DIEP 2014

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  • iowagirl1
    iowagirl1 Member Posts: 130
    edited May 2014

    I came out of surgery on Wednesday late morning.  By Friday morning they started weaning me off iv narcotic.  At the end of the day I  was only on Tylenol and tramadol.  I could have used it longer.  Got sent home with  only Tylenol and Tramadol.  No narcotics.  I could have used some many times since.  Is this how it went for everyone?

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  • Teacher64
    Teacher64 Member Posts: 840
    edited May 2014

    Goldie and Nihahi, I'm 64 and it's been more of a challenge to "bounce" back from DIEP. According to my cardio dr and PS, 2 heavy duty surgeries "pulled the rug out from under me" and I was in good shape. I like to think it's more a cardio thing than age!! I'm still working on arm ROM and need a knee pillow at night but I work every day and know it will come back.

    Iowagirl, I had drugs 4 days after surgery. It was easier for me to take it easy than deal with the side effects of the meds. Do what you need to do to take care of yourself because we are all different and have different tolerance levels.

    Sibrhusky, I still wilt at the end of a particularly busy day. It's my body's way of saying its time to rest.

    Cinco de Mayo ladies, relax tomorrow and get ready for Wilbur and "cocktails."

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  • AnnBR
    AnnBR Member Posts: 853
    edited May 2014

    Thanks for the tips about the pillows, I've asked for a few more and will adjust the bed. I tend to slide down so I'm constantly pushing myself back up. I am on Tylenol and Tramadol, but have asked for an Oxy in the evenings. That seems to help quite a bit and I am then able to sleep for awhile. I've gone on several walks around the nurses station and have taken a few showers, so I'm getting up and around. The staff have told me I am a rock star!

    I will be fitted for my bra on Monday, right now I just have to wear my ab binder.

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  • k79miller
    k79miller Member Posts: 101
    edited May 2014

    Ann...definitely try the pillows under the knees.  When I had my bmx my lower back killed me too until someone told me about the pillows under the knees.  It made all the difference in the world.

    sibrhusky...I had the exact same problems that you're having.  Blood pressure would drop pretty low at night & temp would come up.  They increased my iv fluids & that made a big difference in the blood pressure so I guess I wasn't staying hydrated enough.  The fever only lasted a few days.

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  • MartyJ
    MartyJ Member Posts: 1,859
    edited May 2014

    AnnBR my DH rolled up an extra blanket and placed it between my feet and the footboard of the bed to keep me from slipping down.  The nurses spent the first two days hauling me back up in the bed.  Also, Dr M gave me flexerll for the muscle spasms in the back.  I took it off and on for the first six weeks.  I stood straight after about 2 weeks but apparently not as normally as I thought.  The Meds helped.

    Tbradyful - Dr M has a GYN in Charleston and NOLA that she likes to operate with so you could do the hysterectomy with Stage 2.  That would ensure that everything is done to give you the best aesthetic outcome.

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  • annajo
    annajo Member Posts: 84
    edited May 2014

    Ann, I wonder if Valium would help your back?  It might also help you sleep.  I had it after my operation.

    Question for those who have had stage 2:  mine will be nipple recon and fat grafting, and a small area of necrosis removed.  My PS says I can have surgery on Friday and back to work on Monday, ie, I only need a couple of days recovery.  Does that seem reasonable?  She doesn't seem to think I will need a great deal of grafting but I do have some prominent divots.  Looking at love handles and saddlebags for harvest sites.

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  • Teacher64
    Teacher64 Member Posts: 840
    edited May 2014

    Annajo, Valium does work to relax. It helped my muscle spasms.

    My PS said 2 was about week's recovery.

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  • Kat-ski
    Kat-ski Member Posts: 212
    edited May 2014

    I wanted to share this photo taken in Hawaii.  It has many blessings for us to see!  Love, Kat

    image

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  • k79miller
    k79miller Member Posts: 101
    edited May 2014

    My PS told me the same thing.  He said it would only be an overnight stay since I was coming from out of tow.  If I lived in town it would be an outpatient surgery. 

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  • lemon68
    lemon68 Member Posts: 684
    edited May 2014

    Katski- that is the most beautiful picture, simply gorgeous, so many blessings in it!

    AnnBr or shall we just call you Rockstar now? Wow, you have come though this great, I hope I am as lucky! I am sorry your back is hurting I hope the advice from the others will give you some relief so you can sleep.

    Iowagirl- that seems fast to get you off the narcotics. My PS said about 2-4 weeks on them if needed. They are also sending me home with a Qball pump that drenches the abdominal incision in a numbing solution. Wonder if your facility has them and can supply this to you?

    Teacher- I will be ready for the cocktails in the arm and I hope to see Wilbur. I will rush him off to Goldie and Georgie so they get equal time with him.

    I watch the TV show  "Naked and Afraid" I keep thinking this is my own version! LOL..

    Did all of you have a visiting nurse come to the house? They asked me if I wanted one and I declined but they said I could change my mind. Should I?

    ((HUGS)) to all of you, my eyes sting with tears over the emotion I feel for you all.

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  • iowagirl1
    iowagirl1 Member Posts: 130
    edited May 2014

    Beautiful pic! 

    I had a small hole where I was sewed together on my breast.  My PS's assistant put vaseline in it and told me to continue doing so.  It didn't get any worse for days but tonight it opened up. I have an open triangle 1/2 inch on 1 side and 3/4 on the other.  I called the number I was given and she said if I lived nearby they would have me come in but since I lived 75 miles away they would let me decide.  I took a pic and will compare it in the morning.  I go back on Monday anyway.  How do they treat something like this?

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  • JerseyMomOf3
    JerseyMomOf3 Member Posts: 96
    edited May 2014

    Lemon -your reference to the tv show Naked and Afraid has me giggling like crazy. Too funny. I think I will feel like I am right there with you. My surgery is less than 2 weeks away and I am getting nervous. My back hurts already too! Ugh. Good luck with your surgery! I asked for a visiting nurse but my PS said I wouldn't need one! Hmmmmm.

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  • brendarj
    brendarj Member Posts: 72
    edited May 2014

    Kat-ski - Loved your picture of Hawaii. Spent two weeks on Maui a couple of years ago. It is the most relaxing place in that I have ever visited

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  • nihahi
    nihahi Member Posts: 3,841
    edited May 2014

    iowa....keeping the open area clean with some kind of ointment will likely be the game plan. Increasing the amount of good protein that you are eating is often helpful to the healing process too.

    lemon.... I stopped using the morphine "on demand" on day 2 (it was contributing to some severe "upchucking" ). I was fine on tylenol, even before I left hospital, and had days in hospital I didn't take anything. But....I believe if a mx is part of the recon, then pain management is a different challenge.

    annajo....nipple recon truly is a "minor" procedure. Depending on how significant the lipo is....you'll likely be ready to get back to your normal routine in a day or two. The lipo is uncomfortable for awhile....like a really, really deep bruise, but I didn't find it debilitating. Camoflaguing the new nip....now THAT is the real challenge.

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  • jmb5
    jmb5 Member Posts: 532
    edited May 2014

    Can anyone share some info on abdominal scar revisions? My scar is too high, and I would really like it lowered. My PS said she wants to wait several months to see if it stretches back down I guess, but I have seen no change at all and my surgery was over 3 months ago. She said she would have to open incision back up, and that's when I stopped asking questions. Haha. So how exactly does it work, and what is the recovery time on that?

    Kat, love the picture! Thanks for sharing!

    Ann, I agree with the pillows under the knees. That also helped my since my tummy was so tight. No way could I lay my legs straight out for awhile. I also bought a full length body pillow to help when I was able to sleep on my side. I loved it!

    sibrhusky, I also had a slight temp for about a week after my surgery and I felt like I had the flu. That was when I was feeling my worst, and then at exactly 2 weeks post surgery, the temp was gone and I started feeling like maybe I'd live.

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  • iowagirl1
    iowagirl1 Member Posts: 130
    edited May 2014

    Jmb. My old hysterectomy scar was removed  in surgery.  My new incision is right above my pubic hair.  I can see why you are unhappy.  Could you have laser or electrolysis to lower the hairline ? 

    Lemon68 Maybe they gave me such a short time on narcotics because I was under anesthesia for 25 hours and they were trying to get the drugs out of my system.  It was a combo PBM and Diep so it did surprise me they removed the pump so quickly.  I am having a nurse come to the house.  She empties my drains, etc. I take my shower shortly before she comes and she then dressed my wounds.

    Best wishes to all having surgery this week.  I look forward to hearing that you all are feeling good next week.



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  • Janet_M
    Janet_M Member Posts: 1,068
    edited May 2014

    Anne - I was walking like a boomerang after surgery, and it slept best if I could keep that shape while I slept. That mean keeping my back and legs elevated, the same way I did in my hospital bed. I used a wedge pillow and a bunch of softies under my back, and more pillows under my legs. Sometimes I used the wedge under my legs too. Back pain was definitely the most uncomfortable thing during the recovery. 

    Lemon - Bring on the nurse! They changed  bandages, removed drains, and answered a lot of questions. I felt very reassured having my nurses come for their daily visits during that first week. Plus - I was too much of a scaredy cat to look at my incisions, so they took care of that for me. 

    Lemon, Goldie, GeorgieGirl - I will be thinking of you tomorrow. Perhaps you're a bundle of nerves, or perhaps you've hit that sweet spot where you know that all the hard work is done. Either way, all you have to do is show up and let someone else take over. Personally, I think the diagnosis, and decision making, and the anticipation is truly the biggest challenge. If you've made it through that - you can do anything! Time for your super excellent medical team to take the reigns and take care of you.  And the recovery to follow will be one step at a time.  You're almost there - you can do it!

    Janet

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  • sibrhusky127
    sibrhusky127 Member Posts: 21
    edited May 2014

    jmb5

    I am glad to hear that you started feeling a bit better after 2 weeks.   It has been a week since my diep flap surgery, and I am still feeling SO much pain. (Mostly stomach tightness)  I had hoped to feel at least a little better.  Admittedly, my digestive system seems to have returned to normal, and that is a help.

    DX 7/15/13 IDC 1 cm stage 1

    Surgery:  8/15/2013 bilateral mastectomy

    Hormonal therapy:  Arimidex

    Reconstruction:  4/28/14   Bilateral Diep

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  • nihahi
    nihahi Member Posts: 3,841
    edited May 2014

    Sending positive vibes and prayers to the cinco gals....safe surgeries and gentle healing.

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  • jmb5
    jmb5 Member Posts: 532
    edited May 2014

    iowagirl, I hadn't thought about electrolysis. Wonder if insurance would cover that. The hairline is so much higher than it was. I had to buy a new tankini when we went to Florida because the old one didn't come up high enough. I was worried if my top came up a little, my hairline would show. Yuck! I am also not comfortable in some of my lower waisted jeans since they sit right on the scar, and push on the hips, which isn't comfortable. I do okay in a couple higher waisted pairs that I have. I always wear spanx with my jeans for that reason... pressure on the scar.

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  • iowagirl1
    iowagirl1 Member Posts: 130
    edited May 2014

    Jmb.  I was hoping I didn't offend you after I posted it.  I would ask your plastic surgeon.  I hope you get it figured out.  That would bug me too.  I was wondering if my new belly button was too high.  I decided it had probably been saggy before and now it's back where it should be.


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  • jmb5
    jmb5 Member Posts: 532
    edited May 2014

    iowagirl, you didn't offend me at all. :) 

    I am not a part of the picture forum. Are the pictures just breasts, or are there some abdomen pics too? I'd like to see where other ladies' scars sit. 

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  • Donna2012
    Donna2012 Member Posts: 201
    edited May 2014

    jmb5 - how far below the belly button is your scar?  I just took a ruler & measured mine...  My scar is 2 1/2 " from the very bottom rim of my belly button & 1/2 " above the top of my pubic hair line.  I can wear low rise jeans & the waist band sits right on the incision line (which does not hurt anymore).  All in all I am fairly happy.  

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  • AnnBR
    AnnBR Member Posts: 853
    edited May 2014

    Today was a great day! I was released from the hospital and we are staying in a hotel across the street from the hospital/clinic. The nausea went away, my bowels are working and I rested very well last night. I am surrounded by lots of pillows and am quite comfy. I have a huge ugly blister on my bottom lip from the endotracheal tube. Did anyone else have this? It's not uncomfortable, just looks awful. 

    Prayers for everyone for continued healing and for those with upcoming surgeries. I feel awesome, and I already love my flat tummy!

    Ann

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  • Teacher64
    Teacher64 Member Posts: 840
    edited May 2014

    Happy Cinco de Mayo Eve to the three DIEP senoras. Tomorrow you just show up and let everyone take care of you. We know you will be in good hands and soon you will be amazed over your "all-you" healthy breasts and flat tummies. We will be with you tomorrow. 

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  • Ridley
    Ridley Member Posts: 634
    edited May 2014

    Lemon, Goldie and GeorgieGirl -- all the best for your surgeries tomorrow. Sleep well and show up -- the professionals will handle the rest.

    Ridley

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  • Zenful
    Zenful Member Posts: 599
    edited May 2014

    jmb5, my scar is 3 1/4 inches below my navel, but my navel is almost an inch higher than where I think it should be. 

    AnnBR, I had a fat lower lip after my Stage 2 surgery. It took about a week to go down.  Glad to hear you are doing well.    Do you still have drains?  

    Hugs to the Cinco de Mayo gals!

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  • k79miller
    k79miller Member Posts: 101
    edited May 2014

    Ann...glad you got out of the hospital & are doing well.  Now just rest & let your body start to heal.

    Lemon, Goldie & Georgie...good luck tomorrow!  I'll be thinking of you & will say a prayer for you tonight.  Try to get a good nights sleep tonight.  It will all be over before you know it.

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  • MartyJ
    MartyJ Member Posts: 1,859
    edited May 2014

    My PS told me the center of the ab incision should end up at 1/2" above pubs.  She lowered mine during Stage 2.  

    JMB - the picture forum shows all - top, bottom, back, front - whatever someone chooses to post.

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  • lemon68
    lemon68 Member Posts: 684
    edited May 2014

    thanks everyone. I am feeling calm today :)

    I know you are all with me, will check in as soon as I can.

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