Christine,

I also had the forearm free flap, microscope, tag team stuff in a 12 hour surgery and the free flap has done great. They have a little device with a pencil type attachment that they use to frequently check the pulse/bloodflow in the transplanted vein that's part of the free flap to insure it's working and healing as expected. The free flap felt huge to me for a while, like marshmallows stuffing my mouth full, but it did shrink down in time.

Sending you prayers and good wishes,
Kim