DIEP 2014

Sounds like all the ladies who have had recent surgeries are doing well. My dmx with DIEP was performed almost 4 months ago, but I had gallbladder surgery on October 3rd. I now have MANY scars !

I am not sure how I feel about these permanent badges yet....?

I have been looking into BC groups...I think I was ready before gallbladder attacks and surgery. I am still in pain and I am so tired. Did I say sooooo tired. I am sleeping 15 hrs per day, and I have to force myself out of bed. 

I am running on empty.

Any advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Lisa

Ridley: I think you are right about diet....I really could not eat in September, and now my appetite is zero. Thank you for the advice! Now that you are almost 9 months out, when did your energy return? Lisa

Hello all,

This is my 1st post to this website.  I am 35 years old, recently diagnosed with Stage 0 DCIS on the Right and Stage 1 invasive on the left.  I had my initial mammogram during a workup for a breast reduction, never expecting to find cancer.  I have the option of having lumpectomies followed by a breast reduction with 6 weeks of rads and 5 years of tamoxifen.  I could also have a bilateral mastectomy with immediate implants or DIEP flap recon, no rads and tamoxifen.  I am leaning towards the DIEP, since I want the piece of mind that comes with the mastectomy and I don't like the idea of implants or rads.  I would welcome any input you ladies may have.  Thanks in advance.  God Bless.

Erica

Deb (lovecat3), hope your flight back to California was uneventful and comfortable. It was so good to talk with you on Wednesday and be cheered by your happiness with the results of your DIEP.

We had easy flights to San Antonio yesterday, checked out the route to the hospital after church this morning, and just need to get my hospital bag ready with knitting and tablet, eat a good dinner, shower and get to the hospital two hours before surgery tomorrow.

edukes

I did not have the choice for lumpectomy since my dcis was in multiple quadrants and I would have been left with nothing.  I think I took like 3 months to make a decision and in the end chose diep for the more natural look and feel.   I can't say there weren't days I thought implants might have been easier.. But I also know that implants aren't always easy on the body and have routine maintenance/replacement.   In the end.  Diep was the right choice for me... Even though it was not available where I live and had to go far to get it done.

so good to hear from you! Flight home great did use wheelchair in airport easier to preboard flew home with 1 drain

I'm happy to know our conversation helped to ease your concerns. Another person on this site went to PRMA and told me all you have to do is " show up". She was 100% right!! I am so elated with my new breast and with every passing day (16 now since surg) even more grateful maybe in part because I had a concave grizzle chest in constant pain for 4 years I truly can't begin to express my gratitude towards everyone at PRMA the Hosp the Hotel. It is scarey to leave home

Enjoy tonight eat well celebrate when you wake from surgery tomorrow you will have a beautiful breast that is all you Remember you've been thru the worst part 3 years ago

I will be thinking of you praying for you sending you healing thoughts

Please say hello to the PRMA people for me message or call anytime

Lisa - my goodness - 12 surgeries in 6 years - no wonder you are tuckered out!

edukes - I had the same types of cancer as you - invasive on the left and DCIS on the right.  I had a lumpectomy first, and then when my path came back more complicated than expected, a mastectomy was recommended.  I decided to have a bilat with recon, and have no regrets.  Just had a revision last week to deal with a symmetry issue and some scar revisions. 

As for questions, do you know if you are having nipple sparing?  I could have had that on the DCIS side, but decided not to for symmetry reasons.  That is one decision that I might have spent more time thinking about in retrospect.  Also, do you know if you are having sentinel node biopsies on both sides.  I ended up doing that, but you might see what options your surgeon provides.  

Good luck,

Ridley

It's Thanksgiving up here in Canada - so Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm getting my nipples tomorrow and I'm more nervous than I was for my DIEP. I was very confident about that one because I knew I was making the right choice and I was willing to cosmetically accept any outcome. But now I really need to know that the nips will be an improvement and not something ugly. Someone said their initial nipples were the size of 'the cap on a tube of toothpaste'. I can't get that visual out of my head. Even at turkey dinner last night I was trying to be present, but all I could think about was those little caps under my bra. 

Don't mean to sound whiney  - I know there are people with much more intense issues - but it feels good to get if off my chest. (Ha!)

edukes - I also had bilateral breast cancer and was offered a mastectomy with recon or rads. Tomoxifen either way. My first instinct was to go with DIEP - just do it right and do it once. But over the next few months I really wrestled with making a final decision because I was scared, and I didn't want such a major disruption in my life. And I mean I really struggled - even going as far as seeing the hospital shrink to help me get some clarity in my chaotic head. In the end I based it on what I didn't want. I didn't want any foreign substances in my body, I didn't want rads, and I didn't want a recurrence. So I chose DEIP. My first instinct was the right one, and the right choice for me and one that I would make again. But it really comes down to where you feel most physically and mentally comfortable. But what you're doing now is good - gathering information will only make the decision more clear.

Janet

edukes...I absolutely agree with Janet. I kept second guessing my decision, and I think because the implants just sounded so much easier. But then I asked myself what would be better in the long run. So I am now going the with the Diep and just making that decision final in my head feels so much better.

Janet, thinking of you today.  It will all go well, and I know you will be happy.  Please let us know how you are as soon as you are able. 

We had  a huge storm last night that woke me up around 2 am.  At 4am I took a bendryl to get back to sleep.  I am a zombie today.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the other Canadians!  Today is my chill today at home with just the kids as we did dinner with my family on Saturday and the extended family yesterday.   Lots of food, family and fun!  

I feel bad for not posting as much now.  I posted so much leading up to surgery in June and through recovery this summer.  But the further I seem to get from surgery, I just seem to get busy with other things, and also I think you reach a point where you don't want to think about b/c all the time!  I am back to work for 2 months now, kids are back in school, activities, so life is busy!  

I am still waiting to have nipple reconstruction done.  LIke I mentioned in my last post, it is not until September 2015 which is a bit of a bummer, but it's OHIP covered and non-emergency, so usually you wait.  Between my diagnosis and surgery was 6 weeks, so I can't really complain!  I just want frankenboobs to be gone.  I am curious how he will do it, as he says it is an office procedure.  And then the tattoing (I think!).

So, part of my thanks this weekend, is for ALL the help, support and information here.  No matter how much support I received in real life, most truly did not get it.  It was wonderful to come to a place where I could obsessively talk about it, obsess about options, and get answers to all my questions!

hi Lonnie no additional pain but may take up to 6 months to notice a change. My PS said you need to know which nodes to transfer or you could end up with lymphadema in your leg!  Lymphnode transfer seems to be the " in " thing and he commented you can't just go in take some nodes and transfer them hope for the best (My surgeon has a lot of experience )

My lymphadema has never been terrible I did have a flare up earlier this year which required PT n wrapping for 4 weeks  

My thought  if this helps at all totally worth it :-)

edukes - The nipple recon is actually tomorrow. I've gone into full heavy duty housecleaning mode which is what I traditionally due the day before a surgery. 

I'm not doing fat grafting - but I don't know what my procedure is called. I've heard it referred to as 'sort of like origami'. They take the tissue from within the breast to create the nipple. My PS said it will also reduce the size of the crop circle (our word, not his) because it pulls tissue from inside. All a bit weird and wonderful. 

UGH! I am a little over 4 weeks post bmx and diep and my abdominal insisions have been widening over the past couple of weeks, it is not open where it requires packing, but yellow and looks like its pulling apart (not red and has no ordor, so I don't think has to do with infection). Has anyone else had this happen, does it lead to splitting where it needs to be packed, I would love to hear of anyone who had this where it didn't go that far and just healed up. Been having a rough day and am ready to start moving forward. I return to work next week and would like to be more confident in the abdomial healing.

They don't do this prosedue in my area so my ps is out of state which makes it a little tougher to follow up, I took some photos and will be sending them to her for feedback as well.

On a positive note, I have no regrets on the diep decision and the breast swelling has gone down and I am happy with the results.

Thank you for any feedback you can provide.