[Margerie]

There are muscle-sparing procedures that use abdominal or upper thigh tissue (DIEP, SIEA and TUG) Lat flap is not muscle sparing. I had bilateral DIEP a year after diagnosis. I had to travel 4 hours and stay in the hospital for 5 days. My three kids were very young at the time. It took 2 good weeks before I was able to drive, etc. But I wake up every day thankful I took that route. It was a small price to pay for my current quality of life.

I know there is not a one-size-fits-all reconstruction choice, and some women do not want reconstruction at all, but I really encourage women to explore ALL the options that are available. This website is excellent and it includes patient testimonials.

breastreconstruction.org