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Reconstruction problems coupled with new chemo - for LadyGaga

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Posted 2/5/2011 1:16 AM (GMT 0)
Reposting for LadyGaga:

Wondering if anyone has similar experience.

I had an immediate Tram Flap reconstruction on 14th December 2010, that's 7 weeks ago, since then had one chemo treatment at week 6. I am very thin only 100lbs 5'2' and was not informed that it was not a good surgery to have if you are too thin. I would not have gone through it if I'd known. The surgeons strongly recommended this type of surgery to me and I wish I'd known what I know know.

Since then I have had seromas in the abdomen which is still lingering around and trouble breathing and it's really bothering me as I am now not able to eat much at all. How long will this breathing problem stay? I've spoken to my PS and he told me it's early days and it's going to be more difficult because you are so thin. The chemo seems to have made the situation worst.

I wonder if anyone has had similar problems and if this feeling will go away soon. The muscle is like a rock in the middle separating my body.
How long do I have to wait for it to go down?
Posted 2/5/2011 2:05 AM (GMT 0)
Thks for your help and concern LdyJane
Posted 2/5/2011 5:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hey, ladygaga. I, too, was very thin when I had tram. I don't recall any difficulty breathing or eating, nor did I have any seromas, but standing up straight? Ha! I now have problems with scoliosis as a result of being pulled so tight. Plastic surgeon and surgeon didn't think that was the cause, but family physician, orthopedic doc, and physical therapists all agree it is a result of the surgery. Have they recommended any physical therapy for you? I think it is a must following TRAM (or any body-altering surgery). I had my chemo start 6 weeks post-surgery, as well, and I think that really slows down the healing process. It took me about two years to start feeling like myself again.

Ask for physical therapy. If you find the right therapist, I think it will make a difference.

Hugs...
BEV
Posted 2/8/2011 3:30 AM (GMT 0)
Thks Bev, I will ask my PS on my next appointment, I am also starting to have back pains because my abdomen still fells really tight and it's been eight weeks post surgery now. The breathing is probably due to the tightness of the whole area. When I try to take a deep breath the skin along my body is pulled so tight that my lungs are not able to extend to it's full capacity. Yoga may help.
Posted 2/8/2011 1:59 PM (GMT 0)
Hi LadyGaga, I don't think your weight has a whole lot to do with it. I know that some women just get seromas. It's one of those things.
You might get more support online at a plastic surgery site called make me heal dot com. They have a super bunch of tummy tuck gals there on their forum, and several who have gone through seromas and necrosis who could give you an idea of what to expect. Do a search in their abdominoplasty section using the word seroma and alot of posts will pop up!

Good luck with everything.
Posted 2/8/2011 11:06 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think the seroma is from the weight, no. But if you have very little abdominal fat, they typically have to use both RA muscles to create a new breast mound. The skin on the belly has not been stretched by weight, and they really have to pull you tight. And I mean, tight. It is NOT like a tummy tuck, where they get to decide exactly how much excess needs to be removed. This more like, "how much do I need to make the new breast." For thin people, it can just be too much. It took about 3 months to stand erect, and it took a lot of effort to stay that way. By the end of the day, I was slumping badly because I didn't have the strength or energy to stay erect. I slept sitting up for months because I could not lie down flat. Lay on my stomach and push up on my elbows? Over a year, and it was very uncomfortable.

When I went in for my two-year check-up with my PS, my nurse didn't look too good. I asked if she was feeling okay. Well, she had been diagnosed with breast cancer about 9 months earlier. Had a Tram. And she said, "When do you stop feeling so tight?" I told her I would let her know when I found out, and I wasn't kidding. This is the woman who assured me I would be "back to normal in 6-8 weeks... you'll just never be able to do sit-ups." So yes, weight does play a part in how much tissue you have to make a nice new breast. The seroma, not so much.
Posted 2/9/2011 1:31 AM (GMT 0)
I totally agree with you. They've taken every single oz of fat I had in my stomach and I still can't stand up straight because It feels too tight and if I do I can't breath in properly. Luckily only one of my rectus muscles have been used.

After surgery my stomach was curved inwards for about a week then the seromas started to force it out into a bulge which is what I have now. My PS said it's nothing to worry about and should be absorbed within 6-8 weeks. It just feels horrible when i am up and about the fluid inside just feels uncomfortable.. I'm going through chemo and the healing seems to have slowed down, or in fact made things worst.

Is it true that you will never be able to do sit ups again?

I don't think the tram flap surgery is suitable for people as thin as me.
Posted 2/10/2011 1:02 AM (GMT 0)
Well, I sure can't do sit-ups anymore! With one RA muscle left intact, you may be able to. I really wasn't too worried about not doing sit-ups. I have learned that in order to keep my back from going out on me, I really have to work on the obliques to get them to do the work of the RA's that I'm missing. RA's are the "guide wires" for the the spine, so to speak. That's why I think the PT is so important... as the old saying goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." I asked my PS about physical therapy after surgery, and he assured me it wasn't necessary. If I had learned how to compensate for the missing muscles correctly to begin with, I don't think my back would be nearly as bad as it is... nor do I think I would have as many adhesions.

Take care.

Hugs...
BEV
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