Forum Discussion
Preparation for mastectomy + DIEP + potentially port removal
For the short read:
What exercises for PRE-surgery do you recommend? I have about 2 months time, am 45 and generally fit except for limited mobility in one arm due to a pesky port that won't ever h...
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That is a real bummer about the Port wound not closing & possibly being infected winter-spring!
I would be surprised if they went ahead with any surgery until that is totally healed!
Where on earth did you find the terms 'dehiscent' and 'exudate' - Out of interest - do you come from a medical background!!! ( 'dehiscent' means - a wound splitting and/or bursting - and 'exudate' means - seeping/weeping wound!) That is the very first time I've heard either word! LOL!! (They are good descriptions of it, tho!)
Definitely monitor the wound for redness around it and/or warmth and of course, your own temperature too.
Frozen shoulder is a real pain - I had it for some years before intervention (it usually only gets worse, not better, without medical intervention!). I'd tried accupuncture, ultrasound & exercises - but it continued to get worse - I ended up not being able to wash my hair & had difficulty feeding myself as I couldn't raise my hand/arm above shoulder height. It is quite common in women - probably from all the grocery bag carrying & carrying kids (if you have them!) Having said that - I never had kids - maybe it was my fishing (lots of casting) that contributed to mine? I ended up having a procedure done on my left one 25 years ago (aged 50) & ten years later, keyhole surgery on the right one for a mix of frozen shoulder, rotator cuff injury & torn bicep! WELL worth having it done, if it is affecting your lifestyle, tho it DOES take quite a while to get full range of motion back afterwards.
Re exercises ... just do what you normally do - and don't overdo it, specially with your shoulder limitations but particularly due to the Port wound not healing. Stay out of pools - in case it infects it further!!
Have they taken blood samples yet to make sure you don't have a blood bug that is preventing the healing? That REALLY IS weird! They sure wouldn't want that to happen with your upcoming major surgery!!
Let us know how you go!
Take care & all the best
Just double checking you aren't Diabetic, or pre-Diabetic? It can definitely impact wound healing!
Sorry to hear of your own troubles with frozen shoulder arpie . Mine went away with physio, exercise and patience.
I have no medical background - learnt those words you mentioned as I experienced them! Like, "what the hell, I have a scar that looks like it's healed but there are fricking holes in my body!". Exudate is written on info/instruction sheets for medical gels etc as I was looking for products that may help.
I'm not diabetic either. And would loved to have been swimming but haven't been able to for 4 months due to this port.
Even though my GP said it didn't look infected, a day later I sent progress pictures to my hospital nurses and they called me in straight away. I'm on antibiotics now awaiting port removal. Nurse practitioner says it seems infected. The development since writing my post here is that it is now quite painful to touch or brush against and a little red.
They'll put a PICC in for the rest of my treatment.
So I'm hoping that if the port gets removed very soon, I'll be able to do exercises in preparation for the main event surgery a few weeks after that.
Appreciate your response, but any other suggestions and tips with pre-surgery exercise is still most welcome.