Boobieloptomy

 Ha! I love boobieloptomy...I called it boobectomy.

I too work at a desk all day, and at the doctor's recommendation I took off 2 and a half weeks, but I wished I had a couple more days.  Three weeks I think would have been ideal.   There ended up being a rush to take out my drains so I could go back to work at the pre-determined time.   If they could have stayed in a little longer, I may not have some of the "dog ear" bump on my side, which is apparently fluid.   I think most people's drains are ready to come out earlier; everyone is a little different.

I only took the pain killers for about 2-3 days after surgery, then switched to ibuprofen for another week, so pain was not a big issue.   I stayed in the hospital overnight, and left early the next morning at my own request.

I started moving my arm around pretty quickly, and within a few weeks after the drains came out, I had the bulk of mobility back in my arm.  I still never got 100% of it back due to some webbing in the axillary area that developed around the end of radiation.  I still work on it several days a week with yoga and the stretching frame at the gym.

I got some bad advice at the hospital and kept the wound covered tightly for a lot longer than I think I should have.  There ended up being some difficulty getting the wound to close, and I had to delay starting radiation because of it.  I ended up starting the radiation at 10 weeks after the surgery.

I hope your surgery goes well!

Ask ur surgeon if they use the On Que Pain ball. It was a godsend for me. I swear it helped me get full range of motion after ALND within 5 days and drains out in 7. I was driving at 5 days out, I think too. I never took any pain meds beyond extra strength Tylenol after i was discharged from the hospital.

I often refer to mine as a "boobectomy." I had both whacked off at the same time. Good riddance! No reconstruction.

First, let me start off with the usual qualifiers: everyone heals differently, everyone's pain tolerance is different, etc. I'm rather like the Black Knight in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" in that I can treat the most grievious affliction as "only a flesh wound."

So, that being said...I have a desk job, and I returned to work in two weeks. I began taking walks within five days and was up to doing a mile with hills after a week.

Pain wasn't so bad (it was, after all, only a flesh wound!). It hurt the worst when I tried to raise my arms and when I first got out of bed in the morning. I used vicadin, maybe twice a day, for the first week. When you start to drive again, you might want to put a small pillow between you and the seat belt. Also, take a regular-size pillow with you to the hospital and leave it in the car. You'll want to put it between you and the seat belt. Four years later, I still have some periodic discomfort in my chest. It's like having something tight around my upper torso. It doesn't hurt...more like a sensation of tightness. It's easy to ignore and doesn't impede me in any way.

My surgeon was insistent that I do the arm exercises ASAP. I gave myself a week to mend and then began to work on it. Take it slowly; each day, try to extend your arms a little higher over your head. I would say that, within a month, I could reach the top shelf in the kitchen. Within three months, I was pretty close to being 100% again. Do your arm exercises for at least 18 months. I still do mine periodically, like when the scar tissue feels a bit tight. I work out at the gym, using the nautilus equipment, and I play racquetball. I have no long-term issues with arm mobility.

Do you know if anesthesia makes you nauseated? If you don't know, err on the safe side and ask them to give you zofran. When I had my node dissection (surgery #1), I was very nauseated for the following 12 hours. You don't want to throw up after a boobectomy and put that kind of pressure on your chest. I had zofran with my boobectomy (surgery #2), and woke up feeling great and was eating crackers and ginger ale within 1/2 hour.

I hope that helps. We're always glad to answer questions and give support. Best of luck to you, and remember, you WILL get there!

Momine - Yes, but only on my right arm, which has slight lymphedema from radiation cording. I usually don't wear a sleeve when I hike or bike. It really has had little to no effect on my activities.

I had a full monty boobieloptomy with 10 nodes on one side and 4 on the other. I rode the bus to a freelance gig 2-3 weeks later. It was really the nodes that hurt me. You'll find you will be very tired but I think in 2 weeks you will get through the day. Your body sucks energy to heal.

Not the same surgery, but I wanted to mention that I needed a lot more protein than normal post surgery and throughout the entire treatment process.  I also needed more sleep post op (lumpectomy).

I do everything now that I did pre surgery, but did wait for the drains to come out prior to lifting again. 

Agree with Lago on sucking energy.  Good luck! - Claire

sbelizabeth, in answer to your question about moving your arm post-surgery, there is some very recent evidence that avoiding lifting your arm above shoulder level for 10-14 days following breast surgery can allow the delicate lymphatics to better repair themselves. So, movement is fine, but keep it low and gentle and give your body time to right itself.

More lymphedema risk reduction guidelines here:
http://www.lymphnet.org (see their Position Papers)

And here:
http://www.stepup-speakout.org/riskreduction_for_lymphedema.htm

Smooth sailing!
Binney