incision won't close after mastectomy and implant

grrlcancer

I had a mastectomy with an implant immediately put in 7 weeks ago.  The incision keeps opening up because of necrosis.  The PS has cut away the dead tissue 5 times.  Each time it has opened up.

He said that if we take the implant out, I will still have the problem.  I want the implant out but I'm reluctant in forcing the PS to do an operation that he doesn't want to do.

Is there anyone else that has had this issue?

TX66

Hello grrlcancer

I didn't get an implant...had an b-mastectomy with abdom transflap.Could not have an implant because of previous radiation on the right breast.... It took forever to heal....my PS would trim the dead tissue off each time an restich and restich....it seemed never ending...This was in March and the breast are finally healed now...just need to wait until after my CHemo is done to reshape those babys a bit.....just hang in there it will get better even if it doesn't seem so at this time....

Lianne

I just met with my PS on monday to go over my Mastectomy/reconstruction.  I had a ton of questions.  One of them I posed to him was exactly that... what if my incision will not heal.

 He said what we would have to do is remove the implant and let my body heal it self.  He said that my body has gone thru a terrible shock (mastectomy) and may not be able to handle having this foreign body (implant/expander) insde.  He would remove it, let my body heal then we would have to try again in a few months (...does not sound like a fun deal)

 Hope this helps..  I wish you well in your recovery.

p.s. make sure you do what you feel is right.   The Dr is not living with this, you are.

katydidnt

Hi, I had an implant removed, after 7 months, due to an infection that came out of nowhere.  Then, afterward, there was a small area around the incision that wouldn't heal.  I went 4 months with pads in my bra, and packing the wound.  Finally, they sent me to hyperbaric O2 treatments.  After just 7 treatments, (one week), my wound finally healed.  What an ordeal....I suspect my skin was compromised by having radiation after the tissue expander insertion, and prior to the final implant placement.  It was too much for my body to heal properly.  Did you have radiation also?  I think you should have it out....hopefully, you will heal and then wait a year or so and try again.  

Good Luck and I hope you feel better soon,

pattyinarnold

I had my bi-mass in may of 2007 and had to remove the implants in june due to a steph infection.I had rads with the first bc in 2005 on the left side.  It took 5 sugeries and a wound fac for two weeks to get the skin to finally heal.  I want to try recon again and that is my fear that the wound won't heal,   but I am going to try again anyway,,,,maybe I'm  nuts!

pattyinarnold

Lissab

I had double mAsectomy January 14, 2014. My ps put 600 ccs in my expanders during initial surgery. My left side healed beautifully. My right side NOT. I've had infections, had surgery to remove expander & cleAn it out. Then hospital stay for IV meds for 1 week, came home with a picc line. Did meds for 14 more days. Day 1 off meds started getting Another infection. On Friday, he did local anesthesia and cut away old skin thTs not healing & pulled skin from excess area & restitched me( double stitches). 2 days later it busted open. It's 3/4 open. The area that's having trouble would be where nipple was. I called today & he told me tomorrow he will either take some fluid out & stitch me again or we will go straight to surgery to remove expander. Anyone had this scenRio?

cricket111

Hi, I also have the same problem. I had a double mastectomy in Aug. of 2015. Expanders were put in at same time as mastectomy. I had months of Chemotherapy , then Radiation therapy to the right side. All went well until 3 plus months after Radiation, I had reconstruction surgery. Implants were put in. Left side healed well. Right side, radiation side did not heal. It's been almost 4 months, Dr did surgery In office. Cut out bad skin and restitched. Within a few weeks I was back at the office and he, once again, did surgery and cut bad skin and restitched. ugh... It been another few weeks and it's opening again. Mostly a hole in the nipple area. Dr. wants to take the implant out this week and not put anything in. No expander... Nothing.... Sucky thing is, actually all of it but I'm dealing with this on my own. Not easy for anyone but its really tough by oneself. I'm scared, I think worse than the mastectomy! What if taking the implant out, I still don't heal??? I suggested hyperbaric chamber and dr. wasn't ok with it. Idk I'm confused as to what to do. For some reason the hole right side is painful. Dr thinks removing the implant is the only solution but is it????? Surgery is tentative for next week.

macb04

Are you making sure to have large amounts of Vitamin C? Insufficient Vitamin C is long known to cause poor tissue healing and wound repair.

VITAMIN C HELPS WITH HEALING FROM SURGERY/and can kill bacteria such as Pseudomonas with high dose IV Vitamin C. If you can't get Intravenous Vitamin C, Liposomal Vitamin C can be a big help if you can't afford or find IV Vitamin C.

Having extra Vitamin C, 1,000mg to 3,000mg per day for at least a week before surgery and for at least 2 weeks afterwards. That is what Dr Andrew Weil says. I tend to think it is possible to have even higher amounts of Vitamin C safely. I did that on a number of occasions, what is called "Titrating to bowel tolerance " Basically it means to take a Vitamin C tablet, (chewable type are some of the easiest) once an hour throughout the day. When your body is finally starting to have more Vitamin C than you need, then you will begin to experience loose stools. Then you stop taking Vitamin C, count up how many tablets you have had over the course of the day, and the next day take one or two less tablets of Vitamin C for that day. Repeat that for several days, but as you heal and your health improves you will get to the point of loose stools sooner and sooner (needing less and less pills every day in a gradual taper downward) It is quite safe to do it this way, if you have normal kidney and bowel function. The worst that happens is that you can get diarrhea. It is a great way to tell exactly how much Vitamin C your body needs. Sufficient Vitamin C is crucial to wound healing, helps with making strong collagen. When you hear stories of surgical wounds that dehise it is a high probability that there is a Vitamin C deficiency leading to inadequate collagen production.

Nutritional Support for Wound Healing - Alternative Medicine Reviewhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14653765

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4915787/

Good luck. Try Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, really sucessful for non healing wounds