DIEP - higher infection risk?

I don't have an answer to your question, but I can talk about DIEP. I had a bmx with immediate DIEP recon 14 months ago followed by two revision surgeries. I ask myself everyday if it was worth it. I haven't been "flat" so maybe that would have been worse, but DIEP has left my belly and breasts numb. I miss sensation. I miss feeling my husband tickle my belly or press his cold hand on my belly, playful things he used to do. He still does sometimes and says "can you feel that" and he is sad that I can't.

I also had a little complication during surgery, so they had to take a postage size piece of muscle along with a vein. The area was repaired with mesh, but it is weaker and I worry about a future hernia. The area sometimes burns too.

Each surgery knocked me down. The first surgery was 13 hours. I woke with "drop foot" (nerve damage from the compression boots). I had to do months of physical therapy. I've worn a tight sports bra for most of the year because I still need the compression to feel comfortable, All of this and the doctors keep telling me how good and I am doing and how quickly I healed! I had no infection, but I have read were others have. I met a woman who went through all this only to lose both the flaps. How disappointing! I was supposed to get my nipples tomorrow, but I cancelled the appointment because I'm so tired of recon, I just want my life back.

Along with surgery goes fat necrosis. Months down the road you may find "lumps". This is scary as hell because you worry the cancer is back. I had one ultrasound, lumps were benign. Also, the lymph system has to work hard during healing. I had two lymph nodes removed on the left and the lymph system seems a little sluggish on that side. I get funny sensations in my arm and worry about getting lymphadema. After my second revision I had a swollen lymph node, so needed another ultra sound which confirmed it was a normal lymph node doing its job

Visually, the breasts look good and the belly is flatter. One breast is perfectly shaped, although smaller than I expected. The other is ok, but with a funny bulge that they tried to fix with the last revision. Its better, but not quite right. They actually look much better than most of the photos I've seen, so I feel lucky.

I haven't walked in your shoes, so you need to do what feels right for you, but from my perspective, knowing what I know now, I think that if I was years past my cancer dx and still cancer free, I wouldn't put my life on hold to go through recon.

Good luck to you.