Hi I had a DIEP flap in 2010 but have never posted on here before about the tummy problem. I have an abdominal bulge on the left side that became apparent not long after the op. I felt as if I was hitting my head against a brick wall as no doctors had a solution - I wasn’t told to massage or exercise. I then had a small op to drain the fluid and have a mesh put in but a few weeks after the op the cavity filed again so it was back to square one. I also had a scan for a hernia which I did not have and was offered an exploratory op but by that time I had had enough! I still have a “tight cord” feeling on that side but have learnt to live with it. The bulge only is noticeable when I stand as when I am lying flat it is virtually the same as the other side. I didn’t realise that there were many people with the same problem as I have always felt that the doctors thought I was an oddity but it just goes to show they should make more of this problem. I think the sooner after the op you deal with it the more likely it is to resolve itself. Make a nuisance of yourself with those doctors - I don’t think I did enough - and good luck everyone! Xxx
I had Diep reconstruction May 2014 and also had a large bulge on my right side. It was really unsightly so uncomfortable, felt like I had a soccer ball in my tummy.
My surgeon really had no idea what it was so I had scans and an ultrasound which showed nothing.
When I went back in for the second part of my recon surgery in Dec 2014 my surgeon reopened my tummy scar and had to restitch where he said the tissue had stretched thus giving me this bulging.
I was excited for the first few weeks, it seemed like I was on track to have this flat stomach I had hoped for because really after breast cancer we want some good to come out of it.
Sadly 10 months later It’s still swollen just above the pubic area, and it’s feels like a really blown up balloon, you push it in and it bounces back. It is also worse after eating or when I need to go to the loo, or when sitting for long periods of time.
At my last check up in May my surgeon said he thinks its nerve damage and whilst it wont get any worse it will never get any better either.
I am very active in the gym 3 - 4 times a week and no amount of ab work makes the slightest difference.
To help, I only wear tight control panties otherwise it is just too uncomfortable.
I hate it… but I do love my boobs and Im alive so I have learned to live with the constant bloated feeling.
Hi I am from Sydney Australia and I had a prophylactic double mastectomy as I was Neva positive. It took me a long time to decide on which surgery I was to take and was told that there could be complications with failure of the tissue but was never told about the complications with the tummy part of the procedure. It has been 7 months since first surgery in May 2015 and have recently had rectification surgery 2 weeks ago. My tummy has been swollen and bloated since the first op. The doctors tell me it will go away but I know it is not right. It is very uncomfortable and seems to get worse as the day goes on. I am to see my ps in the next week and I will persist until they can tell me what is going on. I am glad I am not the only one going through this and they must know it is a common problem. My clothes which are meant to be bigger on me around the tummy are tight. Something is wrong I know that. Would love to here from others as well.
So sorry for what u have gone thru im the same had diep flap surgery june 2015 and still have swelling in my stomach li le u its worse when I sit too long or walk it goes rock hard and sore just wondering if its always gonna be like this I su ppose I shoulnt complain im alive
hi, I had right diep flap reconstruction July 2015 with amazing results. I did have extra mesh inserted above my tummy button area as my ps said it was all trying to bulge out. I just wanted to ask if anyone still has abdominal pain. I have found that as I try to resume to normal activities like reversing the car, cleaning, getting in/out of bed and cantering on the horse almost impossible. I do still do all these things but find that the following day I’m in so much pain! Maybe it’s early days but I was never told that this would be a permanent lifestyle change. Has anyone else the same!
My chiropractor recommended arnica. I said ‘what, rub it on?’ She said ‘there are tablets.’ ‘If your body is responsive to them, they may work, if not, they do no harm.’ Off to Holland and Barrett. Chose the stronger homeopathic tablets for about £7 for about a week’s worth. At the end of the week the swelling was gone. Don’t know if taking the tablets helped, but they may have done.
Couldnt be bothered with the support pants after that. They no longer had a job to do.
Teresa… You are still very early doors in your recovery.
I had seroma (was like a water bed across my tummy!) and had it drained 3 times over a month… on the 3rd time he also injected a steroid.
That stopped the seroma.
I finally got to see my elusive PS last month… he has told me my bulge is completely normal, and will settle down over 12/18 months (why he could not have told me this when I last saw him, or in response to one of my emails I do not know!! Again, a guide document telling you what is ‘normal’ would have helped!!! I was given nothing!)
I had the benefit of a cat scan in May that I had a cooy of, so I’d printed off relevant scans and got him to explain them to me.
Short story is: I am fully healed and apparently should have been doing lots of exercise to free off/ break down scar tissue. (Again, he did not tell me this and my physio was worried about the bulge so advised no stomach exercise til I saw PS!!)
Contact your PS for reassurance about what is normal recovery and at what point the bulge will dissipate. Mine told me 12-18 mths.
Don’t panic… ask questions til your mind is at ease.
But from the sound of it it is normal part of recovery and once scar tissue has broken down bulge should reduce.
I’m currently on hols in a bikini in and out of a pool bring very active with my 12 year old! It feels weird but doing ok. It gets better Theresa (I am 7 mths from op date)
Hi folks
I’m 3 weeks post MX and DIEP.
I’ve been wearing light support knickers since 3 days post op, PS happy with my pants… Some seroma in both abdomen and breast seemed to be OK, last drain out 9 days post op when I saw PS.
Saw BS last Weds and she thought any seroma would go ’ might take 6 months’, but in the next few days tummy especially felt very sloshy. I went back the Plastix clinic last Monday and doc tried to aspirate, without success. Was told I needed this done using ultrasound sound.
The first appointment when a radiologist who could do the aspiration is next Monday, but it seem to have settled and gone down…
Should I be massaging or can that make it worse? It does seem to be more uncomfortable in the evening and a night on my back seems to reduce it. I’ve got arnica so I’ll take some. Any other tips, girls?
Caroluna
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hi after my operation in Dec 15 I had seromas constantly and had numerous aspirations to remove but they eventually had to operate again in April to remove the seroma. seroma again after this operation but eventually stopped however I have been left with a swollen uncomfortable stomach. very basic exercise was given by physio but no mention of any booklets with exercises
Hiya milli
You’ve had a difficult time… my tummy scar feels tight and uncomfortable and I think the seroma is creeping back. Do you think the physios helped, did any exercises seem to work? I’m feeling fed up tonight, just peed off with still being a bit tender and every time I move my tummy pulls.
I know it’s so minor compared with what many women are going through, but… you know!
I’ve been taking codeine at night to help me sleep but I know I need to taper down so have cut from 60 mg to 30mg and I must stop completely, I can see how people get dependent on them…
Oh well, tomorrow is another day, night for now, C
I can’t post the link but if you pm me I can send you the great guide from Guy’s… great for early recovery.
I would not massage seroma. Just wait for your session with ps/ultrasound.
Even now my bulge feels worse at the end of the day… especially if I have been very sedentary.
I regret I was not more active eatlier on (not ‘going to gym’ active, I mean long wlks and lots of stretches)
Hang in there ladies… I just spent a lovely 2 weeks in Tenerife with my little boy!
I wore a bikini without caring (I am size 16, but the diep has given me a flat-ish tum at least!!)
I was in the pool every day playing water polo/volleyball (really would have loved just to sunbathe and rest, but 12 year old son dragged me off my sunbed!)
Went to a massive waterpark TWICE (all day up steps and down slides on rubber rings, laughing my head off).
Even clambered around a volcano!
It’s only 7 mths since my operation remember!
I am amazed (and I had LOADS of complications)
It does get better in a comparitively short timeframe for such a huge operation. I just seem to have turned a corner since my PS reassured me.
You have lots to look forward to ladies. Won’t be long now 
This is the link to the full Guys &St Thomas guide I mentioned…great photos/advice from their Physiotherapists (Charing Cross gave me NOTHING!) Print it off, it is brilliant.
guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/resources/patient-information/therapies/physiotherapy/Physiotherapy-advice-after-breast-reconstruction-surgery-using-a-DIEP-or-TRAM-flap.pdf
Hope the link works… if not pm me…
Thanks, lala, I just had a quick read through and I’ll go through it more thoroughly tomorrow. It’s much more detailed than anything I got, nigh night, Caroluna
no the physio I was told to do was very basic. I have to lie on my back knees bent and swing them side to side but not to touch floor with knees. I’ve been told swollen stomach can last for a while, mine is larger on 1 side so makes wearing trousers difficult. worst decision ever to have this type of reconstruction
Oh Milli, sorry you are feeling so low.
Mine is swollen only one side too (just to the right of my ‘new’ umbilicus, about a 4 inch diameter, and is apparently around one of the areas where they tunnelled through my stomach muscle to free up the arteries (bad cough post ip did not help, swear I blew a few deep stitches out!!)
I have no swelling on the lower abdomen on that side.
(The left side I had SIEA version, way less intrusive and zero pain, but that is rare you can get away with it)
Sounds like you have been through the mill having to be opened up again… I was getting to a point where I was questioning the operation, but for me the alternatives were really not an option.
I could not bear mastectomy scars, and I have a bad back so LD flap is not viable as it pulls the muscle round from your back and a very common complication is back pain. (I already have enough problems there!)
Plus I really did not like the idea of scars on my back for some reason. I know we have scars on our tums and around nipples, but they’ll fade/ are hidden (even in my bikini last two weeks, I felt 100% confident no one would see them. Would be hard to hide back scars on hols.
Bear with it, Milli… you have had a set back with your recovery but you will get there. (I was saying EXACTLY the same thing as you a month ago… was so pissed off with lack of mobility and swollen tum.
I also had the initial pleasure of my wounds failing badly due to infection. (AWFUL 2 mths post op watching right boob fall apart and desperately fighting to stop left boob and umbilicle following suit!) But they did eventually heal.
I have to wait til Oct for revision surgery (and new nips if I want them… not sure if I can bear another procedure)
I think my expectations were a little too high on this op. Was expecting lovely smaller higher noobs… instead I have gargantuan H cups with are already drooping! (They were originally lovely and pert) I do feel let down, but hopefully he can liposculpt them to a nice D cup as promised in Oct.
Someone asked me if I’d recommend this operation. I said they’d have to ask me in a year! All the stuff I read said recovery was 3 mths… turns out FULL recovery is 12-18 months!
Think having correct expectations (and decent post op instructions!) would have really helped.
We all need to feedback to our surgeons, they need to provide better care.
I don’t feel low I just get frustrated that it doesn’t heal as quick as I wanted. I have scabbed wounds from surgery in April and wound that will not heal under 1 breast from December been told by ps to stop wearing a bra. my body is like a road map cuts across stomach, under and over breasts and my naval area. I’ve being going through all of this since 2012 on medication for 10 yrs but at least I’m clear of cancer. I’m out and about walking but I need to up my exercise regime. trying to get fit for my next surgery.
Is the wound infected? Is that why it won’t heal?
I managed to contract pseudomonas aeruginosa, wound just totally fell apart all around one ‘nipple’ (gross)
PS, DNs and dressings clinic nurses all stated it would not respond to antibiotics and I had to just keep cleaning and redressing it (just kept getting worse!) Then I copied my breast surgeon in on an email to my PS and he put me on an antibiotic straight away andliterally days later the wound started to close up and it got rid of the infection.
(So pisses me off that one person seems to know one thing whilst 5 others were all adamant antibiotics don’t work!!
Are they swabbing you each time you go to dressings clinic? (mine got told off by my breast surgeon for not doing so… again, not all on the same page.)
Not getting any dressings etc I have been doing it myself at home. PS didn’t seem too concerned when I was there last week said it would heal eventually just seems to be taking a long time. might be a good idea to contact my breast cancer nurse, I have 2 that are absolutely fabulous can’t praise them enough. I’ve downloaded the physiotherapy advice booklet which I find really good I wasn’t told to do any of the pelvic exercises so I’m going to give them ago. so thanks for that. it just shows the difference between hospitals.
Definitely worth getting wounds swabbed by your GP’s dressing clinic nurses… whole reason mine took 2 months to heal was bloody infection. (My neighbour is a DN so she spotted it first, I ended up changing my own dressings as Charing Cross did not co-ord with my local GP so there were no DNs arranged for me… I had to be driven to GPs to see nurses for dressing changes… in the first couple of weeks that was a nightmare (we live on a bumpy old road!!)
Does piss me off that there do not appear to be any standards and protocols in place for such a major op.
(Charing Cross gave me NOTHING. I found that doc by googling!! Showed it to my PS and said he should provide similar, but he poo pooed it and said ‘everyone is different’. Well I think we can safely say there are many of us that need clear advice on exercise, how to keep wounds clean, how to spot seroma, and what is ‘normal’ and when we need to call PS or A&E!)
Such a massive operation.
Be interesting to hear ftom anyone that had the op at Thomas and Guys, they seem switched on there.