HELP! TISSUE EXPANDER WEIRDNESS!!!

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Fairchild
Fairchild Member Posts: 206
edited September 2018 in Breast Reconstruction

Y'all, help! I'm a month post bilat mastectomies with tissue expanders placed. Last night I was stretching and one POPPED! Next thing I know bloddy fluid is gushing down my chest. I'd estimate I lost 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of fluid. Not bright red....pink, with a yellowish ting. Ick. I mopped and mopped, finally put a mastectomy bra on and stuffed it with gauze to absorb the fluid. It is a little painful and feels clearly kind of deflated. I have an appointment with plastic surgeon anyway this afternoon but I'm scared and pretty mad that this even happened. Have you ever heard of this??? what exactly is it?

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited August 2018

    What was the exit point from your body? Have you had any fills beyond the surgical fill? Sometimes a fill can inadvertently puncture the expander if the fill port is missed or the needle somehow touches the expandable front part - doesn't happen often but it does happen, or there could have been a defect in the expander itself.

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  • Fairchild
    Fairchild Member Posts: 206
    edited August 2018

    It's coming out from where it's stitched just below where the nipple would be. It felt like an internal stitch gave way. Been filled 2x since surgery and I think they are filled a lot. I'm normally small chested, so this is weird.

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  • pupmom
    pupmom Member Posts: 5,068
    edited August 2018

    Why aren't you in the emergency room, RIGHT NOW?

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited August 2018

    I actually would not go to the emergency room - too germy and they are not really equipped to handle this - they would just call a PS with breast recon experience in since you have an expander - might as well be your own doc. You need to contact your plastic surgeon asap and he/she can determine the best way to proceed. Keep the area protected (maxi pads are great for this) in the period of time until you can be seen. I have had two emergency surgeries for expander related issues - one very similar as the expander ruptured through necrotic skin and lots of serous bloody fluid with it.

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  • Leatherette
    Leatherette Member Posts: 448
    edited August 2018

    The OP said she has an appt. with her PS this afternoon. Hopefully she’s there right now, getting this taken care of. Hope it’s an easily fixable problem! Let us know how it goes, Fairchild.



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  • Fairchild
    Fairchild Member Posts: 206
    edited September 2018

    Leatherette, I'm sorry for the delay-- A lot's been happening. So the plastic surgeon said it was a seroma that "escaped" because of the stitch broken in my breast. She drained the rest of it and had to completely resew my L breast (which didn't hurt at all because of the numbness!). It wasn't healing properly anyway. So now I'm praying that it's healing better this time!

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