Author Topic: Post-op complication  (Read 5807 times)

Offline kinesic

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Hi everyone, this is my first post. I'm 23 and I've had puffy nipples since I was 13.

I went in for a bilateral excision for glandular gynecomastia with Dr. Fielding last week. The operation went pretty smoothly, but on the drive home my right nipple started to swell up and bleed dramatically. We (I wasn't driving) went to a clinic, which in turn sent us to a nearby hospital in a small town outside Toronto (I don't live in TO). Apparently I'd developed a hematoma, or blood clot, under my right nipple. Dr. Fielding couldn't be reached, but fortunately the hospital had a surgeon on-call, and after about an hour I was able to see him.

Turns out he'd been one of Fielding's classmates in med school! Anyhow, he recommended reopening the right nipple and cleaning it out, in order to see what the problem was. So we did this, and sure enough a small artery that had closed during the initial surgery, probably due to the anaesthetic Fielding used (which contains a small amount of adrenaline and probably caused the artery to seize up temporarily), was pumping blood. The blood clot itself, which the body tries to break down, was preventing the artery from healing. It could have become quite serious without surgery, so he removed the blood clot, cauterized everything, and sewed me back up.

So here I sit, about a week later, and I still haven't taken off the bandages the second surgeon put on. I'm (literally) itching to find out what the damage to my right nipple is. It's hard to tell, but my left feels perfectly fine and flat under the bandage. My right is still somewhat swollen, but I won't know for sure how it looks until tomorrow, when I remove the bandages. The second surgeon did have experience operating on breast cancer, and I'm hoping as a consequence the aesthetic of the nipple won't be too bad.

The surgeon also said the swelling on the right would take longer to settle. I don't know much about the biology of this... can anyone tell me if there's a chance the fluid currently in my right nipple will remain there indefinitely? I know that immediately after both operations and before any fluid built up, both my nipples looked pretty flat, so I'm confident there isn't any more troublesome glandular tissue. The body should absorb the fluid eventually, right?

All told it was a mixture of bad and good luck. Has anyone had a similar experience to this?
« Last Edit: May 10, 2006, 08:01:22 PM by kinesic »

Offline crow

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Lucky U got that fixed.......
The Fluid comes from swelling amd may have to be drianed but no big deal i am told......U will have to give it time and wait for the swelling and scar tissue to heal to really know.......

All the best 8)
« Last Edit: May 11, 2006, 09:34:38 AM by crow »
This is a great site and all should be proud to take part........

Offline Grandpa Bambu

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kinesic....

I'm sure everything will be okay.  ;)

Just give your body the time it needs to heal. Be patient.

Good luck Dude!

John.
Surgery: February 16, 2005. - Toronto, Ontario Canada.
Surgeon: Dr. John Craig Fielding   M.D.   F.R.C.S. (C) (416.766.8890)
Pre-Op/Post-Op Pics

Offline kinesic

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Thanks for answering, guys.

Well, it's been about 3 weeks since I last wrote, and my situation has changed somewhat. The exterior scars are hardly noticeable, the skin is healing nicely, and the bruising seems to be gone.

However, in both my nipples, though in my right one particularly (which had the hematoma), I've developed what feels like hard tissue, mostly around the scar line. I assume this is scar tissue. Is this permanent? As it stands, my nipples have improved about 10% since pre-op, but they're now considerably harder than before.

Should I just resign myself to having large nipples? Is there hope that the hard tissue will break down as my body heals? If it is scar tissue, then I'm sure getting a revision wouldn't help. Any thoughts?

Offline kinesic

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Well, since no one answered my last question, I went and asked my surgeon. He told me that the deep scar tissue in my right nipple would take about a month to heal, but in the mean time I should massage the tissue, with a lot of pressure, to break it up. Besides that, all I can do is wait.

I'll let you all know how this goes in a few weeks.

Offline tonysoprano

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Quote
Well, since no one answered my last question, I went and asked my surgeon. He told me that the deep scar tissue in my right nipple would take about a month to heal, but in the mean time I should massage the tissue, with a lot of pressure, to break it up. Besides that, all I can do is wait.

I'll let you all know how this goes in a few weeks.


I got a ton of scar tissue under both nips too man.
no real issue with the outer incision , just hard lumps underneath the nips.
I'll be doing the same.

massging and waiting!

keep us informed man!!
... and the saga continues

Offline buddy

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My god, I am 3 days post op and I could not write a story any more similar to yours. I too had a blood vessel open up about 3 hours after the surgery. I also had to be opened up again for the surgeon to codderize the vessel. My left breast swelled up to the size of a D cup. The problem was when my wife took me into the emergency to see my surgeon, he gave me 6-8 needles of local aenesthetic, opened up my stitches, and in front of my pregnant wife, sucked out the blood and fluid with a small vaccum -- very gory for her to witness. I experienced some of the most uncomfortable minutes of my life by far. Realizing what happened, he told us then that he was going to operate again to fix the heamatoma.

Two surgeries in 8 hours was not fun, but I still made it to the Relay for Life (Cancer walk) last night.

I hope the final result is worth the pain. There were moments when I regretted even starting this, but I am excited to see myself when the bandages come off next Wed.

All the best.

Offline curious

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If the scar tissue does not eventually heal, you may consider asking your surgeon to inject a small dose of corticosteroids down the line. It can weaken the connective tissue inside the clot. However, he will have to make a decision after seeing the tissue first hand, because some scar tissue is not amenable to steroid treatment, and some people with poor healing may actually have the wound reopen (and I'm sure you're tired of surgery by now). Best of luck.

Offline rob_m

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Greetings kinesic

I thought I would reply with a little input about my experience with scar tissue.
Let me start by saying this, I was told by my surgeon(and actually quite a few other people) that the healing process can and most likely WILL take a full year.
although I wouldn't have admitted it a year ago, they were absolutely correct.

onto the scar tissue, I had the usual scar tissue around the incision sights(under both nipples) and oddly enough, on the outside of the nipples towards the armpits. I spent about 3 weeks messaging all areas quite aggressively, and that did the trick.

now I am a year post op and completely healed, infact I have had my shirt off all summer so far, and my wife is very jealous of my tan.

hope this ramble of a post has helped alittle, good luck

                  Rob
1 year post op, it's going to be a good summer

Offline supaaman

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Hey Rob,

Thanks a million for posting that.  It's great when guys come back here after a long time and can give some advice.  It's reassuring to hear that story.
JCF  Success Story - Surgery Aug 23, 2006

Offline buddy

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Hey Kinesic,

I too had a hematoma after gland removal. My left nipple was reopened and I had a second surgery. My right side has healed nicely, and the bruising is almost gone. However, my left side is still rock hard (full of blood?) and extremely swollen - only 2 weeks after the 2 surguries. Did you have this type of swelling, and when did it subside?

Thanks in advance.


Offline kinesic

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Quote
If the scar tissue does not eventually heal, you may consider asking your surgeon to inject a small dose of corticosteroids down the line. It can weaken the connective tissue inside the clot. However, he will have to make a decision after seeing the tissue first hand, because some scar tissue is not amenable to steroid treatment, and some people with poor healing may actually have the wound reopen (and I'm sure you're tired of surgery by now). Best of luck.


Hi curious...

Well, I'm not entirely sure what that would do for scar tissue, but the actual clot itself was removed during my second operation. So technically my hematoma was corrected soon after it happened; the resultant scar tissue, however, has not yet gone away. I've heard that massaging deep scar tissue, besides introducing blood to the areas in question, loosens the tissue fibres and speeds up the healing process. Could you explain what exactly corticosteroids would do, and under what circumstances it would be advisable to take them?

Also, in response to buddy's question, I'll give a brief account of how my scar tissue/nipples have healed thus far. For the first week I kept them under bandages, and I can only assume they were quite bruised and swollen. For the following two weeks I wore a tenser bandage, and watched gingerly as the incisions actually healed. It was around this time that my right nipple, the one that previously had the blood clot, began to develop the hard scar tissue. The nipple itself became quite tough and, to be honest, more noticeable than pre-op owing to it being a bit harder and pointier. The only saving grace was the tenser bandage, which enabled me to walk around in a t-shirt without being overly self-conscious.

I initially believed that the tenser bandage was having a positive effect on the deep scar tissue, because for a short while after wearing it, let's say overnight, my nipples - though not flat - certainly felt less hard than before wearing the bandage. Now I am of the opinion that the scar tissue was merely being pushed into my chest muscles, and eventually "resurfaced". So I have taken to massaging the area, and though the changes are so slight and occur over weeks rather than days, I think I am beginning to notice a small improvement in both the quantity of scar tissue, as well as the general hardness of my nipple.

Overall, I have to say I'm quite disappointed with the effect the surgery has had. At the time of writing this, there is no noticeable improvement over my nipples pre-op. They are still rounded, though admittedly that is probably from swelling fluid and not glandular tissue. It has only been two months, and I am more than willing to wait another 10 to see real improvement (and it's not exactly like I have a choice:)). My advice to you: be patient and keep massaging your nipples. Don't go easy on them. If your incisions have healed, and you can tolerate the pain, then dig your thumbs into the scar tissue and keep at it. It will start to go down. I'll let you know how mine progresses.

However, what has really become apparent to me through all this is how psychologically affected I am by my nipples. I never wore anything like a tenser bandage over my chest before the operation, and now I find myself occasionally wearing one when I go out to parties or social gatherings, just because it makes me feel immeasurably more comfortable. Ordinarily, I walk with my arms crossed and my back hunched over, and frankly I'm just so tired of feeling embarassed in my own skin. I was really hoping this surgery would be the answer, and despite people's assurances, I can't help but have my doubts. Oh well, I waited 10 years to get the operation done, I can wait another 10 months for a normal chest!




 

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