DIEP 2015

Andrea and Morwenna - I had Stage 1 on December 8 and Stage 2 last Friday (February 6). I had a line of "bumps" below the incision - one pretty sharp and a little painful if I'd run my finger over it. I remembered others saying they were stitches so asked my PS about them and asked him to take the two worst ones out. He wasn't really excited about it - said they were just stitches that would dissolve but I said I'd really like him to take them out so he did during Stage 2. I just have two little blobs of superglue now.

I've had an incredibly easy time of it - haven't taken any narco pain meds since the 2nd day after Stage 1 and after Stage 2 just took an 800 mg. motrin for 2 days. I don't think I'm tough or have a really high pain tolerance or whatever - it just didn't hurt. Now, I think my PS did a great job and I'm in decent shape - but I think it's because of lots of prayers and an awesome God Who has been right beside me throughout the BC journey. In any event, I've been back to pretty much my normal volunteer schedule (everything from cleaning kennels at the local dog shelter one day a week to working at a co-op garden to helping in the food pantry and resale shop offices, as well as church committee) since the 2nd week after Stage 1. I took it easy for 3 days after Stage 2. Everybody is different, of course - but don't be too nervous or worked up about it like I was! You'll do just fine!

Spookie, I was just like you - I'd definitely have preferred everything at the same time.....but my PS insisted on a 6 month wait after rads to let the skin heal/change as much as possible. He said that in the long run, I'd be much happier with the results. After reading about the problems some of the other ladies have had, maybe there's something to what he says.... For what it's worth......

Bev

Andrea, I sure hope this is your last surgery - you've been through so much! I guess my rads side healed well....I know before Stage 1 my PS seemed almost surprised that the skin was soft (it just felt normal to me). It got pretty oozy and ugly by the end of rads but by about 2 weeks after they were over, it was healed up. After Stage 1, I had a hard ridge and indentation above the breast, which he said was from rads. That's where he grafted fat in Stage 2 and (like others), I think it looks worse now (a week out of surgery).....but he said it's swollen and about 20% will be reabsorbed. So - we'll see. I'm not sure how many more procedures I want to go through. I'm 57 and there are no bikinis in my future. I'll probably go ahead with nipple and tattoo, though.

Andrea - I had fat grafting from my inner thighs (still a little tender to the touch but i walked 2-1/2 miles 2 days after Stage 2 and have biked 3 times since - PS said no running but biking and walking are fine. I also had right (good/non-cancer) breast lift (whatever it's called). It sure looks strange to me - but it's probably like it looked 30 years ago..... It's REALLY tender - can't touch it much yet. Everything is healing well. I wore the heavy wrap/binder for a month after Stage 1 and then spanx briefs for another month and don't notice any swelling in my abdomen (which is nice and flat - yay!). I was pretty hunched over (walking with a pillow in front) in the hospital and didn't stretch back to wash my hair for a couple of weeks but slept in my own bed with 2 pillows from the time I came home (4th day after surgery). The worst part was laughing, sneezing or coughing for the couple of weeks after surgery!!!! Stomach scar is there but flat and doesn't really bother me at this point. For the first couple of weeks, I'd roll to the side to sit up from laying flat in bed.

I'm pretty active but don't really exercise....or didn't till I started taking arimidex in june. I started running (first time in 30 years) because I'd heard the more I moved, the less the bone aches and pains would bother me. I was running 2-1/2 miles every other day before surgery and really think it helped me bounce back. You have a while till surgery...not sure how much winter your area is getting these days but if you can get outside a bit, it may help.

Love your quote....have you been to Best Friends? It's on my bucket list......

Wow saltyjack. You are one active lady, and I am unable to get out of bed unassisted! I found out why today, I ended up having two minitrams because my vessels were too small. I had not seen my PS since the surgery, just a bunch of residents. He came by to discharge me, but my husband asked for me to be in another day because he didn't think he could help me up. So my husband let me down. But he is forgiven. Because of a previous injury, I need a walker to keep my balance while walking .

ladies, I was just trying to encourage Andrea (and others) because I'd heard so many horror stories about how difficult recovery would be. We know everybody is different (found that out going through chemo, right - no way to know what to expect, almost one day to the next?!) I've had a very easy journey but I credit it all to my faith and lots of answered prayers. As one friend said, God doesn't cause cancer, but He sure does use it - I'm stronger in so many ways as a result of everything that's happened.

Bev

fortunately , my nursing staff has been good. I have found I have not need ed as much pain meds as with my lumpectomy! I just can't move because my muscles lock up.

Actually, the big crisis for this surgery was depression for my 5 pound Chihuahua. I rescued Andy and his brother three years ago. They had been with an elderly lady who had to go live in home. The humane society separated them for adoption, but Andy started wasting away, down to 3.5 pounds. Unfortunately, his brother died of old age two years ago. Andy stopped eating 3 days ago. He will curl up with my DH, but he won't eat or pee and poop for him. When I realized what was going on, I had sister pick him up and take him to her house where Andy would be able to hang out with his Belgium Griffon cousin. They got him to eat some food with her dog, and Andy seems to have perked up. One less thing for me to worry about during my recovery.

Hi Ladies, I will (hopefully) be joining your group. I've just been diagnosed with a recurrence and met briefly with my BS and PS. Mastectomy is my only choice since I just finished tx 11/2 years ago. I'm still in shock because I had PCR and good margins. I found a thickening/ lump just above the end of my LX scar and yep biopsy shows recurrence. Because I had extensive rads (whole breast, axilla, supraclavicular) I can only go for diep- which I'm thrilled about. On march 9 I go for my education class, and formal apt. With BS and PS, they only stopped in for quick evaluation when I got the news from MO.

I have all sorts of fears and questions. This is so overwhelming. I thought I was done with cancer. When I asked my BS if I could keep my nipple she said no. Being in the state of shock that I was I didn't ask why (but will). Do you know why? My new lump is 6 cm from nipple- the old was 8. Do I need to get any special bras or camis? I've been reading posts and find them helpful, thank you! Is there anything I should ask my BS or PS?

I just wanted to introduce myself to my new group! If there is any advice you can offer, thank you! I hope all who are recovering are doing so with little pain.

Shari

slv58, so sorry about  your recurrence. I had a recurrence at the end of 2013 and had a BMX last January. My BS said I could not keep the nipple because of previous radiation. She said if we tried, the nipple would just die. I chose to have both nipples removed to have a matching set, and then did the nipple reconstruction. I'm getting them tattooed in less than 7 weeks. Even without the tattoos, they look pretty normal, and my breasts actually look better than before the DIEP. In regards to your questions about needing any special bras or camis, I didn't buy anything before surgery, other than some extra tank tops. My PS gave me a bra at my first check-up, which was 10 days after surgery. I lived in cotton tank tops and zip up hoodies. (I found the thinner, less bulky material was more comfortable under the armpits.) I also wore drawstring pajama pants. I didn't go bra shopping for probably 8 weeks after DIEP, maybe longer. My best advice right now is to make sure you are comfortable with your surgeons. Get a second opinion if you have any doubts about anything. The first PS I saw said I was too thin for him to do a DIEP. He came off as very arrogant, and I sat at dinner with my husband after the appointment and was in tears. I saw another PS a week later, and she was this beautiful, kind, intelligent Brazilian woman, who told me she could definitely do a DIEP. I ended up with a C cup, so clearly PS #1 didn't know what he was talking about. Also, ask lots of questions here. Ladies who had already had the surgery shared what to take to the hospital, what clothes to wear afterwards, how to prop yourself up in bed, how to tackle drains in the shower, etc. Things I had no clue about. Ask lots of questions as they come up. You can do this!!  

I did do a lot of core body work before surgery. Not sure it helped or not. I was surprised that my abdomen wasn't as sore as I expected and I was able to stand up straight almost immediately following surgery. Although that may have been because I also had a lot of extra skin on my abdomen from three pregnancies with very big babies earlier in life.

Julieho

slv58, I'm sleeping in a bed. I have 3 pillows behind me to prop me up a bit and pillows under each arm and under my knees. I'm about to lose the knee pillow (3 weeks out of Stage 1). My PS encouraged me to stand as straight as I could from the beginning, but while I'm trying to move off of pain meds I find myself "drawing up" as the day wears on and I'm more comfortable in the evening with support in the bed. Slowly, slowly.

I'm sorry to hear about your recurrence. It's wonderful that you feel thrilled about DIEP! I had both nipples taken in my BMX and my reconstructed nipples are cute! They have no color (which interestingly none of my girlfriends ever seem to notice when we are changing clothes or hot-springing) and are "low-profile" so I've been able to go braless under light shirts. After lugging around post-baby F cups, I enjoy this quite a bit!

Morwenna I will definitely send you my details when I know them. Will be meeting with both surgeons on march 9, hoping a date for surgery will follow. They have already squeezed me in to have breast MRI and tomorrow I go for lefty mammo ( wasn't due till July). Then I wait.

LAstar, I'm happy you seem to be recovering so well! I'm hoping my old body heals quickly, but chemo the first time around has left me feeling very old! Maybe I just need a perky new boob to make me feel young again!

I know I was very organized post op thanks to the advice I got from my fellow BC sisters on this site. I was also knowledgeable enough to give report about what was done. I ended up showing my foobs to nonPS residents who were showing up to"get the tour." I even offered them the Doppler so they could hear the swish of the connections. That way I got extra care just because I was teaching them something new.

My dog, Andy, treated me with much enthusiasm when I got home, but he expected me to feed and walk him immediately. I did and got some nice rest time on the patio glider in 70 degree sunshine.