September 2014 Surgery Sisters
Comments
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I have fluid build up & had it drained 2 times after having R breast mastectomy and sentinel node removal. Tomorrow I will have the area under my arm drained again. The pressure is incredible. Warm compresses seem to help but is there anything else I can do to alleviate the pressure? Any help would be appreciated.
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Sounds like your drains came out too early. There's not much you can do about it now. Just stay on top of it and keep getting the fluid withdrawn. The pocket of swelling can become infected but you should be fine as long as you stay in contact with your doctor. Under some circumstances they can put you back in the hospital and re-insert the drains...but I've only heard of that happening twice. Most of the time you just keep getting the fluid removed by the doctor. Don't put ice on it. With no feeling, you can get frost bite. Also it inhibits blood flow which is not what you want as your tissues are trying to heal. They need adequate blood flow.
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Minivan, LOL. I knew I was chubby but didn't realize how much my gigonzo boobs hid. When they were gone, I had this huge belly!. I think the belly had been holding up my mega boobs. (One was 5.5 lbs and the other 4 lbs according to the pathology report.) I used to buy bras without trying them on because if one of the cups fit over my head, it would fit one of the boobs.
Now I have little boobies that sit so high, I can always see my big belly. LOL. Here's one of the photos taken today at a brunch with my best girlfriends. Why is this woman smiling? Her belly is enormous. My friend Donna cannot get over the fact that my big ones are gone.
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Sandra,
I am seeing my doctor again today. Thank you! I am hopeful I won't need to keep getting the area drained too much longer. Have a great day.
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Sandra,
What a beautiful picture. You and your bestie look amazing.
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It's so strange...people used to look at my chest first. Now they look at my face. I kind of like that.
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Sandra, I just got home from my last fill and I was just having the opposite reaction to your post! I've always been "petite" and now that I've reached the TE's capacity, I have to say I kinda like having boobs! They're wider than the permanent foobs will be, but I think I'm going to like this size. Of course, I've never had to deal with people looking at my boobs instead of my face, so maybe I'll stop enjoying it after a while. But for now...
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As long as you don't end up with hooker boobs, you'll be fine. Otherwise, plan on men, especially, looking at your chest first, then slowly moving up to your face. I've actually had to say, "Excuse me, my eyes are up here." My husband thought it was funny but I always felt it was demeaning. In high school I had nothing. One of the mean girls told me in front of a group of others as we were getting dressed after gym class, "That's a nice bra. It's a shame you don't have anything to put in it." Be careful what you wish for...I started blossoming in my senior year and by 19 I had F cups. What a pain...literally. Bra shoulder straps dug in and I still have permanent indentations on my shoulders. Never could find a button front shirt that would actually button without falling off my shoulders. T shirts were out as were sweaters...too revealing. Having these "little" 740 cc gummy bears is delightful.
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I had my last fill yesterday and it still hurts. I've had no problems with the fills, but they said the last one (which was 80 ccs) is often the worst. No kidding! Woke up at 3:00 am, swallowed a Vicodin, and will have to stay home from work today. My plastic surgeon suggests we do the exchange surgery 6-8 weeks from now. Which means I'm getting new foobs for Christmas!
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EverForward:
You're almost done - that's great news!
Your process has been quite speedy - my UMX was only 3 days after your BMX but I don't think my PS is planning on exchange until February or so. I envy you the shorter time with TEs, and for practical reasons wish the timing of my diagnosis and surgery had allowed both surgeries to be accomplished within a single calendar year (insurance deductibles and out-of-pocket, etc.).
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EverForward, congrats on being almost done with this.
I am almost done myself, BMX on 9/9 and I get my new foobs on 12/11. When the surgery was scheduled, I called my husband and said "guess what you are getting for Christmas"! Hopefully with having the surgery on the 11th, I will be feeling up to preparing for and handling our annual New Year's Eve party on the 31st!
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Marie-June-How are you? I haven't seen you about it a while. Hope you are healing well.
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clmtootie: OMG! So fast??? Oh I want to be done that fast! I had my BMX on 9/12, but didn't get my first fill until four weeks out. I was told I'd have to wait two months after fills were done to let everything "rest" a bit before exchange, which will put me out to February or something. I'm so happy for you!
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hi everyone. I'm writing from the hospital~ Mercy Hospital in Springfield Ma....
I went to the ER by ambulance (10/16) day after my new drain placement to break up the seromas on lefty and the ER realized I wasn't on enough pain meds...I was in AGONY!!!!! I went home, still felt nauseas which has worsened daily to the point I literally sway sometimes because it's so bad (vertigo~ feels like I'm on a nasty amusement ride that I can't get off of!!) and developed a fever (low grade, thought nothing of it)
Went into plastic surgeon today (should've been my FIRST FILL into TE's, but with new drain on lefty, and draining between 45-75cc's per day and with righty having a seroma - not as bad as left side prior to new drain, it wasn't "do-able")....PS checked my incision and it looked a little red, no big deal, drain hole looks good, then I took off my bandages covering my Breast (a lidoderm patch on side of lefty and one of those abdominal pads I place in my binder for comfort) and the PS saw a HUGE area of swelling, warmth, redness patch, and my temp was 101.8, after taking tylenol. She instantly realized I have "cellulitis" and admitted me to the hospital after doing blood work and my lymphocytes and wbc count are sky high!
So.....I'm here until Saturday IF it gets better......if NOT better, my TE's will have to come out for 4-6 months.
I've been doing nothing but rest and haven't moved much since my drain placement surgery 6 days ago....realized I was swollen, but thought items the TE on that side like last time after I had the mastectomy & felt pain near my ribs.....it's VERY tender, but I was taking antibiotics, thought nothing of it. Never thought anything bad because I figured the antibiotics were causing such severe nausea. Boy was I WRONG!!!!! I'll be on IV fluids along with a couple antibiotics in my IV for several days. :-/
I'm keeping a smile on my face though, because everything happens for a reason, and I know that God has my best interest in mind. I brought my laptop to charge my iPhone, my iPad to play games, and my iPhone to make and receive calls lol.
This may not be what I "expected" but when she told me I had to be admitted right away, I was relieved! I've been feeling so crappy, I was glad to get nausea meds lol!
Just wanted to update everyone....that's why I've been MIA for a while....doing nothing but sleep and drink ensure shoes since I can't eat due to nausea. So, I have my own private room!! It's awesome! That's looking on the bright side.
I pray those of you having issues are able to get well soon. Each of my surgery sisters deserve to be pain free, seroma free, & on to the next process of our recoveries/surgeries. I wish the best for each of my September Surgery Sisters. Lots of love to each you you. (((((Hugs))))
Here's a pic from last week with my Niece & a pic from here at Mercy Hospital.
Marie Mello
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here's a cropped pic of the cellulitis~ cropped out my nip
To show each of you what to look for if you end up with a patch of warm-hot skin, pain, tenderness, swelling, and nausea that doesn't go away along with a fever....THIS is what this nasty infection that's hard to get rid of looks like. I felt like its important to show you all so you can be sure to keep an eye on your own surgeries. It can happen days to a month or more to appear. Mine came with the drain being placed last week and got worse each day with the nausea. I was on antibiotics so it can make me nauseas and thought nothing of it, but did notice a lot of pain & tenderness in that area of my outer region. You can see my lumpectomy scar along with a small scar from one of my core needle biopsies, along with the large indentation of my skin where my final core needle was done (will receive fat grafting after I'm finally into my new foobies: fake boobies- someday).
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MarieJ, wow....enough already, right??!! You have been put through so much!! Unfortunately, the recovery is so different from woman to woman it is hard for us to determine what is "normal" or not. Praying for you and the Dr to get this nasty infection cleared up and hopefully keep your TE's. Stay strong!
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Looking good Sandra!
Great pics!Glad that you're doing so well EverForward and you can change the words a bit to sing "All I Want for Christmas" lol
And sounds like Christmas is coming early for you cimtootie! Congrats!So sorry to hear you're in hospital MarieJune! Sounds like you're being well taken care of and fingers crossed that you will be better by Saturday. Thanks so much for thinking of us and posting cellulitis pic and info. You're a strong woman! Keep smiling!
Gentle hugs!I have a chest CT on Thurs 23rd and then one week later my UMX and ALND. I've crossed all my fingers ! Take care
Sue
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MarieJune!!!! I'm so glad you were able to update. I've been worried about you. I knew you had something major going on. I'm glad its being addressed.
I have an area on my right breast that I'm watching really close. That TE shifted last week and is a bit under my arm. No biggie, except the scar on that side is starting to stretch and change. It reminds me a bit of my daughters incision wounds years ago that would land her in the hospital getting them re-opened, washed, packed and IV antibiotics. I go in for a fill tomorrow and hopefully my PS will tell me I'm over reacting…again.
Please keep us updated as you're able. Praying you recover from this quickly!
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good luck tomorrow noonrider. Hope PS can help you with your incision. You definitely don't want an infection .
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Infections don't just happen in the beginning days. We hear sometimes about infections showing up weeks later so be sure to pay attention to the signs. Being on antibiotics doesn't mean you are immune to an infection. I was on IV antibiotics in the hospital with my BMX but got an infection anyway. A change of antibiotics to a stronger one did no good and an even stronger one the next day also failed to stop the progress of the infection. The third one finally slowed it down on day three but the worst damage had already been done. It took an operation to remove dead tissue and three more weeks on that super IV antibiotic to completely eradicate it.
Moral of the story? A fever is often the first sign. After you leave the hospital, take your temp every few hours. Be aware that a fever can be MASKED by a simple advil, Tylenol, motrin, etc. If you've been feeling ok for weeks and suddenly don't feel well, start taking your temp and look for skin changes. Mine started with an odd dusky lavender color, not a defined red spot. My PS says if your temp is 100.5 after taking a fever reducer and even though you are on an oral antibiotic, go to the ER.
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Thank you everyone. Xoxo and gentle hugs to all.
I'm on Vanco but my redness has gotten warmer/hot to touch, much more pain, & can barely move my arm on left side. Very painful! Ouch. I'd rather get the BMX all over again than have this nasty infection.
The antibiotics just aren't working, so a new one will be tried. I'm prepared for the worst (TE's to be removed) yet hoping for the best (to get through this) but cellulitis can last a LONG TIME! And antibiotics just don't help much. Thank you each for your prayers & well wishes as each of you are recovering and going through your own things with your surgeries.
Has anyone had their TE's taken out? If so, what was recovery like? Painful as the mastectomy or much smoother?
Blessings to each of you. (((((Hugs))))
Marie J Mello
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MarieJune, I too am glad that you are under closer supervision. No one should have to endure the pain that you have. Praying for a speedy recovery for you.
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MarieJune I'm hoping you have a speedy recovery and they don't have to take the TE's out.
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feel better mariejune.
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MarieJune, glad you are feeling well enough to post. Finding the right IV antibiotic is key. I went through 3 until I got IV Vancomycin and the docs started to see a slight change for the better. My infection started showing within hours of my BMX, even though I was already on an IV antibiotic and even after the switch to Vanc, it still took another operation plus more weeks on it to get rid of the infection completely. Sometimes it takes a little while for the antibiotic to get the upper hand. Your infection has had some time to get a good foot-hold so hang in there. You should be watched carefully. It seems that your doctors haven't been taking you seriously. They should have had you admitted a week ago! The extremely unusual pain should have tipped them off that things were NOT right and you shouldn't have been sent home...again. I don't have very good things to say about 90% of the visiting nurses who came to my house, but I tip my hat to the ones who have recognized your need for treatment and sent you to the hospital. Just a shame the doctors didn't continue to monitor you.
I was on IV Vanc for seven days in the hospital while the PS watched to see if the tissue would "declare itself." In other words, to see if the Vanc could win the battle an inch at a time. Each day I was prepared to go back to the OR, but the PS kept cancelling and rescheduling for the next day, and the next. He didn't want to remove any tissue if it had a chance of healing. After a week, he sent me home with my IV vanc and a visiting nurse. He said when you are in a depleted state, you are more susceptible to additional complications and I'd be safer at that point in my own home. The nurse reported in to him every day and I had blood work processed through a lab that reported the results to my PS. On day 14 after the BMX I was readmitted and the dead tissue removed. There wasn't enough skin left to cover one of the implants, so it had to go. I got an empty tissue expander instead. Three weeks later all signs of infection were gone so fills began. The skin was regrown thanks to the TE expansion and three months to the day after it was placed, I got a new implant.
If worse comes to worse and you lose your TE's, it will be merely a bump in the road. You'll come through it fine, just like so many others have. Once you have licked the infection, you can get back on track. Keep your eye on that light at the end of the tunnel. It's NOT a freight train bearing down on you anymore. Your problems have been identified and you are well on your way to recovery.
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Doggone it! Went in for my fill today. Nurse asked if I was ok with her doing my fill. I said normally yes but not today because I'm suspicious about my right side. It is not a happy breast.
Turns out I was right. The TE is ruptured and needs to come out. But I'm ok with it, because I've decided I wish i hadn't been so determined to keep my nipples. I think they are more trouble than they are worth so had decided a couple weeks ago if anything comes up I would have them removed. So, I was all, "Great! And while you're in there, lets ditch those, ok?" Waiting for the nurse to call me back with the surgical schedule.
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noonrider I am sorry to hear about your appointment. I admire your positive attitude about it and will be taking notes! I had a fill today as well and can barely move. This is my last fill. My right side has a sharp pain that radiates around to my back. I am hoping this gets better with time. Good wishes to all of you ladies
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Noon, sorry about the rupture. When they put in the new TE's, I suppose they will fill you to the level you are now so you don't have to start over. I think you'll be happy with Barbie Boobs...one nice thing is that there is no chance of a "nip slip."
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A friend posted this on my page today and I had to share it
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