Stage 2 In The Books!

As I previously mentioned, I was a bit nervous for this surgery which is odd for me...I normally have nerves of steel. But after much prayer and meditation I felt at peace. Leading into the surgery was a breeze after my anxious heart had been calmed.

I arrived at the hospital at 11 am and checked it. From there I went to the day surgery floor where they prepped me for the surgical waiting room. Fortunately my husband allowed into the waiting room to sit with me because we were delayed and ended up in waiting for almost 2 hours. After the IV had been started my husband was asked to go to the lounge. The surgery was supposed to be at 1 pm but started at 2 pm. Even still I had a feeling of calm and trust. Doctor S was excellent at making me confident, she is a true profession and an impeccable artist.

From that point on I don't remember much. I recall being in the OR for maybe a few seconds until I clunked out. The next thing I remember is waking up in recovery. My first thought was "Praise God this is over!" Next I thought of my husband and 2 sons and how happy I was to go through all this BRCA craziness with their love and support. Then nausea hit me like a ton of bricks and they had to give me something for that. I had the patch and IV medication to prevent nausea but I still tend to get it after a surgery. After the nausea med kicked in I felt much better.

When I was feeling alert enough they took me to my outpatient room where I got to see Mike! That is always the best part...the relief and joy of seeing your husband after going through a surgery.

I was told that I should drink water, void, and if my vitals were still strong I'd get to go home that evening...and I did! I was discharged at about 6:30 pm.

All in all stage 2 was much easier than stage 1. I know that a lot of people told me that going into this surgery...it is 100% true. If you can get through stage 1, stage 2 is a breeze.

I am super excited (once the swelling goes down a bit) to take my after pics! I probably won't be posting the before and after pics here due to privacy but I will share them on the DIEP Flap FB group.

Now, off to rest! It is an outpatient surgery but it is still important to relax. :)

All done! Excuse my "rough" appearance...no sense in looking glam for surgery. ;) 

Stage 2!

I can hardly believe that stage 1 of my DIEP journey was 276 days ago! It honestly feels surreal. In 3 days I will go back into the OR for my stage 2 surgery.

Honestly, I am surprised to report that I feel more nervous this time around! It's odd because this surgery will only take a couple hours compared to the 8 hours of stage 1. I think a lot of it has to do with being so far away from the support of family and friends. I also am not wild about another surgery because anesthesia and I are not BFF...but I do expect it to be much simpler this time. I am very thankful it will be an outpatient procedure and I will be able to return home that night to be with my boys.

Though not excited for the surgery I am eager to see the results! This surgery is cosmetic and will hopefully make me look a tad more human. I can't wait to get the "dog ears" taken off!! I took my "before" pictures this morning so it will be interesting to see what Dr. S. does with the "after"!

Please send some prayers my way for a seamless stage 2!

My DIEP Flap Recovery Video

I recorded a video summarizing my DIEP flap recovery. I hope you enjoy and if you have any follow up questions please feel free to ask. 

17 Days Post Op!

When I first discovered DIEP flap I read a plethora of negative stories and freaked myself out a little bit. Fortunately, the vast majority of DIEP experiences are positive, they are just not as commonly written about. That is why I want to update you on how I am doing 17 days out. It is not to brag, it is to provide hope and confidence for those who are approaching their own surgery. 

Things I can do 17 days post-op:

• Walk upright
• Hold both hands straight above my head
• Take a shower by myself
• Drive
• Cook 
• Hug my boys
• Go on longer walks
• Do light grocery shopping
• Do my hair and makeup (if I feel like it)
• Do light leg stretches 

I am going to switch from recliner to bed this weekend...HOORAY! I also hope to get the ok to ditch this hospital bra today at my appointment. I think I am going to be fitted for a more “real” bra which will be nice!

My nausea is gone, my pain is hardly noticeable, I am still numb but there are some areas that are coming alive again feeling wise. The scars look good; the Doctor will look at them today and confirm they are how they should be at 17 days out. 

All in all I feel EXCELLENT! Far better than I thought I would at this point. In short, this surgery can go extremely well. It is not as scary as you think. I pray that you too will have a success story. As always, feel free to ask me any questions that you may have! I am here to provide you with support. 

What To Take To The Hospital

So I have a long list of things that I took to the hospital which I will share with you because I know that sometimes it helps our anxiety levels to be overly prepared. However I want to keep it real and tell you that I used a fraction of what I brought to the hospital. I truly did not need or want half of what I made my husband drag up those hospital stairs. I am going to tell you exactly what I DID use and then include a master list, because, lets face it, every one is different and maybe you will use every last item and more.

What I actually used:

• Shampoo and conditioner 
• Phone
• Laptop (hardly but I did use it)
• Lotion
• Outfit I packed to leave the hospital
• Electronic Tooth brush and paste 
• Hair brush
• Plug in air freshener (Air Wic) 
• Picture board of family 

My master list:

• Mini fan
• Favorite pillow
• Favorite blanket
• Zip up and button up tops for each day
• Robe
• Chap stick
• Tooth brush and paste
• Hair brush
• Hair ties, clips, and head wrap
• Books
• Laptop
• Phone
• Face wipes
• Body wipes
• Shampoo and conditioner 
• Dry shampoo 
• Gum
• High protein snacks
• Concealer 
• Face lotion
• Deodorant
• Plug in Air freshener  
• Magazines 
• Picture board of family
• Slippers 
• Flip flops 
• Hand sanitizer  

I am going to explain why I didn't use some things on the master list that may seem like must haves. I didn't use the face wipes, body wipes, chap stick, or things of that nature because the hospital had those things or something similar available to me. The nurses were great at giving me Vaseline for my lips and I was given a "bed bath" twice before I was able to shower. I was a bit out of it and had no desire to read or doing anything that took too much focus. I was put in a position that my favorite contouring pillow would have done no good for me in and I was boiling hot the majority of my time there so I had no desire for my favorite blanket. I honestly cared a whole lot less about anything cosmetic or vanity wise than I thought I would. I didn't use hair ties, clips, or my hair wrap. I didn't bother with the dry shampoo. I also didn't bother getting into my own clothes and just utilized the hospital robes because I was that lazy. No fancy slippers or anything of that nature for me! I just seriously didn't care. 

Now a couple things that may surprise you that I DID use were the family picture board and the Air Wic plug in. To me I wanted my environment to me comforting and encouraging. That meant it smelled good and I could see my family at all times. I got so many comments from hospital staff that my room smelled and looked inviting and that was just what I wanted to hear! It was as comfortable as I could make it. 

DIEP surgery -- Day 5

Day 5 was discharge day! After I was seen by my surgeons assistant and evaluated it was officially determined I would be discharged! Before we left I took one last shower because we knew that our garden style tubs/showers were harder to get into than the hospital showers. I was on my way home by 1 that afternoon! 

I will admit that although very happy to be at home I was a little worried. I have two sons ages 2 and 3 who were super excited to see mommy. I just didn't want my pain to scare them or for me to over do it because I love and missed them so much. It all worked out well though because my mom had them napping when I arrived home. This gave me the chance to get situated in my recliner, take my meds, and enjoy a bowl of ice cream before they woke up. And when they woke up they were so excited to see me! It was pure bliss to see their smiling little faces. 

Right now they are still not able to hug me but we have gotten into a routine of kissing quite often. They also sit at the foot of my recliner while I read them stories. I also have supper with them every evening so we have or ways of staying connected...it is all about being creative. 

DIEP Surgery -- Day 4

Day 4 I was feeling pretty good. Initially this was the day that we expected I'd go home if all went well but due to my set backs in the ICU it was decided that another day and night in the hospital would be what was best. I was ok with that because I felt I needed a little more time to get used to standing and walking. The goal for today was to take my first shower. I was so excited because Monday morning had been the last time I had showered and now it was Thursday...yep, I was a hot mess! The shower went well, it was a tad odd getting scrubbed down by a complete stranger but boy did it feel good to get the surgery gunk off of my body. I felt like a human being again!

I do want to admit that on day 4 I had a moment when I looked in the mirror and thought "what have I done?" The scares, the swelling, the bruising, the pain...I missed my old body. But I snapped out of that pretty quickly because I reminded myself that this was necessary for my future health. I extended myself grace, telling myself that I am still in the very early stages of recovery where everything is going to be extra tender and swollen.

My husband and I had fun that evening watching HGTV (we are huge home improvement nerds) and ordering burgers from room service. It was sad for us to say goodbye but we knew that the next day was likely discharge day so this was the last time we'd have to do it.

That night I had no major concerns other than the fact that I was getting so sick of that hospital bed! It was incredibly uncomfortable and my sleep was sporadic. Fortunately my husband had a medical recliner delivered to our bedroom that he promised me was tons more comfy and cozy than the hospital bed. I couldn't wait to get home!