DIEP 2014

tbradyful - Are you trying to access the pictures from a computer or tablet?  I had the same problem on my iPad, but when I switched to my laptop I was able to view the photos.  

Lemon - I had a healthy belly before DIEP.  I am not happy with my incision, it is very high.  It is flat at the bottom, but the top bulges out.  PS said he could fix it in phase 2, but I don't think I want to have it touched again.  I am 9 1/2 weeks out and have been having terrible pain.  I think due to some fluid build up.

Sharon.  Cool. Let me know how you like it.

Beebop- I hope he can fix your incision, I cant imagine how they do what they do. So, I will ask him about a low incision, I already have a big incision that is so ugly very low down there, hoping that will be gone or used. Could the bulge be a seronoma? ( think that's what they called it) I have had my SNB area drained as its always big and puffy. BS will fit me with a sleeve after surgery. Nothing like a big fat underarm to go with my belly! Hope they can figure this out for you, you shouldn't be in pain everyday and you should be happy, you have been though enough.

K79- not only do we carry the same roll , we feel the same about how we want to come out. And I am a Kim also! I see your surgery is coming up soon. I am both jealous and excited for you. I have also watched the surgery on youtube, as long as I don't have to see myself having it I am good.

Beebop.....listen to Marty!  She is our "Queen Bee" and has SO much wisdom!  I totally understand where you are coming from re: no more surgery...I felt the same way for the longest time after stage 1......8.5 months later, I had stage 2, and a lot of my complaints about how things looked just disappeared......Stage 2b was 3 months after that, and I am thrilled!  All I am waiting on is my tattooing....Will try to get it done before June, if she has time.......if not, meh...I'll wait!   Be patient, and don't put too much into how you look right now....it WILL change!

Beebop

I'm sorry to hear about your pain. You are not alone. I've had a painful hematoma and 2 seromas.  I had my diep last Sept, had emergency surgery to remove an infected hematoma from my abdomen in Dec. and have had 2 aspirations since then and had cellulitis.  Another angry, painful red sore appeared AGAIN last week above my incision and it started draining.  I had an ultrasound today that confirmed I have fluid build up again.  I will likely have another ultrasound guided aspiration next week.  Fluid can become infected so do not hesitate to see your PS and request an ultrasound or CT scan to see what's going on.  My situation is the exception.  I must have scar tissue or something that is causing my repeated drainage issues. I'm thinking about going to a wound center and getting a 2nd opinion.  Sorry for venting but I'm very frustrated with this.  No one seems to be able to tell me why this keeps happening. 

Zoemom, I am sorry you're going through such a hard time. I hope you will find some answers soon. (((Hugs)))

Beebop, you, too.

Donna - I thought I had more junk in the trunk than was actually there.

Goldie - thanks for reference to belt.  I will definitely get some.

DVgirl - you must be in great shape since you have one pair of stretchy jeans hidden away.  I have at least 10 pairs of jeans and all of them stretch.

Gwenny - Thanks for sharing your experience!  I am sure it will be very helpful to those ladies who have not had their surgery yet.

Zoemom - So sorry you are going through all of that.  I hope you can get some answers and a resolution soon.

Sharon1942 - Would you mind also messaging me with the instructions for the picture forum?  I am still having trouble seeing them on my iPad.  Thank you!

Good Morning All!  It is a beautiful day - no matter the weather, we are here.

Okay, Zenful - I didn't realize you are still battling the seromas and infections.

Beebop - yes, do insist on getting some definitive answers through a scan.  If your PS doesn't require compression, you might want to personally add it to the arsenal.  I mean strong compression - more than Spanx.  Spanx are not meant to be worn 24/7.  While Design Veronique are a pain to get off and on (no zipper model, you are way beyond the need for zippers), they do compress and may well help prevent the return of the fluid build-up by eliminating the space it is building in (oh, did that even make sense?).  Because I am a patient of Dr Massey, we wear compression forEVER.  Not really, but for at least the first 3 months or so.  

Stage 2 is way different from Stage 1 in every way, as is recovery.  I had 4 drains.  Lost 2 within about 5 days, and the 2 hips at 11 days.  I was not hunched over, even though my entire ab incision was reopened, lowered and repaired.  Most pain came from the lipo to get the fat for fat grafting in the boobs.  That lipo is just not fun, but the end results . . .  I gave myself 2 weeks to get myself back together cuz I am never myself with drains.  I was only on pain pills for a 3 or 4 days.  Since 2, I have had 2b and 2c.  Each one was easier than the last.  For 2c I had surgery on Tuesday and my DH had major back surgery on Wednesday.  Yep, thank God for wonderful friends.  One of my BFFs picked me up from my hospital, took me to my husband's and stayed with me for 24 hours.  On Thursday, I drove his car home - which would have been fine if the transmission hadn't chosen that day to die on a bridge.

To everyone - Please, please do not fill your brain with the crazies before Stage 1.  All you have to do is show up.  Be there and know we are all supporting you.  The doctors know their jobs.  Choose well, research the doc not the surgery.  Know the options and what procedures the doc you interview is very proficient in successfully preforming.  Doctors are not Gods nor are we the little sheep saying "yes, doctor, whatever you say".  Do not worry about calling with questions.  Don't get the "but I don't want to bother the busy doctor".  If the doc and the office are not responsive, they may not be the best doc for you.  Many years ago when my dad worked there, Johns Hopkins started a program called "patients first".  I remember asking Daddy why the staff and faculty needed a "program" to remind them as to why they are there and doing this work.  He just laughed and said "you would think that they would 'get it', but a reminder can be really helpful".  

Many have heard me say this on the 2013 thread, but I will share it here quoting my DH "your mind can either be your best friend or your worst enemy and you get to choose."  Are you going to choose to make this a good, positive experience or are you going to let your thoughts go astray?

Marty is so right. I've loved her advise from the start - and she's never steered us wrong.

And try to remember that the way that you feel today isn't the way you'll feel when you show up at the hospital, and it isn't the way you'll feel when you wake up. If, like me, you're given an atavin the morning of surgery, it'll knock those butterflies out of your stomach. And the people who greet you that day are your team, and you're all in this together and working towards the same goal  - of being completely and wholly healed.  For now, your work is done. Mentally and physically. You've dealt with an overload of diagnosis's and decisions and that is truly the hardest part - so for several fabulous hours - your brain gets a chance to rest while someone else does all the work. And it is work they love. And work at which they excel. 

One of the things that I was most worried about was having a cathater. I'd never had one before and the whole idea of it was just so icky. Turns out I loved it! Almost swatted the nurse who tried to take it away. I normally pee a lot and this just opened up a whole new world of spending long stretches of time in bed. Pretty comfortably, I might add.  I also loved the 'bear huggers'. Those are the inflatable tubes they put around the legs to avoid clotting. They make sort of a breathing sound which I found very soothing. 

In recent posts I've listed a few things that got me through the pre-surgery nerves. (Guided mediations, Reiki, yoga). But I forgot the fun girly stuff - a pedicure. Psychologically it reminded me feel like I was celebrating, and I really enjoyed looking at the end of my hospital bed and seeing ten little red toes. Ten little red reminders that no matter what happens in the middle, I am still me. 

Goldlining - Thanks -  love your updates. Dr H drawing freehand cracks me up. There's so much science-y precision, and then he just whips out his Sharpie and starts doodling. Hope you make it outside today, and when you do, stay safe. It's a b*tch of a winter and the sidewalks are still icey. 

I agree about the pedicure. Throughout this BC process, there is little we have control over. But somehow, looking down at my recently polished toes from my hospital bed made me feel as if I made an effort to be beautiful through it all. 

Checking in from McCafe post stage 2 on Wednesday. All things considered, feel fine. I am gingerly mobile but satisfied with where I am. I had a great night's sleep hogging the bed and all the pillows. Poor spouse sleeping on the sofa or recliner (getting some use out of the bought-specifically-for-DIEP recliner I *never* used). My post-op apparel choice through all the lx/mx/DIEP has been pull-on pants and a soft cardigan. The cashmere or acrylic feels good on the skin that still has nerves, and it looks a little dressier than some other options. Easy on and off and even looks okay for public consumption with a scarf or necklace if need be. We have a break in the snow, so I am wearing slip-on shoes instead of wrestling with boots.

For the pre-Stage 1 ladies, my 2c is this: your job is picking a surgeon that makes you feel confident. On top of my PS being recommended by another DIEP-qualified PS as "the" person to see, knowing my surgeon was a (possibly lapsed) runner gave me confidence he understood. (My motivation for DIEP was maintaining ab strength and being able to resume running. I had just started running when I was diagnosed and wanted to keep it up.) He even gave me the green light to do a half marathon at 6 weeks post op, while conceding it was crazy - only because my time would suck for lack of training. He did not discourage the craziness, however, and that half gave me the incentive to get out of bed and walk around the ward, hit the treadmill and walk 4mph for an hour once a week. My time did suck, but that medal is the shiniest one I have.

Your second job is to show up on time on OR day and trust your team. That was the best 12 hours' sleep I ever had in my life. I had spent $1000 on chiropractor fees on a kink in my low back over the 6-12 months before the OR date (quite possibly due to stress the valium wasn't kicking) and I have never had that pain again since that 12 hours of sleep.

I had a LOT of stuff taken out of the abs, so I was not upright until that 6-week point, and it takes conscious work to keep good posture. After about a year of working on core stabilization exercises, my physio realized that deep scar tissue was tying up my core muscles so that I had very poor control of my core and tendency to cramp up. She had the massage therapist work on breaking up the deep scar tissue, and it has been amazing. The surface scar faded very well with surface scar massage, but breaking up the deep scar tissue is a different technique.

Don't rush back into action too quickly. I would have rested more if I knew then what I know now. Walking in hospital and later at home is good for clearing out your lungs and restarting your digestion, and I did not overdo it, but I did keep it conservative. However, I prolonged my time in drains trying to be too self-sufficient around the house, sweeping, putting dishes away etc., and just pumped too much goo into the bulbs, especially post mx when I was new at this. I also noted that even when my body could do things, say, drive, my brain was still not up to its usual reaction time. It was really hard to stay attentive to traffic on those few occasions when there was no option but for me to make the swim practice drop off and pick up. I was lucky there.

All the stuff about binders and no binders, recliners and no recliners, caffeine and no caffeine, showering and no showering - with all the variation in what different surgeons recommend, I am not sure there is one correct way. Pick surgeon wisely, trust then relax and follow directions, and don't hesitate to recruit physio and massage therapists onto your team once you are out the other side.

Best wishes for those up next.

Thanks to all of you who have answered my questions, given advice and encouragement, and shared your Diep experiences! You are all amazing!

I'm waiting for a call back from my PS on Monday to ask her some more questions and talk with her some more. I did send off an email to NOLA, but as I have an HMO that has surgeons who do the Diep procedure I don't think there will be a way to get a referral out of the system. I have been in contact with a couple of ladies that have had their Diep surgeries done through the HMO and have been happy with the results, so I feel a bit more confident now.

food for thought.....from another thread.