So had my mastectomy yesterday which went well except a minor setback. I was told that the sentinel node biopsy would be done in house and if any more nodes had to be removed, it would be done during the same surgery avoiding the need for another one.
But just an hour before surgery they say that’s not possible due to staff shortage and it would take two weeks for the results, which could possible be another surgery.
I was pretty annoyed at this last min change and now hoping I won’t need another one. I realise sometimes it’s not in their control but it didn’t have to be told in the last minute when I’m about to be taken in.
I woke from the anaesthetic feeling totally normal, no pain whatsoever. It’s been 14 hours since surgery as I still don’t feel any pain. Is that how it is, have your experiences been similar?
I’m sorry to hear about the last minute change of plan , when you’ve got yourself geared up for something and the plan changes it’s like having the rug pulled from your feet for sure. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you that your results will be good and you won’t need another surgery .
I only had lumpectomy and SNB but I’m a Nurse and a lot of my job is about assessing and dealing with post- operative pain . I’m not sure what kind of anaesthetic you had - do you know ? It can be difficult to recall what you have been told especially if you’re upset about something else as in your case and also you tend to be thinking more about the surgery itself.
You would be asleep which is general anaesthetic or GA but in addition. if you’re having a GA they almost always give a certain amount of local anaesthetic (LA) which numbs the area. This reduces the amount of GA ( gas etc) that you need during surgery and also means that you need less strong pain killers during and straight after surgery which in turn means that you get over the anaesthetic more quickly, go home sooner and hopefully experience less pain overall.
LA can be given either around the whole wound area ( infiltration) which can be surprisingly effective . Otherwise it may have been injected directly around a nerve in which case it can cause a loss of sensation to a whole region and these can last for up to 36 hours in some cases . It’s usually referred to as a block - the ones used for mastectomy are Paravertebral or Pectoral . Does any of this sound familiar ?
If you’re worried or see any other changes that are concerning you I’m thinking they must have given you a number to contact and they can advise you further I think the helpline here is also open this morning , otherwise I imagine your BCN will be in touch on Monday .
If you do start to experience pain make sure you start regular pain relief ( usually Paracetamol initially ) while it’s still mild .
That sounds great. I had immediate diep reconstruction after mastectomy so i did experience some pain but I am pain free now. Mastectomy included cutting a couple of nerves I think which makes some of your chest numb so maybe that helps reduce any pain you might have.
Anyway I felt better just for getting it over with.
I also didn’t really feel any pain after my mastectomy. I did take some paracetamol for a few days, mainly before bedtime. I would say it was more in anticipation of discomfort rather than actual pain.
Hope your recovery goes well and you don’t need any further surgery
I was talking about this yesterday with my bcn. She said that when you have a mastectomy they remove the nerves which means you don’t get pain like you do after a wide local excision
I saw my bcn yesterday, she changed my dressing but didn’t remove the drain as the discharge is still very dark. So another 5-7 days with it!
I have been experiencing some discomfort and pain since yesterday. It’s been varying from tightness to burning to jabbing kind of pain. My bcn said that’s because now the nerves are beginning to repair themselves so the pain is likely to worsen.
It’s a week today since my surgery.
Yes, I am getting better slowly but steadily. The pain is bad but manageable with paracetamol. It’s the drain that’s bothering me. It’s ten days now and the discharge is still very dark although the quantity has come down to about 20-25ml per day.
Enjoy the sun xx It’s a lovely sunny morning here in Surrey as well.
How are you today? I am sitting down after a trip into my jungle also known as meadow out back. I decided to use the kitchen scissors to do a cull and create a path through. In the process I found a sick looking shrub with a lot of bark missing from the short trunk. I think it may be a goner. I have a hospital visit today so it kept my mind off other issues. I hope your drain has been taken out by now. It’s such a nuisance to carry round and not very lovely to look at unlike a nice designer handbag. I don’t really have any of them but I don’t have any drains either. Hurrah. I Hope you too are undrained.