['lizbeth]

Hey,

I did the TRAM flap, as the DIEP wasn't offered to me. Any little thing (like an implant) in my body would drive me nuts.

The TRAM was a huge surgery, major, much more so than a mastectomy. The DIEP saves the rectus abdominus muscle from being used as a blood supply.

The reconstructed breast look horrible at first, because with using natural tissue comes the risk of a partial or full loss due to inadequate blood supply. Techniques have advanced since I had the surgery 6 years ago (when some bright surgeons realized they could have more than one blood supply - jolly good idea!).

I have an enormous scar that goes from hip to hip, and it is not subtle like a tummy tuck.

The revised breast looks and feels like a real breast. The 2nd revised result looks pretty good, but I can still see the area of the loss.

With complications from a loss you either must have an additional surgery or a debridement that takes almost daily doctor visits, packing twice daily, and I had a Vac pump for 5 weeks to help heal a palm sized wound in my inferior medial breast. Quite the ordeal.

The benefit of the implants is the ability to undo. So they aren't working for you? Have them removed. Not so with your own tissue - no do overs (rats!).

If you get a fabulous plastic surgeon, the DIEP will look awesome. If you get a good plastic surgeon, the implants will look awesome.

I wish you a beautiful reconstruction.