Oh Carol, I hope this round of intravenous antibiotics does the trick. You have my thoughts and prayers and I hope to see you back on Monday. On the wearing jeans, it took me months till I could because the hip-to-hip flap was so senstive. For the first almost three months out, I wore soft jersey pull on trousers. I bought them at Lands End on sale yet Sainsbury’s has some for half the price. Of course some can wear them earlier. I know what you mean about the first trip out and starting to getting back to the ‘new’ normal. You will get back to it soon enough. 
Gentle hugs, LB, x
I really hope you get out of hospital tomorrow. It must be so frustrating to be back in just when you were just starting to get out and about. Better safe that sorry though and hopefully things will improve for you. Hang on in there x
I live in jeans but will stock up on some soft trousers and tracksuit bottoms. My jeans are tight enough as it is! Lands End always have good offers and I’ve just ordered some button up nightshirts from there so will have a look at the trousers too.
Polly x
Have seen the doc today and he doesn’t seem overly concerned with the redness of the boob and thinks its more likely a skin problem rather than a problem with the flap. Phew! He does want me to continue with the intravenous antibiotics though but for 48 hours rather than 24 so unlikely I will be out of here before Tuesday morning now.
The original doctor did mention that these particular antibiotics can cause diarrhoea in some patients. Guess who is one of those patients then? Joy! there is an upside though- they have had to move me to a single room with its own bathroom and toilet. Yeah! Upgrade!
Glad things don’t appear to be so bad regarding your boob, but sorry to hear about your stomach upset now 
You’re really going through the mill at the moment!!
Glad it doesn’t seem to be getting you down though - keep smiling 
LB, I will have to have a look out for one of those seatbelt covers - on long journeys, the seatbelt can still be quite uncomfortable when I’m driving.
xx
Seen doctor this morning - they still don’t think the redness in the boob is a problem but as they don’t know exactly what it is they are not letting me out yet. It is so frustrating! I know it’s only a minor setback in the great scheme of things and better to be safe than sorry and I’m in the best place but it is so frustrating!
Temperature slightly rased and boob slightly tender so looking at scan tomorrow and change of antibiotics to even stronger ones. They are also saying there might be a collection of fluid which will ned to be surgically drained. Oh joy!
not sure i am ever going to get out of here!
Have just let them draw some fluid off boob to send for analysis to determine best antibiotics. As it turns out they ended up drawing off 80ml of fluid!
i have to say it caused me absolutely no discomfort whatsoever whilst they did it!
The fluid is definitely infected so there is now a greater chance of surgery tomorrow to clean it all out properly.
hey ho! At least it’s only a small operation and if i hadnt been here then it would have only got worse and could well have turned into a major problem.
At least now they can determine the right antibiotics to get rid of the infection!
Oh Carol, I am so gutted for you After everything that you’ve been through, and now this. But, as you say, you are in the right place for it and they can start the treatment straight away. At least, it appears that it’s been caught soon enough, but it sucks a lot that you may have to have another operation
I shall be thinking of you tomorrow xxxx
Carol, we are here reading your progress. I’m sorry for all you are going through 
and want you home soon but not until it’s time. Hang in there and keep talking to us. LB,xox
Good morning LB
i am being blitzed with antibiotics now as the fluid they drained off was definitely infected - the antibiotics are still intravenous but the new ones are super douper ones and take 90/120 minutes to go in. I am now ‘nil by mouth’ and they are hoping to slip me into somebody’s list this morning for surgery to clean out any remaining gunk left in there.
compared to the original 11 hour surgery and recovery I am hoping this will be a walk in the park!
boob a little tender where there drained yesterday but nothing too major and eased by paracetemol.
fingers crossed they find a slot for me this morning otherwise it will be this afternoon
Carol, I hope you were able to get slotted in and that you are on the mend. This will pass and God knows you deserve smooth sailing from here on. Take good care and your calm and level way is inspiring! 
Ultrasound showed 40-60ml still left in boob so had surgery to remove fluid. Surgery removed 50ml and gave everything a good wash out. I am now back on the ward and have a drain in boob incase any more to ome out.
surgeon says that the fat necrosis was not from the reconstruction flap but was from under the original breast skin which had had the radiotherapy four years ago. They are hoping that it will clear nicely but there is a small chance it is too fragile and, worst case scenario it might need a skin graft - let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
am feeling a little sore but no worse and glad it’s been done
Hi Carol! Good to read you are on the other side and interesting that the fat necrosis was from four years ago. Will you stay until the drain comes out or home w/drain?
Hi LB
apparently the radiotherapy I had four years ago has left the skin very delicate and they think this has contributed to the problem.
i am told that the flap itself is fine and the blood supply is good from it’s new source but it is the fat beneath the original breast skin which has caused the problem. I have to admit I am a litle annoyed that I was not given a scan sooner - maybe had they checked to see if there was abuild up of fluid sooner then it wouldn’t have caused such a problem now. I know in the great scheme of things it was not a long time but if it may require a skin graft to correct then that could have been avoided.
the good news is that my tummy leak is finally settling (the surgeon did ask if there were any other bits he could ‘tidy up’ while i was under but as the tummy had been slowing nicely I declined his offer).
Yesterday was not a good day - it strted badly and faded!
i had got an appointment for what I thought was my follow up appointment at the breast unit at Maidstone for today. As i realised I was unlikely to have found the escape tunnel from here I phoned ad suggested they moved the appointment. I had assumed I would get the pathology report at the time. I received a phone call yesterday to call back for an appointment time at Maidstone but when I rang the number I realised it was for the Oncologist. I had not been made aware at any of the meetings I had before surgery that I would need to see an oncologist so I went into an anxiety attack. all that had ever een mentioned was DCIS, no mention of further treatment had been mentioned. I thought that as the cancer was till contained and I had let them takethe whole breast away - why would I need more cancer treatment - the breast was no longer there so the cancer couldn’t be there either!
Next panic was OMG! what have they found?? Is it much worse than thy thought?? I was in a right state!!
Thankfully there was a BCN on the ward yesterday and I asked to see her. She came to see me within about ten minutes (helps to be in the right place) and she was confused also by the two separate appointments but got onto straight away. She told me that it is standard procedure to see an oncologist after any sort of surgery for cancer - I just wished they had told me to expect to see him it would certainly have avoided the unnecessary anxiety! I spoke to the oncologists secretary ad she has been brilliant and got the oncologist to raise the lack of communication at the multi disciplinary meeting he was going to yesterday. That was one bit of stress which could have been avoided with a little better communication!
this ll occured on the same day I was being starved in case I needed surgery. The surgery was dependent on the results of a scan. The person doing the scan wasn’t in till one o/clock but I was ‘nil by mouth’ from 06:00! when it got to half past one I had a visit from the anaesthetist who said I was on his list for 15:00. I questioned when I was going to have the scan and when the nurse phoned through it transpired that nobody had made the request so if I hadn’t chased it up it wouln’t have happened and I would have missed my slot for surgery!
i have got through this by my trust in the medical professionals - i know it was a small hiccup but my faith waivered a little yesterday. Inthe real world I would have been at the front of the queue chasing up the admin (pushy broad at the best of times) but I have to relinquish control to the people who are here to make me better! I have spoken to the counsellor today and she has arranged for the Ward Manager to pop in and see me. I dont so much want to complain as much as i want them to know that the situation could have been handled much better and with certainly less anxiety to me.
excuse bad typing only right hand is sore where drip is going in so one haned at mo
Your typing is excellent Carol (I hate to think of the pain, that every now and then sharp when you hit a certain key) and now I see the whole picture. You are so good at keeping on your care, even while under care no less. Unfortunately, that is the way it is on the breast cancer conveyor belt – the real world. That was quite a long time to go without food when you are already barely eating and you flagging up the holes in your care may help the next woman. I had an appointment with oncologist Dr. Russell Burcome at Maidstone after my surgery and found him wonderful and informative. I liked you were offered a tidy up and I too would have declined, yet nice to offer. I think there will be more eyes on your chart and timings; I’d like to hope so. You keep at it, being a advocate for your care because as hard, exhausting and dissapointing as it is is now, it is later where the extra flagging up of were the ball was dropped and YOU reminding them of what comes next, will have a knock on effect to healing. Smart of you to talk to your counsellor and she is helping to snap fingers to get them to wake up a bit. I like knowing that the diep is doing well, the blood supply flowing, breast warm and that of the surgery a success. I had an MRI during my work-up of diagnosis and the only scan I received was for the lower half to find the vein used for the diep, like you. Your PS is now well aware what he is working with to get you back on forward footing. I’m here following you and admire your ability to take action under duress. Stay strong Carol, this will pass and better days are just ahead.
Love to you dear Carol, LB, xox
Yeah! Dressing didnt need hanging on tummy leak yesterday (2 weeks) that’s been going! So i assume that’s settling down nicely.
have managed for last couple of days to get Bridget’s on and off myself (so much better and more dignified).
Canula where they are pumping IV antibiotics was making my wrist very tender (especially as it was still bruised from the original operation) - it had been in three days and they change the location after 72 hours anyway but I had asked for them to find another vein as my poor wrist had ad enough (bit like it’s owner at the moment). I now have the canula in the back of my right hand which seems much better although did cause my fingers to swell yesterday. I tried to keep my hand elevated and wiggle and bend my fingers and they are much better now.
so…unaided Bridget’s and no saturated dressings…small step for woman…giant step for womankind
just seen surgeon who says i dont need more surgery but not out of woods yet as they need to identify what the infection is so that they can give me the right antibiotics. More to the point - the right antibiotics to go home with…!
looks like i am here for another couple of days
YAY - no more surgery! You said: unaided Bridget’s and no saturated dressings…small step for woman…giant step for womankind! I completely agree and you are funny. 
Ok, let’s see what that infection is and patience…all is moving forward. On to light chit-chat…what are you reading? My last kindle book was Kate Atkinson, Life After Life, which I did not think was to back-flipping terrific like the reviews stated.
Hi LB
i brought my Kindle in with me but i haven’t got round to reading anything yet. I cheated when i came in for my main operation and downloaded Miranda Hart’s book to listen to. It was ok but i coundn’t really concentrate so gave up.
last books that I chose to read was the Hunger Games trilogy which I thoroughly enjoyed. I only realised afterwards that they had already turned the first book into a film. I saw the film which was ok but didn’t do the book justice.
before that i inadvertantly read the first in the ‘Shades of Grey’ trilogy - sorry ladies but I was distinctly unimpressed and kept thinking surely this is going somewhere so I forced myself to read through to the end only to find that there were another two to follow - no thanks I was unimpressed with the first - i certainly wasn’t going through more of the same for another two books.
other than that I am a bit of a Lee Child fan (Jack Reacher) although how on earth anybody could cast shortie Tom Cruise in the part of Reacher, who is meant to be an impressive 6’ 4" well built imposing ‘take control’, imposing personality, needs their head examined!
This is great film and book reviews! I relate to you on concentration at hospital and how resting, on pain meds. In hospital, everything I listened to was intense and a bit overwhelming because as you know, so little stimulation. I remember listening to Simon Mayo Drive Time on R2 and was so following his reading of the confession and then the quiz he does at the end of the show, I said to myself, get a life and it was my life I was living. 
When one slows down for a medical issue, that you know in your heart, you will come out the other end but the obstacles and hurdles have to be worked through one-by-one before getting there. I can make myself so busy, and the ya-de-yadas in my head and fear this will never end can take over. Carol, I think you are doing great and what possed you to read Shades? The best I can say is my hat if off to E.L. James who came out of nowhere and laughes all the way to the bank. I do like hearing of stories of normal (non-type A) women who shoot to the top like that.
Who is coming to see you in hospital today Carol? I’m around online this afternoon as we one of those oven valet companies coming over in a bit to clean filthy thrashed oven. I still need to get a life! LB, x
Other half coming over between 2 and 4 So we’ll go for a little saunter to the cafe for coffee and a bun. Didnt really look at the write up for Shades - sometimes i deliberately go for a best seller without reading too much about it first! I just remember thinking ‘oh give over, enough already!’ (Jewish heritage coming out there- my life, already)
if you’re on line this afternoon best bet is pm’ing - will pm My email address to you