Pain and DIEP Flap one year out

Nikki444
Nikki444 Member Posts: 27
edited July 2020 in Pain

I’m one year out from DIEP Flap after being flat for one year... I had nerve graph done at the time of Flap surgery - I have been in so much pain and constantly feel awful. I’m basically numb to to the touch from my chest - through armpits and down to my vagina - however I am in paid at the same time and constantly have internal itches that I can’t get to... I don’t sleep and can’t take pain meds other than Tylenol because I have to function...... Had anyone had DIEP flap reversed? I don’t even know if it will help

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  • Trishyla
    Trishyla Member Posts: 1,005
    edited July 2020

    I had a bilateral mastectomy with DIEP flap three years ago. For the first year I was extremely numb, with those deep, unreachable itches. It was driving me crazy.

    The things that helped me the most were stretching and massaging the scarred areas, scratching my back (not my front) with a back scratcher and giving myself time to heal completely.

    A professional can help with the massage. You need to get a referral to a qualified massage therapist to work on your scars. It really, really helps if you have what's known as adhesion.

    The back scratching sounds stupid but it was the only thing that helped. Whenever you feel that itch, use the back scratcher to scratch your back directly behind where you feel the itch. It works!

    Finally, some of the feeling is coming back in my torso as time goes by. I try to stimulate the nerve endings with a rough washcloth. It's a long process, but it does get better.

    Good luck. I hope you can get some relief soon.

    Trish

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