Weird body odor after DIEP flap surgery?

april_bc

I know it sounds weird but I have a different body odor since my DIEP flap surgery a month ago! My husband does not notice it, but I did the following test several times and every time I noticed the smell. A few hours after wearing a clean blouse, I smell the sleeves which still have a hint of the detergent and are what I would call normal. Then I smell the area touching my breasts which smells weird. And this is just a few hours after wearing a clean blouse. After a day I can smell the new odor in my room.

Anybody with similar findings after surgery? Thanks!

WC3

april_bc:

I haven't noticed an unusual scent after any of my surgeries but I have noticed I have more body odor on the side I had the cancer on. Are your incisions completely healed? Have you mentioned the scent to your medical team?

abigailj

I had a skin/nipple-sparing BMX with immediate DIEP recon 16 months ago - I have noticed somewhat stronger BO than before but nothing dramatic and nothing like what you describe. If your DIEP was just a month ago, my thought is that the wounds from the surgery are not fully healed. I also only use unscented detergent and unscented soap when I bathe (unscented everything pretty much including deodorant) - maybe consider that to eliminate any artificial odors and check if there is anything that smells suspicious? Are you taking any new meds? That could be a factor as well. So, like WC3, I think it's best to contact your medical team and discuss this with them.

Waves2Stars

April, I think it’s a BO kind of thing. My natural deodorant isn’t cutting it anymore so I switched to Mitchum, maybe will move in to Old Spice, lol!

Also, I read somewhere that some of your oil glands are removed or damaged from mx, so your skin will be dryer. It could just be you now have dry skin which would also smell different, kind of like grandma skin. If your scabs are healed, make sure to moisturize it, then see if you notice a difference

april_bc

Thanks WC3, abigailj, and Waves2Stars!

My incisions are fully healed, they look like a paper cut now!

I have not asked my surgeon about the odor yet, but I have an appointment this week and I'll check with him.

I took some meds for two weeks after the surgery but I'm done with those by now.

I changed my body wash 3 times to see if it helps, it didn't.

It's not about the deodorant. In fact, my underarms smell the same as before! The new smell doesn't smell like sweat at all! It's just a new smell. And I notice it on the front of my shirt, around the breasts area.

You know everybody has their own body smell even right after they take a shower... The new smell is not mine! Again, my husband does not even notice it. I have to say that I'm extremely sensitive to smell.

Waves2Stars, I like your idea about dry skin. I will check with my surgeon if I can start using moisturizer on the surgery area.

Again, thanks all!

saltmarsh

April, just wanted to say I saw this and -- as a bit of a super-sniffer -- I see you and I hear you. I didn't have that type of surgery, but if I had, and was having that experience, I'd want to know what was causing it and if it would last, too! There is something very strange about not smelling like yourself. When I was pregnant with my son, I suddenly smelled like maple. All the time. It was disconcerting. I mean, I'm glad it was maple and not something less pleasant, but, like I said, there's something strange about not smelling like you usually do. Empathy!

april_bc

saltmarsh, thank you so much for your message. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one, and I'm so sorry but I couldn't stop laughing at your maple story! During her pregnancy, my sister smelled like a strong fragrant, not a great one but not bad either, even when she was not wearing any perfume.

Anyways, some update from my side. My surgeon could not feel the smell (and I wasn't expecting him to) and he did not have any recommendations. It is now 4 and a half weeks after the surgery and the smell is not as strong as before. I'm not sure what happened. One possible reason could be that I was wearing long button down dresses for four weeks since I could not move my arms up. The dresses were 95% cotton and 5% spandex. I'm used to wearing 100% cotton tops. So, the 5% spandex may have been the cause! Now that I'm back to my regular clothing the smell is not as strong as before.

Time may have helped as well! The stitches are completely absorbed and the remaining pieces of glue all over my body are gone now. So, I'm hoping the smell would completely go away soon.

Thanks again to all of you for your great suggestions.

RachH

I have this exact same smell! I had a single mastectomy and DIEP flap reconstruction on 16 August and have noticed the smell in the last few months. It’s not offensive, just so strange!! My bra smells normal on the real boob cup, weird smell on the reconstruction cup.

Oddly it’s great to know someone else has it. Must be belly fat related I reckon 🤷🏽♀️ I’ll ask my surgeon in Feb.

april_bc

Hi RachH! I just saw your message. I'm sorry that you are experiencing the strange odor but it's a relief to know that I'm not crazy!

I had my surgery in September and it's been a while that the odor is gone. I think the small pieces of glue over my breasts and belly were causing the smell. Have you tried removing them completely? In my case, there was glue in the edge of breast skin and belly skin. I spent about an hour removing all the glue while I was soaking in the tub. I used a pair of tweezers!