Today we met the surgeon who does the DIEP flap procedure for breast reconstruction. Earlier in the month I met with the surgeon who does implants, but since I apparently have enough stomach fat for either I wanted to find out my options.
After hearing about the details of the surgery, I am definitely going with the implants. Not to question the decision of those who have had DIEP but it just seemed like it was getting into Frankenstein territory. Taking tissue and blood vessels from the stomach and hooking them up on the opposite side of the chest for the breasts. There were just so many ways that seemed like it would go wrong. Luckily Dennis felt the same way I did, so that made me feel good about my decision.
A few of the other things we heard that made Dennis and I flinch:
So implants it is. I'm going to call on Monday to let the surgeon know and then away we go. I guess this is really, truly happening. But deep in my heart, I somehow still don't feel like it's real.
After hearing about the details of the surgery, I am definitely going with the implants. Not to question the decision of those who have had DIEP but it just seemed like it was getting into Frankenstein territory. Taking tissue and blood vessels from the stomach and hooking them up on the opposite side of the chest for the breasts. There were just so many ways that seemed like it would go wrong. Luckily Dennis felt the same way I did, so that made me feel good about my decision.
A few of the other things we heard that made Dennis and I flinch:
- I would have to spend about 3 weeks hunched over, so as not to rip the stitches from where they pulled the skin from above my belly button to sew to my pelvis. (The tissue between belly button and pelvis, of course, being completely removed to make new breasts.)
- Removing some of my ribs on each side. Good lord.
- Chance of infection in several sites: left breast, right breast, stomach.
- They would have to create a new belly button. There would be a chance of that new belly button turning black and falling off.
- The blood vessels might clot and the flap would fail.
- No guarantee of size or uniformity, given it would be natural tissue. Also, size would be smaller than current unless I delayed the reconstruction and put on weight.
So implants it is. I'm going to call on Monday to let the surgeon know and then away we go. I guess this is really, truly happening. But deep in my heart, I somehow still don't feel like it's real.