Delayed DIEP flap reconstruction following breast cancer - my personal experience

Hi everyone. Tania Robinson, founder of Second Spring Bed Linen here.

Thought I would share my personal journey following breast cancer in 2014 and how my dual zoned sheets came about during my journey..

I was diagnosed with breast cancer very early due to a self-check of my breast. 4 weeks after diagnosis I had a mastectomy and opted to have a silicone implant at the same time as the mastectomy, due to the surgeon advising that was the best option if I needed radiation and/or chemo afterwards.  I was extremely lucky in that I didn't need either of these as the mastectomy had captured all of the cancer cells.

I did however go into early menopause due to the daily Tamoxifen pill I had to take and that's when the night sweats started. As the night sweats were so frequent, I started searching for bed linen that would keep me cool but also allow my husband to stay warm (it was the middle of winter in NZ).  Finding nothing on the market that covered both of our dual-zoned needs, I explored the idea of having these custom made for me.  This is also when I thought that I would not be the only person who required dual-zoned bed linen and after 12 months of research, finding a manufacturer who was on-board with my unique design and setting up importers, websites, courier companies etc etc, Second Spring Bed Linen was born. 

I remember the night when my first shipment arrived and I put the Second Spring sheets on the bed - they were so cooling and silky compared to anything else I had tried - I honestly think I fell asleep with a smile on my face that night!

Unfortunately in 2021, my body decided to reject my silicone implant and I ended up having emergency surgery to remove the implant. The surgeon at the time asked if I wanted the skin-saving operation so I could have another implant inserted when I had fully recovered, but at the time I could think of nothing I wanted less, so I had the implant removed along with all of the skin during the operation.

Fast forward to 2024 and after being at the gym one day and getting changed after a workout, upon taking off my bra, my foam boob flew out of the bra and skidded across the crowded changing room. I was so embarrassed and that was when the thought of having the operation whereby they use tummy fat/skin and make a new breast from that entered my mind.

On 24 September 2025, I was admitted to Braemar hospital in Hamilton for the Delayed DIEP flap reconstruction operation.  I was so excited to be having this operation and thought I would bounce back as quickly as I did with all of my other operations.

After a 10 hour procedure, I awoke in Braemar's equivalent of intensive care, definitely aware that I had had major surgery.  I can only say that I honestly thought I had been hit by a bus. The pain was intense and moving was an effort.  Regular 30 minute checks that my new breast had a 'heartbeat' showed that the blood vessels which were connected under micro-surgery had worked. It was such a relief during these checks to hear the heartbeat I can tell you!

I stayed in hospital for a total of five nights and was itching to get home to my own bed. There was the fear of having to change my own dressings once at home - how would I know if something wasn't healing properly which would require me to go back to the surgeon?

Even showering myself was an effort as I couldn't lift my right arm very high and couldn't stand up straight. I had a chair outside the shower which I used for the first couple of days to sit on while I dried myself.  On my 4th day at home, I went for a 2.2km walk, albeit very slowly. This was progress, although I was quite sore the next day. Who knew that walking uses muscles in your tummy.  Sleeping on your back with legs stretched out for the first 10 nights is also near on impossible because of the amount of skin that has been taken from the stomach, making it feel like it is all going to come apart. Sleeping with a pillow under the knees elevates the legs so you don't feel like your stomach is going to split apart at the seam.

I am now day 19 post surgery and yesterday went for a 4km walk and felt great! I still have to wear the tummy brace for another 3-4 weeks day and night just to make sure nothing untoward happens to the cut from hip to hip and I am still dressing the incisions on my new breast, but each day they look better and better.  I can now almost stand up straight and can sleep on my back and sides with legs stretched out.  Huge progress.

In all honesty, I didn't realise that the first 2 weeks would be so hard and the pain levels so real, but would I go through it all again - absolutely!  The result is fantastic and so natural looking and the scarring will fade in time.  I am 58 years old and don't wear little string bikini bottoms so no one will ever see the scars anyway.

Cancer sucks but the one silver lining for me was starting my NZ business as a result.

For anyone who needs relief due to night sweats or just has a different body temperature to their partner, check out my sheets.  You won't be disappointed!

www.secondspring.co.nz