Post 24: Plastics Visit

On Easter Sunday, I needed to call the hospital ward to check this back-crying was ok – they called my consultant surgeon (who removed the original lump) at his home to check on the situation, just to be extra sure that what we were doing was correct.

He advised that I could:

• Be re-admitted to the ward and remain under their watch.
• Return on Tuesday (after Easter) as part of the out-patients session.

We decided to go back to Birmingham on Tuesday and actually saw the plastic surgeon who originally operated on my chest/back (once the sarcoma was removed). She said that because the amount of skin removed (needed to form the chest flap) was significant, the separating was expected – this could be re-stitched, but very likely separate again.

Otherwise, she was really happy with how it all looked and advised us to carry on as we were, but to go to our GP or A&E if anything were to change.

Well, it did – Claire started to see the orangey-clear was turning a shade of green on the padding, suggesting signs of an infection.

So, off we went to the GP to get it swabbed.

In order to swab it properly, the mesh-netting needed to come off – something I was a little hesitant about, as it felt like it was the only thing holding two halves of my body together!!

Visually, the netting was masking the wound underneath and, once it was removed, the true shape of the wound came much clearer.

#sarcoma #sarcomasurgery #latissimusdorsiflap