Mastecotomy Preparation No Reconstruction

mikim

Hi All

I am looking for support and advice with my upcoming surgery.

I have a unilateral scheduled for Sept 26th.

Can anyone offer any tips or advice about what to have on hand and

also do I get a bra or camisole to bring with me?

Any other ideas? or thoughts.

Also how long is recovery? My onc yesterday said 4 days back to work???

Thanks kindly

LindaLou53

Wow...4 days back to work??  I guess it depends on what kind of work you do but most women do not have their drains out in 4 days.  Typically drains are left in for 7-10 days but there is alot of variability among women.   If your body is still producing a large amount of fluid you definitely do not want the drains removed too early.  My surgeon and many others say absolutely no driving while the drains are in place.  You will need to be cautious about any lifting or strenuous activity to your affected arm. It may be hard to raise your affected arm above your head, making washing your hair, pulling clothes over your head etc...difficult.

Generally speaking a mastectomy without reconstruction is not all that painful.  You will be given pain medication after surgery and may need it to feel comfortable for a few days but many women get by without needing heavy duty narcotics for pain. Tylenol, motrin etc are sometimes all that is needed.

Your post-op course may vary depending on whether you have sentinel node biopsy, axillary dissection or no nodes removed at all. Most women do have at least some nodes removed with mastectomy unless it is strictly a prophylactic mast.  Some women have more discomfort in the axilla than they do in the actual mastectomy site.

You should plan on bringing loose comfortable front-opening tops that either button or snap to make it easy to get them off and on.  Mastectomy camisoles can be purchased or ordered online made specifically to hold a soft breast form and also to pin your drains to after surgery.  Usually you will be sent home after mastectomy with a post-surgical bra that provides firm compression of the site but you may not need to wear that more than a day or two.  I just wore soft cotton undershirts with large cotton smock tops over them.  I was a bilateral mast though. Some surgical centers/hospitals will also send you home with a complimentary fiberfilled breast form that you can use just to maintain a shape if you like while you are healing.

If it were me, I would really have an indepth discussion with my surgeon about what to expect post-op and realistically when you could expect to get back to normal functioning including returning to work.  4 days sounds awfully brief to me for a recuperation period. I hope your surgeon specializes in breast cancer surgery and is not just a general surgeon.  It really does make a difference sometimes.

You also might want to contact Reach To Recovery prior to your surgery and let them know you would like to speak with one of their volunteers.  They can match you up with someone with similar history or surgery that will call you and you can ask lots of questions.  Plus they may provide you with a special mastectomy kit that gives you some free forms and other aids for the post-op period.

If you have a spouse or family at home that can help you out the first week or so you should do just fine.  Let them do the heavy lifting, grocery shopping, cleaning etc.  You need to take it easy and just heal up the first week or two.  Good luck and hope you get some more responses here.  Lots of women can offer more tips I'm sure.

LindaLou

Erica3681

Hi Mikim,

I can't add much to LindaLou's excellent advice except to echo what she said regarding the four-day time frame. That seems awfully soon to me, too, so even if your surgeon reiterates that expectation, please know that most of us needed more time than that before we felt ready to get back to work, especially if working outside the home.

I was fortunate in that my drains actually were removed after four days, but (other than my trip to the hospital to have that done), I really didn't feel like going anywhere for at least a week. As LindaLou said, the surgery wasn't very painful, but still there was a lot of healing going on and I felt that I needed to rest and recoup during the first couple of weeks.

Barbara 

Karyll

I too had a right breast mastectomy (am right handed) I am today 4 weeks post op. I went to work two weeks afterwards (admin/paperwork) and only worked 4 hour days. It wasn't the pain that kept me away but the fatigue - your body has just been through a major trauma. I went to work with drains and the little cami which was okay, but irritating when you are tired and I did feel quite self conscious not having proper fitting clothing now and trying to make do. I found having little wet wipes very handy for toilet and just freshening up for the first few days. I wasn't in to major scrub and soap. Also a shoelace around my neck to hold up the drains when I wasn't pinning them to anything (like during a good sink wash or changing shirts etc.) Some use a nylon fanny pack to hold drains in.. in between pinning. I could manage my own personal care quite well, although doing up pants buttons and pulling up my pants was sometimes kind of tricky at first. And tying my shoes proved to be a challenge at first. I had many nodes removed too though - and so the greatest soreness has been in my armpit.  Child proof caps on medicine bottles nearly drove me to drink because I didn't have the strength to open them - uses all those sore muscles. It very quickly becomes something you get used to - all these new sensations. I had a bunch of food in the freezer because I could still "nuke" stuff, even though I could not lift heavy pots and pans at first. I drove after two weeks with a pillow in my seatbelt even with drains, simply because I am the sole bread winner in my family and HAD to go to work.

(my last drain stayed in 22 days and is now healing well) I just bought a bra as opposed to the camisole and finding it quite comfortable. I bought a post surgical bra as opposed to anything hard and heavy yet with soft cushy insert. Although the incision is healing very well and has some numbness the skin is sometimes tender and can't take a lot of chafing of clothing before I am ready to rip it off.

I can't imagine going to work 4 days post op even if you have a real non physical job because I think I was still zooed from the anesthetic...hahahahaha.

Karyll

laurelD

Hi mikim,

I expect you are in recovery mode now & I wish you the best! 

I am 48 & had a masectomy of my left breast just 10 days ago myself & second all the opinions offered above!  For me, the 1st week was not as bad as I had expected, but the second week has been harder.  We have our own business & I've been able to work some from home, but very limited hours & not without beginning to feel that I was compromising my health in doing so.  My surgeon took out the drains after 6 days & that made me feel like I'd just been operated on all over again.  I've had lots of soreness since & some fluid accumulation that I'll need to return & get drained off.  While I want to be well right now, I must acknowlege that there is a lot of healing happening & I need to cooperate by resting & being patient with the process.   

geebung

Hi Laurel,

Each person is different with their recovery and the amount of work/exercise they can do. Lymph build-up varies. My drain was removed 3 days after my mastectomy but after less than a week I had to have the wound aspirated - such a relief! A week later I had it done again and this time it hurt a bit so, when the surgeon told me it would reabsorb, I decided not to have it done again. A little while after that I started having lymphatic massage which has been very soothing and helpful. Once the scar had healed, massage also helped to prevent adhesions.

You will soon become aware of your limitations. Listen to your body and try not to push yourself.

gb 

Erica3681

Hi Laurel,

I had my drains removed very early, after only four days. I also had some fluid accumulation, but my surgeon had told me to expect that and that it was normal. She rarely aspirates, unless the fluid is excessive, since aspiration carries the risk of infection. I hope you're not in discomfort. If not, you may find that your doctor suggests that you simply let your body gradually reabsorb the fluid. It took my body quite a while to absorb it--on one side it was gone in three weeks, but on the other side (where I'd previously had radiation), it lingered for months. But it never caused me pain or other problems. 

I also had "soreness" starting around the second week after surgery--for me, it took the form of excruciating skin sensitivity, making it hard to wear clothes (WinterSilk tees, which I happened to have a couple of, were helpful--very silky and smooth). This lasted for a few weeks. Hope that's not what you're dealing with, but if so, know that it will most likely subside before too long.

Barbara 

nagem

Just to be contrary, I actually had an extremely easy recovery. Some fluid accumulation, an itchy rash that took a while to resolve, yes, but I was back to work at my desk job within a week and could have gone back even sooner. I regained full range of motion almost immediately (I was assiduous about the exercises) and was able to return to yoga within 2 weeks and was completely back to normal (well, the new normal, as people say here) within a month or so. I hope you have my luck!

laurelD

Geebung, Barbara & Nagem,

Thanks so much for the feedback!  I saw my surgeon today & she drained off the excess fluid & I had the opportunity to ask her some more questions as well.  It helps greatly to hear from you what your experiences have been.  I had 2 lumpectomies over the summer & recovered very quickly, but this is harder & I think I just need to relax & be more patient with the healing process.  So thanks again for the info - knowing what to expect as normal is helping me do this. 

Laurel