausea, but that didn't seem to matter to my body.  Each time I grabbed the bag, the nurse was in the room  putting Meds into my IV.  I am happily taking painkillers.  Going to stay abed today and hope to be able to go out tomorrow.

hi Maggie!  I only spent one night in the hospital. Home mid day yesterday.  The drugs are helping.  Can't sit on commode and when I sat on the sofa my DH had to pull me up. This was not my last as she is still adjusting problems that were created by the original surgery and having had implants for so many years.  Hoping for done next time-whenever tht will be.

brca35 - welcome aboard. You as very fortunate to be in a position to actually make a thoughtful decision.  I don't think any doctor can guarantee only 2 surgeries, but that is very often the case.  If all goes properly with your Stage 1 DIEP, no infections, etc, then you can look forward to Stage 2 being only a few tweaks.  Sometimes, it may take a couple of tweaks to get everything right.  So, count on at least 2, but they are months apart.

I am not a Craigie/Kline patient, I see Dr. Marga Massey.  I did travel to NOLA for my stage 1, but follow ups have been done in Charleston.  I think the PS near you who studied with Dr. Allen may be doing the wise thing and not committing to just 2.  There are some PS who have neglected to even mention a 2nd surgery, much to the dismay of the patient.  If you feel comfortable with your local PS, ask how many DIEP he does each month (if he is doing at least 1 a week, he will have further developed his skills).  

Thanks ladies, 

The PS I am looking at near my home does DIEP one time per week. ( problem is her team doesn't core the nipple and that concerns me a great deal. ) craigie/ Kline and Nola docs all core the nipple. 

My sister just went through a diep with the ps I had original cancelled with last year. I understand how involved it is as I served as sisterly nurse to her throughout the process. Her original surgeon made many mistakes and she is now on her 4 th revision with the plastic surgeon I am now considering near my home. My sister has been through so much and this new ps seems to be fixing the original mess of the first surgeon, but it's taking many surgeries. 

I ask about number if surgeries because I just wanted to see how realistic 2 surgeries was for DIEP if all goes as planned. ( I understand there is never an absolute with diep, just wanted to know if it is possible.) 

I don't mind more surgeries, but I do need to take it into account as I live 5 states away from SC. So each additional surgery would be a large added traveling expense. 

Logistically, it would be easier to do the surgery here. I just can't let go of Craigie/Kline. My heart is with that option.

I have consulted genetic counselor a re: lunch syndrome and genetic colon cancers, but it was deemed unrelated. 

Your feedback so much appreciated!! 

brca35,

I think two surgeries is a very realistic response from the surgeons, especially being prophylactic and having nipple and skin sparing. 

I had so many complications from a tumor being cut away from my chest wall and another tumor smashed in my nipple that had to be removed in several pieces, to 19 lymph nodes removed leaving a big hole and causing severe axillary cording with lymphedema. . . . And then went on to have 35 rounds of radiation which fried me internally and externally with complications that Dr. Kline is still working on.  Talk about a work in progress.  I had my BMX and first recon at another institution, then attempts at revision at yet another institution, then finally third surgeon was a charm as I found Dr. Kline.

I am very thin, and sometimes I wonder if I had had more fat to work with it would make it easier for surgeons to "overstuff" during first surgery, and then at second surgery remove some and sculpt and contour as needed.  Versus having to do a lot of fat grafting.  I can say that I have not had any fat necrosis, which seems to be another common complication that needs to be repaired.  This is just my perspective, and I'm sure Dr. Craigie and Dr. Kline can tell you more about that. Don't hesitate to contact them!  Dr. Kline has been great emailing with me anytime. 

Dr Allen actually only wanted to do one surgery on me and then said I could go to the gym instead of a second surgery.... But if I really wanted one, he would do it.... I didn't hire him.

ketch you sound great!  I haven't been able to keep track of recent surgeries without the list on top.  Ladies please PM Jeskachi with your dates so we can all be there to support you and send positive vibes your way!

Glad Sandpiper worked again, it was perfect for my longer stay at Stage 1. I too bought a few dresses at Sunnys, love that store. I hope you will be able to take it easy during the holidays and let your body heal. Forget the bra, go for comfort!

Happy Holidays to all. The support here is so wonderfly amazing, I would not have even done this surgery without the courageous women who went before me who were willing to share their stories, and pictures!  To those just starting this journey and to those who are nearing or have crossed the finish line, I wish you a very happy New Year! 

Hi All and Happy Holidays!

It's been much too long since I've posted!  I do pop in from time to time to catch up on everyone, but I always tell myself that when I'm back in front of my computer, I'll post an update (I still haven't gotten used to typing out long paragraphs on my phone - so ol' school). 

I had my fourth and last (for now) surgery on November 14th.  I was in and outta there in a flash. Dr. Kline worked on the butt contour with more fat grafting as well as contouring the breasts and sewing up the left IMF. My right nipple was/is slightly off to the right and he cut out some skin underneath to encourage a small shift.  The positioning was improved some, but I'm sure I'm the only one who would notice it wasn't perfect in the first place. 

Here's another plug for the homeopathic arnica...I started taking it almost two weeks prior to surgery this time and this was my best recovery yet.  Even given the fat grafting from flanks, saddle bags, inner thighs and lower back (yes, he had to really hunt down every tiny bit of fat he could), I was left with very little discomfort in the weeks following. The bruising was minimal, too! Even better than the last session of lipo where I started the arnica the day before surgery. I stayed overnight and went home the next day.  The nurse came into my room to find me in the bathroom putting curlers in my hair in preparation for discharge the next day. She said, "Well, it certainly looks like you're doing okay."  I didn't slow down my daily routine one bit and didn't take anything except arnica for recovery.

Zero nausea this time, which I attribute to them not putting me to sleep prior to going back into the surgery suite. Skipping that dose of medicine seems to do the trick for me, worked last time too.  

The final results look really good. My donor site looks good, too. I was afraid I would never get the proper contour back, but lo and behold, I'm happy. The scar is awful though, so I'm trying ScarAway and we'll see how it goes after 8-12 weeks. Since I ran out of fat my outer right breast has a hollow area, although it's not that big it's still there. I'm going to let everything settle in and heal next year and then decide if it's worth going back in. I guess that depends on how much fat I can add to use and how much of the grafted fat stays in place.

I still have inflammation that I know will resolve in a few months, but overall I am happy. 

It warms my heart to read about the positive outcomes for so many, especially after some of the setbacks people have faced with reconstruction. I know these stories give hope to other women going through the storm right now. 

Peace, Health and Blessings in the New Year!

Davy,

So good to hear from you, and thanks for sharing details of your positive experience!  I am curious as to what Dr. Kline thinks about taking arnica leading up to surgery.  It seems like just about everything is included on the list of meds and supplements to stop two weeks prior to surgery.  I will be having fat grafting again in the Spring, and would like to try to tame my incredible bruising.

Below is a link to a paper just published on the new PAP flap that Dr. Robert Allen pioneered. 

Dr. Kline and Dr. Craigie trained many years ago with Dr. Allen who also pioneered the DIEP, SGAP, IGAP.  Dr. K and Dr. C are also now doing the new PAP flap for their patients. 

The results picture of the patient's breasts is awesome, and I believe the picture was taken after only one surgery. (There is some bruising still evident indicating recent surgery.)  Check it out, but beware that there are also some eeewy pictures of the surgery process.

http://www.diepflap.com/pdfs/profunda_artery_perforator_pap_flap_for_breast_reconstruction.pdf

the pictures do look amazing.  My flap looks like a football and the scars make me feel so ugly.  I dont know why they couldn't do the anchor type.  I guess it has to do with the way the original mast was done but he knew I was having reconstruction.  

I wish I could get over this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My foobs look good, but they need tweaking. My nipples are flat...he put some fat behind them this time but they are still pretty flat. I looked at the Pap link--I do not have enough fat there to have ever done that....my boobs don't look as good as that pic though and my body is not at all contoured, but to be fair...it wasn't prior to all this either! I ordered a belt today...no hips, butt or thighs, but plenty of love handles that are now really pronounced--with the tummy tuck, there's nothing to keep my pants up! I am devoting myself this year to getting my health and body back!! Then, we'll go back and finish this!

Ketch just be careful gettin back into shape.  That was my resolution last year and I fell off my treadmill and completely crushed my C6 vertebra!  They were amazed I wasn't paralyzed   Now I stick to walking on the ground!