Currently 2 weeks and 2 days post op. From bilateral therapeutic Mammoplasty, with right lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy.
I have been signed off work for 3 weeks and told I could drive after 2 weeks. My pain is obviously better than it was but I am still having to rely on painkillers all day, still so tight and sore/pulling on the incisions. Anyone else experienced this? I feel like as I was told I could drive again after 2 weeks (not a chance I would be safe to drive a car right now) and only been signed off work for 3, I should be feeling a lot better than I am?My first follow up appointment isn’t until 11th September and feel like I have kind of been left to it as soon as I left the hospital
Planning on having the GP sign me off for a further week next week, as I cannot see how I will be comfortable at all to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day with the pain and swelling still!
Hi @kimmi2 I am 5 weeks post dmx. At 2 weeks I felt exactly the same. I did have to drive at about 2 and a half weeks as my car was booked in for a service but I couldnt wear my seat belt properly so I only did that one journey.
Up until 4 weeks it felt extremely tight, like wearing a metal bra that I couldn’t take off. Are you doing your arm exercises regularly?
For me once I recognised the pain easing from 3 weeks or so it got a little better each day just very slowly. Hang in there and keep up with your pain killers
Yes, I am doing my exercises religiously 3 times a day. That’s reassuring to hear after the 3 week mark you started to notice the pain easing. I need to be driving for the school and nursery runs next week, so I will be 3 weeks post op then…fingers crossed I am able to drive
I will most certainly keep up with the pain killers. Really hope you are doing well with your recovery. Maybe I should stop putting expectations on how I should be, it is so hard not to though isn’t it?!
Yes, that is very true. I am just finding it hard not knowing how I should feel as each week goes by.
I feel like my pain is manageable if I am only pottering around the house, just question should everything be more settled than it is. I think I need to stop questioning and allow myself time….very hard when I am not the most patient person ha!
I completely understand how you feel though. Its really hard to not count down the seconds when that tight feeling is so relentless. Thats what I struggled to get across to people. Even with the painkillers doing there job the tight unnatural feeling is there morning to night. The only relief is sleeping if you can. Honestly for me it is much better now. Sitting here now, no pain and no tightness. Only if I move a bit too quick or twist too much. That shows the pain is so minimal now its easy to forget im still recovering. Try to keep resting as much as you can before your busy week but I’m confident you’ll feel much better
Well done with your exercises. I was a bit lazy with them the first week but it was so uncomfortable. Definitely much easier now. If I’m slow and careful I pretty much have full range of movement. I cant see me skipping down the road for a while yet though
Three people will give you three different answers. Maybe, just maybe, one will somewhat reasonate with you. But the reality, of which you are no doubt aware, is that EVERYONE heals at a different rate. There is no univeral “progress timetable.” Asking your GP for a third week confirms you understand your question is unanswerable. (pro tip - ask for 2 more weeks. If you don’t need the extra - no one is inconvenienced.)
I was still taking regular paracetamol and ibuprofen 5 weeks after surgery and I don’t think I drove a car until about 4 weeks later which was still uncomfortable with changing gears
As @beenthere2x says everyone’s surgery is different so don’t beat yourself up for not being at the standard point of healing. Looking back my breast care nurse said pre-op “we can give you a “sick note” for 2 weeks ( luckily I was self employed so didn’t have the pressure of feeling that I should be able to work after 2 weeks) which seems laughable when I think about that now
Hi so glad to read your post and see I am not the only one. I have never written on here before and thought I was quite a positive person but had op 3 weeks ago today and still plucking up courage to drive expected pain to ease after 2 weeks and find it quite depressing that it hasn’t and thought it was just me and like you feel a bit abandoned by the hospital as follow up not for another week.
I had a single mastectomy & full node clearance & didn’t drive for 5 weeks. The 2 weeks guidance for me just wasn’t realistic from a safety perspective & I live rurally without having to deal with many other drivers or tight turns!
