Lumpectomy scheduled for This Thursday

Hi Everyone, I am having what they are calling on my medical form a "lumpectomy" or a "quadrantectomy" to remove a 1.6 Centimeter Radial scar from my left breast. The initial core biopsy was benign, but radial scars sometimes hide cancer so it all has to come out and be biopsied.

I am feeling rather nervous pre surgery--scared about the procedure itself, how much pain there will be and how my breast will look after. I am also scared about the biopsy, but right now I am just focused on getting the surgery done.

How painful is the wire guide? And how painful is the recovery>?

Thanks to all!

Colleen

I had to have the wire guide w/ my lumpectomy b/c I'm allergic to nickel (that rules out the reactiv device).

The radiologist numbed me up, then inserted the wire very nearly at the same spot as the biopsy, so in my case back near my armpit. The wire itself did stick out, mine was longer than most because they were out of the shorter sizes. As I'm pretty small, it looked like very long white cat whisker.

Then I had four mammograms with the wire in (was very glad I was numbed up)--should have been just two but my breast didn't want to cooperate.

Once that was done, the tech gently coiled up the wire and put some gauze over it. Then I walked down to surgery.

I'm presently recovering (2nd day) from having a radial scar removed. Three days prior to surgery, I had a radioactive seed inserted instead of a wire to guide the surgeon to the lesion. That was virtually pain free and there was hardly even any soreness. They do not use wire guides anymore in my area.

I have been taking Tylenol and using ice packs since the surgery for the radial scar. There has been no actual pain, but, of course, the area is sore. Ice helps a lot. Even though the surgeon had told me to use ice prior, the hospital did not automatically give me an icepack after surgery, which I find odd and will ask the surgeon about at post op. I had to ask for one. They "gave" me (I'll probably get billed a gazillion dollars!) a very good re-usable one that you can put ice in yourself. I have to hold it in place. I also have a very small one that I got from when I had the initial biopsy done that will fit inside my bra for when I need to be up and around more. There is more soreness on my second day that the first, but still not too bad, and tylenol and ice are managing it fine.

Wearing a supportive bra is vital. I got one from Target (around $30) that hooks in the front and has good support on the side, which is where my incision is. Word of warning though. The front of this bra is basically like wearing nothing, which I realized to my horror after blithely going around town and thought I was getting a few too many second looks! I still like it; I'm just careful about what shirt I wear with it! If you have an incision closer to the nipple, then this might be what is needed to avoid too much pressure? It is the Annette Women's Faja Post Surgical Front Close Recovery Bra. I've read in other places here that there are cheaper ones at Walmart, and probably Target too. Sports bras would work too, but this is so much easier to put on while it's still tender.