Worried re free TRAM flap (like DIEP)

Public Archive
1

I am booked in for a bilateral mastectomy and immediate recon. with free TRAM flap at the end of September (Addenbrookes, Cambridge), and saw my surgeon’s registrar yesterday for all the gory details. He has surprised and alarmed me a bit by saying that they will have to remove a section of cartiledge (or possibly rib bone) around the blood supply to the new breast mounds - and I have never heard of or read about this elsewhere. Is this usual practice?? Sounds as though I am going to by like a leaky bucket by the end of all this.

Also, I am due for radiotherapy after the op., and although I have not yet seen the radiology consultant, everyone has been very reassuring about there being no problems with RT following a free TRAM op - apart from the possibility of some delay if I am unlucky, and the wounds don’t heal quickly. Does anyone have any experience of this, good or bad?

Many, many thanks to anyone who can help - it is all very daunting at the moment, although I have been much encouraged by many of the posts here.

2

Hi there

I had my recon done at Addenbrookes back in February, who is your plastic surgeon? Yes that is normal practice as i had that done but afterwards didnt really notice anything different, in fact i wasnt really in any pain even though i was stitched across my belly, nipple and under the arm where the lymph nodes were taken out, i used the morphine to make me sleepy and that was it. So all in all, it was a breeze and nothing like i imagined. Addenbrookes is great for shopping and eating, you wont get bored there ha ha. I had Rads after as well, again no problems and healed really well. Do you need advise about the girdles etc that you will need afterwards? I can also go into more details from start to finish about going in for the op and afterwards if it would help, but dont want to bore you otherwise, ha ha.

Dont be daunted just keep asking the questions that are going round your head, we can hopefully put your mind at rest.

Take care

Tracey