Extreme swelling 8 weeks post surgical

Sdawells
Sdawells Member Posts: 23 Member
in Breast Cancer #1
Over the past 5 or 6 days both breasts have become swollen and painful. I had a double mastectomy in September with the placement of expanders. Because I am not compltely healed yet I still haven't had any fills. I am now in as much pain as I was 2 weeks after. Can anyone offer some words of advice? Thanks
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Comments

  • SIROD
    SIROD Member Posts: 2,194 Member
    #2
    Call
    I never had reconstruction surgery. I have had a lot of soft tissue surgeries and usually soft tissue is healed in 6 weeks. I would certainly call a doctor or surgeon.

    Best,

    Doris
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #3
    Call your Surgeon
    Call your surgeon and talk to him/her.

    I haven't had recon but I would think that if pain has come back along with swelling and you have not healed - a call, at least, to Dr would be in order ASAP.

    Winyan - The Power Within

    Susan
  • Noel
    Noel Member Posts: 3,095 Member
    #4
    SIROD said:

    Call
    I never had reconstruction surgery. I have had a lot of soft tissue surgeries and usually soft tissue is healed in 6 weeks. I would certainly call a doctor or surgeon.

    Best,

    Doris

    Please call your surgeon and
    Please call your surgeon and let us know what you find out.


    Hugs, Noel
  • Sdawells
    Sdawells Member Posts: 23 Member
    #5
    Turns out I have an
    Turns out I have an infection. PS drained about 100cc from my right breast, I felt so much better. The next morning I could barely move I was so swollen, then around lunch time the damm broke. I got up from the couch to discover I was soaked. Long story short, I seem to have a lot of fluid built up and it has to go somewhere. Went through 3 changes of clothes yesterday and lost track of the towels. See the PS on Friday and hopefully the antibiotics will take care of the problem. I feel like I'm never going to heal. I can't start chemo u.til I'm healed.
  • Sdawells
    Sdawells Member Posts: 23 Member
    #6
    Turns out I have an
    Turns out I have an infection. PS drained about 100cc from my right breast, I felt so much better. The next morning I could barely move I was so swollen, then around lunch time the damm broke. I got up from the couch to discover I was soaked. Long story short, I seem to have a lot of fluid built up and it has to go somewhere. Went through 3 changes of clothes yesterday and lost track of the towels. See the PS on Friday and hopefully the antibiotics will take care of the problem. I feel like I'm never going to heal. I can't start chemo u.til I'm healed.
  • Sdawells
    Sdawells Member Posts: 23 Member
    #7
    Turns out I have an
    Turns out I have an infection and the fluids are pouring out of the small area that hasn't healed yet. They may have toMurphys Law to Susans Law. Lol
  • Sdawells
    Sdawells Member Posts: 23 Member
    #8
    Sorry for all the repeat
    Sorry for all the repeat posts. Gotta quit using my tablet for this
  • DianeBC
    DianeBC Member Posts: 3,881 Member
    #9
    Sdawells said:

    Turns out I have an
    Turns out I have an infection. PS drained about 100cc from my right breast, I felt so much better. The next morning I could barely move I was so swollen, then around lunch time the damm broke. I got up from the couch to discover I was soaked. Long story short, I seem to have a lot of fluid built up and it has to go somewhere. Went through 3 changes of clothes yesterday and lost track of the towels. See the PS on Friday and hopefully the antibiotics will take care of the problem. I feel like I'm never going to heal. I can't start chemo u.til I'm healed.

    Sorry you have an infection.
    Sorry you have an infection. I am very glad that you got into see your doctor! Hoping the antibiotics will clear it up for you fast.
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #10
    Sdawells said:

    Turns out I have an
    Turns out I have an infection. PS drained about 100cc from my right breast, I felt so much better. The next morning I could barely move I was so swollen, then around lunch time the damm broke. I got up from the couch to discover I was soaked. Long story short, I seem to have a lot of fluid built up and it has to go somewhere. Went through 3 changes of clothes yesterday and lost track of the towels. See the PS on Friday and hopefully the antibiotics will take care of the problem. I feel like I'm never going to heal. I can't start chemo u.til I'm healed.

    Glad you're feeling better.
    Glad you're feeling better. Hoping your doctor's visit today will help you to get thru this.


    Hugs, Leeza
  • Different Ballgame
    Different Ballgame Member Posts: 868
    #11
    Sdawells said:

    Sorry for all the repeat
    Sorry for all the repeat posts. Gotta quit using my tablet for this

    IMPORTANT INFORMATION
    Once you have an infection in the breast with the expanders, the expanders need to be removed, so you can heal correctly. It will take a long time to heal. After you are totally healed, new expanders are inserted in the breast. This is an operation

    It is extremely difficult to heal an infection when you have the expanders...it seems that the infection likes to hug the expanders. This is the reason the expanders are removed.

    I had an infection in the left breast five weeks after the mastectomy/expander insertion and an infection in the right breast 7 weeks later. Took many months for the incisions to heal.

    I will tell you that having implants for me was worth everything I went through. It took 2 years for the total breast reconstruction to be completed. Be patient with your healing.

    Lots of Hugs,
    Janelle
  • cinnamonsmile
    cinnamonsmile Member Posts: 1,187 Member
    #12
    Different Ballgame said:

    IMPORTANT INFORMATION
    Once you have an infection in the breast with the expanders, the expanders need to be removed, so you can heal correctly. It will take a long time to heal. After you are totally healed, new expanders are inserted in the breast. This is an operation

    It is extremely difficult to heal an infection when you have the expanders...it seems that the infection likes to hug the expanders. This is the reason the expanders are removed.

    I had an infection in the left breast five weeks after the mastectomy/expander insertion and an infection in the right breast 7 weeks later. Took many months for the incisions to heal.

    I will tell you that having implants for me was worth everything I went through. It took 2 years for the total breast reconstruction to be completed. Be patient with your healing.

    Lots of Hugs,
    Janelle

    Thank you for posting
    Thank you for posting that!!! That is the first time I have heard of that since I joined in 12-2010!!!! That really is important to know and pass on!!!
  • Sdawells
    Sdawells Member Posts: 23 Member
    #13
    Different Ballgame said:

    IMPORTANT INFORMATION
    Once you have an infection in the breast with the expanders, the expanders need to be removed, so you can heal correctly. It will take a long time to heal. After you are totally healed, new expanders are inserted in the breast. This is an operation

    It is extremely difficult to heal an infection when you have the expanders...it seems that the infection likes to hug the expanders. This is the reason the expanders are removed.

    I had an infection in the left breast five weeks after the mastectomy/expander insertion and an infection in the right breast 7 weeks later. Took many months for the incisions to heal.

    I will tell you that having implants for me was worth everything I went through. It took 2 years for the total breast reconstruction to be completed. Be patient with your healing.

    Lots of Hugs,
    Janelle

    You are right. I had
    You are right. I had emergency surgery on Friday to remove my expanders and clean everything out. They found an abscess that would have continued to plague me and could have caused some major problems. At this point in time I am focusing on healing so that I can get going on my chemo. I will always have the option of reconstruction but after all of this it's hard to imagine. I was a bit shocked by how different I looked without the expanders and am a bit depressed about it but as with all of this I will look for the good in it. I can say now that I feel almost no pain after over 7 weeks of constant pain. I guess everything happens for a reason. Thanks for your words of encouragement!
  • Angie2U
    Angie2U Member Posts: 2,991
    #14
    Sdawells said:

    You are right. I had
    You are right. I had emergency surgery on Friday to remove my expanders and clean everything out. They found an abscess that would have continued to plague me and could have caused some major problems. At this point in time I am focusing on healing so that I can get going on my chemo. I will always have the option of reconstruction but after all of this it's hard to imagine. I was a bit shocked by how different I looked without the expanders and am a bit depressed about it but as with all of this I will look for the good in it. I can say now that I feel almost no pain after over 7 weeks of constant pain. I guess everything happens for a reason. Thanks for your words of encouragement!

    Glad the constant pain is
    Glad the constant pain is gone and that you can now start healing. When do you start chemo? I will keep you in my prayers.


    Hugs, Angie
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #15
    Angie2U said:

    Glad the constant pain is
    Glad the constant pain is gone and that you can now start healing. When do you start chemo? I will keep you in my prayers.


    Hugs, Angie

    I am so so so very sorry ...
    I was on vacation with my family in Arizona - Grand Canyon when I developed a fever,
    proceeded by several days of redness -- then swelling of my right fully expanded
    tissue expander. Staph infection, 5 day hospital stay, emergency surgery -- and so
    on.

    I had a bilateral, so once my right tissue expander was removed .. my plastic surgeon
    had me wait months, before he would replace my 'right' TE. So I walked around
    lopsided for months. I was not happy, but it is doable.

    Gentle hugs and prayers for you dear Sister in PINK.

    Vicki Sam
  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #16
    VickiSam said:

    I am so so so very sorry ...
    I was on vacation with my family in Arizona - Grand Canyon when I developed a fever,
    proceeded by several days of redness -- then swelling of my right fully expanded
    tissue expander. Staph infection, 5 day hospital stay, emergency surgery -- and so
    on.

    I had a bilateral, so once my right tissue expander was removed .. my plastic surgeon
    had me wait months, before he would replace my 'right' TE. So I walked around
    lopsided for months. I was not happy, but it is doable.

    Gentle hugs and prayers for you dear Sister in PINK.

    Vicki Sam

    Lots of gentle hugs!
    Lots of gentle hugs!
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #17
    Sdawells ..
    How are you doing? Recovering from emergency surgery takes a while. Hoping
    all is well.

    Please post when you can.

    Strength, Courage and HOPE for a Cure.


    Vicki Sam
  • Pink Rose
    Pink Rose Member Posts: 493
    #18
    cinnamonsmile said:

    Thank you for posting
    Thank you for posting that!!! That is the first time I have heard of that since I joined in 12-2010!!!! That really is important to know and pass on!!!

    I've never heard or read of
    I've never heard or read of this either. I've learned so much by being on this site. Hoping you're doing well now.
  • Zappit
    Zappit Member Posts: 7
    #19
    Different Ballgame said:

    IMPORTANT INFORMATION
    Once you have an infection in the breast with the expanders, the expanders need to be removed, so you can heal correctly. It will take a long time to heal. After you are totally healed, new expanders are inserted in the breast. This is an operation

    It is extremely difficult to heal an infection when you have the expanders...it seems that the infection likes to hug the expanders. This is the reason the expanders are removed.

    I had an infection in the left breast five weeks after the mastectomy/expander insertion and an infection in the right breast 7 weeks later. Took many months for the incisions to heal.

    I will tell you that having implants for me was worth everything I went through. It took 2 years for the total breast reconstruction to be completed. Be patient with your healing.

    Lots of Hugs,
    Janelle

    Mastectomy and Tissue expanders
    Hi, I'm so glad you posted this. I just had a bilateral mastectomy last Monday. They inserted tissue expanders at the same time. I am still pretty swollen and the left side doesn't even look like I had a mastectomy. I'm watching carefully because I know infections are real problem. After reading about your issues I will be super cautious. Thank you so much for sharing this! Hugs!
  • Sdawells
    Sdawells Member Posts: 23 Member
    #20
    VickiSam said:

    Sdawells ..
    How are you doing? Recovering from emergency surgery takes a while. Hoping
    all is well.

    Please post when you can.

    Strength, Courage and HOPE for a Cure.


    Vicki Sam

    I can't begin to say how
    I can't begin to say how much better I feel. The infection was causing me more pain then I realized. Now I am almost healed and will get my stitches and staples out on Monday. My chemo is scheduled to start on the 29th. I no longer am looking at reconstruction, and am o.k. with living with prothesis(sp). I guess at this point I am just feeling blessed to have minimal pain. I confess to being a bit scared of chemo. So many questions and my vanity about losing my hair is a bit hard to deal with. Thanks for all the well wishes. May we all see this terrible cancer wiped out in our life times!
  • salls41
    salls41 Member Posts: 340
    #21
    Sdawells said:

    I can't begin to say how
    I can't begin to say how much better I feel. The infection was causing me more pain then I realized. Now I am almost healed and will get my stitches and staples out on Monday. My chemo is scheduled to start on the 29th. I no longer am looking at reconstruction, and am o.k. with living with prothesis(sp). I guess at this point I am just feeling blessed to have minimal pain. I confess to being a bit scared of chemo. So many questions and my vanity about losing my hair is a bit hard to deal with. Thanks for all the well wishes. May we all see this terrible cancer wiped out in our life times!

    I too had my expanders removed
    I was 10 days away from my exchange surgery and had to have my expanders removed (Sept 1) due to infection. It was as if I had the mastectomy all over again.. hard to look in the mirror for a while. I am better about it now. I wish you luck with your chemo, I hope you have few side effects!
    Sandy

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