DIEP 2014

jmb.....The tummy swelling can be an up and down thing. Just when you feel it is starting to be less of an issue, it may surprise you and return. Often related to getting back to being more active. Very, very frustrating, but, part of the healing process. Are you wearing any kind of support garment? If not, check with your PS, and if you get the ok, maybe try that. Also, ask if it's ok for you to be massaging your abd area, as that will help move fluid too. Are you sitting alot??? Being bent at the hip doesn't help the drainage/circulation in the tummy area. Hang in there.

Sharon, do you like the way the tattooing looks?  The scabbing should be gone, right?

Goldie, I had practically no scabbing & we are just waiting for the color to fade. She rubbed a couple of colors on my flap cleavage with her finger (looked just like makeup) & we chose a color to match my chest - "Princess" - ha, I need to get me a tiara!  

I had laser on my 13 year old incisions and it worked very well - reduced the pinkness, smoothed them. Definitely looked better.

Donna - you will have abdominal swelling for many months - it won't be constant, but it will come and go.  You are only 4 weeks out so give yourself plenty of time to heal both inside and out.  Re the Ativan - that is a fast acting med, but I sure wouldn't want to drive or do anything else when taking it.  I have to take it to have an MRI.  If you have anxiety issues by all means try the lifestyle stress reduction, but know that some people are predisposed to having anxiety issues.  There are other meds (like Zoloft) that will help a lot. 

Marty, what type of laser did you have?  

Goldie, I already know I can use sunless tanner if need be instead of nude sunbathing. I think you're supposed to keep scars out of the sun or they get darker.  Now, I could get some of those press on rhinestones for along my scar line - ha!

re: ativan....  I just took my bottle of ativan & cut every pill in 1/2.  Whenever I feel the need to take 1 (usually 1x each day), I will just take 1/2 for awhile.  As I said, I never took or needed anxiety meds before bc!  I understand about the lifestyle change suggestions, to reduce stress - and I totally agree.  The problem is the 2 things that help me reduce stress are exercise & bubble baths (complete with candles & music), and I can't do either for another 2 weeks.  So until then, I will just work on taking 1/2 a pill instead of a whole.  Also not being as active, while I recover, gives my mind plenty of time to go to the dark places!  Once I can do more and am busier I think it will help.  

LOL, Jeannie.  I love it!!!!!  Ah, to be young again. 

Marty, the Vbeam laser is a miracle laser, and the head of the dermatology dept at UTSW said it's the work horse of her practice.  I have had it done to my face for broken blood vessels from bad sun damage, and I have two girlfriends who had it done to "fresh" stretch marks, while they are still red.  Voile, hardly any sign of those pesky stretch marks.  When I had the broken blood vessels done, I had them do a small scar on my temple where I had a precancerous lesion removed, and that scar is virtually undetectable.

Sharon, have you ever used Tan Towels?  I love them. I use them all summer long, which as we know in Texas is about 8 months long...lol.  If you are interested, let me know.  I will send you the link.

Thanks everyone for the good wishes and prayers for me. I am nervous about tomorrow but as you say..all I have to do is show up! I feel confident that everything will go well thanks to the positive posts on the DIEP 2014 thread. Its great to know that all of you will be in my pocket tomorrow. Good luck to you Kat-ski...hope all goes well for you.

I will plan to logon later this week.  Thanks again!

Hi, Lemon

I had both nipple and skin sparing.  I believe it depends on where your tumor is.  I had DCIS, so it was contained in the ducts, and far enough from the nipple and skin that they could do that.  I was sure to ask the mastectomy surgeon about it, and based on my tests, he told me before surgery he felt I could do both.  Of course, its always up to what is found out when you're on the table. 

I had surgery Jan 8, and I am still pretty sensitive and swollen, especially on the right, which is the side the cancer was in and where two lymph nodes were removed for testing. It will be a while before I think I'll know if I have any feeling come back.  I don't think they can tell you whether you will or not for sure, and I think they prepare most ladies that they likely will not have feeling return.  

Hi Maggie

thanks for your response. Did you have a lumpectomy originally? I did and rads, not sure if that will also be a deciding factor on saving the skin and nipple. Rads ended last April and skin looks good but I will have to ask. Are the risks raised when we do nipple/skin sparing or is it the same?

Hope your swelling starts to go down and your feeling better each day. And that you are happy with your results. From your pic you look beautiful.

Milky Way, my Onc checks my skin and nodes, listens to chest, bp, pulse and asks me how I am feeling, new pain, etc. Sometimes I have blood work done but my cancer center doesn't routinely check tumor markers unless there is a new symptom.So far, so good.

Hi, Lemon!  You probably know my story from the ILC thread. Here are more details: I had skin sparing bmx, not nipple sparing after a LX. Delayed DIEP was in July and I have feeling around the outside of my new boobs, that's it. Like everything else, this varies from person to person. I had rads with tissue expanders in (non-cancerous side was partially deflated for rads then re-filled). I had DIEP eight months after rads, 5 1/2 months after chemo. PS said my skin was in good shape---it had fallen off after rads and is still pink to this day. I think Maggie is right about cancer location being a big factor in any "sparing" procedure but you are past treatment so I don't know. Maybe someone who had a similar experience will chime in. I liked my time bombs, too, but they had to go. I am happy with the replacements. I wish I had feeling in them but I keep telling myself that my mind is the most important erogenous zone and I still have that MOST of the time....Ask lots of questions here and in your PS office until you're satisfied, but know that there are lots of different protocols/procedures among PSs and you just have to decide to trust whichever one you choose. Maybe someone who went to Cleveland Clinic will comment. 

Lemon, I did not have any treatment previously.  I was only diagnosed in August 2013, and I knew a lot of women get recurrence by doing the lumpectomy, so I decided on the double mastectomy and DIEP ... had no idea about the nipple and skin sparing when I made that decision, but I sure am glad I was able to have both.  

Good luck to you - the ladies here are all wonderful with the information.  I read here for a few weeks before I started posting. 

Katski and Rosebud - prayers for a smooth surgery and a quick recovery

Donna and Jmb5 - Patience is the key. I think that massaging really helped the most since I did not wear compression.  Fortunately most of my work clothes fit when I went back to the office in week 7.  I am 4 months out an still get occassional swelling.  Since my stomach was never flat, contol top hosiery has always been part of my winter wardrobe.

Aemcat -When I complained to PS about the back pain from being hunch over he told me to just stand up straight.  This forced me to start stretching stomach by standing against the wall.  Unfortunately, I sometimes get the same type of tightness when I sit for a long time after a meal.  It often happens when I am at desk using computer. 

Lemon - I had lumpectomy in Feb 2013 and then BMX with DEIP in Oct. BS said skin and nipple sparing are appropriate when tumors or cells are not near them. Since my tumors were at the back of my breasts, she said she would keep the skin.  She cautioned me about trying to spar the nipples because they don't always survive.  I did not keep the nips. 

Curly - Stay strong. Taxaotere is horrible but you can make it through.  I tried to eat differnt foods everyday because Taxotere made everythg taste bad. I had to give up my favorite summertime food - steamed blue crabs.

I have very wide jogging pants on with very big pockets.  It is the time and I will be on the other side.  Love to all