Topic: Falling Appart

Annie,

Thank you so much for writing back.

The breast is actually healing fairly well right now,there was enough extra skin and tissue from the flap, so we didn't have to go find any elsewhere. The holes are in my stomach, one right under/attached to my bellybutton and the other one about 1 inch further down.

They didn't want to completely close them, 'cause of things possibly getting infected under there. Now the wholes have to heal from the inside out. It just seems to take forever to heal and I am questioning if it was the right choice to go with a trans flap.

Hopefully months from now it will be better and I will be convinced it was the right decision.

I'm sorry this is happening to you, I haven't gone through it yet but I hope you can heal quickly and see some light at the end of the mess.  Good luck and my thoughts are with you. Big hugs.

Hi TX66 - I too have an abdominal incision that seems to be taking forever to heal! On March 3 of this year I had a skin-sparing right-side  unilateral mastectomy with immediate Diep surgery. All went well until day 7 when I had to return to the hospital with a fever - turned out to be a staph infection in my abdomen.....after two very strong iv antibiotics, they sent me home after 11 days. My incision was slightly open - then my PS opened up even more with "debriding" - had me stop the Neosporin and started my on "Santyl" collagen ointment twice a day. My hole started out about 3 inches wide, 1 inch tall and 1 inch deep. It's definitely healing from inside out - now it's only about 1/4 inch deep. Very gross to handle - not painful, since the nerves were cut - but my stomach muscles go into spasms if I sit too long in one spot (like right about now.)

Some women have had wounds so bad they needed a "wound-vacuum", but my PS said mine wasn't that bad (easy for HIM to say, he didn't have to get grossed out every single day bandaging it.) I still see the PS once-a-week - sometimes he has to cauterize blood vessels - he says it's all a good sign though that new tissue is growing. However, I haven't been able to return to work because my PS is afraid of infection returning to my wound - so now I am off the payroll (although they will hold my job for a total of 12 weeks.) In addition to my wound problem - my stomach is bloated due to excess lymph-buildup. I'll be going to the lymphedema therapist tomorrow who will do massage therapy on my abdomen and right arm. Fortunately my new Diep breast seems to be fine - it's too big, but other than that, it healed well and hopefully with Stage 2 surgery it'll match my other smaller natural breast. That won't happen for a year though since I started on chemo.

Anyway - I didn't want to get you more down with my details - just to let you know you are NOT alone with this suffering - but it WILL get better - hang in there!

Thank you all so much for your help and kind words.

I will see my ps again on monday. A nurse I talked to said to ask about going to a " Hyperbaric Chamber" (I am not even sure if I am spelling this right)THis is supposed to speed up the healing progress. So I will see what she thinks about that option. I guess I have to just learn to be a lot more patient about it all. I am like flyrzfan usually bounce right back from anything really quick. This has just really got me down right now and I am trying hard not to let it.

Thank you all !

Let me just say... AAARGGHH!!  and yuck.  My DIEP flap surgery was April 9th 2008, with a great result for the flap (healing beautifully), but a big old patch of dead skin and tissue at the donor site.  I've been treating the necrotic tissue on my belly with Silver Sulfinate (which surrounds me in the very special perfume "eau de wet dog" all day) and it is working - by working I mean it is eating through the dead tissue and leaving big holes that are supposed to heal from the inside out.  But I must reiterate... YUCK!  I have never been this grossed out by a wound.  However, I am reassured that this is what is supposed to happen and that the sooner the dead cells are gone the sooner the holes will heal up... I've also heard that 500mg of Vitamin C a day might be a good way to support tissue development but ask your doc what he/she thinks.  Also - just 2cents about alternative treatments: my PS said "the literature does not indicate that there is any benefit to be derived from use of a hyperbaric chamber"...  so I'm planning to continue with the "holey" approach until further notice.  Wish me luck.

I was in the same place this time last year.  My surgery was Jan. 3rd and the final healing was confirmed on May 23rd.  That was a long time coming.  The incisions healed but looked pretty gross.  Fortunately, my PS did an excellent job revising the scars and they are all fading and looking good now.

I know that this time really sucks and you will never look at gauze the same way again - and all that tape!  But, believe me - this will pass and the nightmare will be over.  One year later and I have to say that there is a type of amnesia that takes over and I have to really try to put myself back into that black place and remember what it was like.  As you might imagine, I don't do that very often and really have managed to put it all behind me. 

I'm not trying to pat you on the head and say, 'there, there', I'm hoping to give you all encouragement that this, too, shall pass and there is life beyond all this mess.

Have faith!

TX - I think that decision should be made by your surgeons and oncologist. 

To TX66 -- I had a ped TRAM and my abd wound opened. It was 16cm x 6cm x 6cm. At first I was packing it, but then I went on a wound vac and it was a relief to have someone else doing the dressing change. It is a discouraging development. I remember heading off to the Drs. office that first day and saying to my mother, "I am trying very hard not to feel sorry for myself." Just remember, they DO heal with time. I was on wound vac for my big wound about 3 months. I had a small tunnel that had to be packed quite a while after that, but it wasn't too bad. Now it's all over and I rarely think of it except when I see posts like this, so I wanted to respond and say, "Yes there is light at the end of the tunnel." Best wishes to you. I am SO sorry this happened.

The wound vac is not uncomfortable. It is a small black box about 8" square that attaches with a plastic hose. You carry it on a shoulder bag. I don't know if it will be indicated in your case, but it is nothing to fear. It is a little uncomfortable when they change the dressing because they pull the plastic off and it is like any tape that has to be removed, but they were careful with me and I appreciated it. Mostly I appreciated someone else taking care of the wound for me. This too will pass. It just seems like an eternity. Your body is healing slowly. It's too bad you had this unfortunate complication. Cancer is bad enough!