[harrie]

Blanche,
I had my DIEP done 11/06. It was a bilateral mastectomy with the DIEP. Recovery time I was told was between 4 - 6 wks. I had it done in California and flew back home to Hawaii a bit after 4 wks. My operation took 17 hrs which is longer then most. The surgeon had problems with my skin since it was radiated and I believe that is why it took so long. I was in this hospital for about 5 days which is normal. 3 months after the surgery is stage 2 of the reconstruction where they modified the scarring, put in small silicone implants for me, and constructed a nipple. That operation took about 6 hrs.
The recovery was not easy. Pain wasn't that much of an issue for me. The meds worked well. I took myself off the heavy duty IV pain meds after a couple of days. I had a time release pain med that I had to wear the first few days. Mobility was probably probably the biggest problem because I was bent over like 90 degrees the first wk. Luckily I was able to raise my arms halfway up. Some have to keep their arms against the sides of their body.
Anyways....What is nice about the DIEP is that they spare the muscle and only take the fat. I always wanted a tummy tuck so this worked out great! I didn't have all that much fat and that is why I had implants. Recovery is quicker when they do not take your muscle.
The operation is much more highly technical then a TRAM flap because the vessels are actually cut and reattached as opposed to a tRAM where the vessels are tethered up. So it is critical that the microscopic surgery is done well so there is no necrosis. So for the first 48 hrs the tissue is monitered with a dopler to hear the bloodflow.
There are not a lot of drs in the US that are qualified to do this procedure.
When I look at my results i am still totally amazed.
I absolutely love the results.
Blanche, I will PM you with my phone number in case you have any questions and would like to talk to me.
I just kind of skimmed over briefly what it was like.
Maryanne