I hope I don't make anyone mad by posting this twice. I created a new thread THEN found this thread which is more relevant

I had stage 1 a breast cancer in the right breast. It was only 4mm. I decided to have a double mastectomy rather than a lumpectomy for personal reasons. 6 weeks after surgery I am having severe complications on the right side. This is what happened. April 14 mastectomy. About a week or two after the right side opened up at least 4-5 inches wide and about 1/2 in depth. There was one hole near the center and I don't know how deep it was. I panicked and went to plastic surgeon who said we see this all the time. Don't worry let it air out and it will heal from the inside out. I felt stupid panicking. week or two later woke up with blood all over my nightgown and sheets. Panicked again and saw plastic surgeon who said it was no big deal and he had seen this before and it would heal from the inside out. At this point he wanted me to pack it with moist gauze and cover it. Felt like a dumbass again. A week or two later I was standing in the bathroom when suddenly at least 1/4 to 1/2 cup of clear yellowish drainage came out all over me and pooled on the floor. Panicked again. Saw plastic surgeon and he said that was good and just continue packing it twice a day. I felt like a dumbass again. A week or two later I smelled this horrible smell and thought I needed to take the trash out but when I went to change the dressing I discovered it was my wound that stunk horribly. Panic again. Saw plastic surgeon who said I don't smell anything now. I REALLY felt like a dumbass. Why would I make up something like that? Anyway, he looked at the wound and at first said he would have to go back in and remove the expander because it was exposed. I freaked out. Then he massaged around the perimeter of the wound and suddenly a large amount of drainage spit out over him, me and the floor.He cleaned it up and changed his mind. He didn't think the expander needed to be be removed. Once again he said just pack it with saline soaked gauze and cover it. I never really saw what the wound looked like then.

When I got home I saw the wound had opened up all the way and I could see muscle tissue. Again keep packing it twice a day. It has now been six weeks since the surgery and I have a giant gaping deep wound and all I keep getting is pack it twice a day and it will heal from the inside out.

I am beginning to question my plastic surgeons judgement> My husband and I got into a fight over this. "Are you calling the Dr a liar? and do you think you know more than the doctor?"

Several years ago I had a lipoma removed and had to go to a wound care specialist for a couple of months. The treatment was brutal and painful but the wound did finally heal to a point where the doctor could suture it up.At one point he used a wound pump on it. I found out that the rule of thumb is that if a wound does not heal on its own after a month the patient should see a wound specialist. If I just continue packing it twice a day I believe it could take at least 9 months to a year to heal on its own. THEN scar revision THEN heal again THEN begin filling expanders. It just doesn't make sense to me that it keeps getting worse but Im told to just let it heal from the inside out. In the meantime, I have resorted to using a female mini pad to absorb the drainage because the large open wound weeps all over my clothes.

Does this sound normal to you? Please be honest with me. Should I get a second opinion and go to a wound care specialist and piss of my plastic surgeon or accept that it might take 9 months to a year to heal on its own? I really need your advice. I want to move on with my life. Cant lift more than 5 lbs. Cant swim or fish or do many other day to day activities. Advise me on what I should do.

sOrry but you MUST see a different surgeon. You can not mess around with open wounds now that you have expanders. Infection will colonize it and you will wind up in the hospital on IV antibiotics. This just happened to me from a few tiny stitch wounds. Sorry to scare you but this is very real. You need wound care and possibly antibiotics right now. Best of luck!

Jill

I had something totally different near my port. My PS sent me to the wound center immediately. They treated it for 6-8 weeks. I think you should just ask them to send you over to the wound center and ask them to take a look.

Just to put in my 2 cents, if you don't have enough Vitamin C to build Collagen during the healing process, your wound will heal weaker and be much more likely to dehise.

As Vitamin C is a water soluble nutrient, it is not possible to overdose on it, if you have normal kidney and bowel function. When you get to tissue saturation with Vitamin C orally, you can expect to get loose stools. When you are sick, or under stress, your need for Vitamin C is exponentially higher than when you are well. That is why you will be able to have a considerably higher amount of Vitamin C by mouth before you get diarrhea now than you would under ordinary circumstances. For instance, you could have 2,000mg of Vitamin C normally and get loose stools, and 3,000 to 6,000mg, or even higher before getting loose stools, (which would indicate tissue saturation) when sick or physiologically stressed.

Other nutrients that are also important for wound healing are Vitamin A, D3 and Zinc. I hope you are getting Vitamin D3 5,000IU per day.

http://www.surgerysupplements.com/the-role-of-vitamin-c-in-wound-healing/

Vitamin C: a wound healing perspective.

Moores J.

Abstract

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid (AA), is involved in all phases of wound healing. In the inflammatory phase it is required for neutrophil apoptosis and clearance. During the proliferative phase, AA contributes towards synthesis, maturation, secretion and degradation of collagen. Deficiencies affect the maturation phase by altering collagen production and scar formation. The body strives to maintain homeostasis of AA, thereby ensuring availability for collagen synthesis. After wounding, plasma and tissue levels of AA diminish and, as a consequence, supplements may be useful for healing, although levels beyond saturation are excreted Clinicians need to be aware of both the nutritional status of patients with either acute or chronic wounds and the possibility of any AA deficiency which may hinder healing.