Can I have some advise on breast reconstruction surgery using belly fat, has anyone had this done and would you recommend it ? was it painful recovering from two wounds at the same time ? And how long was the recovery ?
Hi Ozbabe - I had a bilateral mastectomy and Diep recon on 15th October so im 2 months down the path. I have no regrets at all (but then I don't know how I would be feeling if I'd made a different decision ♀️)... what would you like to know? Happy to share
I am due to see surgeon this afternoon and been warned mastectomy possible due to large area . Anxious about anaesthetic so if want reconstruction will want it done at same time .
didn't think it would bother me having a mastectomy but having time to research and think I'm not sure I could cope flat chested on one side or fuss with prosthetics.
do you mind me asking why you had a double mastectomy?
I have a very strong family history of breast cancer , but left breast clear at the moment , has crossed my mind. Should I be thinking of double mastectomy.
how did you cope with your surgery ? How long were you in hospital ? was it painful having chest and abdominal wounds at the same time ? thanks
I had cancer on one side - multiple tumours over a large area so in the end a lumpectomy wasn't an option (initially it was borderline but as the tests and diagnosis went on they found more and more)... like you I was then concerned about being unbalanced. Then the MRI showed up abnormal tissue on the other side. It turned out to not be cancerous but it was enough to enable me to push for a double mastectomy. They wouldn't agree to do both sides without recon (not sure why but probably because one side did not actually have tumours and they were concerned i'd regret it later) so then having established that a mastectomy without recon was out of the question, I didn't want to be flat on only one side so that meant a DIEP (I didn't want the imbalance of just one implant either) and my reasoning was that you get one chance with DIEP so given I already had abnormal signs on the apparently healthy side, and I had enough belly fat thanks to lockdown comfort-eating (!) for me it was best to have both sides done at the same time... and I was really lucky to have a sympathetic surgeon who understood the rationale and recognised it wasn't blind-panic on my part, but logical and calm
I had cancer on one side - multiple tumours over a large area so in the end a lumpectomy wasn't an option (initially it was borderline but as the tests and diagnosis went on they found more and more)... like you I was then concerned about being unbalanced. Then the MRI showed up abnormal tissue on the other side. It turned out to not be cancerous but it was enough to enable me to push for a double mastectomy. They wouldn't agree to do both sides without recon (not sure why but probably because one side did not actually have tumours and they were concerned i'd regret it later) so then having established that a mastectomy without recon was out of the question, I didn't want to be flat on only one side so that meant a DIEP (I didn't want the imbalance of just one implant either) and my reasoning was that you get one chance with DIEP so given I already had abnormal signs on the apparently healthy side, and I had enough belly fat thanks to lockdown comfort-eating (!) for me it was best to have both sides done at the same time... and I was really lucky to have a sympathetic surgeon who understood the rationale and recognised it wasn't blind-panic on my part, but logical and calm
It's difficult to say how it compared to other options and everyone has a different outcome - so many factors involved - but my experience was that the pain was fine - I was off morphine after a day, then I took the max paracetamol and ibuprofen for about 2 weeks then stopped both by the end of week 4. They sent me home with morphine but I never needed it... nice to have it just in case. The worst thing I found was being incapacitated... I could get out of bed and shuffle to the bathroom the morning after the op, but having four drains means every time you want to move it's a complicated process. So you really have to force yourself to make the effort to get out of bed and move around because it helps the recovery but it's a performance each time.... the pain was manageable with the drugs though... I've had more painful trips to the dentist if I'm honest
Once the drains get removed (in my case one a day over a 5 day hospital stay) it gets easier with each one. I've read that some surgeons leave the drains in for much longer though, and others hardly use them at all, so best check that because it differs... I guess the other thing I would say is that you end up in a lot of elastic which doesn't hurt but it's exhausting and it does get you down eventually. Again, every surgeon/ patient/ experience is different but in my case I had a post-mastectomy/ sports bra and also the lovely Spanx that go up to just below your (reworked) boobs and I wore them day and night for 6 weeks. I had a few moments of feeling trapped in it all... But if you can stick with it I do think it's worth it. It's certainly helped me with keeping the swelling to a minimum, and it helps everything to settle in the right place too.
It's good to be able to hear other peoples experience.
feeling anxious about my appointment this afternoon as not had a good experience so far it's been 8 weeks since diagnosis but due to complications I have been delayed .I'm hoping that this recent wave of pandemic doesn't delay me further now .
I hope your appointment goes well today and you get some progress. The waiting is the worst of it. I worried about the delays... at times it feels nothing is happening but behind the scenes they are preparing. In the end, after the waiting and the tests and the waiting and the appointments you think are going to change something it end up being a 10 minute chat and "come back in two weeks"... and more scans... Initially I was told at least a 6 week wait for DIEP but once I made a firm decision and told my BC nurse it was what I wanted, I was in the operating theatre two weeks later.... so the final bit can happen fairly quickly if there is a slot
I am 2 years after masectomy to right breast and finally feeling strong enough and have come to the decision to have reconstruction. Unhappy with looking lop sided and wearing prothesis. I have a meet with my surgeon on 4th Jan . I am hoping for DIEP with fat from my tummy, but I will listen to advice from the Consultant . My fear is multiple ops and long recovery as I am 69! My Consultant said age doesn't come into it and it's how you feel about yourself . Huge decision ...
