Hi Guys
Just wondered if anyone could offer me some advice. I had mastectomy & DIEP recon 3 weeks ago. I am still wearing that wierd girdle thing they give you after to support my abdomen and back. Initially I hated it and couldn’t get on with it at all but perservered after the physios insisted my back needed protection as I was quite stooped (I was quite skinny to begin with and very borderline eligible for the tummy tuck so my tummy was soooooo tight!!). Now I am still wearing it everyday and actually like it as i feel ‘protected’ a little from my 3 bouncing kiddies that are forever forgetting mummy has a sore tummy!
I just wonderd if anyone had been advised on length of time to wear it. I am not due back to the plastic surgeon for another month and can’t face asking the BCN (again!) as am in the throes of starting chemo and I just feel I am forever at or on the phone to the hospital!
I am walking pretty upright now, do you think it matters if I am still wearing it when I probably don’t really need to? or maybe I should be??
Thanks for yur advice
Pip
Hi Pip
I had DIEP at the end of Nov and wore the tubigrip/corset constantly for first 6 weeks, like you I felt protected by it!, after the initial 6-weeks I gradually wore it less. My tummy still gets tight now occasionally but definitely not as much as in the first couple of months. My Surgeon recommended 6 weeks then what was ever comfortable to me. Everyone heals at differently so just listen to your body it can do no harm by over wearing it.
Hope this helps
Clare (S)
Hi,
I had diep last Sept and also had hideous girdle thing. I wore it for 3 weeks night and day and then for a further three weeks when doing excerise like walking etc. When I stopped wearing girdle thing I then went on to firm hold panties, like Bridgett Jones, and guess what I still am. I do think they have helped keep tummy supported and firm, when I ask my PS he said it was a good idea to have some support whilst I still have swelling and fluid from op which can be up to a year. I think as long as it does no harm it’s worth a try to keep nice tight tum.
On the otherhand a friend of mine had a diep 6 weeks ago with the same PS and she was not given girdle and when she questioned this he said he does not give girdle to everyone. I consider myself slim and friend larger so not sure if skinny people have girdles or not. I saw PS two weeks ago and questioned about wearing big firm pants and he said he thought it was still a good idea.
I must say my swelling is going now and my stomach it definitely getting softer and I have loads more feeling around the scar. I am going to keep wearing support at least until summer and definitely whilst excerising. Obviously if outfit dictates skimppy underwear I will wear that too. Big pants NOT sexy!
Hope this helps some, but we are all different.
Good luck with your recovery and glad you are upright now, I remember that really got to my back. I am glad to say that the op although only 6 months ago, seems a long long time.
Linda x
Thanks guys I really appreciate your advice. Like the idea about Bridget Jones BIG pants! might have to look into that one!
Pip
Hi Pip
I had mastectomy and immediate DIEP recon four weeks ago. My PS doesn’t fit the velcro-fastening girdle but I was told to get some 18 hour girdles, or any firm-control girdle - M&S do them, but they’re a bit short and the waist rolls down, so I’ve got some high-waisted ones, new but from eBay shops. I started with it in hospital, once I was down to only one drain from the tummy, and have to wear them day and night for three months at least. I wear Bridget Jones knickers underneath as the girdles aren’t cotton and it makes them easier to get up and down! Marks and Spencer do packs of big knickers that work a treat. All the best, Lyn xxx
I too am having probs with the binder the give youi. Had reconsruction 2 and a half weeks ago. I find it rides up at night and is
xtremely uncomfortable .
Havent had a decent nights sleep as I have to sleep on my back. .
This has been the worst part of the whole thing for me, hardly any pain but binder discomfort
Fudgey
I had my diep last april and had to have the abdo binder off while I was still in hospital as it gave me terrible blisters where it rubbed. They were more painful than the op wounds! I had to wear a tubigrip corset for six weeks though - not pretty but very supportive. Was going to try the big knickers thing but a couple of the nurses said they can be a performance to get on and off when you still can’t bend very far.
I am sooo pleased to read this thread!!!
I had my DIEP 2 weeks ago and yes this binder is hell! I suffer with psoriasis and i woke up one night in hospital scratching like a mad woman( one handed) They changd it to a softer binder but it really wasn’t supporting me. When I came home I washed the original binder and am wearing some lovely cotton vests underneath-success!
I’ve been told to wear mine for about six weeks and then big supporting knickers.
In hospital they told me to drink lots,which I did.But now everytime I have a drink I think about the logistics of going to the toilet!!!
Jennie xx
My favourite support garment is the high-waisted girdle (Playtex 18 hour or similar) but they do stick to the skin and would be a nightmare to get on and off without ordinary cotton ‘big knickers’ underneath. I was told to get the size I normally wear but they’re just too tight, I now have a few pairs in the next size up from normal and they’re fine, I will miss the support when I eventually go back to normal, and they do protect the scar from the waistband on my jeans! Do you have a numb panel down the middle of your tummy? I have, above and below the navel, and if I’m wearing a belt I don’t notice when the buckle is digging in… acrtually I don’t notice the cats stretching their claws when they’re on my lap either, so the high-waisted corset gives protection from them too!! I have another 2 months of them. Lyn xx
I had diep recon 5 months ago. I too was borderline as to whether there was enough fat as I am slim. My new boob is smaller than the real one but after nearly 3 years without one it’s great to feel whole again. My tummy was very tight. In fact it didn’t heal properly and I was changing dressings up to 2 months after. As far as the girdle though I was told to wear it 24/7 for 6 weeks which I did. I bought a pair of magic knickers to wear out but found them very difficult to get on and off - no good if you’re desperate for the loo!
Has anyone experienced swelling just below their ribs above the belly button? I’ve had it drained twice and it keeps coming back. I’m due to have an ultrasound in a couple of weeks and they’re going to fit a canula so that it can drain over time.
fantan
hi everyone
I had a checkup yesterday with my dressing nurse.My tumy isn’t healing that well and they have told me it could take months too.Getting used to the girdle now.One of the nurses said it would become my best friend and I think she is right! I can just about manage to pullup jogging bottoms and pjs but I am only 2.5 weeks post op,perhaps I’m expecting too much. Ihave been told to wear it 24/7 for about 6 weeks too. My tummy is numb and my skin is becoming quite dry too.My husband is dressing the scar daily and I can’t feel a thing-it’s really strange…
Having to wear a bra day and night too. I would just like to get some air to my body!!! I feel so restricted all the time-grrrr!!! Got to go…need a lie down…lol. Jen x
I had tram flaps reconstruction 4 months ago, and had to wear a girdle all day. At first I found it really uncomfortable, and the recon nurse said that many women get hooked on them and continue to use them way after they really need to. At the time I thought ‘no way!’ but 4 months on would not be without the panty girdle or the magic pants!
i had my Diep at the end of september 2007.
i was told to wear the HUGE support pants, and at first hated them with a passion.
i could not even get in them without the help of my husband! it was sooooo funny every time i went to the toilet.
Anyway i was told to wear them everyday for the first 3 months, then to continue wearing them for another 3 months,
but not all day just a few hours a day.
so in total i was trapped in my big pants for 6 months LOL.
kim x
I’ve just abandoned the underneath layer of ordinary cotton pants under the 18 hour girdle (that has to be worn 24/7, needs another name!), and now the tummy soreness has largely worn off, it’s ok with just the one clingy garment. Actually I rather like being held in so well - certainly the DIEP has given me a flat tummy for the first time ever, but years ago most women wore girdles (originally with suspenders attached, and superceded by panty-girdles), for the flattering effect, long before tiny knickers and even before tights! Those film stars of the 1950s knew what they were doing!
Hi
I’m just home from DIEP flap recon. My PS and BCN told me to wear big Bridget Jones pants and crop top, no girdles or anything. I must say, I can move very easily and am comfy so I am glad I don’t have to wear them as they sound a nightmare.
Polly
hi everyone
went to see my dressing nurse yesterday as my tummy is recovering slowly from my DIEP recon. I can begin to wear big knickers instead of the girdle!!! Although I have to admit I don’t know how I am going to manage them-I had axilla clearance so not alot of movement in one arm! But the alternative of going back to that corset-grrrrr!
The nurse did say that the girdle will be like a best friend-when I shower or change dressings I feel vunerable,so she must be right!
Polly- I had to wear a good suporting bra night and day-still do,although quite difficult to find a right size-so much swelling and boobs uneven! Crop tops sound sooo much more comfortable
Jennie x
Interesting to hear all your experinces. My Ps didn’t fit me with a girdle - just a tubigrip to start with, which became very itchy and subsequently wearing M&S support pants- daytime only! I dropped wearing the bra at night after the first 2 weeks as it digs in so much to the axilla, which is very tender and my PS said it was optional. These girdles sound terrible! I would have thought it wasn’t vital to stick with the heavy duty number, as different plastic surgeons obviously have different ideas about this.
Maybe I should be wearing the big knickers night time too. Has anyone else had the same instructions as I have?
Lotty
Hi I’m 4 weeks post op from a DIEP flap reconstruction, I was originally given the girdle to wear, however 4 days after coming home I was re-admitted to hospital as legs had swollen and i could barely walk, PS thought I had a haematoma so would need another op to sort it out. Went for Ultrasound the following day confirmed a large blood clot, so scheduled for surgery later that day. After the op my PS advised me that no heamatoma, however my Uterus was greatly enlarged, so after 3 more days of tests, CT. Ultrasound and MRI it was diagnosed that I have a fibroid the size of a 5 month pregnancy and still growing, so not only the prospect of a further op when this scar has healed but no chance of the flat tummy I had hoped for as i’m unable to wear the girdle i guess the remaining muscles have given up the ghost, but nice to read about the previous experiences it gives me some hope.
I am impressed that you were given a girdle. I was told to buy wear support pants to prevent bulges and like you after 6 weeks I’m wondering whether I still need them. I was also promised an appointment with the surgeon at 6 weeks but he is on leave.
Thank you everyone on the forum. I have learnt a lot.
I had diep nearly 3 years ago and never had to wear girdle, was always told to wear some support bras I now use the soft support crop tops to bed. Keep your spirits up ladies you’ve faced the hardest bit you just need to heal now, best decision I made to go for it, scars have faded, had nipple recon and just waiting for tattoos then I’m done, happy to wear low cut tops now if some one occasionally spots the edge of the scar i’m now so what. Good look all keep up with the exercises, lash on the bio oil or use dermagem to help the scars and make sure you dont sunbathe and burn any of the scars in the 1st 2 years (thats when they can darken colour cos of sunburn) lash on sp50 after that
Love Alex x