Delayed healing after reconstruction

Maryannwa

I had radiation 23 years ago after my first breast diagnosis. Then I had a recurrence last year and had mastectomy, reconstruction and now dealing with delayed healing on implant side 3 months after surgery. Has anyone been in this situation and had it heal on its own?

Moderators

HI Maryannwa, and welcome to Breastcancer.org.

We're so sorry to hear of the complications you're experiencing. We're sure others will be by shortly to weigh in with their experiences and advice, but we wanted to share with you this page from the main Breastcancer.org site on Delayed Wound Healing to give you some tips on managing your healing.

We hope this helps and we hope you find relief and healing soon!

--The Mods

SuQu31

Hi there,

I did not have radiation but had some difficulty healing on my cancer side (had two additional surgeries to that area in addition to mastectomy/reconstruction). I'm sure others with more expertise will join in, but here's what I did: increased protein (I did not realize how little protein I was eating until I paid attention), and added Zinc and Vitamin C supplements. I've continued to take the Vitamin C and Zinc routinely, as they are good for immune function.

I don't know if you follow a special diet, but I added Boost for extra protein, as well as more lean meat. By the way, I considered the high protein Boost and read that many do not like the taste, so I just drank the lower calorie kind. I also added almonds for high protein snacking.

When I had exchange surgery a few months ago, I healed quickly without issues. I wish you the best- it is very upsetting to have yet another thing to deal with.