Tram flap op

Tram flap op

Tram flap op I have posted on behalf of new user Angela

Kind Regards
Forum Host
Breast Cancer Care

posted on 1.03.07 4:13 pm
Angela

Can anyone tell me if they are experiencing the same amount of discomfort i am after 5 weeks. My stomach is so uncomfortable when i walk it stiffens up and feels something is attached to my insides. The numbness is not getting easier and generally its making me feel ugh. Pain killers dont seems to make the symptoms any better other than very strong ones which i have read you can become addicted to…anyone got any suggestions or is this something i have to put up with and how long for?

Tram flap op I had immediate recon, tram flap 12 wks ago, and yes I was very ‘tight’ for the first couple of week. But I did walk nearly everyday and I found that the more I did the better it got. It’s had to remember now when it started to ease but I would say around 8weeks. The bc nurse told me the numbness could take years to totally go. I tried to stop the painkillers, within a couple of weeks and just had ibuprofen, for a further couple of weeks. But I am not one for taking tablets anyway (I hardly used my morphine syringe in hosp).

Unfortunately I have just had my 2nd chemo this week, so my mind has gone elsewhere.

Good luck
Judith

TRAM FLAP SURGERY Hi Angela
Sorry to hear you not feeling so good.
I had mastectomy with immediate reconstruction last May. My tummy was very tight and uncomfortable for probably a couple of months. When I left hospital I was advised to use a V-pillow in bed at home because I could not lay flat and I had to very gradually lower this until I was lying normally again - about 2 months.
I had to wear a firm, high-waisted girdle day AND night for 3 months after my surgery!! And I did! I must admit it did help - it felt as if everything was being ‘held in place’! And it helped to ‘flatten’ the scar.
As soon as my wound had healed, I began massaging the whole area every day with E45 cream. I still do it every day, but use the lotion now as it is a bit lighter. Certainly keeps the skin supple.
My BCN did say it would take months for the skin to stretch out properly.
I had chemo 5 weeks after my surgery, and when the chemo made me ill, eveything else seemed much worse.
Even now I get days when my tummy feels quite tight. I still have a tender spot which I feel when I cough, sneeze or do my tummy exercises. My Plastic Surgeon says she will check this with ultrasound if it does not go.
So if you are very uncomfortable, it might be a good idea to contact your BCN and ask to be checked by your Surgeon, if only for reassurance.
As for the numbness, it took months for me to get used to that. I hated anyone touching the numb bits. I used to get an itch on my upper arm and when I tried to scratch it, it was numb! Work that one out!
I didn’t take painkillers as I didn’t have any pain, just discomfort.
Believe me Angela - it DOES get better; and you do get used to the strange new feelings. If, like me, you were fit and healthy before, it is very hard to put up with being ‘incapacitated’.
Hope you soon feel more comfortable and hope it helps to know you are not alone. Thinking of you.
Pam x

Thanx Pam…I haven’t really spoken to anyone who has had this type of operation before and as my husband left me 12 months ago I have felt very much alone when it comes to needing someone there in the middle of the night when you don’t feel right. I have been fortunate not to have chemo but Ido start radio therapy next week…which I am trying to be positive about. I feel very down at the moment and feel i need to talk to someone all the time but there is only so much you can put on family and friends. I stopped taking strong pain killers yesterday as i read how addictive these particular ones could be. I have always been fairly fit …am the P.E co ordinator at a junior school. I think as i am starting to get better i am also getting very fustrated with life. I have 4 sons and sorting out a divorce …things can only get better…thanx for taking the time to reply …it meant a lot
Angelax

Tram Flap Op. Hello, Angela.
Sorry to hear you are so uncomfortable.

I had a muscle-sacrificing TRAM a year ago. After six months of discomfort I insisted on seeing my plastic surgeon who diagnosed adhesions. Like you, it felt as if there was something attached inside me - a piece of hard plastic cutting me across the lower abdomen, pulling in from hip bones at the side and jammed up under my ribs. After the diagnosis I approached my homoeopath who prescribed Symphytum, Calendula and Arnica. all at 30 potency. After a few days I could lie on my side in bed for the first time since the operation. I then saw a physiotherapist who had had special training in dealing with adhesions and have had some fascial release therapy which has helped.

I hope your discomfort resolves itself but you might like to ask your surgeon about adhesions. If you get fobbed off with ‘It’s early days…’ you could ask a physio to check for adhesions - they can feel them!
Best wishes for your other treatments.
Valerie.

Thanks for that advice Valerie I will certainly keep saying how my tummy feels…hopefully if it continues to feel uncomfortable i wont be fobbed off. Had first session of rad yesterday lets hope it goes well . Hope you are well
Angela

Reconstruction - which option I have posted this for new user Sandie.

BCC Host

13.3.07 2.38pm

I was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular cancer last November and had a mastectomy in December. Luckily I didn’t need chemo or radiotherapy. I have seen my plastic surgeon about reconstruction but which option to choose?
a) a second risk-reducing mastectomy with bilateral reconstruction
b) a reconstruction and reduction to the other side (as I’m quite large)
Can you ever really put the thoughts of the cancer returning to the back of your mind? or am I better choosing option a).
This has got to be the hardest decision I have ever had to make.
I know there are others who have faced a similar dilema and I would love to hear how you managed to come to a decision.
Sandie