Hi
Does anyone have any experience of a therapeutic mammoplasty failing to heal?
I have a patch of scar that is still not healing 6 weeks post surgery. I have today been fitted with another Pico dressing after weeks of inadine and then honey dressings.
Worried that I will need further surgery to address this!
My nurse has arranged for my surgeon to review me next week but wondered if anyone has had a similar experience.
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Hi daffodil, yes I can relate to this! So sorry as I know how frustrating it is. I had a single mastectomy with immediate reconstruction 11 weeks ago and I still have an open wound! It had blistered a bit after surgery, and we tried honey (I had a reaction to that) so we switched to inadine. Then at 6 weeks post-op they found a haematoma behind the scab so that kind of reset the clock as they had to get the blood out and that had left a hole. That’s been slowly filling in the past 5 weeks with the wound being packed with keracel dressings 3 times a week.
To say it’s doing my head in is an understatement! I’m going back to the dressings clinic again today and the chemo team need a photo of it to decide whether I can start chemo on Friday or need to delay it. Never imagined it could be 11 weeks and not healed but here I am! So I sympathise enormously and I very much hope you don’t take as long as me!
Best advice is eat as much protein as you can - I am aiming for 80g a day. There’s a recommended amount for wound healing depending upon your body weight - I googled it. Drink loads as wounds need fluids to heal, and antioxidants - berries etc. I was also told that the body uses calories for activity first and wound healing last, so ensure you have enough calories to cover that - don’t be overdoing it. That’s what I was told and it is healing up well now! All the best x
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Thank you @runnerjen! Sorry to hear you have had a long healing journey. It is so hard- I was so close to being healed and the honey dressing has completely undone all the hard work. I am now experiencing pain again which I haven’t since the first week after surgery.
Wishing you luck with your next steps.
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I had a small area of my lumpectomy wound that was infected. Inadine and antibiotics just kept it static. Pico, worked a treat, hope it does for you, it can be very effective.
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I had a smx 13 weeks ago, and my wound still hasn’t healed, despite 4 Pico dressings. I’m at the wound clinic twice a week at the moment. I’ve been on a high dose antibiotic for 3 weeks, and last week I developed a seroma.
It looks like I may need to have to wound reopened, and the expander may need removing, but the decision on this is being held up, as I may also need to have more nodes removed. Hopefully I’ll know soon what the plan is, as I had a PET scan this morning.
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So sorry to hear this @caroline_w_uk. I have been promised that this pico will sort everything out. However, the pain is awful- way worse than the first one straight after the surgery. Just like wearing a bra made of barbed wire. I have an appointment with the radiotherapy consultant this evening so hoping this wound won’t hold treatment up .
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Sorry you are in so much pain. I found the picos uncomfortable but thankfully not painful.
All the best for your appointment.
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Spoke to my nurse this morning and she called me in. Pico dressing removed and pretty much instant relief! The vacuum was too much and caused all the pain when I moved. It has opened the wound a bit more so waiting on seeing the surgeon again next week.
Feel so much better!
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