results after mastectomy & chemo plan
On 23rd May I had a skin & nipple sparing mastectomy, all went well with the surgery. My wound has healed well. 3 weeks post surgery I still have the drain in, finally today the output is down to 40...
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A pic line is a reasonable compromise at this stage. They are not quite so user friendly for the patient as the bit the hospital accesses is outside your body rather than under your skin (like a port) but it will put an immediate stop to all the stabbing.
The great thing about pic lines is (don't freak out about this) is that they can be put in without a general anaesthetic . You will be sedated and it is not painful. They take a bit more maintenance but at the moment it sounds like that is the least of your problems.
I know it's hard when all this stuff gets in the way of what you want to do (pretty much anything else) and with the understanding that we are all different and react differently, it might be time for you to Make A Fuss.
If you have a decent breast care nurse, give her a call and tell her you have had enough and that the constant assault on your veins is starting to do more than just physical damage. Ask her to start putting some pressure on the hospital to get you bumped up their list of priorities. It can happen quite quickly if they think you are moving from one risk category to another,
Good luck, I wish I was there so I could give them a shove for you--bossing hospitals is my personal specialty :)