hi all
I am posting here on behalf of my mum (doesnt do tecnology lol)
she had ld flap reconstruction about 6 weeks ago
she has has constand fluid build up in her back and then the wound burst open about three weeks ago
she is going in roughtly every 4 days to get checked over but they have left the wound open and my dad has to re dress it every day
the hole is about 4ich square and about once a a week it keeps bursting out again
I was just wondering if anyone else has experience this and can offer any reasurance/advice.
how long could this go on for before it heals?
she has a double masstectomy in august 08 after 4months of chemo. she had implants/expandres at the same time but one ufortunalty had to be removed as the mucle died.
that is why she has just undergone the ld flap on one side
Helen
x
Hello hstar
I am very sorry to read about your Mum’s LD disaster and hope that the surgeon(s) can save it.
Resumably the chest area is okay?
Did they warn her about the possibility of this happening?
I’ve read quite a bit about LD ops and it seems there are many things that can go wrong but I’ve never read of the wound bursting open and continuing to do so.
Where is your Mum being treated and did she have a plastic surgeon or just a breast surgeon doing this procedure?
Best wishes
D
hi
it was just a breast surgeon
he said he can not stitch it as it would just keep tearing? so the open wound it quite big. i presume the fluid builds up around the area and then before it can be drained comes out of its own accord.
she has had an small amount of weeping from the breast area but this has cleared up but left a pea sized indent which the consultant said was dead tissue and can be filled with fat?
I didnt go with her so just get what she can remember
x
am not sure if they told her this could happen, i remember them telling her to not do anything so the muscle doesn’t split but not the skin?
This makes me angry on your Mum’s behalf.
I would get her to insist on seeing someone else, preferably a plastic surgeon to take charge of the situation.
Breast surgeons - arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh. There are some good ones but some of them are slow to defer to higher skills levels. When there are problems surgeons are embarrassed (and so they should be) to refer someone on to another surgeon. Mine was the same until I insisted that he get me the second opinion I was entitled to.
I suggest you go with your Mum next time and help fight her corner otherwise things will get worse.
A lady on here and on BCPals had no one fighting her corner with her and it was only when her husband started anging tables that the surgeons reacted, by then it was too late to save her skin.
I’m not trying to alarm you but I really think she’d be better seeing someone else sooner, rather than later.
Best wishes
I think he possibly has mentioned plastic surgery but I can not be sure and at what stage it would have been offered? in relation to them just leaving the wound open.
the thing is my mum hates going to hospital and she could possible be the one to have put him off
she has been in and out for two years now with all of this and has just found out she has the brca2 gene and at 97% risk of ovarian cancer
she is going on holiday in feb and doesnt want any more surgery before she goes
to be honest I am worried she thinks the cancer has come back already
my nan got bc at 38 and died at 64 of ovarian and my mum is 55
grrrrrr what should I do?
the first mastectomy/reconstruction was done only 6 weeks after her last chemo and he said thats may be why it didnt work.
Oh gawd, now he is making excuses, been there, done that etc…
If there was a risk it wouldn’t work because of recent chemo then that is a risk he should have warne dof and therefore should have advised against the surgery at that time.
Things are obviously not right and your Mum should be banging tables, NOW.
As for BRCA mutation then I can confirm it is very easy to have your overies removed with keyhole surgery as a day case. Having them removed will also reduce risk of another breast cancer. It is a no brainer and they should do it without question given your Mum’s age. BC and OC are linked.
If your Mum doesn’t do something about the back scar bursting open then she’ll not be going on holiday in February. Please persuade her to get the surgeon, or even her GP, to refer her to someone else before things get worse for her. It is her RIGHT to have a 2nd opinion and it sounds as if it is long overdue.
You need to get tough with her. There is nothing to stop you from seeing her GP and asking for advice. Does she have a Breast Care Nurse who you could talk to? There must be someone involved in her care that can be approached.
Once she gets sorted I’d be thinking about going to PALS to start the complaints process and stop this happening to someone else.
Good luck.
thanxs dahlia
I have rang and had a word with my dad, he is going to ring her breast nurse first thing in the morning
x