Sore Foob question

mnsotamom74

good morning.

I currently have tissue expanders and had them both filled for the first time one week ago. The skin felt slightly achey, but was better by the weekend. Today it’s quite sore again, I’d say it feels very similar to when you are about to get your period and your breasts feel all sore. Is this normal? They ( the fake boobs) look fine, coloring is normal. Would I know if I’m getting an infection in them? I know that’s always a possibility, but I don’t know how do you know?

Thank you for any replies

OnTarget

I'm sorry I don't know.

My TE's hurt a lot when I got them expanded, but they felt better over time. They never started hurting more than the day after filling.

Maybe if you can figure out where exactly they are sore? Is the skin/fascia being pulled? Is the skin not stretching and they are digging into your chest muscles?

I know that is hard when they hurt all over, but it may help you pin it down.

mnsotamom74

thank you. The skin feels tender in the front. Also, I’m having a terrible time finding a sports bra that doesn’t feel irritating to my skin. I tried not wearing anything, that felt even worse. He’s out of the office all week. His nurse is going to let him know when he gets back

MinusTwo

Sorry - TE's hurt all the time. Ask your PS to do a smaller amount of fill. But even with that - TE's are created by the devil. Not one time in the 6 months process was I ever comfortable. That said, I can only tell you this because apparently I complained endlessly to my grown son. I have no memory of that - just like labor & delivery when he was born - but he assures me I was miserable 100% and never shut up about it.

mnsotamom74

minustwo, thank you! That sounds like me with my son! Thank goodness he puts up with me:

MinusTwo

BTW - I am sorry to be the bearer of this bad news. You can check the "exchange" thread, but i really can't remember ever hearing anyone who was comfortable.

mnsotamom74

MinusTwo, thank you! I went and looked, lol, definitely looks like this is going to be the case. I hope once I have the exchange, that changes

MinusTwo

mn - yes, I had immediate relief after the exchange. And implants continued to become more comfortable as I adapted.

mnsotamom74

that’s very reassuring, thank you

mnsotamom74

Update: my breasts started to look red yesterday and hurt last night. This morning I went to the walk in clinic. They contacted my surgeon and he told them I needed a shot of penicillin and to start oral antibiotics and to make an appointment to see him tomorrow. Ugh, I’m so worried. I waited a year to make the decision to get breast reconstruction, this was one of my fears. I’m so concerned they’ll have to be removed and start all over again. I don’t know if it’s worth it to keep messing around with it. I’m so frustrated

CBK

Reconstruction is not always as straight forward as one initially believes. I fall in that camp. So I know how anxiety provoking this can all be ! Honestly I had so many twists and turns that both my BS and PS admitted I had one tough reconstruction road.

But as my PS assured me through all the peaks and valleys... “I never had a patient that wanted a reconstructed breast that I couldn’t give them”.

Sounds like you were treated promptly and with what you needed. So it’s likely you will heal and move forward. I wish that for you! Take some deep breaths and feel comfort that you will see your PS tomorrow.

Don’t doubt your decision if you want a reconstruction... persevere. But know the path to that final product can take some twists and turns.

Wishing you much healing.

Palsomine

very common, unfortunately! Rest and drink plenty of fluids! Please be persistent in asking for help if redness persists and you don’t see any improvement after antibiotics.

mnsotamom74

thank you so much ladies for giving me some much needed perspective. I do want this to work, I’m hoping for the best and using breathing exercises to help myself calm down and not let worry ruin my night

BRay

hi there!
I JUST had my expanders taken out and I had battled 2 infections while they were in there. The first time I had the infection I had a fever and my breast was turning red and swelling. Got on antibiotics and it went away. 2 weeks later my breast got red and started to swell again, back on antibiotics and it went away again! When the dr went in to do the implant exchange he said all the infection was gone!

You will KNOW if there's something going on, if that makes sense. The expanding process is uncomfortable and I was always surprised at when I had more discomfort and when I didn't!

Hope that helps! good luck!

Moderators

Dear BRay,

Welcome to the BCO community. We are sorry for your cancer. We are so glad that you reached out to share your story with our members. We hope that you will stay active here and connect with others. Let us know if we can be of help in any way.

The Mods

SuBeez88

mnsotamom75 Thank you for this thread! Glad you followed your intuition and are getting treated!

Minustwo- thank you for your humor. Its good to know I'm not crazy- I feel like the expanders are always uncomfortable/painful and it's random where and when they decide to hurt. My husband and close friends (and kids maybe too) will probably remind me one day too that I complained bitterly for so long!!

I feel like if it wasn't for the TE, I'd be more recovered by now I think! I'm having to pace myself more than I thought because the pain is exhausting and limits how much acitivity I can handle. Did others feel this way?

But if I didn't do reconstruction now, I probably wouldn't come back for surgery to do it so at least, hopefuly, it's one fell swoop!

MaritDW

I'm so glad to hear that you did breathing exercises for the stress. We all need to learn that. Sometimes it's not about how big the problem is, but how long we have it. If we can set it aside completely, even if it's just for a few minutes, we can face our problems with a fresh perspective. A practice called Mindfulness is what has gotten me through all the ansiety!

I hope by now you have healthy and successful implants and are much more comfortable! Wishing you peace!