Tram Flap surgery

jayjune

jk1952 said:

I'm responding a bit late to
I'm responding a bit late to this post, but I wanted to give you my experience. I had a bilateral mastectomy with immediate free flap/DIEP reconstruction in April 2009. This may be the surgery that you are talking about: the abdominal tissue is removed and the blood supply reconnected in your breast area. (TRAM flap can also mean the tunneling of the tissue up to your breast area: that is not what I had done).

This was my second breast cancer treatment: I had a lumpectomy and radiation in 2000 for a small amount of invasive cancer. In early 2009, DCIS was discovered in the same breast, and since I had had many tests and biopsies on the 'good' breast, I decided that I should have both removed. Because of the previous radiation, I was not given the option of implants.

The surgery and recovery were long, and the doctor did have a few problems with the blood supply because of radiation damage, but I am very happy with the results and very glad that I had the surgery done. I would highly recommend it, but caution that you need to have a plastic surgeon who is well-trained in the technique and has a lot of experience. I was only on the 'good' painkillers for 2 days, using only Motrin or Advil after that, and I was fine. I know that this is all very personal and not everyone reacts like I did.

For me, it was more a quality of life issue, in that I didn't want to have to deal with prosetheses for the rest of my life, if I could avoid it. There are differences between my real breasts and these new breasts, but no one would know the difference under clothes and they are soft like breasts and should sag like real breasts, as I age. Not many women look forward to their breasts sagging, but for me it is so much better than the alternatives. There are times when I have some discomfort in my abdomen, when I twist or stretch, and there is no feeling in my breasts, but I was on an active sailing vacation last week, and I could do everything that I could do before the mastectomy.

I would encourage everyone to consider all alternatives. When I finally decided what I wanted done, I had a tremendous amount of peace that it was the right treatment for me.

Joyce

my concerns
i have had billateral mastectomies i am 24 my major concern about the DIEP is stomach hernias and can i carry a pregnancy without complications? as i would love to have little ones in the future. all answers will be greatly appreciated especially those that have done it and later had to be pregnant and also PS answers would be great too

athena81

jayjune said:

my concerns
i have had billateral mastectomies i am 24 my major concern about the DIEP is stomach hernias and can i carry a pregnancy without complications? as i would love to have little ones in the future. all answers will be greatly appreciated especially those that have done it and later had to be pregnant and also PS answers would be great too

Me too
Jayjune, I have the same question! I am 28 and will be having surgery when I am done with Chemo and I want to preserve my ability to carry children if at all possible and I'm hoping that with the DIEP I can still do so. Does anyone have any info?

Sue Yelton

Balentine said:

tram flap surgery concerns
I am afraid of the whole thing....pain....recovery time...drains....whether skin will reject....whether blood vessels will work....all of it. My plastic surgeon said I am a better candidate for the tram flap because of the way my existing breast is shaped...more fat and wide than long and narrow. I am going to talk to another plastic surgeon on 5/6 when my chemo will be close to being over (5/17). I am praying about it and considering it but not sure yet what to do. I hated the one drain I had with the mastectomy so I am not too keen on having 3 of them with the tram flap. Come on and persuade me now.
Lorrie

time lapse
I had my bilateral surgery in 1993 and my tram flap in 1999. Lots of pain, had blood clot because they kept me from walking too long. See my earlier post.

Sue Yelton

Balentine said:

Hi Joyce, Please my post from Apr 4 several posts up. I am struggling with the idea of implants or the tram flap surgery. How many drains did you have, How long were you off work and recovering? Were there any issues with infection? It just seems so invasive. Also did you have nipples made or tattooed on? I hear they have some nice 3D nipples now but you have to go to the righ person. I plan to take my time with this one and may not do anything for another year so that I am sure I am also at peace with whatever I decide. I will be finished with chemo on 5/17 and then I am done. I did not have to have radiation since I had a mastectomy and none of my lymph nodes were positive.

Lorrie Balentine

drains
I had no drains on this, but it was very painful. I was a teacher and had it done in June fortunately because it did take a long time to recover. My husband has been a real trooper through all of this. You will need a caregiver. The mastectomies were a breeze compared to the tram flap. I chose not to have the nipple; there won't be any feeling anyway and who wants an erect nipple all the time??

Sue Yelton

Balentine said:

silicone or tram flap
Hi Cruf,
I am also considering reconstruction and have heard some bad stories about the tram flap. Like infections and skin not taking, etc. not to mention to recovery time. I don't know how well I would deal with going through incision in bikini area and breast and all those drains again. What were the determining factors for you that caused you to decide on the tram flap other than it feeling more natural than silicone. Were there other factors?
Lorrie

Tram Flap history
I had a horrible experience with my tram flap reconstruction. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I broke open on my abdomen about 1 inch deep, 1 inch up and down, and 3 inches across. I broke open around both breast and had large holes in the openings also. I couldn't heal with the saline soaked gauze the surgeon was having me use. I went to my primary care physician. She wanted me to sunbathe nude (I live in town) so I ended up buying a heat lamp and attaching it to the back of a dining room chair and laid on the floor under it so I wouldn't burn. I soon could see I was going to heal. I have no tummy muscles (they used mesh) so I roll out of bed. I have no definition between my breasts and my stomach. I am round like a barrel. I have no waist and my navel is not where it used to be and excuse me but my public area is huge now! If I wear clothes that fit my butt, then they cut me in half. If I wear clothes that fit my waist, then I have baggy butt. I have large fatty areas under my arms and have nothing above my breasts; I am concave. It is hard to find tops that look nice. I am 13 yrs. past my surgery. I have an appt. with a different plastic surgeon and am wondering if with the new strides they have made in implants if that is a way for me to go. I do not want to be any larger. I am fine with that. To use an implant does the Dr. have to make me larger or does he take out tissue to make me the same? Can the area that is concave be fixed? Am I in for a lot of pain? If I get an implant, can I lie on my stomach? Can I take hits/blows to the chest without them breaking? Any suggestions would be helpful. I would like to add that I am on Weight Watchers now and want to lost about 50 lbs. Is that another problem?

Sue Yelton

Balentine said:

silicone or tram flap
Hi Cruf,
I am also considering reconstruction and have heard some bad stories about the tram flap. Like infections and skin not taking, etc. not to mention to recovery time. I don't know how well I would deal with going through incision in bikini area and breast and all those drains again. What were the determining factors for you that caused you to decide on the tram flap other than it feeling more natural than silicone. Were there other factors?
Lorrie

tram flap vs silicone
If I had it to do over again. I would go the silicone route, but I haven't experienced it either. I got tired of the prosthesis; so hot and heavy, lots of care and only 1 set every 2 yrs. and 2 bras once a year. I have explained by tram flap experience. Just one word here: terrible.

Noel

sparky72156 said:

I went into the hospital on
I went into the hospital on Tuesday and got out Saturday. I would have gotten out on Friday but I had a complication related to a different health issue (a chronic platelet disorder that I have had for 25 years). The recovery at home was ok because I had my sister-in-law help me. She stayed with me for a week and a half after I got home. She helped me get showered and dressed. She did all the cooking and cleaning, and I slept a lot. I don't know what I would have done without her. After she left, I still had lifting restrictions (no more than 5 pounds for two months post surgery, then no more than 10 pounds for the month after that), so girlfriends helped me shop and carry groceries into the house. I had many casseroles in the freezer before my surgery, and friends brought me food twice a week, so I was all set. I have stairs in my house but that was ok because the doctor said that the exercise would be good for me. He wanted me to walk around six times a day and going down the stairs and then up again counted as one "walking" time. I live alone so I only had to care for myself. It would have been rougher if I'd had little kids around.

Bumping up for classicpat.
Bumping up for classicpat. It might help to read some of these posts.

wirak

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