Surgical complications

cursed-boob

Hi all i hope every one is keeping well,

I will start I guess with a bit of back ground info. I was diagnosed through core biopsy. Left breast. I had a left mastectomy and axillary clearance, 6 months of ACT reigime then I had a right mastectomy a well as my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.

After almost 2 years I had tissue expanders put in. I had 2 expansion appointments to get me to the desired size. I had the expanders in for almost a year as my surgery for the silicon to go in kept getting pushed back. 

During this time I had scar tissue break down which resulted in a hole in my left breast.. I had the hole and a million anit biotics. id say the hole was there for about 3 or 4 months. The 4th month was the worst with my left breast would go red and swell up and caused a lot of pain. Finally I had the horrible expanders removed on the 6th of Dec 2018 

Then...…….. 2nd of January as im doing my physio stretches my completely healed new scar opened drenching my clothing in what the nurse at the hospital said was lymph fluid.

I go to my GP and as I figured she said infection and have some anti biotics.

2days later I go to hospital. The scar is opening and I freak out thinking I have necrosis because I could just see a black opening. hospital sends me home on antibiotics... more yay!!

2 days later the "black opening thing" is huge like 50c piece huge, I go back to hospital. This time im in over night and as it turns put the black is not tissue it is my implant. I WAS SENT HOME THE NEXT MORNING WITH DIFFERENT ANTIBIOTICS...….

At this point I have a massive hole, no surgeon will touch me and its still a week until my surgeon who is always on holidays gets back from his latest travels 

I was booked back into surgery to have the implant removed..... My appointment was still another 2 weeks away. 

By the time it had rolled around to surgery day a quarter of my implant was exposed and bulging out.

Now almost 2 weeks post op my stitches have some how torn and  have a small hole...…. it has started again!!!!! I don't know what the hell to do. I have an appointment with my surgeon tomorrow and possible surgery. None of it makes sense to me. this hole starts in the same spot every time. Just so happens to be where I had a tumour removed. I need some serious help/advice!!!!! Has anyone had anything similar im losing my mind.

Moderators

Hello cursed-boob, and welcome to Breastcancer.org. We're really sorry you have to be here of this reason. Hope you can connect here with someone with similar experiences that knows exactly what you're going through with your breast. In the mean time this is what we have in our main site on:

Implant Surgery Risks

Implant Reconstruction: What to Expect

We hope this helps! Please let us know what you learn at your appointment tomorrow.

Best wishes,

From the Mods

NotVeryBrave

Oh my gosh! That all sounds just terrible!

I don't have any experience with what's happening with you, but I did have an infection five weeks after my surgery. My PS immediately put me in the hospital for IV antibiotics. I was there for three days and went home on two other antibiotics for two weeks.

To me - it really sounds like you are not healing and are not being managed properly. I would think that you should have both an Infectious Disease consult as well as a Wound Specialist consult. Obviously something is not right and something needs to change. Probably your doctors.

I'm so sorry.

Kerryn135

thanks for your reply I agree about the new doctor comment. Today will be the last time I have to see this surgeon as long as I don't have to have surgery and I'm stoked about that. Defiantly poorly managed. I have had so many antibiotics now they don't work. I don't know why he hasn't kept me in for IV medication as I have been told it works A lot better.

I will update after my appointment so fingers crossed. I'm so sick of surgery. This thing they call a journey has come with 9 surgeries in 3 years. It was my diagnosis anniversary yesterday... 3 years gone, cancer gone (better be gone haha) but I'm still being sliced open and am trapped in my body unable to move forward.

Mystic18

You poor thing. I can't relate specifically, but here's what happened to me:

I also developed necrosis but no reconstruction was involved, so no implants. Just a flat scar, dying on my chest. They cut the dead tissue off, sent me to the wound center and I sit here typing to you with a wound vac attached to the hole in my chest. This machine claims to help cell regeneration from the bottom up - so our skin doesn't heal over a hole basically. It builds the tissue back up through healing. I'm also on week 2 of antibiotics.

The wound vac sucks but may be worth you bringing up - ask to be referred to a wound care center. I think they would be in a position to help you.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Sending you peace and love from PA.