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Just got home from the hospital - Updated August 7th..

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I could donate one of my nipples. I have two already so I think Ill be fine with one. Its kind of small thought, I hope you dont mind.
 
Originally posted by: TwinkleToes77
It was only supposed to be an outpatient procedure but I wound up having to stay the night.. went in at 9:30 yesterday morning and I got home about an hour ago.

The precedure? I had a breast reduction. No pics.. yet 🙂 Too swollen to show any details anyways. I'm writing this in between my bouts of sleep from the meds they have me on. Overall it was an okay experience.. I'm in quite a bit of pain right now, the doctor says that should last about 2 days for the major pain. He took more than 2.5 lbs out of EACH breast. I can't wait to see what they will look like once the swelling goes down.

June 1st.. 3 weeks post-op

Today i had yet another follow-up with the surgeon. Things are not going well. He officially cut off my areola and nipple. It smelled of rotten flesh. I have a huge hole now in my right boob. It's really disgusting to see. I do think however, tomorrow when i go to the wound clinic im going to start taking pictures of the progress. A wound documentary.

Update: 2 days Post-OP

Well one nipple seems to have found its way back out of its hole.. but it keeps going back in.. They are starting to settle quite a bit so I'm pretty sure that this complication will fix itself. My follow up is on thursday.

Also.. I weighed myself and it's frightening how much weight a body can gain in fluids just from going through surgery.. I'm EASILY 20 lbs heavier coming out of the surgery than going in. No wonder I had a breakdown yesterday when I saw myself in the mirror. I was so bloated it was digusting.

1 week post-op..

Had my first follow-up today with the surgeon. He was pleased to see Nipple Left has decided to come back and join the real world. And he apologized for beating the $@#$ out of me. (I still look like i went 10 rounds).

Other than that he said im doing remarkably well. I also feel great. Haven't taken any pain meds in 2 days. And my back hasn't hurt since the operation. My skin is itching like crazy though. The Dr now has me putting polysporin on the incisions to help with scarring.. Nipple Right is still black and blue.

2 weeks post-op

This morning I woke up and went to take a shower when I noticed that Nipple Right(NR) has decided to turn black... So i made an immediate call to the dr's office and he informed me to come in right away. He was having his surgical clinic in the hospital today so it was good timing. I get there and he told me that i will probably lose my nipple. There seems to be quite a bit of bruising underneath it in the tissue and its blocked off circulation to the nipple.

Not to get too graphic but he basically disconnected the NR from 2/3 of the skin and then flushed it and squeezed as much fluid out of the breast as he possibly could.. He then stuffed it full of gauze and told me im not to work for the next 2 weeks and will be required to see him once a week until it's better. Plus I am to have a home health nurse come by daily to clean the wound. It hurts like a #$@#$@$@.

May 29/06

I called the Dr's office today to ask for a refill on the percocets. He told me he wants me to come in right away, if at all possible. So i get there and he's extremely busy. Every seat in the waiting room is occupied. Show the receptionist my healthcard and she takes me right away back to a room.

Verdict: I'm losing the nipple. I will have to have reconstructive surgery in a few months once everything heals as best it can. My new nipple and areola will be made of thigh skin.

I still have to continue with the daily nursing. Yesterday it hurt so much that I broke down and cried. That was the first time I cried since BEFORE the surgery. That's how much it hurts. I get the pleasure of having to go today at 3pm. Lovely.. I can't wait :roll:

June 3rd

I know I update a lot but today something drastic happened. I went to my wound treatment at 9am and by 10am he had me sitting in the ER of the hospital that I had surgery in. Turns out that i have a very agressive infection that happened within the last 24 hours. Since I was at the wound clinic yesterday afternoon and didnt show any symptoms. I now have Cellulitis and am on an IV drip antibiotic. I have to have the drip FOUR times a day for the next week. So i got to come home with a lovely IV taped to all my arm hairs. I'm starting to second guess the decision for this surgery. 🙁

Oh yeah.. forgot to mention that when I got to the wound clinic I started leaking a massive amount of fluid out of my incisions that should have healed a while ago being as its been 3 weeks since the surgery.
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I do have pics.. they are very graphic.. and i wont post the link here as they arent very SFW. But if you have a morbid curiousity... you know the drill.
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wow.
i hope things start to get better for you. i would really be questioning the surgeon, the hospital, the procedure at this point. 🙁

you aren't diabetic by any chance?
 
Man, that's crazy... I hope you get better and be able to start recovering from it. Thanks for keeping us updated and I really hope things work out well for you.

Get better and Best wishes!!!
 
Thank you all for your support.. If anyone is interested I have a new picture from today while i was at the ER. Its incredibly graphic but I know a few may still be curious to see it. PM if youd like to see it
 
🙁 that's really sad to hear

and guys, brace yourselves before asking for/clicking those pictures
they are more graphic that I had imagined
 
As others have said, I really do think you need to see a medical malpractice lawyer. Although I'm a lawyer myself, I am not litigious by nature - I suffered a permanent shoulder injury (torn rotator cuff) thanks to a product defect and didn't sue - but given everything you've been through you may regret it later if you don't at least consult with one. I would also seek an evaluation from another hospital - it may be that your doc did nothing wrong, but it's hard to have a high degree of confidence in them at this point.
 
If not time to see a malpractice lawyer, I think it's definitely time to consult with another surgeon affiliated with a different hospital. It's starting to sound like your current surgeon has and continues to bungle things.

Best of luck.

 
try to look at the bright side: They havern't become gangreneous (sp?) yet and fallen off! 😉

Seriously, though, best wishes in a speedy recovery. Hopefully no further complications arise.
 
you are lucky you did not go septic and die...however, this is truly getting out of hand...i would seriously, when you are able, find an attorney

jC
 
Definitely get a second opinion. If that complication was presenting 2 days post-op, he should have seen you immediately. It's possible that the surgeon didn't do anything wrong and you were just unlucky, but it won't hurt you to get an unbiased second opinion. Here's hoping for a speedy and full recovery.
 
Originally posted by: DonVito
As others have said, I really do think you need to see a medical malpractice lawyer. Although I'm a lawyer myself, I am not litigious by nature - I suffered a permanent shoulder injury (torn rotator cuff) thanks to a product defect and didn't sue - but given everything you've been through you may regret it later if you don't at least consult with one. I would also seek an evaluation from another hospital - it may be that your doc did nothing wrong, but it's hard to have a high degree of confidence in them at this point.
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Agree. Don Vito know his stuff.
 
Originally posted by: TheGoodGuy
do you have diabetis??? i am wondering if that's causing your wounds from not healing this fast.
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No i'm not diabetic. This was all caused by bruising originally.


Also.. the oozing from the incisions below the wound have stopped so thats a positive 🙂

Im getting a dose of IV antibiotic every 6 hours.
 
June 7

Just got home from emergency surgery to remove all the dead tissue and fat. I'm still pretty out of it so I'll update more later.
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:frown:

Jeez, I'm really sorry for everything you've been through. I am pulling for you, and I hope you make a speedy recovery. I hope things improve, and soon!
 
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