Lumpectomy - what can i expect?

Yayyyy Veegray, that is awesome news!

Hurray for good results!!!

Re rashes blisters etc

I had rt side lumpectomy that they covered with clear waterproof tape. I ended up blistering all along the top edge. Spots are still red. When I had 2nd set of lumpectomies, they used a moleskin thick compression type bandage on the rt side since it was more extensive but even though I told then about the waterproof tape they used it on the left and it got several large blisters..just hope it doesn't mess up chances for reconstruction when I have BMX next month? The heavy moleskin did not cause blistering. But for folks worrying about lumpectomies I only used one pain pill and had very little pain afterward. I did not have general anesthesia just the twilight kind so no horrible side effects from that. I did have some leakage two weeks out on first surgery. Gave me antibiotic and had me do hot compresses. No problems so far with 2nd round.

Congrats to all that have posted that have gotten good news. Mine continues to be stage 0 even though there were too many spots. If SNBs are clear and no invasive when they do pathology from BMX then I won't need chemo, radiation or hormones. I am REALLY hoping for that!!

Hi, I have a lumpectomy scheduled in early July.  I have a lot of scar tissue from a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG X3) in 2005.  The scar formed a lot of kelolid tissue where each metal clip was used to close the chest.  Also one of the sternal wires slipped through in the sternum.  I would like to know if anyone else has had CABG with tender skin in that area and had the radiaion therapy and how they did, also what I can best use on the skin there also the cheapest medication for that.  thanks in advance

Shayne I had it also and was told it was the nerve endings - it would come and go.  I don't have it anymore....my surgery was May 17th.

Hugs for a better day. 

I stumbled on this site looking for information on seroma.. I had my lumpectomy on the 19th of June.. I've been pretty much pain free untill the last few days.. I've had that sloshing noise and when I told my daughter she laughed at me so I thought I must have been imagining it lol. On thursday fluid was leaking out of my nipple and panicked me so I went to my GP, the nurse there put a compression bandage over the leaking and stopped it as it was quite a lot. My GP put me on antibiotics in case of infection. 

I phoned my breast check nurse for advice and she said it was quite normal to have this leaking and that I didn't need the antibiotic.  I then phoned the nurse at my GP's and mentioned that the breast nurse said it was seroma, the nurse at the GP said she had heard of this but obviously it hadn't occured to her while treating me. She advised me to keep taking the antibiotic untill she had results from a swab she took.

 So basically I'm confused now wondering if I did wrong having the compression bandage put on to stop the fluid leaking. I have a lot of stabbing pain over the last few days and the sloshing noise is back today.

On a good note my surgeon has got a clear margin and my nodes were clear.

Sorry for taking over your thread Shayne, but as I'm new to this I'm not sure how to start one and I've found all comments very informative on this thread. Best of luck to you in your recovery and to all others posting on this thread. 

Shayne:

Re the Xanax prior to procedure, I asked my surgeon's nurse if I could take a xanax before i came to the hospital for the procedure and she said no.  When I went, the anesthesia team said it would have been fine. 

My lumpectomy was 2 cm and it was at the bottom of my left breast, right at the crease.  The incision was about 4" and it healed nicely.  Most of my discomfort came from my armpit from the sentinel node biopsy.  The boob healed fine, the arm gave me fits for weeks. 

The worst part of the procedure, actually, was when they injected the radioactive blue dye into the area adjacent to the tumor, to do the sentinel node biopsy.  That hurt so bad I cried. 

Use the icepack!  I wore a beater and just tucked the ice pack under my boob so it kind of covered the incision on both the boob and armpit.  Felt good, helped the healing.

Take the pain meds!  After trying a couple different things I settled on Percocet.  It did not constipate me or make my nauseated like Vicodin, and it did not make me loopy. 

I had my lumpectomy/SNB 7/15/11.  After that, chemo and radiation (last rads 3/6/12) my left boob looks just like the other one - but firmer from the radiation, and it points a bit south, presumably from removal of tissue. 

I tolerated the surgery well and am pleased with the healed results.  You will do great, I am sure!  Just do not over do it - let your body heal - and listen to your body. 

Good luck!  Debbie

I had my lumpectomy on 6/18 and the swelling has barely gone down. They removed about 7 cm of tissue so I know it would be noticeable. Unfortunately I have to have a bmx next Tuesday due to path report findings. Not trying to scare anyone but I decided that route after not getting clear margins even after removing that much. There ended up being ALOT of dcis and lcis in there which i have been told is unusual.



My advice is to keep the compression on for at least four days. I took mine off to shower after day two and then wrapped it again. I also recommend using ice packs. This helped with what little pain there was. I did not need anything but tylenol after day two. If you are having pain weeks out I would definitely contact your surgeon.



I only had two lymph nodes removed but I still was/am concerned about lymphodema. I followed my nurse's suggestion of not lifting anything "heavier than a fork" with my right arm the first week and then very limited lifting the second. Stretching to reach something still gives me a tugging feeling so I watch that. I had the odd feeling in my right arm as the feeling started to come back. I have a six year old that loves to snuggle and jump on me so I kept a pillow under my arm and in front for "protection" from him! I also still carry heavier things with my left arm. The nurse at my oncologist office did blood pressure and blood work out of my left arm as a precaution.



I hope this helps! Lumpectomy really wasn't that bad. The worst part for me was having the mammogram after wire loc! It was hard to stand there and stay still after all they had just done! I had a wonderful radiologist that numbed me before the wireloc and then again before the dye injection. I would insist on that as it makes it more bearable.



Good luck to those waiting on their surgery! You can do this and you will find that it is not as bad as you expected!

GirlPowerDebbie;

Wow we could be twins.  My tumour was in the same spot 1.6 cm and had 5 nodes out.  All clean thank goodness.  But the incision under my breast healed well with no trouble at all.  The brusing has been moving up my breast and I find my nipple is very sore now.  But my biggest complaint is the incision under my arm.  I am finally off the Tylenol 3's but I still get twinges that make me grab under my arm and apply pressure which seems to helps.  I also use an ice pack at night (especially since we are getting 90 degree days here in Ontario) It seems to bring down swelling that developes during the day.

Shane, I think that's normal.  My shooting pains lasted until after radiation (4 months).