Severe complications, following bilateral mastectomy/tissue expander

This is totally unacceptable behavior from your doctor, I don't have breast trouble but I lost my mother and a sister to breast cancer. I was at a doctors appointment that I wanted to discuss some symptoms I was having in a different area. He was the rudest doctor I have ever encounter and wanted to get out of the room quickly, he didn't even spend five minutes with me. Is this the new norm that doctors are giving patients, I am so disappointed in our insurances and the medical field that I have gone to looking up alternative medicine for help.
God Bless you and I hope you can get some positive help. Maybe find a second doctor and pray for better service.
Sincerely I hope you find help and peace.

This sounds horrible, and I'm sorry you went through it.
Two things that have helped me: having a good PCP and using a local Urgent Care.
After my lumpectomy I had a red rash over most of the breast. It was very difficult to get in to see the surgeon, so I went to my PCP. He didn't think it was infected, but gave me a back-up prescription of antibiotics in case it got worse. If your PCP isn't available on weekends (a solo practitioner might not have anyone on-call) it is good to know your Urgent Care. Research a little and find one that is good. Some double as community clinics, and they tend to have good practitioners. They are often less overwhelmed than ERs and willing to deal with a range of problems. And then they will notify your PCP for follow-up. You can call beforehand to see how crowded they are, and if you use the same one they will have your information on file. I know it sounds complicated, and I've found getting health care can be very frustrating, but I like having a system to fall back on.

@genetteg23 It is so surreal what you have been through this year, and it gets me so upset! It seems like a lot of doctors don't like their jobs anymore or something! AND IT SHOWS! I hope you are better today, and I hope that you get past this soon and choose a new doctor!! If his penis had blood clots hanging from it, I'm pretty sure he would call an ambulance and get himself to an emergency room!
I'm sorry and will be watching to make sure you are ok. Hope you are healing and you can finally breathe, though since it's only been 4 days since you posted that and pretty sure you are not totally over it yet.
People care about you, and some of them may have suggestions that can help you, so I hope you continue to keep us informed! Hugs.

I am a microbiologist, Serratia marcescens is not MRSA at all, it is a gram negative rod and MRSA is a gram positive cocci. They are usually treated with different antibiotics. Is the Serratia an ESBL? This means that it has extra resistance and is much harder to treat. You’re correct, you would usually acquire it in a hospital setting, that’s where all the “bad bugs” are! I hope that you’re getting the antibiotics that you need! Horrible care! After my lumpectomy I had emergency numbers that I could call at any time, you should have too! I am so sorry that you had to deal with this. 💚

I am so sorry that you have experienced distress. I imagine it may be frightening and disconnecting

Hoping you transfer to a newD who is responsive.
URGENT CARE
Have you considered a Urgent Care clinic? In certain cities, Urgent Care clinics are available at hospitals, academic and added medical practices affiliated with academic hospitals and as stand- alone
URGENY Care clinics.

Hoping you are feeling better. You to seem to have gone through a very stressful experience.

I have used an Urgent Care M To that is art of my neighborhood medical center affiliated with a academic hospital and Urg NY CRe medical centers in the past.

Best,

Susan

The stain result came back as a. Marcenses +1. and though it is not MRSA per se., it is in the family of highly resistant bacteria that is responsible for a number of illnesses with a high mortality rate a lot of them ending up, causing sepsis, and after being on the wrong anabiotic for three weeks when my blood test showed that I had an infection the day after surgery I am assuming that it was an HAI versus me developing the infection 30 days after my surgery because I had three blood test that all showed my MCV levels past 115 each time they did the CBC as well as the time that the infection had to grow even more resistant within my bloodstream being that I was put on a antibiotic for a skin infection through the emergency room and even after my breast surgeon got the results of exactly what the bacterial infection consist of all he did was calling in a refill for the skin anabiotic Friday when he got the test results back because I was able to see them in my portal so all weekend long I tried to contact people to get on the right anabiotic’s because I live with autoimmune compromised individuals, my mother is 70 she’s had skin cancer/cervical cancer. She’s been through chemo and radiation as well as having no thyroid and meds, all out of whack as well as COPD, etc., etc..
Also, Monday, I went to emergency surgery and was opened up on both sides with a raging infection going through my system that I had untreated for over 30 days. A dentist won’t even pull your tooth. If you haven’t been on antibiotics for at least 72 hours… I’m just exhausted ,overwhelmed, beyond disgusted, untrusting, and now because I have acquired legal representation because of everything that’s transpired, I feel that my medical team is doing whatever possible to turn everything around with me being the cause of everything that I’ve had to endure. But thank you for your response.

Dear @ genetteg23:

I am so sorry for what you've been through for suffering unnecessarily for more than a month in the hands of uncaring medical personnel! My heart simply aches upon reading your post and I truly admire your loving strength to continue caring for your Mom under such rough circumstances.

Unfortunately, I am not a medical expert thus I can not offer any medical help:( I can only pray for you, hopefully with the guidance from above you'll strive through all these illnesses and sufferings, come out even stronger and healthy at the other end. Perhaps you'll consider switching your care to another cancer center if it is possible? Just my 2-cents, I am so sorry for all you've been through, my comrade!

Wishing you all a better journey ahead with hope, strength, love and health!

I couldn’t be more thankful for everyone’s warm wishes and genuine concern! What started as an opportunity to complain? Please don’t let me discourage anyone from receiving care from Mayo health system. no one likes to know it all and I research everything I look up everything I don’t understand I watch videos of surgeons who discussed the surgeries that I’ve had specifically, I researched the failures the contributing factors of problems that can occur and bottom line is the risk as ours to take when we sign the agreement to receive surgery care, etc.
After receiving my breast cancer diagnosis, and every decision being dumped in my lap and me being ignorant to what DCI S consist of and everything that has to do with my diagnosis, instead of being confused and unsure, I did the best thing I could by educating myself on every aspect of the situation. See a good thing about not knowing anything about something that you’re genuinely obsessed with, my level of depth of curiosity exceeds the average level of concern. I’m just another file number when I walk through that door and the only thing that differentiates my number between every other one that these providers encounter is my conversation, questions, and my self advocating. I recently acquired some very interesting information regarding clinical trials and data collected by several universities. Pennington biomedical research developed a cure for metastaticbreast cancer in 2002. after six weeks of injecting mice that they had infected with the firefly gene(responsible for breast cancer) the mice treated with the formula that was administered had removed any trace of breast cancer from the mice. If you’re interested, I will include the information for this reference at the end of my babbling. Lol also the American Cancer Society receives over $1 trillion per year between funding and donations. It’s in their bylaws that if they come up with any cure for any cancer, they have to disband so I understand fully why the public is unaware of their findings … there’s no money in the cure only in the sickness. Anyway, I got way off subject after I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had my first mastectomy, three weeks later I broke my leg in three places. Being that Mayo is a teaching hospital, it’s also within my understanding of how I came to have failed hardware at the end of eight weeks of being non-weight-bearing living in a basement with a dog that needs to go outside 10 times a day and no assistance from anyone. They had to do a revision surgery at eight weeks and basically do the same surgery all over again so 16 weeks of being non weight-bearing, I then had my other mastectomy and started reconstruction on the other breast that I already had the previous surgery on. At the end of it all I am living in a testament to God’s abilities that are endless and measured and undeserving… by his grace I am able to be thankful for the interaction with the caring people who have responded to my posts. You have regenerated my faith in humanity and gave me much needed response and encouragement… amazed, and grateful, you all are a blinding light at the end of my darkened path. Thank you for the rejuvenation. I’m eternally indebted to your kindness. Thank you all!!

Within the material that I am attaching the link to there is also extensive data on pancreas cancer treatment, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, etc. please read it and let me know your thoughts. You’ll have to just go to the site because they won’t let me post that URL..

Pennington Biomedical Research Center (Unlocking the Secrets of Nutrition)
Scientific report 2002-2003

I recently had a bilateral mastectomy with the start of reconstruction on my other breast that was removed prior. Since the surgery the day after to be exact, I developed an infection, but because it was the weekend and I went to the emergency room it was untreated. Then when I went to my appointment, my surgeon said that my breasts “ looks great” regardless of the fact that I had just had a mastectomy and shouldn’t of had a breast at all on one side. In addition to that, my breasts had swollen to the point to where my incision burst open and I had 4 inch long clots 3 inches wide projecting from the incision hole that had developed. being that it was the weekend there was nobody I could contact that would respond. The emergency room refused to treat me because I had a surgeon so I was sent home again when I went to my next appointment with my surgeon, I begged him to aspirate the fluid off my breast and was told that he didn’t think that he was going to get any…after 175 cc of blood that was removed, I asked him to reevaluate the side with the tissue expander, and he got an attitude with me and said you saw that I tried to remove some, and I didn’t get any, and was told you knew the risks of the surgery before you agreed to it, this is not an emergency situation and the emergency room is not the place for you to go .So I left. Two days later, I was back in the emergency room. Because the breast with the tissue expander turned red across the whole breast. at the emergency room I was given a prescription for an anabiotic and told to go see my doctor at this point I didn’t even want to see that surgeon again. I drove to a different facility and they wouldn’t deal with me because I had a surgeon already because I didn’t go to my surgeons office where I had already been three times and told nothing was wrong with me. They scheduled me for a week from that day. I finally go in for my appointment and he extracts 100 cc of fluid from the side with the tissue expander and tells me that he’s gonna send it into the lab to test it for infection. The next day was Friday. I just so happened to have my phone in the house and miss the two phone calls and the text message from them low and behold, I have an infection in the fluid surrounding the tissue expander after all my research that I’ve done the anabiotic I was prescribed is not on any list that I’ve looked up on any medical information referring to the bacterial infection that I have. The medication that is suggested on every list on every site is five different IV administered antibiotics with the suggestion to use a pill form in addition to the IV antibiotics because of the resistance this particular bacteria is capable of. It is in the family of MRSA. And is considered a hospital acquired infection.(HAI) and it is the end of the day Friday. I responded to the message and when I went to go pick up my other medication, there was a refill of the same anabiotic that the emergency room doctor prescribed for me. There was no instructions in the message. There was no further contact by anybody from the specialty clinic nor was any other communication attempted by the office because it was the weekend once again in any instance that this bacteria is detected in a patient they are quarantine in the hospital. I live with two auto immune compromised family members I as well auto immune compromise. I was just diagnosed with breast cancer in October and I have had four surgeries because I broke my leg three weeks after my first mastectomy had two surgeries on my leg and now the other mastectomy on the other side with the tissue expander place on the other side that I had the mastectomy on already now this is is four surgeries that I have had within a year and now tested positive for the strain of bacteria, which “Serratia marcescens”. When I looked up the antibiotics that I have been on for two weeks now it is a skin infection antibiotic, and I have at this point had this infection since the day after my surgery a month ago. This bacteria causes sepsis and Mersa…. After being ignored all weekend about being prescribed the wrong anabiotic I was rushed into emergency surgery. Monday with an untreated bacterial infection opened up on both sides, and the fate of my life in the hands of God. After the fifth surgery, this year, I came out of surgery, very weak, scared of acquiring pneumonia which this infection causes. I did not pick up my medication until the next morning because my mother had to pick it up for me and I was unable to drive due to Epilepsy and not having my drivers license so I was dependent on when she went to retrieve the medicine for me so after all night of fighting the fever that was 100° and climbing, all I could do is pray for morning. I did get my anabiotic. I’ve been taking it every day and they had discontinued. The one that they had prescribed for me for the two weeks I was on it because like my numerous messages to several different providers implied… I was on the wrong anabiotic.
Moving forward to a more positive topic I am now on the mend once again blessed with life and then continued opportunity to right my life‘s mistakes, and continue to self reflect on my shortcomings and areas of needed improvement, I continue down the path of redemption my sites set on the bigger picture …
The stain result came back as Serattia Marcenses + on Thursday. Friday, my plastic surgeon gave me a refill for the medication at the emergency room attendant prescribe me for skin infections., despite the fact that this was an internal infection. and though it is not MRSA per se., it is in the family of highly resistant bacteria that is responsible for a number of illnesses with a high mortality rate a lot of them ending up, causing sepsis, and after being on the wrong anabiotic for three weeks when my blood test showed that I had an infection the day after surgery I am assuming that it was an HAI versus me developing the infection 30 days after my surgery because I had three blood test that all showed my MCV levels past 115 each time they did the CBC as well as the time that the infection had to grow even more resistant within my bloodstream being that I was put on a antibiotic for a skin infection through the emergency room and even after my breast surgeon got the results of exactly what the bacterial infection consist of all he did was calling in a refill for the skin anabiotic Friday when he got the test results back because I was able to see them in my portal so all weekend long I tried to contact people to get on the right anabiotic’s because I live with autoimmune compromised individuals, my mother is 70 she’s had skin cancer/cervical cancer. She’s been through chemo and radiation as well as having no thyroid and meds, all out of whack as well as COPD, etc., etc..
Also, Monday, I went to emergency surgery and was opened up on both sides with a raging infection going through my system that I had untreated for over 30 days. A dentist won’t even pull your tooth. If you haven’t been on antibiotics for at least 72 hours… I’m just exhausted ,overwhelmed, beyond disgusted, untrusting, and now I have acquired legal representation because of everything that’s transpired. Please do not let my story discourage anyone from attaining medical attention from this facility. Everybody’s walk is their own and nobody likes a know it all. So I would be understanding of the after effects from my contradicting that the level of my care is compromised. That is a complete assumption, but it’s also accurate in my opinion.. at the end of the day and after my complications, I am alive thankfully. By the grace of God.

Hello All,

Apologies for typos due to mobile phone limited screen and keyboard dimensions.

I have found Urgent Care based at NYU medical practices to be open on Saturday. Added hospitals have "walk in "Urgent Care.

Best ,

Susan