Dr. Visit 12.11.2007

Last night I checked that pad. Dry. Oh no. Where is all that fluid--absorbing, pooling, some of both, probably. There's no lump, though, because the ace wrap is on. My breast is really full, and tender. I made sure the ace wrap was in position, with one layer over the breast. (I had read that one layer of light compression reduces the fluid accumulation and also raises the temperature under the wrap approximately 5 degrees) I put the peripad there just in case, and went to bed.

This morning, the pad was still dry. Breast is tender and full, and seems that directly under the axillary incision is firm, and sore. It's a bit reddened, too. After breakfast, we headed over to the office.

We waited, and finally got called back into the exam room, and I changed into a paper gown, open in front. Dr Sanchez came in and listened to why we came in--initially because of the accumulation of fluid, and I told her I popped it yesterday in the shower, and how much fluid came out. She examined that wound pretty closely, and commented on the firmness around and underneath (inside) of the incision. It's also slightly reddened. She also checked the wound on the breast--I told her how tender it is, also the nipple area, and how full it has been. That what we were most concerned of, however, was the discoloration of the underside of the breast. She had me lay back, brought over the bright light, and looked more closely. Poked and touched. Her conclusion was that the filling is stressing that whole area, and she commented on how much tissue she removed. Hm, sounds like she took almost 1/3 of that breast tissue. If not closer to half. Youch.

She wrote a script for Keflex, 500 mg, TID x 7 days. (Three times a day) I had apologized for a maybe unnecessary visit and wasting her time, and she said anytime a nurse comes back in for a check, it's important. I thanked her, and she said it's better to catch something early with antibiotics than wait until it's more obvious.

We thanked her, and ended up all leaving together. She was on her way over to the hospital, and it's her birthday, so she was trying to get finished up. Happy Birthday, Dr., and Thanks again.

Dan and I both felt good that we were validated for our concerns. We dropped off the prescription on the way home, and I'll pick it up on my way out this afternoon.

So, all is ok, and I'm on track to return to work Wednesday and Thursday.

Thanks for reading. Love, Kathy