DIEP 2014

Hello all and best wishes to all those having surgery.

Such cute dogs !!!

I lost another drain, one to go. All incisions looking good. Especially my phase 2a righty the incision is almost invisible.

My Belly Button is another story...it was closing which they dont want, so I was given local and it was cut open on outer skin and insides. Can't say that it hurt, but I felt it and saw it. (My old DD's use to block everything, not my newbies) Another week of packing dry then pouring a solution into it. I hope this is it.

Got script for PT and aquatic therapy once I am all healed.

Take care,

Vivian

Cute dogs!!!

Happy Healing and good luck to those going to surgery !!

My 3 week followup: Lost another drain only one more to go, will come out next week no matter the output. Incisions healing well.

Belly button had to be numbed and reopened. Was closing and infection not totally gone. They cut it up inside and a bit outside. Packed for 24 hours. Tororrow they'll remove and then I'll pack 2x a day for a week. Getting tired of BB. Hopefully this is it.  I am going to take a pain pill, it has begun to hurt.

Take care,

Vivian

lipglossmom...good luck tomorrow!

I got my date for my tattoos yesterday!  It's hard to believe that in 2 mos I'll have all of the surgeries behind me.  I was at work when they called me to set the appt.  I really wanted to go outside & yell for joy at the top of my lungs.  I did a pretty good job of controlling myself but it was hard.  LOL

Hi sweet friends. Just got back from a br ca support group at Gilda's club. Feeling a little more "lifted up" after visiting with some new friends this evening. I feel thankful everyday for outlets like this one and support groups to work through stuff. I've been following the posts the last few days and want to catch up more tomorrow but wanted to say hello and good luck to you tomorrow, Lipgloss. . As many have said before,  just show up. Your in good hands and Wilbur will be there to greet you. P.S. loved the puppy posts. Blessings to each one of you. More later.

Georgiegirl

I've been out of touch most of these past couple weeks since BMX, special hugs for everyone.  And thanks for sharing pics of your babies - puppies and kittens! 

GeorgieGirlKC - So glad you are feeling uplifted, wish I could have been there again with you this week!  You gals so encouraged me before my surgery that week.  Got the final pathology report today and confirmed that the sentinel lymph nodes had no cancer!  So no radiation expected and should be progressing on road toward DIEP.

Andrea, you have the right attitude, hoping you have great outcomes!

I love your "nurse" Lily!

Ugh can't sleep again.  Dislike this. 

Goldie, glad the swelling is going down.  You will be glad to see 2015 and have most or all surgeries DONE!  Yes, let others made dinner this year

Georgie- Thelma's eyes!  So beautiful.  I love that name for a cat hahahah

Thank you all so much for inviting me to stay in the group! Really, it brought years to my eyes this morning. I have been trying to have a more positive attitude this year, and after my weekend pity party, have put my big girl panties back on, and will be thankful for the options available to me. I love you all!

Good morning! It does seem like a lot of us have been experiencing some valleys so to speak recently. I hope this week is better for all of us... Goldie, I think it is awesome your breast center offers counseling. Did you find out if they do groups too? I have been seeing a psychologist since my mastectomy and it has helped. I think it would be great if every person who went through cancer was offered counseling through their cancer team. It just makes sense, it is a disease that touches every part of your person. 

Teacher, I think I am in your boat, set my expectations for stage 2 way too high, at least for initial results. You are right, extensive surgery, requires a little more time to heal and start to look better.  In thinking about the before and after pictures they show you in the PS office. The after pictures are usually taken a year after....yahoo about the 3D tattoo training. Do you that in addition to having the nipple? I am a uni and wondered if I could get both tattooed. The native breast center is very light in color. Anyone heard of someone doing this? Also you mentioned very large nipples. OMG mine is ginormous!! Anyone out there to confirm the size will reduce substantially? Between the size and all the pokey stitches in that area my nipple looks like a porcupine. 

Vivian good to hear of your progress. Saying prayers for you. 

Janet thanks for sharing your little c story. I am going to adopt that into my thinking. I did lol when I read the part about wanting to punch that lady in the head though. 

Gila, thinking about you as your Friday date gets closer.

Lovecat3 I also traveled to PRMA for uni stacked flap. Had stage 1 May 5th and stage 2 Aug 15th. Feel free to PM if you want to visit further. I think you will be pleased with your experience there. 

Cindy loved your post. It is encouraging to hear from folks who have been through the dark times and then experience some really awesome days in a row. I know in my heart that at sometime all of us will get there, and the little "c" in the rearview mirror will get smaller and smaller. I think time is one of the big healers there. Also, know this was from another forum but thanks for the info on the DREAMY bras. Is that the name of the bra? Or is there is a number? I am anxious to get some really good bras now that stage 2 is complete. 

Trish so glad you are doing well, happy with your new "girl" and that you are so active, with no pain!! Your post made me want to go out and walk someplace nice!

Andrea glad you are sticking around. Gotta love big girl panties!! I have to re-put those on myself now and again.. Sorry you have people in your office who don't get it. It would be good to have responses that helped people get it (like some kind of sensitivity training) but not sure how that would work. I have had some people close to me say things like wish I could get a tummy tuck like you..or perky new breast your so lucky.. Thoughtlessly said but I usually don't say much. That's a hard one.

tlbradyful I'm sorry you too are finding yourself in a blue place. Sounds like you took the bull by the horns! Sometimes it takes that, doesn't it?? Time with friends/family, champagne, compression free days...I have gone compression free too for a few hours and find myself less grouchy. It's too freaking hot for compression!! It is SO nice to have a place to share!

Tan72 welcome to the group.I am sorry for the reason you are joining us but you have found a good place for support and advice. It sounds like you have done your research and gone through the process of getting good consults. What are your questions?

Vballmom how scary that you passed out. Thank goodness the visiting nurse was there. And thank you for sharing your story too. I think there is a point where we all turn a corner. I love your story about your new breasts. I only went 5 months without one and was thrilled to wake up after stage 1 and have a breast again. 

LilliRI I don't know what to say about the belly, except maybe a phone call to another facility that does these surgeries for another opinion or maybe a wound care place?  The red and angry is very concerning on top of the exploding feeling and decreased appetite. Glad that you got good news about the skin graft.

K79Miller yay for tatto date!! WOOT WOOT!!

Seashore so relieved for your news. Been thinking about you and hope you can join us at the next br ca support group at Gilda's. If you are feeling up to it and can't drive maybe I could come get you! 

will be thinking of you all the best!!!

I think this forum is a good example of how widely our feelings can swing from day to day, based on so many different factors (including shitty comments from "friends," or good news from the docs). We play cheer-leader for each other and help get geared up for the tests, surgeries, etc., and we have moments of relief and triumph and happiness too. But I am glad we give each other permission to express the sadness, loss, bitterness, anger.  But I especially love the humor; being able to laugh together is a huge help! I am really looking forward to getting together with Georgiegirl and seashore at Gilda's club next month.

Dropped off my oldest son for his senior year at college in a lovely small town in Ohio.  Drove home 12 hours straight! talk about therapy. Cried for the first two hours; the countryside was so beautiful, I just wanted to hang out and have a little more time with him. We are very close. Felt angry that  a big part of our summer was hi-jacked by the surgery and recovery, wondered if I did the right thing by having it, mentally went through all the options again and concluded, yep, there really was no perfect answer. Did the best I could with what I knew. Today is better--back at home (one son remaining!), other two doing great at college, back to work, on to projects and planning upcoming trips. Life. 50th birthday trip to Cape Cod with best girlfriends next month. That's my plan!

So bring on the jokes! Janet? Teacher? we're counting on you. 

Question: When did people seek physical therapy for range of motion in arm? What led you to do it? I am still quite tight and sore and can't quite fully extend my arm upward. Doc wants me to be stretching and pushing it. Five weeks out now.

Lovecat - are you going to San Antonio? There are a number of women who have been to the Alamo City for their surgery. If you go there, get walking ASAP so you can go to the Riverwalk for lunch or dinner. (I'm trying to talk my husband into taking a couple of days off for a long weekend in SA in early October.) My DIEP was done at Forest Park Medical in Frisco. My own PCP had hers done at Presby Plano. Other places in north TX are SW Medical School and Ft. Worth. I was truly surprised once I began researching just how many PS are doing DIEP in north TX. It saddened me that so many women need it but I was glad that there are so many doctors willing to train to do the exacting work. My own PS dedicates a majority of his practice to reconstruction and does DIEPs on Monday and Tuesday.

Pzercher - I had to wait til week 8 post DIEP to begin really working on getting ROM back because I lost a bit of muscle. I had been doing wall crawls and such from the beginning but had zero strength and limited mobility, mostly due to the belly. I'm working for the last time on ROM. Since I developed such a mass of scar tissue and bulge on the right side, it's a challenge to raise that arm completely. Lats really pull. I can't work with my trainer on it for 2 more weeks. I was so proud that I achieved full ROM between surgeries because it was hard work. I had decided that going into another round I would be on level ground and not in the negative for my "comeback." I had hoped not to be back in this position after stage 2, but hey, it is what it is. Once I get back on top, it's not like I will lose it getting tattoosso I'm ok with having to wait a bit.

Tan - some have had ultrasound or ct scans. I had a ct because I'd had previous surgery and my PS wanted to be sure veins and arteries were ok. Each doc is different. At three weeks post, there is still exhaustion. I can't speak about a long drive, but others can chime in on that. Pillows and pain meds would be the way I'd go if I had to do it. Ask your doc about it too.

Tan - I am on the heavy side, too. I had BMX and DIEP simultaneously and I had an issue with my stomach incision opening up and I had to pack it for several weeks. It was scary at first and highly annoying but I kept telling myself that the flaps were the most important - I could deal with the annoyance of the tummy wound. Yesterday my PS asked if I'd be willing to talk to another patient who has a wound healing issue (not even as bad as mine) and she's really upset over it. There's no reason to think it WILL happen to you but if it does, know that it's just a small bump in the road to healing.

Like Teacher, I had an abdominal CT but as I've found from reading these boards, every surgeon is different in what they want you to do both before and after surgery.

And here's a picture of my three cats (I hardly ever get them all in one picture!). Clover, Señor Gato Negro, and Bella.

Wow, busy here today.  I have been gone almost all day!  I am only two weeks out from stage 2, and the day has exhausted me.  I went back to PT this morning after being off for over 2 weeks.  We only did ultrasound today, and then she worked on doing some myofascial release massage on my tummy because it's still so tight.  I won't be having my tummy scar revision till stage 2b.  She showed me a trick that might be helpful to all of us.  I hope I can explains it correctly.  You can do myofascial release yourself at home, but you need something flat and rubbery that moves the top layer or skin while the under layer stays still.  The fascia is right under your skin and it sometimes it adheres to you skin after surgery and can cause the tightness some of us get. So, you need to gently move your skin back and forth, or in circular motions, and keep moving the device after a minute or two in each area.  Your skin should not get irritated  because you are not rubbing it, you are moving it gently back and forth.  Ugh, it is so hard to explain.  Somebody asked in one of the posts I just read if they should go to PT.  The answer is YES.  Even if it's just for a couple of times so they can show you how to do things properly, like this massage and the stretches to get range of motion back.

Gila, love your kitties!!!!!

Tan, I think she was giving you the worst case scenario.  I think most people whose tummy wounds open are because they were thin and pulled very tight.  I am not saying it doesn't happen to heavier women, but you should be okay.  Try not to worry to much, easy to say now that I am this far out, but we are here for you no matter what questions you have.

Lovecat, I just have to ask out of curiosity, why are you coming all the way to Texas for your surgery when you live in CA and have so many good places you could go? Also, where in Texas are you going?

Georgie, I am encouraged by your experience with the support group, and therapist.  I am hoping I find some comfort too.  I have mixed feelings about going.  I hope my visit tomorrow sways towards "happy I went."  I will keep you posted.  Even my PS wants feedback on my visit because he is realizing the need for this type of intervention when women are going through BC and reconstruction.  I am going to say something, and I don't want this taken the wrong way.  All cancer is terrible.  But, most are found, treated, operated on, chemo, rads, etc.  And, if you are one of the lucky ones you get on with your life.  But, BC does all those things to you, and more.  It takes something that is so visible to us, and the people close to us, and it leaves emotional scars that I don't think can be reversed, and completely gotten over.  When I had my hysterectomy 3 years ago I felt neutered, but the rest of the world couldn't see it.  I wasn't reminded of it every time I took a shower, or changed my clothes, so I got on with it. People who have heart attacks, by-pass surgeries, etc.  Yes, very serious stuff.  But, when you are over it, there is no blaring reminder.  Ugh....I am rambling. I think you all know what I mean. 

Teacher, it sounds like the group up in your area is great too.  I wish Plano wasn't so far from me.  There is a lot of offer there that we don't have here.  I started out at UTSW and I was surprised how little was offered to me there with their big fancy Cancer Center.  They need to do more there.  When the nurse at my surgeons office could tell I was getting down after my failed implant attempt her only option was to suggest going to the generic "therapy dept."  No support groups, no nurse advocate, nothing.

I hope Lipgloss did okay today.  Maybe she will shoot us a quick update later.

I am taking a nap.  I think Wilbur is paying me a short visit. I took a hydrocodone when I got back from PT

oops meant Lovecat not Tan....LOL! Stupid chemo brain! Tan no ultrasound when I did my diep. Sounds like it does vary from P.S. to P.S. Lovecat message heading your way.

Goldie - there is a Cancer Support Community in Ft Worth if that would be closer to you. Ey have good activities, too.

Glia - like the two kitties nose to nose. The black and white one looks angry to be left out!

I've been doing circular motion massage for 3 minutes 3x daily on my side as directed. The hard area isn't quite so big but the bulge is still there.

I echo Goldie because cancer has robbed each of us of so much. We will eventually look good on the outside to everyone else, including the insensitive louts who make unkind comments. I know that once I have the tattoos done, I will officially be finished but I will never see myself the same way again. I had 64 years with the old body. I AM grateful for all that has been accomplished for and by me but I still miss the old, saggy, familiar me.