I always appreciate hearing patient stories and true feelings about why women choose to have DIEP flap breast reconstruction. The decision is not an easy one to make with many factors involved. I recently asked the women of the private Facebook group DiepCJourney, what was the most difficult part about deciding to have DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Here is what they shared.
Consideration of Family and Work During Diep Flap Breast Reconstruction
Many women who choose to have DIEP flap are mothers, wives, and working full time either at home or outside the home. Imagine their thought process prior to surgery. “How will I handle activities of daily life knowing I will have incisions from hip to hip and at my breast area?” For women with children there are going to be limitations from those activities we do frequently as mothers, bending, lifting, and twisting. When we are used to being the caregiver, the household activity CEO, those duties must now be relinquished during the recovery process, generally lasting around six weeks.
One woman having the surgery for prophylactic reasons had feelings of guilt. Imagine knowing you have a genetic mutation putting you at high risk of getting breast cancer and making the decision to have DIEP flap breast reconstruction. With no active cancer diagnosis, she describes it as being mentally exhausting, feeling selfish, and concerned about the impact on her family. Our group reaches out to women like this in full support. I hear women in her situation describe knowing you have a genetic mutation in comparison to a ticking time bomb. We honor her choice and all the tangled emotions that go into her decision. Thankfully, she focuses on her future and what she is doing for herself and her family and the overall gains by making this decision.
The Most Difficult Part of DIEP Flap Surgery During Challenging Times
Let’s be honest, families, physicians, caregivers, and especially the patient having DIEP flap have faced increasing challenges during the past two years since the COVID pandemic. Imagine being dropped off at hospital by a loved one, husband, partner, kissing them goodbye knowing you would see them next at pick up. Some mentioned their caregiver could be there for an hour during recovery but not allowed to visit in hospital. Tough stuff. One lady remarked, “I felt so lonely during that time. Thank goodness for FaceTime.”
Not All DIEP Flap Recovery and Outcomes are the Same
One of the reasons I educate about the various techniques in microsurgery is to empower patients with this information to discuss at their consult. However, not everyone gets the same information nor in a timely manner before their DIEP flap. Access to these procedures can be limited if the microsurgeon does not perform a particular procedure. One of those pieces of information about a procedure is specific to restoring sensation to the breast. This can include nerve reconstruction at the time of DIEP flap or preserving nerves at the time of a mastectomy.
Women report the numbness they experience post DIEP flap is something they have a tough time adjusting to. They felt that losing the sense of touch is comparable to a grieving process. The numbness across the belly line where the incision is made was a new adjustment after DIEP flap.
Zero Regrets About the Decision to Have DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction
DIEP flap breast reconstruction is life changing surgery for many of us. But over time, and looking back on their decision and recovery, women shared the surprising results leading to having zero regrets about choosing this type of breast reconstruction.
There is always the use of belly fat to reconstruct the breasts. For many women, this was a joyous bonus, a flatter tummy in exchange for replacing breasts lost to breast cancer. Another woman who had breast cancer three times stated, “Once the decision was made, I was totally at peace with it and wasn’t even nervous the day of surgery feeling I was in the best possible hands.” Yet another woman who had a recurrence and a different woman who battle triple negative breast cancer felt zero regrets about their decision.
Ending on a note of joy a positivity:
I have never regretted my decision to proceed with it. I am so blessed to have my DIEP breasts and my femininity restored.
My cosmetic result is good, and my health feels less threatened with my original breast tissue removed.
I had my mastectomy and DEIP six weeks ago. Love it! It’s fear of the unknown that makes the decision more challenging, but it has been much easier than I had imagined.
The idea of having a natural looking breast was all I could focus on to keep me going. Zero regrets. I only wish I could have done it sooner, as it made me feel like myself again.
I have no regrets. Honestly, it was so much harder for me to live with my breasts when I knew there was cancer there.