betsy

Hi Derin,
I have lots of scar tissue from previous surgeries. Mine have been treated with drains into external bags. I am post surgical resection 5 years with no recurrence.

betsy

Hi Denise,
I’m Betsy and have had drains for 5 years. LisaS post was so well done. I had a tube at the bra line too and bought demi-bras – not much support but very comfortable, pretty too. I am not able to cap my drains.

– If your stitches become sore, heat a wet, clean washrag in the microwave and then hold it against your stitches. It really helps speed up healing process and feels great.

– For pain relief I take percoset or tramadol.

– I use small binder clips to clip my bag to my pants. Most times, I can hide my bag inside of my pants. For showers, I have a cheapo plastic belt I wear that I clip my bag to.

– It takes me a couple of days to feel better after a tube change. Watch for signs of infection: fever over 100, right shoulder pain, nausea, bad chills. last thing you want is another trip to the hospital, yuck! I am taking a prophylactic dose of cipro. have jammies and nice clean sheets on my bed waiting for me when i get home from tube change oh, btw, i spend a fair amount of time in my pjs, so i have quite a few pairs….a girl has to have some fun, right!!

– I use 4×4 cotton squares to cover my stitches and paper tape to secure the squares. I had problems finding tape that didn’t bother me…..didn’t like silk tape. there are also wipes you can get a script for to use before you apply your bandage. Its called “skin-prep” by smith &nephew. many times my skin has gotten raw from tape so now i use this prep before using the tape. miracle product! Hope these tips help.

Hi Everyone,

Celebrated 4 years cancer free January 2013. Still dealing with stented bile ducts but otherwise o.k.

xxoo
Betsy

Hi Mary,
Hard to believe it’s been a year. Glad to hear from you. It’s been several years since my parents and brother died and the grief has gotten easier to bear but I still think about them all of the time. I think you are doing a tremendous job of trying to get your life back together. Glad your son is staying with you.

Hi Hans,
Glad to see your post. Hope you are doing well.

hugs to you both,
Betsy

Hi Lynn,
As a patient, I can understand George’s hesitation. I’ve been in the hospital many weekends and it is scary when none of your docs are around. I was sent to the ER at a different hospital on a Friday night. The ER docs took a look at my records and got spooked so they transferred me to the Clinic. The beginning of a very long weekend.

Betsy

i’ve been cancer free since my resection in January 2009.

Hi Pam,
Are you seeing an MD for anti-depression meds? I see a psychiatrist for my medications. I started out with my MD but he just couldn’t get the combination right. I know it sucks to think of getting another doctor but you might give it some thought.

xxoo Betsy