Hi Pippin,

I'm glad to hear that you feel a lot more comfortable now. It's also good to hear that you can continue with your exercises. Did you ask about bras?

I sincerely hope that one of these tests pinpoints the cause. I am currently awaiting a referral for a tilt test and hope that this will be coming through quite soon.

Jolamine xx

Hi NGS,

It is worrying. At the moment, I'm hopeful that the tilt test might show something up. It sounds as if you are happy with your "Foobs" - love the name! I'm glad to hear that you have finally got all of your dressings off and hope that you are recovering well.

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine, I must apologise for my last reply to you. I was just reading a few of the recent posts and noticed how many errors are in it. I blame it on the meds lol! I had a really good night last night and feel so much more comfortable. Hubby, bless him came up with a great idea to make it easier for me to get up out of the chair, or in and out of bed. He set up a builders acrow pole from floor to ceiling in lounge and bedroom. I use this for support when getting up and down. It has made things so much easier and more comfortable for me. He's a genius! I did talk about bras and they're happy with the m&s post surgery bra I wore to the appointment. I am going to m&so today to pick up another one and return a couple I don't need. They said that I don't need to wear them at night, which I'm pleased about. I hope you don't have too long to wait for your tilt test and that it gives you the answers that you need. How have things been with your symptoms at the moment?

Hi Pippin,

Don't worry about any errors in your posts - I could still make sense of them. I am so gad to hear that you had a comfortable night in your own bed. You are lucky in that you don't need to wear a bra at night. I wore the M&S bras quite a lot after surgery and found them quite comfy. You can also get pockets put into some of your old bras, if you don't want to throw them all out.

Occupational Therapy could help you with the problem of getting in and out of bed. They gave me a bed rail, which fits under the mattress and has a hooped handle to help me. The builder's acrow pole sounds like a good substitute though.

My symptoms have been better since we moved house in May. I've had a few warnings, but have managed to sit down before I collapsed and thus, ward them off. I am however hoping that the tilt test comes through soon and that it gives me some answers.

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine, seems like the new waterproof dressings are irritating my skin too, so moving forward will only use when in the shower. I've bought some mepore dressings for the rest of the time and they feel more comfortable. The acrow poles are working really well and getting up and down is no longer difficult. I also feel a bit swollen when my arm is by my side, but assume this is normal. Good to hear that you can manage your symptoms, by taking notice of the warning signs. It would still be good to get your tilt test done soon and finally get some answers. Hope you have a lovely weekend. I had an amazing day with lots of visitors, ncluding the grandchildren. Xxx 

Hi Pippin,

I'm sorry to hear that you are also having problems with the new hypoallergenic dressings. There are several different ones on the market, so make sure to note the makes of the ones that disagree with you and avoid those. I'm glad to hear that you are finding the Mepore dressings more comfortable.

I had the same feeling when my arms were by my side. You have had some major work done internally, so you can't expect to get back to normal immediately. However, if the swelling gets worse make sure to let your breast care nurse know. I had to have my breasts aspirated a few times, before they settled.

I am glad to hear that you've had such an amazing day. What ages are your grandchildren? I expect that, after such a busy day, you're exhausted and having a well earned rest tonight.

I don't always get the warning signs in time to find a seat to prevent them and have lost confidence in going out, as a result. I am desperate to get some answers, so the tilt test cannot come soon enough.

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine, it's reassuring to hear that I'm not alone with having that swollen feeling, when my arms are by my side. I will mention this when I'm  at the hospital on Tuesday  I have been doing  bits and pieces around the house, so maybe need to rest a bit more, perhaps I'm doing too much, too soon.it was such a busy day yesterday, both my daughter's were here and the two grandchildren, Maise 7 and Thomas, who is 5 in a few days. Also my brother, sister-in-law, their daughter Lauren and granddaughter Mila , who is two. It was tiring, but I did sleep on the sofa for about three hours in the evening. My daughter did also change the beds for me, which was a big help. I totally understand how your confidence would be affected, especially as you don't always get the warning signs. My mum, bless her, has had a couple of bad falls recently and ended up in a & e. It has really knocked her confidence quite a lot. She popped to the shops for the first time this week in about 3 or 4 weeks. Keep pestering them about the tilt test and explain how it is affecting you, they may try to bring it forward for you. Take care. Xxx

Hi everyone, hope you are all having a lovely weekend. I'm generally doing quite well post surgery. Doing my exercises and fairly mobile. I am having a bit of a problem with a small section of the stomach wound. The wound is from hip to hip and most of it has healed really well. There is one section about an inch long that just won't heal and is oozing what seems to be puss. I am cleaning and redressing daily and am on antibiotics. I am due back in clinic on Tuesday for a wound check, but not sure what else they can do. Did anyone else have any issues with wound healing?

Hi Pippin,

I don't think that this feeling is all that uncommon. It sounds as if you may have been doing too much though, what with all of your visitors. Your grandchildren are at a lovely age - enjoy them while you can, as they grow up so quickly! I am sure that you really appreciated your daughter changing the beds - I am still delighted to have someone to do this for me every week.

I am so sorry to hear about your Mum's falls, but glad to hear that she managed to venture out for the first time this week. It really does put a huge dent in your self-confidence, when something like this happens. We downsized in May and are in much smaller accommodation now. As a result of this, furniture is closer to hand at all times, which is possibly how I've managed to sit down before I collapse. However, my collapses were happening up to 4 times a day, when I was living in Scotland.

I still get the warning signs quite frequently, but the hospital don't seem too worried, now that I'm not collapsing so frequently. Various suggestions have been put forward. The main ones are that my BP seems to rise when I stand up, or that my medication needs to be reviewed. I take about 38 tablets per day and it has taken me some time to get my current prescription sorted. As you can imagine, I am not too keen to start going through that falderal all over again! The one thing I do want to know is what is causing these "funny turns", instead of having doctors just guessing.

Jolamine xx