Recovery from lumpectomy

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Ltam16
Ltam16 Member Posts: 34
edited August 2015 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

My lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy are Tuesday. I'm wondering what to expect post surgery? How long did it take to feel back to normal?

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  • tmcfizer
    tmcfizer Member Posts: 3
    edited August 2015

    I hope your surgery went well. I have the same question for my upcoming surgery. It would be nice to hear a day by day on that, so I'll know when I can return to certain things, like work and driving, walking my dogs.

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  • 70charger
    70charger Member Posts: 963
    edited August 2015

    It will take 2-3 wks maybe longer to drive. Any push/pull motion will hurt. Took me from Aug to Dec before I could vacumm. Lifting is a pull motion as well. It is not your breast that hurts as much as your arm from your shoulder to elbow. This is from the sentinel lymph node biopsy. The nerves from your arm run in the same spot. Hurts like a mo fo for about 6 months. This is what I found for me at least. Every case is different. Do your exercises! This is really important. Good Luck

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  • Ltam16
    Ltam16 Member Posts: 34
    edited August 2015

    My surgery went well. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The surgery itself took 1 1/2 hours. I was in recovery for about 3 1/2 hours. I felt slightly nauseous when I woke up so I told the nurse right away and they put some meds in iv and I felt better. I was home about 4 hours after the surgery was done. The pain was not horrible. More discomfort than pain. I slept in a recliner that night. I did not need the Vicodin but took regular Tylenol. I felt a little more discomfort the next day. I drove 5 days after my surgery but just local trips. Still not comfortable driving for longer trips. I went to dr yesterday 1 week post op and she removed steristrips and put on new ones. I am feeling more discomfort again. I am not comfortable walking dog yet. Pushing, pulling, and reaching up are not comfortable. I highly recommend extra pillows for support. Good luck

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  • lynn61
    lynn61 Member Posts: 26
    edited August 2015

    I too found the surgery and physical recovery to be easier than I was expecting. I was so relieved to have the surgery over with. The Breast Nurse Navigator gave me a little pillow (the size of a doll pillow) to take home from the hospital to put between my arm and the sentinel incision. That really helped a lot, especially at night. I also used it between my breast incision and the seat belt in the car. I took pain pills the first four days, less each day and then just tylenol after that. I was back to doing most things with in a few days, no heavy lifting of course. Took a walk the 3rd day. My incisions were on the left side and I am right handed. If your surgery is on your dominant hand side then I imagine it would be harder. Do your exercises faithfully. The sentinel node incision seems to be the one that takes longer to heal for everyone.

    Ltam - Sorry I didn't see your post before you had surgery

    tmcfizer - Do not worry, you will do fine :)

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  • mustlovepoodles
    mustlovepoodles Member Posts: 2,825
    edited August 2015

    I am rather early in the process, only a week post-op, but I'll share a little bit. The pain from surgery has been pretty manageable, and less real bad pain than I feared. I took Percocet the first 2 days, then gradually more Tylenol and less Percocet. Unfortunately, I have had complications--mostly a huge hematoma (collection of blood) under the suture line--and I can't move my right arm as well as I'd like, due to the sentinel node biopsy. I had hoped to be able to work from home (telecommute) but I haven't been able to think straight, probably due to the combination of anesthesia, Percocet, and generalized pain. If I had not had this hematoma, I'm pretty sure I could have started working by post-op day 5. I have only attempted to drive twice and learned both times that I am NOT ready to drive yet--I don't' think I could move my arm easily if I had to suddenly maneuver to avoid an accident The BS has already given me a referral to a lymphedema therapist, so I can get to work on this arm. I don't have LE yet, and I hope I never get it!

    Today, I found out that my margins weren't completely clear, so now I'm going back to surgery next week. The upside to this is, my BS will be able to go in and clean up all that hematoma, fix whatever is leaking, and hopefully, it will heal up correctly this time.

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