I am pleased to report that the tissue in the wound is healthy enough to have surgery next week. I am relieved.
I have had 13 Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments (HBO) and have been going to wound care and progress is finally being made! Yea! As you may recall, after my surgery on February 2, I immediately began to have trouble with the grafted skin beginning to die. The radiation damage to my vascular system around the breast area was much worse than anyone realized. There was just not a sufficient blood supply to the newly grafted skin. The skin graft was replacing skin very scared by radiation. Thankfully the muscle flap that the surgeon brought around from my back worked well, it was just about 1/2 of the skin that died. At this point, the wound will not close without surgery.
So next week, Thursday, April 8, I will have out patient surgery bright and early in the morning. The plastic surgeon will remove some of the raw granulation tissue so that he can bring the ends of the surviving skin together to close the wound. I am hopeful that things will move along much more quickly once the wound is closed.
It will be outpatient surgery at the Aspen Surgery Center in WC. I will be in twilight sleep with local anaesthetic for about an hour. I will get to go home that day. I will continue HBO treatments starting the next day. They want to do everything they can to make sure I get enough blood circulation this time!
Please pray:
**I have a bit of a cold, enough to keep me out of HBO treatment the last couple of days, that needs to be healed quickly and completely!
**Please pray that the surgery goes well, without any problems or setbacks.
**Please pray that my blood vessels are strong enough to feed the surgery site so that there is no more necrotic/dying skin. If I need more vascular support, please pray for a miraculous healing in that area.
**Please pray that I will not be nauseated from the medication they use to help me sleep through the surgery.
**Again, please pray for NO COMPLICATIONS!!
Thank you so very, very much!!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Seeing the plastic surgeon today
I have an appointment this afternoon with my plastic surgeon They have determined that the wound left from my surgery on Feb 2 will not heal without an additional surgery. I am hoping I can have it next week. I will find out today.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
For those who don't know why I have this wound...
If you are logging onto the blog and don't know why I have this crazy wound right now, please go back in the archives to January 24 and January 26. Those two posts will explain why I needed to have surgery on February 2. This wound is still open from that surgery.
The bottom line, for those who love brevity (which I am not great at), is that I have been fighting breast cancer. I was diagnosed in June of 2008, had a double mastectomy and all lymph nodes under my left arm removed the end of July 08. This past surgery was to try and repair severe radiation damage and do some reconstruction. The radiation damage has proven to be much worse than anyone realized. Thus the many complications. Thank you for logging on and for praying. It means more to me than I can express. I know it is the prayers of family and friends that is sustaining me through this long and difficult battle.
With deep gratitude,
Leslyn
The bottom line, for those who love brevity (which I am not great at), is that I have been fighting breast cancer. I was diagnosed in June of 2008, had a double mastectomy and all lymph nodes under my left arm removed the end of July 08. This past surgery was to try and repair severe radiation damage and do some reconstruction. The radiation damage has proven to be much worse than anyone realized. Thus the many complications. Thank you for logging on and for praying. It means more to me than I can express. I know it is the prayers of family and friends that is sustaining me through this long and difficult battle.
With deep gratitude,
Leslyn
Bad news is hard to write...
I have delayed in updating my blog because I find that bad news is hard for me to write. A week and a half ago I went in to see my other surgeon and the wound had separated so far that the skin broke free from the stitches. No wonder it had been hurting!
Wound Care Center:
She and my plastic surgeon talked and decided to send me back to the Wound Care Center. That was an experience. They are so good but really aggressive when it comes to debriding a wound. The doctor goes after the wound with little scissors and a scalpel cutting and scraping away ALL tissue that he thinks is not healthy. Whoa baby. The first time I had to change my bandages at home after that, I had to go lay down. I broke out in a sweat and got light headed just from looking at the wound. For those who know me well, it tells you what it must look like to have that effect on me. I am usually unphased by that type of thing.
Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) Treatment:
The wound care doctor called the Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) doctor and I went directly from the wound care center to the HBO center at John Muir. They evaluated me and began HBO at 8AM the next morning on a Saturday. They wanted me to be treated twice a day for the first few days, but I told them I would go everyday, but not twice a day. There is a risk for oxygen toxicity if you spend too much time in 100% oxygen at 2 atmospheres of pressure. I didn't feel that the benefit outweighed the risk.
I have had 5 treatments. They think I will need 40-60 treatments. That was a bit overwhelming to hear. I got home and had a good long cry. Ron just sat with me while I cried and ran his fingers through my hair and quietly prayed for me. It was just what I needed. The next day I felt much better and stronger.
Surgery:
I saw my plastic surgeon again yesterday. He said the tissue in the wound looks good for the most part. Thank the Lord there is no infection. There is still some necrotic (dead) tissue that has developed since the last time the wound was debrided (cleaned out). He said that he hopes in two weeks with hyperbaric treatment and wound care that the necrotic tissue will be gone. If that is the case, he wants to take me back into surgery to close the wound. It just continues to get wider and wider, so he has to do something. The least invasive would be to cut away some of the tissue in the center and then bring the skin that is left back together so it will heal. If that does not work, then he will do a skin graft. I am praying the first surgery will work. They hope that since I will have a couple of weeks of hyperbaric treatments already done and will continue to go to treatment for a number of weeks afterward that the surgery will work. I will probably have surgery the week before Easter, if all goes well.
Thank you for your prayers. I had great favor to get into both the wound care and the hyperbaric treatment so quickly. We got to know everyone in both places well last time around. They were all very happy to see us, though sad that I had to be back. I trust the Lord has more for Ron and me to do in those places, we desire to be a blessing and used by the Lord there again.
Thank you for your prayers, especially that I can stay focused on the Lord and His goodness. This delay was not in my plans, so I am having to give my agenda and time schedule to the Lord again. He knows and I trust Him. Thank you!!
Wound Care Center:
She and my plastic surgeon talked and decided to send me back to the Wound Care Center. That was an experience. They are so good but really aggressive when it comes to debriding a wound. The doctor goes after the wound with little scissors and a scalpel cutting and scraping away ALL tissue that he thinks is not healthy. Whoa baby. The first time I had to change my bandages at home after that, I had to go lay down. I broke out in a sweat and got light headed just from looking at the wound. For those who know me well, it tells you what it must look like to have that effect on me. I am usually unphased by that type of thing.
Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) Treatment:
The wound care doctor called the Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) doctor and I went directly from the wound care center to the HBO center at John Muir. They evaluated me and began HBO at 8AM the next morning on a Saturday. They wanted me to be treated twice a day for the first few days, but I told them I would go everyday, but not twice a day. There is a risk for oxygen toxicity if you spend too much time in 100% oxygen at 2 atmospheres of pressure. I didn't feel that the benefit outweighed the risk.
I have had 5 treatments. They think I will need 40-60 treatments. That was a bit overwhelming to hear. I got home and had a good long cry. Ron just sat with me while I cried and ran his fingers through my hair and quietly prayed for me. It was just what I needed. The next day I felt much better and stronger.
Surgery:
I saw my plastic surgeon again yesterday. He said the tissue in the wound looks good for the most part. Thank the Lord there is no infection. There is still some necrotic (dead) tissue that has developed since the last time the wound was debrided (cleaned out). He said that he hopes in two weeks with hyperbaric treatment and wound care that the necrotic tissue will be gone. If that is the case, he wants to take me back into surgery to close the wound. It just continues to get wider and wider, so he has to do something. The least invasive would be to cut away some of the tissue in the center and then bring the skin that is left back together so it will heal. If that does not work, then he will do a skin graft. I am praying the first surgery will work. They hope that since I will have a couple of weeks of hyperbaric treatments already done and will continue to go to treatment for a number of weeks afterward that the surgery will work. I will probably have surgery the week before Easter, if all goes well.
Thank you for your prayers. I had great favor to get into both the wound care and the hyperbaric treatment so quickly. We got to know everyone in both places well last time around. They were all very happy to see us, though sad that I had to be back. I trust the Lord has more for Ron and me to do in those places, we desire to be a blessing and used by the Lord there again.
Thank you for your prayers, especially that I can stay focused on the Lord and His goodness. This delay was not in my plans, so I am having to give my agenda and time schedule to the Lord again. He knows and I trust Him. Thank you!!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
It will be awhile longer...
I went to see my plastic surgeon today. On the one hand, he is happy with the wound, the tissue looks viable and it is not infected. I am very grateful for that! On the other hand, the wound is so bad and so deep that he thinks the best area may heal in 4-6 weeks. The area that is the worst will likely take 6-8 weeks to heal.
Please join me in continuing to pray for complete healing.
Please pray that the wound would remain infection free!
Please also pray that it would heal much more quickly than they expect. I would like this to be finished and I'd love to move forward.
Please pray too that I do not get discouraged. I am fighting that and winning, but it is a battle at times.
Thank you, I am very grateful for you and thankful that you are continuing to walk with me in this long journey and battle.
Please join me in continuing to pray for complete healing.
Please pray that the wound would remain infection free!
Please also pray that it would heal much more quickly than they expect. I would like this to be finished and I'd love to move forward.
Please pray too that I do not get discouraged. I am fighting that and winning, but it is a battle at times.
Thank you, I am very grateful for you and thankful that you are continuing to walk with me in this long journey and battle.
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