I have a cry every day when I have to do my dressings. I’m doing them by myself and I’m finding them the hardest part. I’m 5 weeks post op tomorrow and my breast wound is about a week away from healing, but my tummy wound is getting deeper. They aren’t infected, though I have had a course of antibiotics just to cover me because I’m back on chemo. I’m just taking the occasional paracetamol for pain and my mobility is getting better. I’ve got a wedding reception to go to on Friday and have bought a wonderful new dress that I’m so excited for wearing. Hopefully this reconstruction is going to pay off. I do wish my wounds would hurry up and heal up though.
Annie xxxx
Hi Girls, hope you don’t mind me butting in but I’ve been following your thread. I’m hoping to have a double mastectomy and immediate diep some time soon so I’m really keen to find out as much as possible beforehand. If you have anything useful that they didn’t tell you first, perhaps you could pass it on. I’m worried about the practicalities both in hospital and at home after. Some kind girls have already passed on some gems but I’m keen to look at it from all angles. Are you driving yet? Should I be stockpiling my freezer? What do you need in hospital?
My youngest is 13 and so I anticipate that I may get a bit of help with stuff. My husband thinks he’s a good cook so I don’t think we’ll go hungry!
I wish you a speedy recovery
Nicky x
hiya my wound still weeping is the the norm ive also had a course of antibiotics which finished today so i will see what they sat at hosp my tummy is healing brill well chuffed with it just wish breast would heal then i would be bk to norm.nick all i would sugest you need for hosp is a couple of front opening pg and a couple of sports bras tesco do them for 4 pound i find they are very comfortable buy them in your norm size but do try n get bra extenders for the first couple of weeks. My oh has done all the cooking cleaning washing and ironing since i came out of hosp as every time i reach or strech my wound leaks ( welcome to my world lol ) I havent drivn yet becuse i dont have full movement in my arm. anything else i can help with just ask. xx
thinking of you
carol ann
just bk from hosp been given another course of anibiotics and dressings changed said its due to wound break down. surg said it looked ok but would be a long time healing. Will just need to keep fingers and everything else crossed x
Sounds like you’re just like me Carol Ann - with the wounds I mean. My plastic surgeon told me that the tummy wound can take 8 weeks to close, so I guess I’m about on schedule.
Nicky - good luck! My advice is to just cover all bases for as long as you can. It’s such a big op, but worth it by all accounts. I can’t do anything like ironing, hoovering, pushing trollies etc because my tummy wound leaks too and I just want it to get very gentle mobilisation for it to heal. i.e. slow walking. I’m 5 weeks now and have driven once, but I can’t look round over my shoulder so don’t really feel safe yet. Just leave it a couple of weeks. I’d also prepare your 13 year old. Mine are 7 and 2 and think it’s all very cool and gorey but there are a lot of drips, wires, bleeps etc going off the first 2-3 days after surgery and it might upset him a bit.
My advice is eat well, catch up on your laundry and buy lots of Bridget Jones pants and don’t spend a fortune, because the wounds do ooze (ewe).
Annie xxxxxxxx
I had surg on tue gave me another course of anitbiotics and cut some dead skin away to go back on tue but the dead skin is back had a wee peek when nurses were changing dressing, my tummy has healed realy well its closed just my bood to get sorted now hope it hurrys up getting impatient now. spend most of the time in my jammies cause everything end up covered in gunk so im scared to go out incase it comes through. will let you know what surg says on tue wish my luck x
nicky my kids are 8 and 12 they have delt with it better than expected.
Children are so resilient. My kids make me proud every day in how they deal with all this and how they get me through it. I think my breast wound is about another week away from healing and I’m on my second course of antibiotics for my abdo wound which is really sloughy. I know what you mean about clothes, it’s a real confidence knocker. My mobility is really improving now and am able to do bits of housework now which is strangely nice and I’ve been on 2 dog walks now which is wonderful! My pain is settling too which is a bonus. I’m nowhere near 100%, but at last – progress and I’m almost 6 weeks post op. It’s just these wounds! I had no idea they would be this much of a pain!!! I’ll be better for Christmas, that’s all I keep telling myself.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hiya I’ve just found out I have the BRCA1 gene so things are moving forward for me, I am going to have my ovaries out and then hopefully the same op as you two so I have been reading your posts with interest!
You both sound as though you are getting there so that makes me feel better about it all. how long did your ops last?
Emma x
hiya Emm
I was on op table for 6 hours but woman across from me was in for nearly 11 think it depends on your sur but the thought of the op is worse than the op itself its not to bad. when i came round after had 4 drains in first 1 taken out after 2 day then day 5 6 final 1 out on day 8. What hosp are you going to if it the royal in glasgow the care you get there is brill from the staff to the cleaners cant praise them enough, nothing is to much trouble for them, my surg has been brill if you have read the other post you will know ive had a wee bit of bother with breast healing, well he takeing me in on mon to repair the hole that has appered. wish you well on your journey if there is anything i can help with just ask
thinking of you
carol ann x
Hi girls, thanks for your comments and will take your advice on the bridget-joneses and the tesco bras! i don’t have a date yet and I guess I’m not a priority but I’m expecing for it to be at end of jan or into feb. I guess I shouldn’t expect to drive before 7-8 weeks if everything goes reasonably well. How do you cope with the boredom? i’m asking for jigsaw puzzles ,dvds and books for christmas as i don’t usually have time for them.
Wishing you all the best with mending,
Nicky x
Hope you don’t mind me butting in. I had my diep, both sides, and salpingo oopherctomy 2 weeks ago.
My op was 8 hours a record for East Grinstead hospital.
I was home after 6 days.
I had excellent care. Not being able to drive is a nuisance, but with14 inches of snow outside, I don’t think I am going anywhere soon.
The op is not that bad, I needed very little pain control.
The worst part is the boredom.
I hope all those of you waiting for your ops I hope you all have the good experience I had.
Kathy
Hi everyone Kathy am waiting for a DIEP after xmas I am 2 years post mx and 20 years on from original diagnosis. I am getting extremely agitated and anxious at going into hospital so could you tell me how you got on as I am going into same hospital, some ladies do seem to have a bad time with wound healing and wondered how you got on so that I may ease my anxieties, any comments from other ladies would be welcome too.many thanks love suzan
Hi Suzan,
I know I had 2nd, 3rd and 4th thoughts about the whole thing. I knew I had to have the gyny bit done but I kept questioning myself regarding the reconstruction. But I went ahead any way. And I’ m so pleased I did.
The whole experience was so much better than I expected. Yes at times it felt uncomfortable, but the pain was more than manageable. I had alight problem with my abdominal drains but it was dealt with immediately.
My tummy has healed up completely , and in another couple of days I can take the dressings off my breasts.
All the staff at E. Grinstead were brilliant. Nothing was too much trouble for them.
Please ask if there is anything else I can help you with.
Kathy
Hi kathy firstly thank you for your support and help. I suppose I am at the stage when you keep questioning whether you want more surgery and are there going to be any problems, but at the same time living with one breast isnt an option so I know I have to proceed. I have heard that east grinstead is excellent and they have been helping me with support from the psychological dept, and the surgeons are absolutely brilliant. I suppose I had a bad time with my mastectomy as the wound wouldent heal because I had radiation damage from my first lumpectomy which was in 1990 and a lot of skin damage but they did say all that skin would have to go. Did you feel bad when you came around after being out for such a long time,?and how long before you could move about and look after yourself, Iknow its silly but I hate to be a nuiscance, thanks once again I hope the weather is not too bad where you are, keep warm love suzan x
Hi Everyone, just checking in…
I’m 7 weeks now and can sneeze, drive and walk the dog about 2 miles. Feel like wonder woman in comparison to the last time I posted on this thread. I think after 6 weeks you really start to turn a corner. I still have open wounds under my new breast and on my tummy scar that need packing every day. This is by far the biggest drag. But my 2 year old can now sit on my knee and have stories which is just the best thing ever. I guess I should start and do a bit of ironing but I’m never going to have an excuse this good ever again eh?
Was it worth it? If you’d have asked me in the first 3 weeks I would have said no, but now I love my new breast. Even if it does still have wounds on it. It is softening up really nicely and I’m so so happy I was brave enough to go through with it.
DIEP impression: not for the faint hearted, but absolutly worth it!
oh, and Emma, mine was 5 hours which was a record breaker for that team apparently.
Hi Annie, so glad you’ve turned the corner and are feeling so much better, I was beginning to have second thoughts about going ahead with mine. I have had fab news. Having paid out tens of thousands of pounds for private insurance over the last 25yrs (one of the joys of being self-employed) and never really having had to use it, my insurance company paid for my lumpectomy but refused to pay for a mastectomy and recon as I now don’t have cancer and it would be for preventative reasons. I had to then go down the NHS route which is a bit slow. My lovely OH has argued my point with PruHealth and…they have had a complete change of policy, not just for me but for everyone! They will now pay for the surgery if you have had bc already and a mastectomy is the route you want to go down!! RESULT!!! My first appointment with the plastic surgeon is next week…so here goes. If anyone has had similar problems with insurance it looks like this may be setting a precedent!
Happy Christmas everyone!
I am to have a double mx and DIEP surgery on 8th Feb…defintely nervous and it has helped reading these links…what I would like to know is how it looks after a few years, is it worth the huge op and post op recovery for the look years later, and does the tummy tuck aspect really help and last too?
Hi Girls
Having my mx and diep on 22nd jan. Part of me says YIPPPEEEE bring it on! theres a small part of me feeling very nervous! Gulp! X
Well, good luck to everyone having their DIEP’s. I’m 14 weeks post op now and though not 100%, I’m not far off. I still have a small open wound still that has just been really stubborn in healing. I’ll be getting my nipple recon in no time!