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Wound separation

By BR 6 months on 22 Jul 2012

Ok this might be long so I apologize. I had my BR on 6/18. I had roughly 2500g per side removed, more than 10lbs. (awesome!) I am down to a perky D cup. That's the good news. The bad news is that I have a huge gaping hole that opened up on one side at the T junction, about 2 -3 wks post op. I'm almost 6 weeks post op now and this hole is HUGE, it's bigger than a half dollar. I also have one on the other side but not at the T just along the incision.. and it's maybe the size of a quarter. Per PS I'm showering twice a day, and packing both with saline gauze covered with dry gauze. (in the beginning I was just doing polysporine and gauze). Both wounds 'seem' to be progressing. Though it's hard to tell, and much like watching paint dry. It's pretty pink on the inside of the big one, and the gauze comes out pink and yellow.. very gunky! I will upload pictures. I have TWO questions for folks that may have gone through this. First, along the seam of the incision about 1/2 inch from the BIG wound is another smaller opening that just started up yesterday. It's not fully opened but it's soft and white and starting to be moist. Today I put polysporine on it and some gauze. Does anyone have any suggestions AT all about how to keep more from opening up?? I also noticed along the T junction on the other side it's leaking about 2 drips on a pad each day. That one so far does not seem to be opening, I'm also applying poly on that. It's getting really frustrating and disheartening I can tell you that. Second question. On the big wound there is some yellow stringy stuff, that is elastic-y. Does anyone know what the heck that is? Is it part of the stitching? Can I / should I pull it out? Some of it's just hanging there. It's tender to 'tug' on it and it looks like it goes all around inside, so I'm scared to pull it. But it's kinda gross, like a booger... lol! Anyway if anyone has gone through this, I could really use some advice and/or words of encouragement.

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BR 6 months 23 Oct 2012

I'm glad to hear that! I'm all healed up now and the only thing I have to think about is that I see my PS in Jan and will find out how she wants to proceed with scar revision AND I have one side (the side with the wound) that is about a cup size smaller than the other. Glad you are doing well !

TwisaP 23 Oct 2012

Okay, I switched to your method and it helped me tremendously!! Thank you so much for sharing what worked for you!

BR 6 months 20 Sep 2012

Yes I will go see her again at the beginning of Oct.

TwisaP 19 Sep 2012

Okay, I was a bit confused about the name. Speaking of google it's so crazy when I look up wound separation and my boobs appear! Looking at the pics that I took when it all opened up to what it looks like now I can tell some things have healed up a bit, so that is encouraging. Do you still go see your PS?

BR 6 months 19 Sep 2012

Honestly.. It's just now closed, and there is a pin hole that still leaks today. My surgery was 6/18. You are going to have to deal with that for a while I'm afraid. Just be diligent in showering twice a day and changing out the dressing. The scar now is actually filling in so it's not a gaping indent.. like I thought there would be. It's still a big indent but it's filling up. Also my PS told me they would likely need to do scar revision. No idea what that entails or results in. :) Let me know how you are doing, keep in touch. :) I changed my name on here because I use that for other things and found it was coming up in a google search lol.

TwisaP 19 Sep 2012

Hi! I hope you are still getting messages here. After trying all the doctors methods I just switched to the wet to dry method. Can you tell me how long it took for things to close up? How is the scar left looking now?

BR 6 months 8 Sep 2012

Yes it does dry out, and in the beginning I would just take it off in the shower, after it is wet it just peels off. No pain at all, once in a great while it would feel like it was really stuck on, I just let the shower soak it for a while and it would fall off. It didn't matter if it stuck to the other gauze... it all comes off at once. The goal is basically to do all these methods so that it doesn't scab over, and it just creates nice moist skin.

TwisaP 8 Sep 2012

NO don't say that! Okay, question tho. When you do the saline does it not dry out and eventually stick to you and other gauze? Hopefully this method works because the xeroform I ordered was kinda pricey and I order a bunch. I had my surgery on August 8th. Oh, I guess a month ago today. I NEVER imagined that this would still be happening this far in, but at least I feel like I might be moving along a little better. I'm going to see a general surgeon Monday. Hopefully he'll be able to help enough, if I need it. I moved to the desert and the nearest PS is about an hour and a half away.

BR 6 months 7 Sep 2012

Haha! Yah the wound wash is good for soaking the gauze but probably not the best for actually washing the wound. Yes I had draining up until it closed up, and even now I have a little stitch sticking out and it's still oozing a little from there. I have spit a couple of stitches and there is another one starting on the other breast. I also still have swelling in one (at least it seems like it and the Dr. thinks so) side which is much larger than the other breast.. and swelling in the sides where I had lipo done.. under the arms. But yah the swelling takes time. Pretty much I feel like right now is when the healing is officially starting for me, to be honest. The scars are all starting to look like they are healing up though still pink. I'm doing 'massages' with vasoline on all the scars. My PS told me that swelling can last several months, especially in lipo areas. When was your surgery, and did you have lipo? OH and I did buy a new bra finally and it was.. TOO BIG!?! I got a D cup, and it was baggy in the cup. I was flabbergasted, I have never had that problem ! I think she brought me down to a C cup anyway. I just ordered a couple of those, we will see how that works out. :)

BR 6 months 7 Sep 2012

Also I wanted to mention to you.. I was doing polysporin and gauze in the beginning of the wound care, which is similar to your jelly and gauze routine, but for me it did not help and I feel was making things worse, and more irritated and the wound was getting bigger and bigger. I waited probably longer than I should have to see her, and get switched to the wet to dry routine instead. So if the current routine does not work and things do not get better but are getting worse, either swap to saline, or go see PS as soon as possible. :)

TwisaP 7 Sep 2012

That is the best most helpful babbling I've every read!! Thank you so much for so much detail. I went to the doctor yesterday and they gave me a similar method, but instead of the saline soaked gauze they have a petroleum based gauze and then dry gauze over that. When the nurse did it it was so pretty, but when I tried not so much. I can say though, that it's awesome now when I pull the dressing off and nothing is sticking, pulling , or burning. I've been so scared to really rub the cloth over the wounds! I use dial soap and kinda pat them, cause I've been so scared to pull something or hurt something. Okay, I'll be bolder about it now. I'm still not really that pumped about my girls either. It's pretty hard to be excited about them when they are oozing and open. Were yours still draining and swollen for a while? I'm glad to hear that you are doing better. I'll try to add more of your details to my routine too! I gotta fine some wound wash!

BR 6 months 6 Sep 2012

I'll also tell you that it got bigger before it got smaller, so don't panic if that happens. :) Just be diligent in the wound care and you'll be fine. My PS told me last week that things look great and that we may need to do scar revision but she will determine that in 6 months. And said that it was not a big deal and done right in her office. Thank goodness, I can't take another surgery. Ok now Im just babbling. Ha! best of luck, keep us posted!

BR 6 months 6 Sep 2012

Hi TwisaP -

Argh I just wrote this big long reply and it didn't take!? Ok so what worked for me is wet to dry packing. So you shower twice a day and wash the wound very well with a soapy washcloth. Don't be afraid to really rub the cloth over it. I was leary about it, but for whatever reason the wound area did not really hurt and soap didn't bother it at all. Anyway so twice a day wash, and then soak clean sterile gauze with sterile saline solution. I found a bottle of the 'wound wash' worked fine, but you can also buy regular sterile saline in the clear medical containers at the pharmacy. Cover wound with the saline soaked gauze an then cover that with a dry gauze. Both appropriate size to the wound. I used 2x2's wadded up so they get pushed into wound. I used clean fresh washcloths, towels and sports bras at each shower. My husband loved all the laundry but it's worth it not to take the chance of infection. Anyway within a week the wounds (had one on each breast) began to turn around. The big one in the picture is just now closed up, within the past 1.5 weeks or so and I just stopped my 2 showers a day last week. Thank goodness! So I'm still on the mend but things are finally looking up. I haven't had much of a chance to enjoy or even appreciate the new girls yet so hoping that I can soon lol. Anyway much luck to you, just keeping the area clean and damp seemed to help me, but obviously you want to check with your PS and see what they think. Keep us posted!

TwisaP 6 Sep 2012

Hi. Could you please explain what worked for you as far wound care. I'm going through the same thing, and boy is it annoying!

BR 6 months 13 Aug 2012

Thank you for checking :) I'm doing well, things are healing up and the wound is closing... slowly. It's about the size of a quarter now, so about 1/2 the size that it was. Diligent wound care seemed to do the trick. Thanks again!

wayanna 13 Aug 2012

Hi Zatalia, Just wanted to ask how you have healed up since you posted this? I hope all is well.

Deb uk 26 Jul 2012

Hi Zatalia,
Glad you are ok. Hope all heals well. You are brave waiting that long...if it had been me i'd have been at the PS in a shot!! Look after yourself x x

BR 6 months 26 Jul 2012

Thank you Deb :)

IzzyBizzy84 25 Jul 2012

Glad to hear everything is as it should be! what a relief!

BR 6 months 25 Jul 2012

Thanks, I actually went early to see my PS, due to some aching I was having that made me more concerned. I am glad I did, she put me at ease instantly and said that everything looked good, healthy and progressing. She did not think I had any tissue problems and no infections, but she put me on Keflex anyway just in case there is something up inside that she cannot see that is causing the aching pain. I feel sore and tender, more so than ever before. But hubby says it all looks like it's coming together and starting to close up. I'm confident now that things are going along as normal. I guess sometimes we think the worst huh? She said I can pull out the yellow stuff or it should fall out on it's own but should not be painful if I do tug it out. She did say that the color looked great and bleeding is good - it means that all the blood flow is returning (which could account for some of the pain as well). Thank you for the support. It means a lot! :)

IzzyBizzy84 25 Jul 2012

Please let us know how you are doing Zatalia!

BR 6 months 22 Jul 2012

Thanks I don't think it's infected though, the area outside is normal color and it is not leaking any kind of infection like substances, also no smell or pain. No fever etc. I am not concerned right now about infection but more on the yellow string, which hubby thinks might be related to the sutures.. and about how to keep the adjacent area from opening. However I see now in the pic that it is actually a small hole as well. I did not notice before I looked at my own pic closer.

Thank you for replying, my next appt with PS is Thursday, I will let you know what she says. On the plus side, the hole on the other side which I couldn't post a pic of, appears to be closing up. I'm hopeful things will start to get better.

BR 6 months 22 Jul 2012

I would not be surprised at any kind of dead tissue, but it's hard to tell.. guess will have to see what PS says. :(

Deb uk 24 Jul 2012

I hope it all goes well. Let me know what PS says? Is hard to see your own boobs esp post op and i too had to make he pic bigger to see the full extent. A wound which is infected/inflammed doesn't always smell.... depends on the bacteria.
Good luck with your appt. x x