BMI during fat graft
sorry I am not familiar with all the technical terms yet but being offered a flap surgery with fat grafting following a mastectomy. The surgeon today was trying to tell me that I was not an ideal candidate because of my BMI 35. I told him that just means I have more fat to give. But he said that it’s a higher risk surgery longer thicker layers etc.
not sure if he is just being extra cautious or if this is commo
Comments
-
kumphort, I skimmed a couple of abstracts and see there can be problems for healing with higher BMI. Obviously I'm not a doctor! I guess the only recommendations I can give are to ask more questions, and consider getting a second opinion if you still feel like your questions aren't answered or if you think a different doctor might have better experience or skills to perform the surgery you want. Good luck.
-
@mountainmia. Thanks for always responding to my posts.
do you have links to the articles you looked at. does it mention specific bmi values? -
No, the things I looked at were just abstracts, basically a long paragraph each with a summary of findings from the research. If you google "flap reconstruction BMI" or similar, you can probably find the same types of things.
-
My plastic surgeon required me to lose weight and reach a BMI below 35. I had a BMI of 38 on my first consultation. I’m at a 30 now almost a year later and planning to have my DIEP surgery in May.
-
That’s an amazing weight loss in one year. Do you think that whatever other if any treatments you had contributed one way or another to your weight loss?
do you find it frustrating to have to undergo another surgery at this point -
SAY NO TO DEIP FLAP-GO FLAT!!! I had a DEIP flap in 2016-I would NEVER EVER tell anybody to do this surgery. It puts your body in a constant mode of distress every day. this surgery is so barbaric, I do not believe your body should be put in this type of constant stress. all for fake breasts. GO FLAT! it is ok to be flat. Your body and mind will thank you for it. many times, I think about the decision to go with this procedure & IT WAS THE WRONG DECISION. You have such a short period of time to make a decision & back than there was not much info offered except for how people felt the 1st year. all the info given was they felt great-the 1st year I felt fine. Your is trying to heal from intense surgery involving muscles, skin, It is the following years that are so painful & tiresome. Your body and mind are in a constant state of pain. WHEN IT IS SO UMCOMFORTABLE TO SLEEP, THE REPAIRING PART OF YOUR DAY, YOU ARE JUST SO EXHAUSTED AND IN PAIN FROM IT ALL THE HEALING DOES NOT HAPPEN CORRECTLY .YOUR BODY REVOLTS AGAINST YOU. You can't find clothes that fit, bras that fit. How do you know if it IS a lump or scar tissue? How do THEY know there isn't more cancer inside all that fat.& Scar tissue The tightness-not in a good way- makes you afraid to do anything because it feels like you are tearing something -forget yoga. seriously think about all this before you proceed -i still do not see any info about what this surgery does to your body 5+ years or more. it is going on year 7 and just as painful ifnot more than the surgery itself
-
Chicklet, I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but I don't believe that is everyone's experience. As for telling someone to go flat, that is uncalled for. I myself did implant reconstruction and am very pleased with it. Everyone needs to make their own reconstruction decisions.
-
Chicklet,
I am so sorry that you have had such a negative outcome. There is no recon procedure which will be 100% perfect for every patient. Unfortunately, bad outcomes do happen. That being said whether to reconstruct or not is a very individual decision. Like summerangel, I chose implant recon and am very pleased. Others with implants are not and the same can be said for DIEP, TUG, PAP, etc.
Yes, going flat is a good option for some.There is no one right choice and there is no way to foresee unexpected complications. Again, I am sorry that recon has created such long term problems but we have many, many members who are very happy with their DIEP procedure. I had a very rare, life threatening complication of port installation. It resulted in a rush to the ER and a week in the hospital as well as a month at home with a portable chest tube. Would I advise others not to get a port? Nope, I understand that I was just the random victim of bad luck.
I hope you can find some relief. Take care.
-
If you're unsure and facing a mastectomy deadline, you can go flat now and then take your time deciding whether to go through with a DIEP or another form of recon. There's no need to rush a decision now! You can always do recon later after going flat.
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team