Hi Chris
It's a bit of a merry go round, isn't it? Hope you are going okay.
I was diagnosed at the end of January this year and was fortunate that my general surgeon was able to get me an appointment, the very next week, with Mr.Howard Webster, Arc Plastic Surgery, Hawthorn. www.arcplasticsurgery.com.au. It was an absolute whirlwind. I chose to have both breasts removed, because I had already had a lumpectomy in the non-cancerous breast (many years ago) and it was a bit smaller than the cancerous breast. I figured that way, I would least have a chance of having a better, more balanced result with the reconstruction. Also, it would stop me from stressing about whether the cancer would return in the other breast! I chose to have the DIEP surgery, because I wanted a more natural look. Last week, I spoke to a lady at the Think Pink Living Centre in St.Kilda Road, Melbourne, and she is having her implants removed, due to discomfort and she is going to have the DIEP surgery. My surgery took approximately 12 hours, as it was discovered, during surgery, that I have very small blood vessels. There was a lot of microsurgery involved. I too, did not have much tummy fat (prior to surgery, I weighed 54kg) and had a very flat stomach. Howard was able to harvest enough fat to give me a reasonable looking cleavage, but there was not much fat to put in the lower area of each breast. In clothing, you would not have known that I had had surgery. I was in ICU for about 24hours, then moved up to the ward for another six days. Howard visited every day, which is very reassuring. You have several drainage tubes as well as a catheter. It is a painful recovery (I have had two caesars - this is worse than that). The first two to three days are the worst, then you slowly start to sit up and eventually, I was carrying my drainage tubes (in a pillowcase!!) and walking around the passageways. Each day, one more tube was removed. Once I came home, it was a case of little walks at first, then slowly increasing the distance. It took me about three months, to feel fit again. I went back to doing my exercises and swimming, with no problems. Two and a half weeks ago, I had my second stage reconstruction. This is a day procedure, done at Mr.Webster's private clinic - Linley Clinic, Hawthorn. He took small amounts of fat from my thighs and injected it into my breasts. He also reconstructed my nipples. I now have reasonable looking breasts and it is a case of wait and see, for about three months. Hopefully, most of the fat will remain. I used to be a 10D, but now I will probably be a 10C. After this operation, you wear a compression suit (waist to knees). Recovery time is about two weeks. One week post-op, stitches are removed. Two weeks post-op, you can stop wearing the compression suit and get back to normal routine.
I don't know if you are in Melbourne. I also recommended Howard Webster to another friend. She had gone through radiation and a partial mastectomy, several years ago. She could not get an appointment with Howard for about three months (this was in March this year). She did, however, consult with another surgeon at Arc - a female doctor. She went ahead with her surgery and is extremely happy.
I hope I have covered everything in this message. If there is anything else you need to ask, please don't hesitate to contact me. It's the main reason I put my message up in the first place, so that I could share my experience and help others.
All the best.
Kay xx
