DIEP 2013
Comments
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Donna.... I had a uni with a lift reduction on good side. I also had pretty bad radiation damage, thus my try at an implant did not work. For the Diep, the PS took off a lot of the radiation damaged tissue, thus I have a basically round shaped flap. Even with the flap being higher up, I can wear a swimsuit just fine. My two breasts look pretty close to perfectly symetrical. Once I get a nip, I think they will be great.
In regards to tightness from radiation, my RO told me I would probably always tighten back up if I don't keep movement in my arm.
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Hi all, just wanted to wish everyone a healthy and happy 2014, and to thank you all for sharing your experiences so openly here,
I will be three weeks out tomorrow from surgery. I still have one pesky drain that doesn't seem to want to drop its production below the required threshold. I put my fitbit back on today and jumped on the treadmill for 30 minutes. The weather hasn't been cooperating to walk outside, so I will stick to inside for now.
RGHSR - hope you are feeling better
Sharon - have been reading with interest about the case of your disappearing nipple. I can imagine going to look at it and finding it gone! I hope your PS has an easy fix for you.
Take care everyone,
Ridley
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Happy New Year everyone!
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Ridley you might want to slow down a bit. The higher your activity, the higher the drain output. If you walk on the treadmill, keep your speed pretty low - stroll at 2 mph.
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Ridley I agree with Martyj re: slowing down a bit on the exercise.
Feeling pretty sore today, a little miserable actually:(. Did your new fobs feel sore and like they were stuck to your chest and they dont want to move...so uncomfortable. I find today if I move my side the wrong way like pulling off my sweater, hurts like hell...maybe that little piece of rib that was taken?
Happy New Years ladies!
I am really looking forward to feeling better and turning that corner....
Michele
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Curlylocks, I saw your post that you had rads a few years ago. I did also... left breast 4 years ago. I sometimes get this cramping pain in my breast. It is enough to make me stop what I'm doing, kind of takes my breath away, but then it goes away after about 20 seconds. Sometimes lifting my arm and kind of stretching seems to help it subside. I mentioned it to my oncologist a long time ago, and he had no idea what it was. I'm assuming damage from rads. Ever have anything like that happen? I'm hoping it goes away after the mastectomy.
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jmb5.. I get that cramping on my diep side. It is definitely a cramp feeling. It is in the lower, outside portion and feels like it is under my foob. Weird. I've never mentioned it to any doc because it seems like all these little things are a mystery to them.
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mammalou, and you had rads, I assume?
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Curly, I think as you get further into healing, and moving around more there are things that are going to smart a little bit. Healing does hurt, itch, tingle, etc. Just remember you are getting better everyday. Did you have your bmx with your diep? That is a tough recovery. I did just bmx recovery without diep and it was tough by itself.
Ridley, good for you. 30 minutes on treadmill is awesome!!!!! Someone else said it, the less activity, the less the drain output. But, at a certain point I would think it's more important mentally and physically to move, even if it means a few more days with the drain.
Mammolou, how you doing with your lipo pain? Mine is basically gone, except for these weird twinges very once in a while. I keep critiquing my thighs. I swear one looks a little different than the other. I keep pulling my pants down and making my husband look. Finally today he said, "okay, maybe one is a tiny bit bigger than the other." I think I broke him...lol.
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Goldie. My lipo pain is gone most of the time. Sometimes when I walk it hurts at the top of my thighs. I don't see much difference in my thighs. I think they needed to take more fat. Lol. I still have abdominal pain from diep though😁. It is frustrating. I'm uncomfortable if I eat a lot too. I just went to my gyn and she did my exam and said I had a lot of scar tissue in my abdomen and it just won't stretch. She said she understood why I was having discomfort. Ugggg
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jmb, I get cramps in my chest muscles from time to time. I never give it much thought, figuring it's all part of the rads "gift basket." If I lift my elbows to about shoulder height and stretch them back, like squeezing my shoulder blades together, the cramp goes away.
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Mamma, I don't see a huge difference either, just enough that my jeans fit a wee bit better, but the swelling takes months to go away, don't forget. I a sorry about your tummy. After I had my hysterectomy I had that issue with one spot they went in through, and I did very gentle stretches, one time I thought I popped something, but it got better and better. It's such a difficult move to explain, it's a yoga move you do with a chair. If you like I can mail you a copy of the DVD I get my simple yoga stretches from. I can make you a copy. Just say the word. I like the whole simple series of stretches, but you can pick and chose the ones that might work for you.
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It's good to know other women who have had rads have the same cramp feeling I do. I thought maybe I was just crazy. I love my oncologist, but really? No one's ever mentioned that to him before?
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I have another question tonight. I'm starting my list of what to take to the hospital and have ready at home. Did anyone buy one of those softee two camis with the drain pockets? I see there are also shorts with pockets on the market. A friend told me the softee two cami was a lifesaver for her. This seems better than pinning drains to my clothes.
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Mamma... You might benefit from some massage. When I go for lymphatic massage, she works on my scar tissue.
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jmb, absolutely. One of those cami's will be a big help with drains, and there is a belt that I used for my bmx, and I save just in case, and I still have it. My BS gave it to me. I will see if I can find a pic of it again. They can be ordered on line and they are cheap. It came with a special holder for the drains in the shower too.
Found it, I like this belt because it preventing me from accidently pulling on them when I went to the bathroom, etc.
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I'm doing a little "it's Thursday" happy dance and singing the "getting my stitches out today!" song. And doing the "no more dressing" fist pump.
DH had to change my dressing Tuesday night because the tape the nurse used was burning my skin... but too late, I think, because I seem to have developed a full-blown allergic reaction. About 8pm last night it started under the tape as usual - redness, itching, bumps - by midnight, my entire front (except noobs, which was odd), inner-upper arms, groin, backs of knees, covered in hives! Took a Zyrtec which finally settled it down. DH and I keep laughing at the stupidity of it all! He became severely allergic to penicillin after a near-fatal bout of pneumonia a few years ago. I'm allergic to sticky tape!!!!! LMAO!!!
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Curly, mine felt very heavy and immovable in the beginning. They soften up after a while. I had some occasional pain on the left near the center of my chest, which the surgeon told me was where they removed some cartilage/rib to harvest an artery. It eventually resolved.
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jmb5 - Stay away from the shorts! And don't even think about pinning drains to your pants because it's easy to forget about them when you're going to the washroom. Youch. I ended up wearing cammi's every day, fitted but stretchy, so I could step into them. And cheap. All four drains were clipped to it, over which I always wore a robe, or a loose blouse.
The belt looks like a great option too. (I didn't know it existed). But like everything else with DIEP, drain management was less of a hassle then I'd imagined.
Curly - You're only three weeks out of surgery, so putting on a sweater is still a challenge. I found that three weeks was a turning point in terms of feeling stronger, and range of motion. But I understand that 'stuck to your chest' feeling. My boobs felt like blobs of unkneaded dough for the longest time.
I found that 'tapping' helped. Nihahi recommended it and can explain it far better than I. (Help, Nihahi!) I tapped the cleavage area with my fingertips - I think it was originally for the itching, but it had something to do with blending the old and new stuff and it subdued the itchy issues, and made formerly numb areas feel alive. I really do need back-up on this one - my memory is horrible. I miss my formerly sharp mind. But at least I have great boobs.
Lahela - Yay for Thursday! Yay for a Happy Dance. Yay for a helpful hubby. Yay for laughing at the craziness of it all!
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Before you buy drain holding camisoles or belts, find out what the hospital provides. I received a belt after my DIEP and camisoles with pockets after my Stage 2a. Since most drains are only in for a few weeks, why make an investment. Much as we all would like to think that we will be getting dressed as usual, we really won't for the first few weeks. You need to give your body the time to heal both inside (unseen) and out so that means resting, slow walks.
We all tend to "overpack and over prepare". After DIEP, I lived in the Gilligan O'malley pants a size larger than I wear. They were soft and comfy. I could not get into my usual yoga pants for a month. I bought a few shirts that were larger than i normally wear at outlets and TJ's, but didn't really need them though I couldn't wear a fitted blouse for a while. Once my drains were out, my fave tops were my tank tops with built in shelf bras under shirts, sweaters and hoodies.
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Jmb, when I woke up from my DIEP, I was "wearing" a fanny-pack kind of thing that held a tennis ball shaped pump that was filled with local anesthesia. It pumped numbing stuff through a tiny, longish tube into the incisions on my abdomen, and it really helped with the pain. When my PS pulled the tube a couple of days post-op, he put all 4 of my drains into the little fanny pack, worn in front of course, and I was good to go with the drains.
For a shower, I cut a piece of narrow grosgrain ribbon about 24 inches long and knotted it securely, so I could slip the loop over my head. I pinned the drains to it and all was well in the shower.
And don't forget to put a plastic stool or chair in the shower to sit on. It's easy to get dizzy in the warm water, and passing out in the shower is NOT good. I used the plastic step stool I keep in my closet to reach my shoes. It worked perfectly--no fancy shower chair needed.
The Gillian O'Malley pants I bought at Target were great. I got the size I normally wear, and they were so soft and stretchy they worked fine. I still wear them to bed when it's cold!
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Good morning flappers! I'm BAAAA-ACCKKKK.
So....what'd I miss?
Just kidding, I will go back and read. Happy New Year to all. Much love to you all. I have thought of you all often in the last few weeks and you are all in my daily prayers.
Stage II recovery was rough for me the first several days. BUT I am doing well now, two weeks out. Still painful but manageable with acetaminophen and ibuprofen and the occasional valium for spasms (which I have had off and on since stage I but now it hurts since lipo). The very, very, very good news is the results are amazing. I will write more about that when I have more time, but I have much to share at this point about how I feel about the way I look now and how I felt after stage I. I haven't shared what was on my heart of hearts, but I will. ...and it's good now. I am glad I stuck it out.
I do still have my favorite pet drain.....the hematoma/seroma that loves to recur in my chest cavity is still draining. It's significantly less, but we are going to wait it out until it's dry this time! I hope I don't have it long enough to win back the everlasting drain award
Ok....back to make a dent in the couch for a while. Love ya!
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I loved my drain camisole with pockets I got from the hospital gift shop. It was expensive but worth it. I lived in that thing! I also just used a lanyard which clipped safety pins from the drains while showering.
For the radiated ladies, how long did it take for your skin to go back to normal coloration? I've started using a sugar scrub that seems to help. Cherie was it you who recommended Bass farms? I Love their products! But my skin is almost black straight down the midline. Another gift in the radiation gift basket sbel! ...Lol
I also have the tingling, zinger pains and tightness. I had tightness after the flap, but it's gotten worse with rads. The rom exercises help and its getting better everyday. Glad to hear time will improve this.
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hugs curly.....it sounds like you are in the "about 3 weeks post" downer time....many of us went through it. It's just normal I think, to be rather fed up with the "post surgical patient" thing, you just want normal back. This will pass....make sure you're resting as you need to, and caring for yourself nutritionally, too. Remember...you had to struggle through the early days with the ice storm power outages too!!!! That took some toll on you I would think.
janet..I think you did just fine with the "tapping" info. It's a combination of desensitizing, re-awakening and biofeedback for the nerves all rolled into one. Literally, just start tapping on your skin, where things feel normal, and move towards the "abnormal" areas. Certainly not like pounding on yourself with a fist, but often, a firmer pressure feels more comfortable than being too gentle.
For most people, it is actually quite soothing, and often does help the surgically disturbed nerves sort themselves out quicker. It is a very good way to integrate the "flap tissue awareness" to the new location, and neurologically, helps your brain to recognize that even if "different" you are receiving sensory input from the breast area. This is accentuated, if you watch yourself while you are tapping....helps the biofeedback connection. I have no idea if it will help with radiated skin sensation issues, but It couldn't hurt to try. It is a very non-invasive technique.
bailey....so good to hear from you! I've been wondering how things were going for you. Your post of being so much happier with the results, has truly made my day!!!
Hope everyone has a good day!!!!!.
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Hey Bluebird! Nice to "see" you, too. I am so sorry to hear about your bird, though. He must have had a very good life, to live so very long, he was loved and it shows.
I don't recall how long before I saw significant improvement in my skin condition post rads. Remember, though, the damage is much more than "skin deep". The tissue underneath is changed, too. (You probably know that all too well). I think the most helpful thing for me (even two years post final rads) for the radiated area is massage and ROM type exercises. If I get slack on those then I "feel" the damage more. When I am good about doing them I see great improvement. I think one thing the massage and exercise does is to bring more blood flow to the area and I suspect that increases the healing in that area. Lymphatic massage helps too, since I have lymphedema in my chest from rads, so keeping the fluid moving makes a big difference for me. As far as the color goes....that continues to improve for me, even now. I don't think about it much, but was looking at "historical" pics in the PS office the other day and can see how much it has "faded".
Thanks, Nihahi, I am very happy. (Ok, shutting computer off now lol).
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Also, Blue, you said you are still very tired three weeks post rads. I think that's normal.and expected. At least that's how it was for me, too. And I hadn't been through what you have surgically, either. After rads I still had six months of herceptin infusions, so that was through June, 2012, and I had hysterectomy and oopherectomy end of March, 2012. I started walking and working out regularly in May 2012, did the Warrior Dash (walked it mostly, but did 9 of 11 obstacles) in August, 2012.....tackled a new mountain bike trail in September, 2012, did a 5k every month from August 2012 to May 2013.
2014 will be your "comeback tour"
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OK ladies......I'm now 6 days pre-stage 2, and am starting to freak about how so many people find it such a painful/difficult recovery
.Is it because mentally, we were rather overwhelmed by the immensity of the initial surgery, so blocked out most of the pain, and this time we view it as "less of a surgery", so aren't mentally prepared for the physical consequences????
I realize that everyone's stage 2 is different, but seriously.....we've all been through the "biggie"....right??? Has ANYONE found stage 2 (no lipo for mine) to be more of a "not such a big thing" recovery???? Hubby and I have booked a 10 day vaca in Arizona, leaving 19 days after my surgery date. My PS told me to take it easy for 2 weeks post op, then "have at it"!
We hope to do some walking, hiking, bike riding, sightseeing, relaxing.....Is this going to work?????
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Marty, I am planning to ask what the hospital provides. The camis a friend recommended were $60. The nurse told me my surgery could be as early as the second or third week of January, so by the time they let me know the date, I probably won't have time to order anything anyway. I was thinking maybe my Columbia fleece zip up would be good to wear. It's loose fitting and actually has inside pockets that the drains could probably go in. I have to say, I might not be picturing the whole drain thing in my mind very well. The first PS I met with said I'd look like a spider. Lol! I am going to make a trip to Target next week when my girls are back in school and check out the lounge wear.
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Jmb5
My drains (had 6 in total) had blue clips on them that I could easily hook onto the end of the binder. I didnt by safesaver" in_rurl="http://i.txtsrving.info/click?v=Q0E6NTQzMjU6MzMxODpidXk6YTI2OGI2MDFiNDEyOWExMGQ4MjliNWE2M2ViYWQ2NmY6ei0xNDk5LTI4NzYwOTpjb21tdW5pdHkuYnJlYXN0Y2FuY2VyLm9yZzoxMDcwMzQ6MjY4NTI2OWRjOGYyN2EyNWY3MjMxOWQ5YjUxZjNlNjY6NjkwMmRmYjExZTMyNGNlYzg5NDk4NzQzODNkMWZiZWI" id="_GPLITA_7" href="#">buy
anything special and only had them a total of 10 days...would have been a huge waste of by safesaver" in_rurl="http://i.txtsrving.info/click?v=Q0E6NTc1MDM6MjUyNDptb25leTpkMjI4ZWI5MDEzNzExZGRjM2RjMzEzY2Q5NjJkYjRhNDp6LTE0OTktMjg3NjA5OmNvbW11bml0eS5icmVhc3RjYW5jZXIub3JnOjExMjc2MTphODljNzA0Zjk0MzcyMDhkNDJkODkwMTJmODI3NjBiZjoxNjg3NWRmMTE3MzU0NmFiYjZlMzNkNThhY2RhYmZjYg" id="_GPLITA_6" href="#">money to buy camis etc.I had one drain when I had my lumpectomy in 2005 and it was in for a total of 8 days, hurt like hell when it was taken out. Drains are a pain and hurt sometimes especially if you yank them by accident...ouch for sure! These drains didnt hurt at all coming out, maybe because my ab and breasts were numb after surgery?
For lounge wear definitely buy loose fitting pj's that have a draw string on them or loosing fitting yoga pants. I had the "teenager low riding pj" look until my drains were removed. It still hurts to have anything with a tighter elastic sit across my stomach. Loose fitting button down pj tops are good too. I can now lift my arms 17 days post op to put on a normal top over my head.
Cotton shirts are good to wear under your binder so that it doesnt rub against your ab incision.Here is a utube video I found of the JP drains:
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I will watch the speed on the treadmill, but it sure feels great to be back walking.
Curly - sorry to hear you are not feeling great. I would say that sometimes it feels like these new breasts are sort of bolted on - more like a stretching feeling, and sometimes, like right now, I don't feel like I had surgery at all.
For drains, I pinned the breast ones to my top and the abdo ones to my undies - I have these velcro pockets for a post surgical bra I bought that I never used, as the breast drains came out fairly quickly. If anyone is looking for cheap pjs, I found really soft ones at Walmart for $20, and that's in Canada
. They are probably $10 in the US. Long pants and a top that buttons up the front. I was worried about getting "stuff" on my favourite jammies, but actually that worry was for naught.We are in the middle of a cold snap here - feels like minus 17 with the wind chill - not quite ready to walk in that yet!
Bailey - so glad you are happy after stage 2.
Take care all, Ridley
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