Surgery #2 - TUG Flap Reconstruction

My surgery will entail a mastectomy. While my general surgeon is doing that, the plastic surgeon (ps) will be removing skin, tissue, fat and the gracilis muscle from my inner thigh. He will cut the blood supply and prepare it to become a breast mound - that is what they call it. After the mastectomy (removing all breast tissue, nipple, and areola), my general surgeon will leave. The mastectomy will take about an hour. The plastic surgeon takes over now. He will spend the next 3 hours doing microsurgery to reattach the blood vessels, create the illusion of a breast and sew/glue everything back together. The total surgery should take about 4 hours.

After surgery I will be in the ICU or a step down from the ICU. This is only because the new breast needs to be monitored every 1-2 hours for two days. The temperature, pulse, and color will be carefully observed. I have been told that the minimum hospital stay for this procedure is three nights. I will be having a pump of local anesthetic pumped into my thigh for pain relief. I will also have IV pain medication. Though many people do not report as much pain in the breast area because all the nerves have been cut.

At my pre-op appointment today I learned more about anesthesia and what drugs are used for that. I will be fully asleep, my muscles will be realaxed and I will have a ventilator for breathing and bringing in gas anesthesia. As always, I feel more comfortable and confident with more information.

I feel confident in my two surgeons and will allow my body to be changed by them. I will also make a conscious decision to allow the medications to come into my body and do what they are supposed to do.