hi, im 4 days postop leftside mastectomy. I thought i was healing ok but today my scar is very red and swollen. Is this part of the healing process or infection. Anyone give me some advice please.
I am sorry to hear that you are having this problem. I had a bilateral mastectomy 10 years ago and, can confirm that swelling and redness can be a problem post-surgery. It is impossible to tell whether or not you have an infection without seeing your scar.
You can still expect the area to be a little swollen and tender just 4 days post-op. Sometimes this can become too uncomfortable and needs to be drained. This is just a matter of aspirating the build up of fluid out of the breast. Your care team are usually not too keen to drain your breast unless it is giving a lot of discomfort. It is often better to let the fluid subside naturally. Why not phone your breast care nurse and ask for her advice?
I hope that the pain settles soon. Please let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.
I tooksome ibuprofen and bathed it with salt water...and then applied cbd oil. I left it open to the air all night. This morning big reduction in bruising and swelling. THe edges dont look sore and angry and a certain amount of imflammation must be normal? Ive just repeated the process and shall keep an eye on things.
Once again thanks for the reply. This can be a lonely scarey place.
Just to add to the good advice jolomine has given you .. I was told with mine, if it starts to feel hot to the touch, to then get help quickly ... mine was the same, swollen and turned a tad blue , l had to have mine drained twice ... it looked like my boob was growing back ... but I had a tiny hole in my scar, and it started leaking fluid ... sorry for the details ... now its just a faint white line ...
I'm glad to hear that your breast is feeling a little better now, but don't hesitate to contact your breast care nurse if it gets any worse. Like Chriss, I had to have mine drained twice too.
