results after mastectomy & chemo plan

@MKitty68 Gee you've been through the wringer! Hoping things settle down a little now for you. I have crappy veins too but was never offered a portacath as I saw mostly women with Her2 got them due to the extra year of Herceptin. I did get through fine to be honest, though the "red devil" left bad cording in my right arm and a blood clot at one point lol. So they had to use my left arm which is my BC side :/ they said it was absolutely find to do so. Step at a time, I think we always fear the unknown once you start you'll settle. x 

Hey Cat, wishing you quick healing  Xx

Thank you. 
Just feeling tired & a bit nervous about what's to come

Oh you poor thing. Healibg thoughts heading your way. Hope you feel better soon. X

thank you 

Take heart, lymphoedema can be very manageable. It's a pain (not actually in my case!) and roll on the cure but much worse things happen at sea. I started seroma massage rather late. My seroma lingered (intent on staying with me for life!) and the massage resulted in a marked reduction but not before the last hoorah, a serious infection. So think about it as an option. My arm is fine, I wear a pressure sleeve a lot but don't mind it as if keeps my arm in really good nick. Otherwise it looks and feels healthy. Best wishes.

yeah, they said it's cellulitis & a seroma, so not much fun! 
I have lymphodema physio education class next Wednesday, so i can ask then. 
They said there was nothing I could have done to prevent it or to have caused it. They also said that it's quite common. 
The Dr's said that there is unfortunately a large area there to fill and the body tries to fill it. 

Unfortunately infections are not uncommon, particularly if you have a seroma. It gives the bad bugs we all carry internally a nice nutrient rich soup to get fat on! No-one likes having to go to hospital, but it is often wise. Massage may help dispel a seroma if it lingers - worth asking your surgeon about that (a good lymphedema therapist would be able to do that). The sooner you can get rid of it once and for all the better. Best wshes.

Everything has had to be set back a bit.
Wednesday afternoon I came home form Chemo education feeling really cold & tired - it is winter, and i'd had to take in a lot of info again, so i didn't think it too unusual. I'd just put a brand new electric blanket on my bed that is different to my old one, hadn't read the instructions as i'd been too tired & just wanted the bed warm. I put it on high. My old one would stay on high for 1 hour then automatically turn itself down to medium-low, then turn off completely after 8 hours. Both blankets are 'Ovela' brand by Kogan, so i'd assumed they'd be the same? wrong - the new one stayed on high - which was way hotter than my old one. I woke very disoriented, could not focus my eyes, not enough energy to go to the kitchen, unable to send my bf a text, o reply to the several messages he'd sent me. eventually i got more water and was able to stumble to the toilet. I felt ill, hungry but unable to eat. The next morning my bf ends up calling me as he's worried he'd not heard from me all night, which is highly unusual. I felt like crap. I was drinking water at least though. I stumbled throughout the day,I'd had a centrelink telephone appointment in the morning & had to go to the local office to show my ID, etc. i went to the shop & got a couple of things that i couldn't go without. Got home feeling drained & terrible. hungry but couldn't eat anything, i tried a few things but just had no appetite even though my tummy said i was very hungry. 
I noticed i was quite sore on the mastectomy side (i still call it my left breast - i just got a flat tyre) so put my hand inside m,y vra, it was hot, so went to the bathroom & looked, very red... called my GP's office, but no vacancies for either my own Dr or any other. Called home Dr service, they don't start until after 6pm - 8pm they arrive, Dr checks me over - temp is 38.2 & i'm feverish. She gave me 2 oral AB's and advised me to go to the hospital, and to not delay. 
I ended up being admitted, as i suspected i would. IV antibiotics for a few days, however my veins were not coping with the AB at all! my arm & hand are a mess & very tender. I have terrible veins and only 1 arm to work with. 
I was supposed to have had the portacath inserted on Friday morning with chemo commencing Monday just gone, obviously that did not go ahead though. I have another appointment with my medical oncologist on this coming Monday, and chemo scheduled to start Tuesday - but still no portacath... i keep bringing it up with them as i know my veins will NOT tolerate the chemo if they cannot even tolerate the AB's. 
I was discharged yesterday with another smaller drain in place. They drained a fair amount of fluid from the seroma on Friday as well as Monday. Since then, there's not been much drainage though.