Surgical spirit - removing 'the bandag

[AJP]

Hi all.

The bandages come off tomorrow.

I thought it would be a good idea to get rid of the excess adhesive residue that the first set of bandages left over, before I remove the current bandages and set out to remove the residue that they leave. The thing is, I have a few areas where the skin was removed from the first lot being ripped off, and I'm unsure over whether surgical spirit would sting/irritate the wound. What do you think?

I'm totally gagging to get in the shower and have a good wash - I feel (and probably smell) like a tramp. I take it I will have to be ultra-careful of the armpit incisions when washing, or will they be pretty well sealed by now? It's hard to tell by touch.

Any other tips or suggestions that help in removing the bandage residue effectively (and safely) would be highly appreciated.

All the best.

[AJP]

Hmmm.

That should read 'the bandage'.

What's a f*cking bandag? I hear you ask!!!

[RRB]

I wouldnt put the surgical spirit over any broken skin area, when i bought the wipes from asda the chemist said dont use near open wounds at all.

The armpit incisions should be scabbed over now but still becareful of catching the scabs and not rip them off.

I used wipes from Asda and also Johnson wipes to help soap up the residue.  I was in no immediate hurry to get the residue off and any tough bits i thought would come away with more showers daily, which it did.  

On another note  you can modify your topic line as well as the content of your posts
Good luck mate

[AJP]

Cheers RRB.

I've just had half an hour or so in the bathroom with some surgical sprirt and I've got a good amount of the excess residue off. As you say though, it should all come off eventually in the shower.

I'm looking forward to getting rid of the bandages nearly as much as I was looking forward to the op itself!

How are you finding the movement of your arms? I'm still quite stiff, and I'm not sure if I could manage putting a T-Shirt on; I'm still wearing my baggy old Lacoste shirt so I don't have to move around too much. It feels like the restriction is under the armpits - just where the lumps form on us 'Levick Boys'. Do you still stuggle with this or are you more or less back to normal?

Cheers.

[RRB]

Im fine getting t-shirts on and such, I can get my arms above my head but have to do it slowly once i get past shoulder height.  As you said i feel most of my restriction is at my armpits, the bandages are also a bit restrictive. I wouldnt say im back to normal but there is a very big difference from taking the bandages off last week until now. Within another week you will have a lot more movement back.

[AJP]

That's good to hear.

To be honest I'm feeling loads better than I did just after the op, so hopefully in a week I will feel that much better again. I think that once the bandages are off I'll know exactly what I can or can't do; at the moment I don't know if the bandages inhibit a certain movement or if it's the chest itself.

I'm really looking forward to a month or two down the line - I've been on a few online shops looking at T-Shirts and polo shirts I can wear once I'm ready! It will be such a nice feeling to be able to wear anything I like, but also be able to wear it proudly, without thinking "Are my boobs on show?".

Roll on the summer

[serg]

Hi AJP, I go into my surgeon's practice on Tuesday 8th March to have my bandage removed. You'll probs have yours off by then, but I'll report back as to with what/how they do it there in case anyone else may find the info useful.

Hopefully it shouldn't be just sheer pain  

[AJP]

Well, the bandage is off!

To be honest it came off quite easily (maybe something to do with me ripping half of it off the other night!).

First impressions:

I wasn't that shocked to be fair; I knew not to expect miracles from reading everyone else's posts. Still very bruised, but it's not that painful any more, which helps. I've got the old 'indentations' that most Levick blokes talk of, and they are not too bad. Most of my chest is quite numb, which I also expected.

One thing I am very pleased with is that I am very symetrical - both nipples are at the same height, and in the right position of my chest, if you know what I mean. The only thing I'm a bit unsure about is that my right nipple is very flat, but my left nipple seems to protrude a little. Feeling under it, there is alot of hard tissue, which is sitting under the nipple. Basically the left side of my chest is quite a bit lumpier than the right, maybe because I had all the bleeding/swelling on the left originally. I assume the lumpiness is either swelling or scar tissue, and that in time it will flatten out when it all dispurses. Anyone else experience this?

Didn't manage to get much of the adhesive off me, I was too interested in showering. Which was lovely. I no longer smell foul.

So I got the compression vest on, which already feels worlds better than the bandages, and I just managed to get a T-Shirt on over it. Still not much movement in my arms, but much more than a few days ago.

So far then, I am very happy with the results, but just unsure about the left nipple going down. I can only pray that it is nothing more than swelling, and that in time it will flatten out.

Cheers

[AJP]

Serg,

It's not painful at all mate. I had to do mine on my own and it was a piece of p*ss. If you've got a lovely nurse doing it for you then it should be something to look forward to!

Hope your recovery goes well by the way.

[AJP]

Hi lads.

Quick Update:

Had a quick peek/feel of the suspect left side of my chest today, and the swelling under the nipple has more or less gone! Things are much more even, and I can tell it is all starting to heal very fast.

I did spend 15-20mins massaging the hard area in bed last night, as I thought it may help to flatten any lumps. Maybe it worked? Or maybe it was just the compression vest doing it's bit. Whatever the reason, I'm happy. I will double-check this evening, just to see if being on my feet has any effect on it.

The only thing that's bugging me now is each lump near the incisions is getting squeezed by the hem of the compression vest, and it's sometimes a bit painful. Nothing I can't handle though.

I'll report back soon.

Cheers.

PS: I finish my antibiotics today, and it's been over a week since the op, so am I ok to start eating garlic yet? What about a beer?

[RRB]

Beer mmmm

I Went mental on vodka 1 week after op and had no problem .

You bled more and stuff though i would possibly wait 2 weeks for beer (if you plan on a session) but i would think garlic would be ok now.

[AJP]

Nice one. Don't think I'll be going on any mad sessions just yet, but I'm craving a nice curry!

Cheers.