The Dressing Clinic NEW

A week after my op and 5 days after coming out of hospital, I had to go in to the dressing clinic to check my woulds were healing well.

It was a very straight forward appointment having to wait only 5 minutes to be seen. I mentioned that the valve under my reconstructed breast was really uncomfortable, to the point of it making me wince if I moved in the wrong way, and that it was in a awkward position in regards to where my bra lays as it digs in.

The nurse explained that the valve had a magnet on it and that the surgeon would be able to reposition it next time I see him and not to worry. Phew.

They booked me in for a weeks time and said that in a couple of weeks I would need to come back for my reconstructed boob’s implant to be expanded (this is not filled to capacity straight away as there is obviously lots of swelling etc, meaning they don’t know what size it will end up). So they wait until all the swelling has reduced then they expand the implant via the valve mentioned above with saline to match the other regular implant in my case.

A week later I returned to the dressing clinic, this time waiting over an hour to be seen and then when I mentioned to this nurse about the magnet and getting the valve moved she explained that the other nurse had given me the wrong information. Aarrghh what is it with this hospital and just making up information as they go along?

She explained there is a valve that is magnetic but I don’t have one like that – my port will have to stay there for a few more months until all my expansion appointments are done but the surgeon will have to remove it completely for me to get rid of the discomfort. In the mean time all but 2 small sections of dressing remained, one on my back and one at the bottom of the reconstructed boob.