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 ?
Just thought I would let you know how my appointment went , after your honest advise.
I went in hoping for a date but like you said came out with another 3 week wait , where I can discuss my options ! however it appears that my surgeon doesn't do DIEP and I will need a plastic surgeon, but due to Covid backlogs there is a waiting list for plastic surgery.
im feeling very frustrated and totally out of control , I just want one operation and don't want an implant so having the DIEP and mastectomy at the same time was my preference.
Eliza's you said you had your sentinel lymph biopsy 6 weeks prior to op ! How was that ? iv been told I need a biopsy and just took it that it would be done during the mastectomy ??? But now feel confused and don't know when anything will happen. With the added worry of Omicron bringing everything to a standstill .
Sorry to be so down and negative , feeling like I'm loosing my energy and fight and have no say or choice.
I think the thing you realise is that every hospital and consultant does things differently and so you need to ask what your Consultant will do about the lymph node biopsy. I say this because I was getting very stressed about mine causing another delay and hearing nothing about it. Like Eliza, I had a long wait over three months for the surgery and additional biopsies in between due to other concerns found that had caused delays. In the end my consultant said he'd do it at the time of masectomy and diep reconstruction. He did it well, I finally had my Op on Tuesday and will be going home today. Hope that helps a little. Mickey xx ️
Thank you , glad your all over your op and on the recovery road.
Were you offered DIEP as an option at the beginning ? Did you have a breast and plastic surgeon or did your surgeon do it all ?
like you and Elizab I'm already 9 weeks since diagnosis and 4 biopsies down , complications/ haemorrhage delaying progress.
feeling battered and bruised and haven't even got to surgery yet !
I find each appointment I'm being drip fed small bits of information, but I need to know what when and how so I can plan in my head and prepare for what's ahead .
Good luck with your recovery , what a great Xmas present .
I was advised masectomy as one invasive muscinous tumour and then they found two wide areas of dcis too. They pretty much left all options open for me. I did my own research and decided the diep flap was all I wanted. When I finally saw the plastic surgeon I felt he was trying to go for easier options, but I realise now he just needed to go through my options himself. I got quite frustrated saying I know what I want it's the diep and I'd already discussed that with everyone else. Anyway from that apt he promised me a date within 7 days and he was true to his word and my surgery was booked. We laughed about it when I thanked him after for the good job he did and he said that I just knew my mind (very true).
I only saw the plastic surgeon and anaesthetist, so I'm not sure yet if he did it all. Maybe though as when I asked if they found anything unexpected in my breast he was able to say 'no, it looked as we expected'. I didn't think to ask to be honest. He's the one whose visited me every day on the ward. He's done a great job and stitches for lymph node are internal so apart from swelling my arm feels ok.
The wait is awful and I did push as I was always promised it would happen before Christmas but by mid November, I still felt in no man's land - but then it all came together.
Feeling battered and bruised seems ongoing with what we go through, but it will lead to the best result and lowest reoccurrence risk for us and that's what we have to try and focus on.
It's completely understandable that you're feeling down - we have all been there. My lowest point was after the appointment with the plastic surgeon (when I thought I'd get a date) and instead they told me I was the 15th woman they'd seen that week and they'd schedule our operations in order...
As Mickey says, everywhere does things differently. My consultant told me about the DIEP flap when he gave me my cancer diagnosis. His instinct told him I would need a mastectomy so he talked me through all the options right at the start. He doesn't do DIEP flap operations but he still did my mastectomy. He and I travelled (separately!) to a different hospital and I had one operation with him doing the mastectomy and the plastic surgeon simultaneously doing the DIEP flap reconstruction.
Because I wanted an immediate reconstruction my consultant carried out the sentinel lymph node biopsy before I even met the plastic surgeon. Where I am you can't have a DIEP flap if there's a chance you'll need radiotherapy afterwards because they say it can damage the new tissue. But Mickey had her biopsy at the same time as her mastectomy and reconstruction - which sounds like what you're being told.
I agree that having the mastectomy and reconstruction at the same time is preferable so hopefully they can tell you how long the wait would be and whether, in your case, it's safe to wait. That said, I was lent a DVD by the plastic surgeon which contained interviews with women who'd had a delayed DIEP flap. Although the wait was very hard, they were really thrilled with the reconstruction when it did happen.
It is also worth talking to your breast nurse. After that appointment when I didn't get a date, I had a miserable weekend. On the Monday I spoke to my breast nurse, by the middle of the week my consultant and the plastic surgeon were coordinating diaries and by the end of the week I had a date. It was only when I went for my op that I realised there were 2 of us who my consultant was doing mastectomies for on the same day - so he would have operated on us one after the other, and we had 2 different surgeons doing our DIEP flaps. So there can be lots of admin and coordination going on in the background making it even more complex!
I really feel for you with so much uncertainty. And I hope you get more clarity on your options and the timescale very soon. My consultant was really helpful in being clear about how long it was safe for me to wait so I hope yours can do that for you. Sending you a hug xx
I was reading this thread and just thought I'd chip in. I had wanted a reconstruction using my own fat initially but this wasn't an option at the hospital I was been seen at. In October I had a mastectomy on one side, all my lymph nodes taken and a reconstruction using an implant. I realise you are not asking for advice on an implant reconstruction but thought I'd mention it here in case any questions came up regarding this as I'd be happy to answer. Best of luck with your journey.
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 ...
