DIEP 2014

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  • mary625
    mary625 Member Posts: 1,056
    edited March 2015

    Can anyone help me understand how long I have to be in NOLA for a Stage II? I was told 5 days, but I don't know if that's 5 days after the hospitalization or 5 days total

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  • LAstar
    LAstar Member Posts: 1,574
    edited March 2015

    My recollection is 5 days total: pre-op, surgery, discharged, stay in town another couple of days and leave.

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  • julieho
    julieho Member Posts: 222
    edited March 2015

    I am going to NOLA for my Stage 2 today. We fly in very late tonight, have my pre-op tomorrow, surgery early Friday, leave hospital Saturday and I was told if I wanted to forego a post-op with the doctor I could fly home Sunday but I wanted to see him before flying back home so I will have my post-op Monday and then we fly out very early on Tuesday.


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  • jbdayton
    jbdayton Member Posts: 700
    edited March 2015

    My thoughts will be with you julieho. Hope everything goes as you like.


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  • LiLi-RI
    LiLi-RI Member Posts: 291
    edited March 2015

    Julio: Best wishes for safe travels and recovery! Lisa

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  • Janet_M
    Janet_M Member Posts: 1,068
    edited March 2015

    Julieho - Thinking of you, as you get one step closer to the finish line! I hope your Stage 2 is calm, and uneventful. You've got this!

    Janet

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  • MerrellGirl
    MerrellGirl Member Posts: 67
    edited March 2015


    Wow Julie, I can't believe you're on your way to Stage 2!  I remember when we were encouraging you to choose NOLA!  I love the women on this site. 

    Prayers for safe travels, successful surgery, and great food while there!  Update us when you can.  I am scheduled for Stage 2 in April and am eager to hear about your experience. 

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  • enjoyevrymoment
    enjoyevrymoment Member Posts: 334
    edited March 2015

    Hi everyone just checking in, my anniversary of my diagnosis came and went and now I see the PS tomorrow for the year later appt. Hard to believe that all happened some days.... life is back to normal but with a deeper appreciation no doubt and also a little hyper vigilance about any new aches and pains. Still fighting the blubber war, but keeping it in check. Not a fan of my Femara but feel the benefits outweigh the side effects.

    Hope you are all well and doing great, if anyone wants to ever reach me outside of here my email is cblev@comcast.net since I am not on here very often. I have been working on the dear daughters wedding a bit and took on 6 NP students as a clinical instructor as well as my regular job so it has been a busy yet fulfilling time :) Best wishes to all and sending you hugs amidst the blizzard! :)

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  • julieho
    julieho Member Posts: 222
    edited March 2015

    thanks everyone for your good wishes for my Stage 2 last Friday. I am doing really good. What a difference. They didn't do much on my breast other than fat grafting and removed a little bit of side boob on the right side. He didn't need to lift them.

    He did bring my abdominal scar around my back to even out hips and correct small dog ear. He removed a fair amount of scar tissue in the center of my abdomen along the first DIEPscar and then lowered the scar further down.

    I see him this afternoon for a post op and we fly home early Tuesday.

    I have two abdominal drains that are near my pubic bone on each side and no Breast drains.

    My back is really black and blue and very swollen from lipo to my hips, flanks and lower back he said he was going to do a small amount of lipo from my thighs but I am not sure he did. They don't look really bruised or hurt much so I will ask him today I am done with surgeries now. YAY!

    I may do 3d nipples at some point but I am happy with what I have,don't have to wear bras, which I love and just want to start getting my stamina and energy back.

    So appreciate all of you and your concern and support. We r so fortunate to have that.

    Much love

    Julieho

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  • wintersocks
    wintersocks Member Posts: 922
    edited March 2015

    Julieho

    I am pleased that all went well for you, although it sounds like you had have had a lot done there, I am sure you feel a bit bashed around, so when you go home rest up with your lovely dogs. x

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  • Janet_M
    Janet_M Member Posts: 1,068
    edited March 2015

    Julieho - Did you say ' no more surgeries?'. Yahoo!

    I'm so happy everything went well for you, and also that you're heading home to start healing. Spring is a lovely time for recovering - growth, rebirth, blossoming, and all the stuff. ( Part of me is feels very 'Oprah', and the other part is thinking about cute sundresses for you)

    Take care of yourself,

    Janet


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  • Ridley
    Ridley Member Posts: 634
    edited March 2015


    Julie -- glad to hear you are recovering well.  I'm looking forward to the "no more surgeries day" -- have what I believe will be my last in a couple of weeks for one more shot at fat grafting to even things out and nipple recon.

    Janet -- are you going to do tattoos?  If so, have you decided where.  I haven't talked to Dr. H about what they do at UHN, but have thought about options re: Vinnie and a woman in Peterborough.  Hope things are going well with you -- I'm hanging on to how happy you are with your nipple recon as I gear up for this next step.

    Ridley

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  • Janet_M
    Janet_M Member Posts: 1,068
    edited March 2015

    Hi Ridley - Yes, I'll probably get around to tattoos one of these days.

    Meanwhile, I'm still loving having nipples. They're different from my original ones, (which were perfect, in my opinion), but there's no point in comparing. But I really was thrilled to get my new ones, which surprised me because I felt rather ambivalent about moving ahead. Dr H said that woman really fell good after the nipples, so I took his word for it, and he was right. At my last visit I told him how happy I was and he said 'Wait till you get the tattoos'. So I'm going to take his word for that too. I'll either have it done at Toronto General, or in Peterborough. I've heard the woman there is really good, and I saw some of her 3D work first hand. Amazing.

    The surgery, by the way, was simple and almost pain free. The worst part was the freezing but in the grand scheme of things, it was a like being stung by a bee. Let me know if you have any questions.

    Hope you're well,

    Janet

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  • Ridley
    Ridley Member Posts: 634
    edited March 2015

    Hey Janet - glad to hear you are still loving your new nipples. I heard the brother of the woman in Peterborough speak at a conference - he included her story in his presentation. I thiink she is an ovarian cancer survivor.

    Dr H is going to put me under as he is going to do some additional fat grafting and he said it would be better to do both as the same time. Ok with me. I'll be at Mt Sinai this time.

    Take care.

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  • mary625
    mary625 Member Posts: 1,056
    edited March 2015

    Hi, all. Getting one step closer to my Stage II. They called today re financial responsibility. When I asked about whether I could skip the things that CIGNA won't pay for, I was told they do the same things to everyone. What exactly are these things

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  • jmb5
    jmb5 Member Posts: 532
    edited March 2015

    enjoyevrymoment, Good to hear from you. I felt some sadness when my one year surgery anniversary came around. It's tough. 

    Julieho, Glad your stage 2 went well. You'll love those lipo results down the road when things settle.

    Wanted to share what I posted on the moving on board, since not all of you are on there. I am still a bit stunned from my trip to Victoria's Secret today...               So the bras that I bought after stage 1 have really not been comfortable for a while. I just felt like they were not fitting well. I went to Victoria's Secret today to see if I could find something more comfortable. I figured I had two fat grafting surgeries since I bought the first bras, so my breasts are a little different. Those bras were a 34C. (Before the mx, I was a 34B... barely.) Can you believe I am now a 32DDD!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it. I honestly thought VS changed their sizing or something. I am just floored. No wonder I have been struggling to embrace my new boobs. I'm not sure what a DDD is supposed to look like, but when I look in the mirror, they don't seem that huge. I don't know. It's all just very weird. Lol. PS told me before surgery that she thought she could get me to where I was, maybe a little smaller, so I was expecting a small B, large A. Crazy! Must have been some good fat grafting! Anyone else have an experience like this?

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  • LAstar
    LAstar Member Posts: 1,574
    edited March 2015

    I am a 36DDD and I have asked for a small B/large C every step of the way. My breasts are about the same size as before BC, just distributed a little differently. No wonder your bras were uncomfortable!!! Ahh, you must feel better.

    I was hoping to get some new bras today and finally get out of my surgical bra, but I was treated very rudely at the bra store. I was told it was okay to bring my little dog in, then someone told me that my dog couldn't be in a certain fitting room because they work with surgical patients. I totally understood and was moving my things when another employee came and started yelling at me and rolling her eyes when I tried to explain. This was the same woman that burst into my fitting room when I was trying on bras post-MX in 2012 and then stopped and gawked at my freshly scarred breasts. I am livid. I complained about my treatment to the nice employee but want to write a letter to the owner (who is wonderful and fitted me for my first LE sleeve and helped me after surgery). Sorry -- needed to vent!

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  • jmb5
    jmb5 Member Posts: 532
    edited March 2015

    LAstar, that's so frustrating. I hate having to deal with people like that at a store. So on the moving on board someone responded that their cup size increased after two fat grafting surgeries. I'm thinking that must be what happened to me. I just didn't think the cup size increased from fat grafting. I have gained a little weight over the past year, but not enough to go up three cup sizes.

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  • enjoyevrymoment
    enjoyevrymoment Member Posts: 334
    edited March 2015

    I am sorry you went through that LA star...I felt similar at one store then ended up in a Soma store and it was small and quieter and I had a good experience. Still weird feelings though. You know JMB I have gained and notice in my case the bra number has gone up but not the cup size. Clearly fat grafting was at work for you...I think we all are different as are the different bras. How nice to find the right fit finally!

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  • Kb33
    Kb33 Member Posts: 88
    edited March 2015

    I feel like I have missed so much.... Jmb5. DDD's? Wow. Julieho. Stage 2 congrats! I had to step away for a month or so and get my bearings. Finally admitting I needed another try at stage 2 was not easy.. But we go again this Thursday for surgery. Looking forward to two breasts the same size... Bras have been interesting for a while when you realize one cup is overflowing and the other is hiding somewhere in there. Hoping they can fix the nipple that looks like someone took a bite out of it and won't mind a bit of the fat grafting to round out the top of the girls a bit. Hoping we can do this without drains again... But thinking I won't be that lucky again. Not looking forward to the soreness of sitting down again... But another crack at lypo the back side may just be worth it. Lol. Wish me luck!

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  • enjoyevrymoment
    enjoyevrymoment Member Posts: 334
    edited March 2015

    Best wishes KB for smooth and successful surgery! Yeah, I am not in the DDD category although quite content, you really just never know how things will settle out. :) Hope everyone is doing well! Off today and just getting my appeal in for repayment for tattooing, it is a tricky business getting this stuff straight but hopefully that will be the last time I have to resubmit it.

    :) C'mon Spring! Love it!

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  • wintersocks
    wintersocks Member Posts: 922
    edited March 2015

    I went to my GP today and was surprised to hear she had the results of my recent biopsy on mx scar recon. It is thankfully fat necrosis. I was supposed to go back to hospital to get these results on the 17th April, I was not prepared today, I don't know if that is a good/bad thing. My GP had tears as she told me! She was so pleased. Isn't that nice?

    There is as I showed her a little hole along the tummy scar the area feels a liitle sore, She thought it might be infected and has done a swab, but my surgery was way back in December...?

    kb33, yes my one side also overfloweth! It is not too bad to hide in winter scarves etc, but the spring summer will be more challenging as I will not have my next stage til Sept. Any hints/tips you could pass on in how to get a little more even til then? Wishing all goes well for your surgery and it's nice to see you back.

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  • LAstar
    LAstar Member Posts: 1,574
    edited March 2015

    Great news, Wintersocks! It's probably such a relief for your doctor to give good news once in a while. Whew!

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  • Teacher64
    Teacher64 Member Posts: 840
    edited March 2015

    One year...what a difference it makes. Last March 18 was my DIEP day. It began with apprehension and excitement. I didn't know what I'd look like but knew it had to be better. There were some challenges but everything is fine. If anyone had asked me a year ago, I wouldn't have thought everything would look as it does. Time to let go of yesterdays

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  • jbdayton
    jbdayton Member Posts: 700
    edited March 2015

    Congrats teacher. I am so glad everything went so well for you. I hope to be there some day.

    My initial DIEP was last March 10. I am preparing for surgery #5 and hoping we are getting closer to being done. No date yet, I am going to get a second opinion of what needs to be done before committing to continue. I decided to take a break for a little while before continuing so I can build up my abs again and tone other areas.

    Even with my challenges I would definitely do this again.

    Feeling refreshed just got back from an 8 day cruise. I celebrated my 2 year mark from the start of chemo during the trip. So excited to be living and enjoying life 2 years after cancer diagnosis.

    Praying all is going well for everyone.


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  • Gramof2boys
    Gramof2boys Member Posts: 194
    edited March 2015

    kb- good luck with your surgery tomorrow. I hope they do the finishing touches you want. I am thinking of stage 2b to tweak symettry and a spot on my hip then that's it! Probably will do tattoos after that. I have appointment end of April to discuss plan and see Dr Stolier for follow up visit.

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  • Kb33
    Kb33 Member Posts: 88
    edited March 2015

    today is the day and I am covered in blue marker, everywhere. Lol. Guess this is called making the most of it. Yikes. Calm always leading up to surgery, this morning anxious for it to be all over

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  • jmb5
    jmb5 Member Posts: 532
    edited March 2015

    kb33, hope you're feeling well today. That lipo really hurts in some spots!

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  • enjoyevrymoment
    enjoyevrymoment Member Posts: 334
    edited March 2015

    Hang in there everyone, kb33 hope you feel better soon! Teacher I thought of you on "our day". was a little weepy the day before and didn't see that coming but doing ok now. Started seeing a counselor, first appt march 31. Just want to make sure I am strong as I can be emotionally and want to avoid the little interesting pitfalls that can come up even after the fact. Very interesting article here.

    try this link, should work better. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/16/lost-in-t...


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  • Janet_M
    Janet_M Member Posts: 1,068
    edited March 2015

    enjoyeverymoment - Good morning. I'm trying to open the article you mentioned, but I can't. Can you give me some key words so I can google it? I'm very interested in the pitfalls that come after the fact. After my treatment was over I was blindsided by my own roller coaster emotions. These days I'm feeling pretty stable, but I've learned never to close the door on having one of those moments where I fall flat on my ass.

    Teacher - Amen, sister! I like your attitude. It sure is a different picture when looked at through a rear view mirror. Looking forward year seems like a long time, but looking back, it's a blip. I just went to a specialty bra store for a fitting, and the chance to buy something beautiful. I've been waiting a long time to have a 'finished product' that I could dress up. Still don't have my tattoos, but I feel complete.

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