Well here goes from someone who knows nothing.
I had a mastectomy on 6th DEC and reconstruction.
fri12th DEC i had a little blister wept a lot under boob not near scar area. by Tues following week more blisters appeared. quite gungy. They thought allergic to dressing so changed what they used. I have district nurses coming in daily its all right but think they know best and do something diff. I see consultants on Fri they don’t agree with nurses. It has dried up a bit now lots of dead white skin. The nurses think slight improvement but will take time.I went back to consultant yesterday he took one look at me and wanted to admit me as no better in his eyes from previous week. I asked what for and he said so his nurses could keep an eye on it his way. I said i would come daily two times a day etc but didn’t want to stay in. After all how many times would nurse check it anyway… I know i have an hours journey each way and i think he was thinking of that. He has agreed to reassess the situation on Mon. He says no dressings and air it as much as poss now till Mon. Oh by the way i have had two swabs taken and no infection. Its under the boob i have no swelling no pain etc. I would like to hear from anyone from similar experiences.
Please could you tell me things like
when it started
how it started
what treatment
how long to clear up etc.
i think i have lovely nurses daily but they all know best and try something else.
well off for a cuppa and air boob out to dry. indoors i think though as a bit chilly.
thanks xxxxxxxxjuliexxxxxxxxx
Hi Julie
I had tram flap recon 11.12.07 and within 2 days had quite bad blisters, only 1 under new boob but several large ones along the middle of my tummy scar and where the drains and dressings were. The nurses immediatley took as much of the dressings off that would pull off and blamed the tape, when my PS came round he also balmed the tape and said he wouldn’t use again as the last couple of ladies had same reaction, he told the nurses to pop,clean and air them and I was to carry on with the tablets which would help.
By the time I left hospital they had started to dry up so I didn’t use any of the dressing I was given by the nusre, instead chose to air as much as possible and then on 2 week check up there were some scabs, now its just red marks around the size of 50p’s which is making the middle of my scar still look quite raw and yes lots of dry flaky bits of skin in my knickers.
Hope this helps and yours dry up soon.
Debbie X
Hi Debbie
Thanks you are first person who has agreed with my consultant to air as much as poss. i had new nurse yet again disagreed with airing and dressings but obeyed consultant… the wound is very wet and looks yellowy but I’m told that’s skin dying it needs to scab over and drop off. i aired it for one hour periods x 3 yesterday and yellowy bits gone reddy so maybe scabbing put dressing and bra on overnight woke up and seems to have taken away all god airing done. i let air get to it two hours this morning and improving again so now decided to let it hang out and keep pj shirt type top on. till nurse comes back at three. i need improvement otherwise consultant will keep me in tomorrow. i cant cope… the op was no problem no pain i couldn’t believe this. xxju;iexx
Hi Julie
glad to be of use, hope you get better and they dont keep you in tomorrow, my PS has advised if I am really uncomfortable at night and not able to sleep I can take bra off, so perhaps one good day and night of really good airing may help dry them quicker.
Debbiex
Hi julie
Nt suffering the same symptoms as you but had WLE on the 28/11 and by the 31st the wound had got infected. Most of the steristrips burst and am now left with an open hole six weeks later that is still about 4cm deep. I have to go to have the wound drsses every day even weekends.Just had my first dose of Chemo on the 2nd and feeling pretty rough but still have to go to doctors everyday to have dressing changed.
Like you i tend to see someone different everyweekend and they all have different views on how to clean it. Some just wipe it over and change the dressings and some have a good old pke around. I wonder wether airing it might speed up the healing mre than keeping it covered as i feel like this will be going on forever.
Good luck for tommorrow hope they dont keep you in
Best wishes
Lynne x x
HI
thanks for your replies nurse back today she thinks looks a mess but definitely drying up so i am going to leave pj top on and no bra overnight and just put release dressing back on for hospital visit. it is most uncomfortable letting droop all day i haven’t done much and i certainly cant go round like this for two weeks. its such a pain when getting on fine. keep fingers xd for tomorrow xxxxjuliexxx
Hi everyone i,m new to this website as i,v just aquired a computer so been nosing around, glad i started to read your post Julie as i had a recon surgery on the 13th Dec using the diep tummy method . I got on okay this is my second time round first time was 16yrs ago, back then i had lumpectomy with chemo and rads and healed great but this time i got an infection on my tummy, had to take antibiotics but there is still a little hole which refuses to heal and fluid is still running out of it but they said to clean and dress it daily, but after reading all the messages on your post i’m going to leave the dressing off for a while and air it and see what happens.Hope everything goes well for you all and will look forward to reading about everyone’s experiences.
Sending you all LOVExxand best wishes. Renee.
Hi all
This is latest i have been to hospital they have seen a slight improvement so don’t have to stay in.The consultant def disagrees with nurses he called a fibretissus nurse in, she felt honoured as consultants don’t usually ask their opinion. She said she would have used the inadine and the active form coll like a gel to lift dead skin… I had this for one day Thurs and it was on Fri consultant said looked worse. Anyway i have some sort of heel foam padding thing cut open and put on boob and again let air get to it as much as poss. i look like Madonna now… if anyone understands that…i haven’t had time to air today yet as catching up on daily jobs i didn’t do yesterday as was letting it all hang out. Perhaps this pm will make time. anyway just thought let you no my latest and i have to go back wed for reassessing again.xxxxxxxjuliexxxxxxxx