Second Surgery Down

No Pressure? Right...I thought this was funny given the situation I was in, so had to snap a pic!

I did it! On February 24, I had a successful ​Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (DIEP) Flap breast reconstruction surgery. I was in the gifted hands of Dr. Allison Lorenzen at University of Iowa Health Care, the same Plastic Surgeon I had for my bi-lateral mastectomy. 

It was a 14-hour surgery, including post-op recovery. I was in the hospital for three nights. Hourly monitoring has to be done following DIEP Flap surgery to ensure the tissue transferred from my tummy to my breasts was getting blood supply. They used a fun little doppler do-dad with a simple metal probe that allowed them to listen for the blood pumping.

​My inpatient care team was absolutely incredible and, by the time we were set to go home, Joel and I both felt confident about managing my post-op needs. I had four drains that needed to be "stripped" and measured twice per day, incision dressings that needed to be preserved, and bruising to monitor.

Joel was with me the whole time, and I'm so very lucky for that. My parents, sister, and best friend also paid me a visit. 

When I had my mastectomy, the TV heavens blessed me with a Harry Potter marathon. The same happened this time around!

Recovery has been rough. I have fortunately had no complications but, with my abdomen and breasts in pain, my mobility is still very limited. This surgery requires you to sit and walk with a deep bend at the hips to not pull on the abdomen incision, so I initially looked like a hunchback while walking! I'm standing more straight every day with less pain, but my chest is still pretty sensitive and cramps easily. Much more stillness and rest are required this time around.

There are a few items I did not have on hand from my mastectomy that have been lifesavers during recovery:

Abdominal Binder Post Surgery Belly Wrap
Before discharge, the hospital fits you with an abdominal compression wrap. It is very basic and cut to size right in front of you based on the length of your abdomen. This worked well at first up until all four of my drains were removed because it was easy to use, flexible, and customizable if it was too tall or irritating my drains.  For example, we cut a notch out of the wrap at one point so it wouldn't push up on one of my breast drains.

I chose to get a more structured wrap for better support. Walking hunched over put a lot of strain on my back. It was extremely painful to the point I almost had to drop to the floor where I was standing. The wrap I got makes me feel safe, secure, supported, and reinforces my back. I believe it has helped me stand up straight more quickly than I would have with the hospital wrap.

Folding Walker with Wheels
Because of the back pain I had, a walker provided me enough relief to get in a few steps around the house and to/from the bathroom.

​Fortunately, a family member had one that I could borrow. If that wasn't the case, I would have looked into renting one vs. buying one.

Bathroom Bench Bath Chair
I was able to shower before leaving the hospital. That gave me the confidence to shower at home. I started on the edge of the tub splashing water onto myself. When I got this chair, it was a game changer. It makes showering easier and actually enjoyable. 

​Again, ​fortunately, a family member had one that I could borrow. If that wasn't the case, I would have looked into renting one vs. buying one.

I share more post-op favorites in my On the Mend post that I also used for DIEP Flap surgery recovery.

What's Next?
I'm feeling a lot of things right now. Preparing for and going through reconstruction pushed me to my mental and physical limits. My chest is too cramped to write about that today, but I look forward to diving a little deeper into that soon.

Thanks, as always, for the continued love and care.