Lump after tram flap
Common Questions and Answers about Lump after tram flap
lump
I wondered if anyone has experienced leg issues after a tram flap. I had a tram flap in 1997 my right stomach muscle was cut and brought up to form a left breast ( really just a mound of round flesh not a breast) . When I came home from the hospital I was never able to squat down correctly or bend with my knees and now that I am older it is just getting harder. I've regretted having the tram flap since the day I had it.
Whenever a TRAM flap is performed, there is a risk of some compromise to the blood supply to the flap resulting in areas of fat necrosis. This is probably what you are experiencing along with some minor healing problem of the belly button area. Both areas will ultimately heal, but sometimes this can takes weeks or even months until full healing occurs. Peroxide is OK to use, but I would suggest following the instructions of your surgeon for wound care and healing.
I developed stage IV cancer 6 months after the tram flap, in the exact spot the two muscles cross. I am so pisse! I was 10 years fine after a double mastectomy and only had the tram flap because I was tired of the saline implants and the surgeon said I would look good. So would his bank account!! You can't imagine the pain of having abdominal ascites in an area so small!!! I would tell NO ONE to get this operation. You never know if your cancer will return.
Can Paget's Disease return after having TRAM Flap of the breast?
The third type is autologous tissue, your own skin and fat moved into the mastectomy site. This is a pedicled flap known as a TRAM[tummy tuck flap], and the free flap technique where new blood vessels are connected to deliver tissue to the area. This can also be used in an irradiated area. The choice orf immediate reconstruction is actually preferred by most plastic surgeons, and as long as you do not receive further radiation, they yield great results.
Your history of breast reconstruction is obviously quite complicated with loss of the TRAM flap. You did not mention if this was a pedicled TRAM or a free microvascular TRAM. Other alternatives to reconstruction might include a free microvascular flap from you buttocks or other area. Latissimus flaps can also be quite successful.
Due to DCIS, I had a mastectomy of my right breast and a tram flap last May. No chemo, no radioation. The tram flap did not take and I ended up with huge wounds on my abdomen and breast. I am now healed and my plastic surgeon says I can have now an implant placed in my breast area. He suggested I start with an expander, have scar revision done on my tummy, and in about 8 weeks (after the skin has stretched) have implants placed.
I had cancer in 1999, I had a radical mastectomy. I also had a tram flap surgery. I was in the hospital for 11 day in ICU. I had many complications. I had a part of my tram flap die. They patched me up. Literally. I have a patch, like one you would find in the hippie days when they patched their jeans. It is awful. Then my breast is nowhere close to the size of the other breast. My tram flap was placed under my arm and not on my chest.
It seems that a LARGE number of women who have had a Tram Flap procedure are experiencing similar symptoms up to many years post surgery. You can see this on various websites throughout the internet. Perhaps it is time for further investigation to be done with regards to a common denominator in all of these women and tram flap surgery. Could it be the mesh over time affecting the immune system? There has been a recall on surgical mesh.
I have had pain in my abd, about two years after my tram flap. I have right side pain right by my ribs. Then in my lower left side. I have a very tight stretch feeling across my abd. I have had gallbladder ultrasound, liver and pancreas. I've had CT scan. A few Colonoscopies. I am full of poop and make methane gas. I have lost the muscle to go to the bathroom. I have tried every laxative on the market to help go. I feel such pain. Especially after I eat. I have gained 40 pounds.
A related discussion, <a href="/posts/Breast-Cancer/After-Tram-flap/show/1936264">After Tram flap</a> was started.
A related discussion, <a href="/posts/Breast-Cancer/Tram-Flap-Complications-post-15-years/show/2154543">Tram Flap Complications post 15+ years</a> was started.
i recently had a double masectomy and tram flap reconstructuion in jan 2012 since then my stomach is rock hard and i have a bulge on my left side i cannot wear tight trousers with a zip or buttons and now have had to buy bigger size in my clothes for comfort in my tummy . I know I have put on a bit of weight since my surgery but dont think enough to warrant bigger size in clothes.
I forgit what my info was and had to start over. At that time I was grappling with a TRAM flap surgery that had necessitated a need for more surgeries for repeated problems. I finally saw a different plastic surgeon for a consult in September. I went back to him last month . He operated 16 days ago. I love the results! He ended up removing the flap altogether. I regret the initial surgery but atleast I like what I see in the mirror.
There are some people who have had wonderful results with a TRAM flap. Then there are a lot more that have trouble. When you move such an important muscle then there is no support in your stomach for your lower back, to stop hernia's from happening. You can get all the benefit of the TRAM flap (old style reconstruction) with DIEP flap (10 years & counting) reconstruction.
Can you tell me if the Tram Flap Reconstruction problems that I hear about all over the internet be associated with the Pelvic Mesh class action lawsuit. Thousands of women have gone through the same kind of injuries and side effects as the women who have undergone the Hernia Mesh, Transvaginal Mesh, and Abdominal Mesh surgical procedure.
This reconstruction has put women lives in danger and should be label an extreme danger to women lives.
However the tissue expanders are another story and the fills it is easier and a much less evasive surgery. Go with the implants my friends body is so scarred up after the tram flap. Another lady I know ended up with the breast rotting and more surgeries. I have the tissue expanders and from my mom sister and granny these are by far the best. sorry to say that but truth. If in CA.
It has been 7 wks since my tram flap surgery. I have had to have fluid asperated from my stomach twice a wk. for 4 wks. Is this normal? And when can I expect it to stop?
This discussion is related to <a href='http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/262149'>Problems after Tram Flap Surgery and Hernia Repair</a>.
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