Mastectomy - bathing and dressing change questions?

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ML1209
ML1209 Member Posts: 241
edited May 2020 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

Hi Ladies - my mother (age 77) had a mx on Wednesday of her left breast. Since I could not be in the hospital with her and hear the discharge instructions - we are feeling a little lost. She doesn't quite remember what they said about some things. I had a lumpectomy myself and I know all of that information is so much to remember! We know that it is sponge bath only for now, but we aren't sure if we let some warm soapy water go over he incision site or not? Also, they had quite a bit of rolled gauze covering the area, but she thinks they said she doesn't have to have that much now. I know pressure helps the fluid from building up in pockets - how much pressure is needed at this point? How often do you change the dressing? It is very bruised, but no drainage on dressing noted.

She fell about a month ago and fractured her right shoulder, making an already difficult situation even harder. It can't be repaired until she gets thru all of this.

We would be grateful for any tips bathing and dressing change you all have to offer.


Thank you so much!

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  • Spookiesmom
    Spookiesmom Member Posts: 9,568
    edited May 2020

    Will she have a visiting nurse? Nurse can check all of that, or could call surgeon Monday, speak to that nurse. Each dr seems to have their own preference as to how and what to do.

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited May 2020

    If she wasn’t given printed post-op instructions, I would call her doctors office and get answers to your questions from them. Please do not not remove any bandages/dressings unless instructed to by her doctors. My initial dressings remained in place until my surgeon removed them , about 10 days after my surgery, but I know that surgeons may have different procedures.

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited May 2020

    As the others have said, the best advice is to call the doctor's office tomorrow. There will be different instructions based on how the surgeon bandaged the wound, and there are lots of different ways that the wound might be bandaged. In my case, I had only steri-strips over the incision, covered with a big patch of clear plastic Tegaderm tape. I was allowed to shower with the tape in place within 48 hours of surgery and the surgeon removed the tape when I saw her after 10 days. Sounds like your mother's bandaging is quite different.

    Any bathing or dressing instructions we provide could be wrong for the type of bandaging your mother has so you should leave everything as it until you speak to someone from the doctor's office.


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  • ML1209
    ML1209 Member Posts: 241
    edited May 2020

    Spookiesmom - she will not have a nurse. I am a nurse and comfortable with her care, but I like specific instructions. Typically I would have been with her .... but of course covid. I requested that the nurse do a conference call before discharge, but that did not happen. Right now I am checking the incision site, but would love some better instructions. My area of nursing is NICU ... so this is out of my realm. Thank you so much for responding ❤.

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  • ML1209
    ML1209 Member Posts: 241
    edited May 2020

    exbrbxgrl - thank you so much for responding. We did not get good discharge instructions. I had asked for a conference call prior to discharge but did not get that. I am a nurse and comfortable with her care, but would like specific details. I know not to remove the steri strips, etc. She seems to think she is supposed to let warm soapy water run over the site, but not sure. We will just hang on until Monday until we can talk to drs office. I don't see any signs of infection, but lots of bruising. She has one drain. We are doing well with that.

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