Tissue Marker not removed

Justmemomof3

I had my mastectomy and the day after surgery my surgeon says one of the two tissue markers placed during my 2 biopsies was missing. It was located 5 wks after surgery still in my breast under my tissue expander. Is this normal that one would get missed during mastectomy and now causing me to have an additional surgery?

Justmemomof3

I am guessing that no one else has had this issue. The tissue marker was marking the 2 places of DCIS ... Both should have been removed during the masectomy. 

Tomboy

i sent you a pm, because i didn't know if you knew how to add this to your favorites, and i didn't want you to think no one cared. i would be piSSed, myself, about the additional surgery. and are you supposed to be the one paying for this? i would ask also why it couldn't just be left. under your muscle?!? how could it not get lost in there !? please do not let me scare you, i just don't know! but my feeble and angry attempt at answering your question, will bump it back to the top, so maybe someone else can see it and answer. im sorry

auroaya200882

I'm with kathec I don't have the answers but it doesn't sound like normal procedure so if I was in your place I would seek a second opinion and maybe talk to a lawyer. Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself, doctors are humans and make mistakes but some mistakes are worse and have graver consequences. I am suing the doctors and hospital because during my surgery for my femur (cancer stage iv in bones) they ran an IV on my lymphedema side and had to amputate the tip of two fingers and lost mobility on that hand. So I would definitely look into it if I was you. Will keep you in my prayers and ((hugs)).

Aurora.

exbrnxgrl

Since surgery is not something one looks forward to, what would be the consequences of just leaving the marker in place?

SpecialK

Why can they not remove the clip at the time of exchange?

Tomboy

That is an excellent question specialk. and i agree with exbrnxgirl,  it is such a tiny little thing, and i think it must be titanium, and where are you? that is just awfully weird. i hope you come back, i will add this to my faves, and keep bumping it up in hopes that you can read what e & s wrote. Aurora!! Geez! i am so sorry that that happened to you! it kills me that they do that! crap! and i am sure it's in your chart. and im pretty sure they do know about not using cancer-side. and i am pretty sure yiu probably told them ahead of time, several times, probably. GET EM!

RainDew

this happened to me too. I had a titanium clip in biopsy, which was never found in BMX. It was defo there in post-biopsy mammo.

I hadn't planned to raise it further - couldn't see that it had done any harm. Altho somewhat curious as to where it could have gone...