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How long before BLM stitches

cahjah75
cahjah75 CSN Member Posts: 2,631
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
How long did it take before steri strips fell off and stitches healed after BLM? Per dr orders I'm still wearing compression bra (24/7) and I'm still quite sore. I've been showering every other day and carefully washing the huge area. I must have at least 60 steri strips over my incisions but none seem ready to fall off.
Char
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Comments

  • webbwife50
    webbwife50 CSN Member Posts: 394
    #2
    strips
    I wouldn't worry. I had a big piece of tape accross my chest instead of individual strips. I think the surgeon removed it about 3 weeks after surgery. How long has it been since surgery? It took a long time for me to recover from mastectomy.
    Alison
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  • webbwife50
    webbwife50 CSN Member Posts: 394
    #3
    strips
    I wouldn't worry. I had a big piece of tape accross my chest instead of individual strips. I think the surgeon removed it about 3 weeks after surgery. How long has it been since surgery? It took a long time for me to recover from mastectomy.
    Alison
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  • webbwife50
    webbwife50 CSN Member Posts: 394
    #4
    strips
    I wouldn't worry. I had a big piece of tape accross my chest instead of individual strips. I think the surgeon removed it about 3 weeks after surgery. How long has it been since surgery? It took a long time for me to recover from mastectomy.
    Alison
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  • seof
    seof CSN Member Posts: 819 Member
    #5
    My Dr. used Dermabond, a
    My Dr. used Dermabond, a substance that is like glue instead of stitches. If I remember correctly it took over a month for it all to come off. As long as there is no infection and you are able to keep the area clean and dry I would not worry about it taking time. It is all part of the healing process. It is better to be patient and let it all heal up properly the first time than to have complications and have to re-do any of it. Impatience and fear are part of being a cancer survivor, but have faith in your Dr. and your body. It will all pass in time.

    Live as well as you can for as long as you can. seof
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  • Chickadee1955
    Chickadee1955 CSN Member Posts: 356
    #6
    seof said:

    My Dr. used Dermabond, a
    My Dr. used Dermabond, a substance that is like glue instead of stitches. If I remember correctly it took over a month for it all to come off. As long as there is no infection and you are able to keep the area clean and dry I would not worry about it taking time. It is all part of the healing process. It is better to be patient and let it all heal up properly the first time than to have complications and have to re-do any of it. Impatience and fear are part of being a cancer survivor, but have faith in your Dr. and your body. It will all pass in time.

    Live as well as you can for as long as you can. seof

    Did everyone else wear a
    Did everyone else wear a compression bra after mastectomy? My doc didn't have me do so and I'm wondering if that may be why I have had so much 'drain trouble'.

    Chickadee
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  • VickiSam
    VickiSam CSN Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #7
    Chickadee1955 said:

    Did everyone else wear a
    Did everyone else wear a compression bra after mastectomy? My doc didn't have me do so and I'm wondering if that may be why I have had so much 'drain trouble'.

    Chickadee

    Awwww -- YIKES
    so many unanswered questions ...
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  • Sally5
    Sally5 CSN Member Posts: 87
    #8
    VickiSam said:

    Awwww -- YIKES
    so many unanswered questions ...

    Stitches...
    I didn't have to wear anything after the mastectomy until he started to fill my expanders... Now it just feels better in a sports bra.

    It depends what you had. Be patient with the scar healing. Mine has healed so well I can't even see the stitches.
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  • sweetvickid
    sweetvickid CSN Member Posts: 459 Member
    #9
    Dr. told me I could take
    Dr. told me I could take them off a week after my surgery. But all of my stitches were on the inside. So the next time I took a shower I peeled them off
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  • Jean 0609
    Jean 0609 CSN Member Posts: 2,462
    #10
    Chickadee1955 said:

    Did everyone else wear a
    Did everyone else wear a compression bra after mastectomy? My doc didn't have me do so and I'm wondering if that may be why I have had so much 'drain trouble'.

    Chickadee

    No compression bra here
    Chickadee,

    I didn't wear any bra after my mastectomy for a few weeks. After my lumptectomy I was told to wear my bra for at least a week, however, they didn't say anything after my mastectomy and didn't have any problem.
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  • cahjah75
    cahjah75 CSN Member Posts: 2,631
    #11
    My blm was
    My blm was June 22 so Tuesday will be 3 weeks. I do have self disolving stitches but they are covered up by the steri strips. I had lymph nodes removed from both sides(3 + 7)which were all negative. I woke from surgery with the compression bra on and my surgeon told me to wear it for at least a couple more weeks. The drains were removed at my 1 week post op visit. The area above where the drains had been is very swollen and hard (below armpit). I still have a lot of discomfort (nerve endings?). I guess I need to be more patient. I see my surgeon July 27 and I'm hoping I'll be healed by then.....
    Char
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