Having mastetcomy this Thursday

Yes indeed, you are going to be fine!  You are going to have some pain when you move around, but meds will help a lot. You will rest and rest then be sorry when you try to do too much too soon. Most importantly, you will feel a HUGE weight lifted from you every time you realize that this is behind you. The relief will carry you far. The drains will be annoying as heck but they will do their wonderful job. The incisions will heal, the scars will fade, you will feel stronger and stronger, and one day you will realize that you've gone all day without thinking about cancer.  I'm sure there is lots to do before Thursday - stay busy and it will be behind you before you know it. Best wishes!

Hi Mikela,

I am a right Uni too! Just a year ago.

Great advice from the others.

You will be absolutely fine, it really isn't anything like you imagine. When I am asked about this surgery I always say, for me, it was a surgery of weird sensations, not pain. Although they were available, I didn't have any pain killers after the surgery. I was up and walking the halls of the Hospital chatting and drinking tea with the Nurses within a couple of hours of waking up. I went home the following morning and actually called into a shopping mall to pick up a few things, on the way home, with my drain in a shoulder bag.

The drains are definitely the most annoying part of the recovery, but they are there for a really good reason as LAStar says. You will need to stop yourself from overdoing it because you feel good, but your body still needs plenty of rest. I found myself dropping off to sleep mid sentence and some of the sensations from the nerves regenerating could be intensified if I was very tired.

It is absolutely normal to be afraid and apprehensive, we all felt that way, but the relief when it is all over, is amazing. I know this may seem a bit weird, but I had to disengage from my breast before the surgery, so I actually said "You've let me down, you have to go!" I know it isn't for everyone, but it did work for me, by making me feel calmer and a bit more in control.

I massaged the area above and below the incision, and then the scar itself with aromatherapy massage oils, did the PT exercises religiously 4 times a day and started walking after about the first week. Nutrition is very important as is drinking lots of water to keep the kidneys flushed and to get the anesthetic out of your system. 

I wish you all the very best, for a speedy uneventful recovery, it will be behind you soon! Please let us know how you're doing.

hi ,

I had my mastectomy done last July, (my right breast) . It did not really hurt. I was walking around the next day already. 

The drains are a bit annoying, but it was ok. 

I wish you all the best and will have a thought for you. Let us know how you are please. 

Patty

Mikela,  just remember to stay ahead of the pain....also l bought a wedge to sleep on.....and yes those drains are annoying.....you will be fine....liz

Good Luck Mikela! 

You'll be just fine, big breaths, and it won't be as bad as you imagine!

Hugs to you, looking forward to hearing how you are doing!

Hi Mikela. I am sorry you are in so much pain.  I slept in a recliner for weeks.  This helped me get in a more comfortable position.  I also didn't worry as much about the drains staying where they needed to stay.  You might try that.  A mastectomy is a major surgery, but I do promise that moving, etc. does get better with some time.  You could ask your doctor if maybe there is a pain med that you could alternate with the pain pills you have?  

Best of luck!!! (((hugs)))

Hi. I wanted to let you know I totally understand your pain!! I,too, woke up in excruciating amounts of pain after my BMX w/node removal. I could not believe how painful it was. That is why I choose not to tell people that are having mastectomies that they will be fine, little pain, etc etc etc. I know we want to be positive, but for some, we come out with varying degrees of pain from little to none, to off the charts extreme pain. I try to be positive, but let them know that there is the possibility of pain. Everyone is different.

I am so so sorry that you are experiencing this. Keep sleeping in the recliner. Use pillows and experiment how many and where to put them for the best comfort. Try behind your back, under  your arms on the recliner.

If  you need to travel, put a small pillow between the surgical site and the seat belt if it hurts. Travel with a pillow under the effected side if that helps.

DON'T OVERDO IT!!!!  I had the hardest time learning NOT to overdo it with the pain.

Did you have any sentinel or lymph nodes removed?

Sometimes during surgery, the surgeon nicks nerves. This can damage the nerves, causing them to interpret every sensation as pain to the brain. This is what happened to me. I am not saying that this is what happened to you. I have no clue.

Can you use more descriptive words to describe what you pain feels like? EX: sharp, dull, burning,prickling, feeling like you got beat up with a baseball bat, skin hypersensitvity?

Mikela  you need to get a wedge from bed and bath that will help you to sleep on a incline.....it is true the recliner is a big help, which l used in the hospital...liz

Hello, Mikela!

It's good to read you are well after surgery and you will see, you will feel better each day and you'll be out and about in no time. I experienced this surgery in September, also the right breast. Be sure to be active: try to walk every day, but be careful with your right arm. Also, have someone around if you must lie down, you probably will need help when you want to get up or lie down, but it should be ok in a week, maximum two. Just don't force yourself. And when you get help in this situation, it is helpful if you are supported in the neck and shoulder area, rather than lower or mid back. It was less painful for me that way, but we are all different. Try to eat proteins so your operation scars fast.

And smile often, it helps, smiling can set you in a better mood, it lightens the heart and this helps very much as well. 

Best wishes!

I agree about considering a non-narcotic pain medication. I took tylenol after discharge from the hospital because of prior displeasure from the constipating effects of narcotics.  Post surgical pain was preferable to the neuropathy I experienced two weeks later. I was not expecting that. Fortunately, a third surgery help dampen that and after a month, the neuropathy dampened quite a bit. One of the things I found helpful was I had about a five weeks from diagnosis to bilateral mastectomy, so I did my best to get in the best shape that I could--physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. 

Hi Mikela - So happy to hear you are feeling better.  I did not have a mastectomy, but have certainly used narcotic painkillers, and they are constipating.  Sometimes, when you don't go for days, it's hard for the system to just start again on its own.  Better than over-the -counter laxatives, believe it or not, is a combination of two stool-softeners (Dulcolax, etc)  once a day and stewed prunes.  The prunes must be stewed; plain prunes do not work nearly as well.  Put into a saucepan several (10 for two times) dried prunes, barely cover with water, squeeze in a little lemon (also a laxative), cover and simmer low-medium about 20-30 minutes.  Pour into a bowl along with the remaining prune-water.  Eat this for a couple of nights, and believe me, you will go.  5-6 prunes each time (can be cold from the fridge).  Hopefully, your husband can stew them for you, as it's so easy.  Sorry can't offer mastectomy advice, other than it sounds great that it's improving rapidly, but this much I can do.  Love - Percy

Mikela, so pleased that you are feeling much better.  Pain meds are notorious for constipation, I swear I've been constipated for 5 years LOL.  Keeping yourself well hydrated helps a lot, as does more fibre in your diet.  If all else fails Coloxyl & Senna.

Tanya