I SO agree with you that a tissue expansion appointment leaves one with the symptoms we've come to associate with cardiac distress: chest pain, shortness of breath (are the expanders pressing against the lungs?) and shoulder pain. If I experienced these same symptoms in the absence of the expansion process, I'd be calling 911 and reporting a heart attack! I'm not trying to be alarmist; just amazed at the symptom similarities.
What on earth are all these doctors saying about the tissue expansion process being "painless", "uncomfortable but not painful", and "relieved by Tylenol?". Have any of THEM ever had a double mastectomy, followed by an expansion process with rigid tissue expanders? I'm sorry, but I didn't just feel "fullness" or "mild discomfort". I felt PAIN! And I'm not a wuss...6 years ago, I had my first bout with breast cancer: a lumpectomy, 13 rounds of chemo, 33 rounds of radiation, and 3 reconstruction surgeries. I've also had a complete hysterectomy and several other abdominal surgeries. But tissue expansion IS painful, and I believe patients deserve the option of prescription pain medicine and muscle relaxers - even if only 3-5 days worth are necessary. All this talk about "no pain if it's done correctly" doesn't help the actual patient who's about to experience the expansion. Some "discomfort" relieving medicine would be of greater assistance - at least in the short run.
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What on earth are all these doctors saying about the tissue expansion process being "painless", "uncomfortable but not painful", and "relieved by Tylenol?". Have any of THEM ever had a double mastectomy, followed by an expansion process with rigid tissue expanders? I'm sorry, but I didn't just feel "fullness" or "mild discomfort". I felt PAIN! And I'm not a wuss...6 years ago, I had my first bout with breast cancer: a lumpectomy, 13 rounds of chemo, 33 rounds of radiation, and 3 reconstruction surgeries. I've also had a complete hysterectomy and several other abdominal surgeries. But tissue expansion IS painful, and I believe patients deserve the option of prescription pain medicine and muscle relaxers - even if only 3-5 days worth are necessary. All this talk about "no pain if it's done correctly" doesn't help the actual patient who's about to experience the expansion. Some "discomfort" relieving medicine would be of greater assistance - at least in the short run.