Double Mastecomy 4 days ago. Pain, is it normal?

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  • Lautrec
    Lautrec Member Posts: 14
    edited February 2017

    Thanks. I've been keeping watch, making sure she is upright. She has one of those pillow 'chairs' that keeps her sitting up, and some pillows. Two good days in a row now and hopefully the last two drains come out tomorrow!

    I didn't mention before that she has really good use of her arms. Her friends are surprised (two who have had mastectomies themselves). Maybe because she had no lymph nodes removed. Her pain has been isolated to her chest mainly. Hoping that it continues to lessen in the coming days. I hate seeing her in pain.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited February 2017

    Lautec - we all hate the darn drains, but don't rush it. If there is still significant drainage (some say 20 & some say 30), hang on to that drain. If the fluid is draining outside it will likely not be backing up as a seroma inside.

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  • PNWBCHgirl
    PNWBCHgirl Member Posts: 115
    edited February 2017

    Glad to hear she is starting to get some rest. Just a heads up it was my experience through all of the surgeries to sleep more upright . I had 3 extra pillows to help me be propped up . It was advice that was given to me by a few breast cancer survivors. To find some good soft pillows and make them your teddy bears. My Plastic Surgeon also suggested sleeping at 30 degrees through the whole reconstruction process. But more importantly to find a position that was comfortable because rest is key to the healing proces

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  • Lautrec
    Lautrec Member Posts: 14
    edited February 2017

    Thank you, yes we found that her sleeping upright is better for her. She is doing much better in the pain department the last few days. Thank goodness. Her chief complaint right now is that she feels the tightness in her chest only in the evenings. She also seems to get really swollen in the chest to go along with the tightness, but strangely this only happens in the evening. (she isn't lying down when this starts, she can be standing, or sitting, and this just seems to be the time of day for this occurrence. Happen to anyone else? I think she just wants to know why this happens, she doesn't expect it to go away suddenly.

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  • PNWBCHgirl
    PNWBCHgirl Member Posts: 115
    edited February 2017

    I noticed if I did to much activity it was in the evening, but as time went that got better as well .

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  • PNWBCHgirl
    PNWBCHgirl Member Posts: 115
    edited February 2017

    just checking in how is recovery going?

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  • GAMomma
    GAMomma Member Posts: 197
    edited February 2017

    I know for me personally I had a most discomfort about 7pm. I called it my witching hour. It was weird. But for me it is was pressure also. I keep having fluid build up. So so think throughout the day,with some activity,the fluid can gather. Then by 7 I have met my max of space. That's my theory of course,not sure if it's true or not.

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  • Lautrec
    Lautrec Member Posts: 14
    edited February 2017

    Hi, @ PNWBCHgirl - We just found out some good news finally. Her Oncotype score was only a 6. Her Oncologist said its one of the lowest scores he's seen in 20 + years of practicing. We are happy to have caught this early. Thank goodness for mammograms. Today my wife drove the car around town for a little bit with no problems. She's finally off the norco too, but she's still in a lot of discomfort she doesn't think will abate until after the expanders are removed. She had her 2nd fill yesterday and she might just need two more fills before she's where she wants to be in terms of breast size. (a little smaller than she had naturally). She also started PT this past week. She needs to get stretching now. (maybe she should have already been doing that, but only one of her bc survivor friends told her this). So, though there's still some pain issues going on, she at least has made progress each week.

    Good health to you!

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited February 2017

    Lautrec - the pain with expanders can be decreased by having smaller fills. I would never let the PS office do more than 30-50ccs at a time. And I made sure there was a full two weeks between fills so the skin had time to stretch more slowly. Glad she's starting to stretch but be sure she starts slow & does gentle. One of our exchange mottos - "just because you can doesn't mean you should."

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  • farmdream
    farmdream Member Posts: 84
    edited February 2017

    Lautrec - I haven't posted to your thread but wanted to second what MinusTwo said regarding time in between fills. I was getting weekly fills around 40CCs and was miserable! My PS recommended to take valium before the fills but by evening i had terrible pain an tightness. I have changed my fill frequency to every two weeks and hope the pain is not so bad after the next one.

    BTW I also have the worst tightness in the evening and the worst pain overnight. I still sleep propped up.


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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited February 2017

    farmdream - you can also limit the fill volume to 25ccs. Make it so you're comfortable.

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  • PNWBCHgirl
    PNWBCHgirl Member Posts: 115
    edited February 2017

    lautrec good news on the Onco test results and progress on recovery very good. apt and stretches should help best of wishes to you and on continued recovery. Having the expander exchanged will take the pressure achy feeling away. You and your wife have a great wee

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