Hi. I am due a mastectomy next Tuesday. Any tips or advice and how long roughly is physical recovery. Thank you.
Hi Lou,
I hope all goes well with your surgery.
From reading this forum, there’s a fair amount of variation on how the recovery goes, not least depending on whether it’s “just” a mastectomy or lymph node clearance as well. The latter, understandably, may cause additional discomfort and/ or take longer.
I had a right breast mastectomy on the 13th January (no lymph node clearance) and was surprised by how quickly I recovered. I stayed in hospital overnight because I live on my own. I came home the next day and started the Week 1 exercises the day after that - gently and gingerly at first, then with increasing confidence. I also went out for a short walk that day (20 minutes, also gentle). I got mobility back quite quickly and didn’t have any difficulty fending for myself. I went out for a 40-minute walk after that first one and was up to 1-2 hours by the end of the week, then 2 hours +. I think this helped a lot, not just physically but in terms of self-confidence.
I took 3 weeks off work and have been back now for 5 weeks without any issues.
I did not need any of the Paracetamol I’d laid in.
I had a seroma, which was drained on my first post-op follow-up (2 weeks after), which may be because they didn’t suture the drain in securely and had to remove it before I left hospital. They removed the dressing over the scar at this point. The seroma built up a tiny bit over the following week but not enough to need any further attention.
I’m not suggesting this is standard post-operative recovery; we’re all different, after all. But I feel mine went smoothly and I very much hope yours does too. The thing that gave me the biggest boost (and perhaps contributed to recovery?) was the easing of the horrible anxiety of the preceding months. I really felt I was ‘back’ and could get on with things again (well, pending further treatment, anyway).
I hope this is useful. I’m sure others will be along to share their experiences and provide you with encouragement and support.
Dunnock