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31 Years Old, Prophylactic Mastectomy and DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction - Dallas, TX

UPDATED FROM texasweather
1 year post

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Ricardo A. Meade, MD

Ricardo A. Meade, MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

5.0 | 184 Reviews
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I simply cannot say enough about not only how wonderful Dr. Meade is, but his entire staff as well. As I mentioned before, I had pretty specific aesthetic results I wanted from my breast reconstruction, and I came to Dr. Meade after another plastic surgeon told me it wouldn't be possible. He thought outside the box and laid out a surgical plan to give me the best shot at what I wanted. He was realistic and let me know that there was no guarantee it would work, but he thought it was definitely worth trying. Thanks to him, I have ended up with the results I wanted and so much more. When initially choosing which route to go with for my reconstruction, I was nervous about staying in Dallas to have DIEP Flap performed because New Orleans is famous for it. I am so glad I stayed local and went with Dr. Meade. My results are just as good, if not better, than the women who go to NOLA. I belong to several online BRCA / breast cancer groups and every time I post my results photos, everyone raves and wants to know who my doctor is. Upon my first consult with Dr. Meade and at every appointment thereafter, he spent as much time with me as I needed. I had a lot of questions and never once felt rushed. He really makes an effort to know and remember his patients. I'm always impressed at every appointment how he remembers things about me, my case, etc. You're not just another surgery to him, you're a person, and you're important. His staff is the same way. They are very responsive to phone calls, helpful with information, and are always very warm and kind. I am going to miss them all once my follow up appointments are done! Dr. Meade also apparently has an impressive reputation in the medical community as well. Because of weird insurance networks, my surgery took place in a different hospital than he normally works from. The morning of my surgery, the pre-op nurses were all buzzing with excitement that Dr. Meade would be operating there that day. We overheard one nurse tell another to make sure the setup is just right for him. It was so fun to hear them take so much care in wanting to accommodate him. Throughout my week-long stay at the hospital, each time I was transferred to a different department, first the ICU for 24 hour flap monitoring, and then the oncology unit, the nurses would say, "oh you're Dr. Meade's patient!" I somehow even ended up with a 2-room suite at the hospital. The nurses said Dr. Meade likes his patients to be well taken care of. No kidding! Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the VIP treatment on Dr. Meade's behalf. I had a great experience with DIEP Flap breast reconstruction and am happy every day when I look in the mirror. I'm not going to lie, it’s a challenging surgery, but it is worth it. Dr Meade is very talented, skilled, and has performed many while maintaining a very low flap failure rate. He told me once that DIEP is one of his favorite surgeries to do. Dr. Meade is very honest and will not upsell you to make more money. He will give you his honest opinion about what is best for you. He is very confident and proud of his work, and for good reason. That confidence is very reassuring to see from your surgeon. I trust him completely and would highly recommend him for any procedure. He is an artist. I am so thankful for his work in the breast reconstruction field, making women feel whole and beautiful, in the midst of disease. Thank you Dr. Meade!

Replies (10)

Wow I think you look great!  Did you have the mastectomy as a preventative measure? (I'm covering this community for Bethanny who is on vacation and is the regular Community Manager, so sorry if it is obvious or if I missed something).
Yes I am BRCA2 positive and had my mastectomy done preventively.
Gotcha, thanks for clarifying for me :)
I too am 31 and had a mastectomy with reconstruction in February of this year. You have a great plastic surgeon....mine however, doesn't seem to want to go any other route other than expanders/implants. I feel like most women get a body makeover but my plastic surgeon doesn't want to do this for me. I want to change drs but unfortunately, I cant find a doctor in my area that will see me in between surgeries. So now I have to settle. I loved my ps at first, but then its starting to become all about the money for her. But I am so happy you love your ps and your results are awesome! I wish I lived in your area so I could go to you dr!
I'm sorry, that has to be so frustrating.. :( Is traveling to a surgeon an option?
Not at this time...I have 3 kids an school starts soon...my husband works nights and my mother is terminally ill and she doesn't have much longer to live. I really wish I could travel!
WOW. They look beautiful. Your picture is small on my phone, so it's hard to see it in depth. But in the small version, they look so perfect, without any obvious scars on your breasts. Can you post more up to date ones?
Those are as up to date as they get, they were taken July 9. Not much has changed since then! :) my scars are pretty well all faded and are skin color now.
i thought with a flap procedure there was usually a visible paddle of skin left on your breast did your dr put your flap totally underneath your regular skin?. you look amazing!!! no one would ever know that you had a mastectomy..thanks for sharing
DIEP can be either. For reconstruction performed immediately after mastectomy, (depending on cancer) you can do skin sparing and the doctor just uses the flaps without skin and places it in your natural breast shell. But for women who have had to delay their reconstruction for whatever reason, you can also keep the skin on the flaps to form the new breasts.
ORIGINAL POST

I was interested in DIEP Flap because I've had 2...

I was interested in DIEP Flap because I've had 2 kids, had gained a bit of weight, and saw it as a good opportunity to not only start over with a new body, but also have breasts created from my own tissue rather than implants. Keeping my own nipples was very important to me rather than having reconstructed nipples. Because I had very large breasts prior to my mastectomy (36H), I met with one plastic surgeon who told me that it would be impossible to keep my nipples. I met with Dr. Meade and he laid out a surgical plan to give me the best shot at this. He first performed a standard breast reduction. We waited 6 months for healing, then conducted the mastectomy and reconstruction, and my nipples survived beautifully! I'm not going to lie, DIEP is a rough surgery. It is not for the faint of heart. It is VERY much worth it, though! Dr. Meade told me to walk as much as possible, and I took that to heart. Starting by walking laps around the ICU, then down the halls of the oncology unit. By 2 weeks out, I was walking 1 mile per day, and by 4 weeks out I was walking 2 miles per day. At 6 weeks I was walking 3 miles per day and was cleared to run. I started up slowly and regained my strength and confidence. 3 months out I joined a morning boot camp. The chest and abdominal exercises were difficult, but I just took it at my own comfort level and pace, and redeveloped the muscle. 5 months after my mastectomy and reconstruction, I ran a half marathon. I am now exactly 1 year out from my surgery. I have lost 45 pounds since my surgery and have a bikini body for the first time in my life. Dr. Meade and DIEP Flap have given me an entirely new life. If I had to go and do it all over again, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Replies (3)

Thank you for your fantastic review of diep flap reconstruction. I'm having mine done on July 1st. By the way you look amazing!!!
HI! I'm trying to decide between implants and DIEP. I'm like you - huge boobs that I'd like to be smaller and perkier and plenty of "baby-weight" that could benefit from a tummy tuck. I've had 2 c-sections so I think I'm prepared for the abdominal recovery. I think my two concerns/questions are (1) I have no idea what my boobs will look like afterward. Did you say what sort of size you wanted? What did you do to feel at ease that they'd be the right size? (2) Do they still sag like normal breasts? I was looking forward to wearing spaghetti strap things again but now I worry I'll not be able to. I had decided on perky new boobs with implants because I had no idea DIEP existed. Then my doctor mentioned it as an option and now I'm totally torn. Any input you can offer would be awesome! Thanks!
I'm torn between a DIEP flap and implants, if you come across my comment, just wanted to know what procedure you decided on and how did it go.