Hi. Glad everything went well for u .. yes u can shower no problem. Plasters are waterproof but donāt let them get saturated They donāt come off easy .. mine are on 2:5 weeks and shower every day I was also given spares. I also drove one day after surgery. All good
Thanks @mai3
Iām planning on having a shower tomorrow . My BCN told me to remove the plasters after 10 days , not sure I like the idea of that! I havenāt been given any spares , wonder if I should ask for some ? xx
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I did not need spares U can remove outer plaster and there is still one underneath . Surprised how small incisions are. .. they r v small. Tg
Hey @hopeful25 I had a lumpectomy on 16th December and took my phone, some books and a crochet kit (Iām terrible at it but tryinf 
)! Anything that will keep your mind busy. I ended up getting chatting with a couple of other ladies on the ward (one was mascectomy) others were in for different surgeries but we all kept each other busy chatting whilst waiting. You will be well looked after and it will be all over before you know it 
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Thanks for that @katie91 . Great to hear this . there is so much uncertainty in the process , so good to be prepared for the waiting at surgery .
Itās all getting real now , so i just want the surgery to be over .
I hope all is going well for you ?
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Did you not get a leaflet with instructions @butterflywing? Iād probably avoid getting it wet today, but you ought to get a district nurse come round to check in for a couple of visits.
Then you should get an appointment to see the breast surgeon, and the dressing will be removed then.
If you havenāt had any info, check in with your breast nurse. xxx
Hey @hopeful25
I was totally unprepared for my long wait and didnāt take any entertainment so ended up just downloading a book to my phone to read. There were also three other women on my ward waiting and after a very polite start, we all ended up talking. Patient number one was especially chatty when she came back from surgery. 
All the best for next Wednesday x
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Mine stayed on for the whole 14 days without any issues. They were pretty sturdy compared to how flimsy they looked and I still have some adhesive stuck to me 5 days after removal!
I sponge bathed my top half for a couple of weeks as I didnāt want to risk upsetting the arrangement. Armpit hair went rogue for about a week as I couldnāt lift my arm enough to do the left one and couldnāt reach over enough to the right one! Lower half was done in the bath using the hand held shower attachment and hair over the bath, but I couldnāt do my hair until a fair few days after the surgery. It was pretty funky!
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I called the BCN yesterday and I can shower today but try not to get the waterproof plasters too wet .
I can take the dressings off between 7 & 10 days .
My next appointment is for my results in 3 - 4 weeks time x
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Iām Derby to and had my lumpectomy and SLNB Monday just gone .
The process at Derby was good really . You go to Gynae Day Care and book in and wait in a little room full of seats ( no beds )with other women to chat to.
Around 7.20 the anesthetist called me in and went through everything then I went back in the room with the other women. Then the Surgeon called me in , he was lovely and talked me through everything so I knew my surgery was the last one of the day .
Little while later I was called to have my canula put in my hand and then went back to the seating area with the other ladies.
About 10.45 they took me to nucleur for the dye tracer and then back to day care. All this time I was in my own clothes and sat in a chair not a bed on ward which is what Iād expected .
I took a book but couldnāt concentrate ,my phone & some headphones . To be fair the time went by faster than I thought as there are other women to talk to .
I didnāt get gowned up for surgery till about 15 minutes before my op which was nice .
You help yourself to water from a dispencer on the wall . I wasnt told this when I was booked in so went for ages without a drink until i plucked up the courage to ask 
All the staff were absolutely lovely .Iād been super anxious for weeks leading up to the op but it was no where near as bad as I expected it to be .
Do you know who your surgeon is ?
Feel free to message any time and ask anything you want xxx
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There is so much and the uncertainty is the worst 
it all went well thank you and recovery has been pretty straight forward and not too much pain (Iām actually at my appointment now for the check up and hopefully results following surgery if theyāre back now), I would say more uncomfortable than anything with a very annoying stinging sensation!! But certainly not as bad as I thought it would be.
Are you having any lymph nodes removed? The breast lump area never really felt any pain from, it was the snlb/arm area that was most uncomfortable!! Xx
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Hope you get the best results possible 
xx
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Results werent back yet but thank you 
hopefully they will be back tomorrow before the MDT meeting so I dont have to wait abother week to be doscussed at MDT! Kind of my own fault pushing for a pre-christmas surgery when theres bank holidays and everybody is off I did get a quick check over and all is healing well thabk fully How are you feeling today x
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Hi Katie , fingers crossed your results are back in time for this weekās MDT meeting !
Iām doing ok thanks 
Have managed to have a shower which has made me feel much better . Have not needed any paracetamol today yet but have had ibuprofen as Iām hoping this will curb any swelling .
Have been for a mooch round the shop today , only wanted milk but came out with loads I didnāt really need . xx
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Thanks so much for this ā¦ especially like the water tip !
Helps reduce my anxiety about Wednesday
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Your more than welcome . Anything you want to know please ask . Do you know the name.of your surgeon ? x
Fingers crossed but at this point Iām just happy the lump is gone and very used to waiting and delays so glad to hear youāre doing OK today having a shower makes you feel instantly better doesnāt it! Iāve been showering but missing my baths and didnāt want to have one until Iād been checked over so thatās another positive to come from today that my consultant said Iām fine to have a bath, itās the little things isnāt it 
Nice to hear you were up and about too!! I think it massively helped me being up and out after the op! Haha thatās me most days in the shops x
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Having a shower definitely makes you feel more human and strangley back in some control and normality 
Iām surprised how much I can do and have to remind myself not to do things and let others do it .I think they are beginning to see just how much I do around the place , maybe I should let them do more and milk it while I can .
Like you Iām glad the lump is out and Iām on the treatment path.
Each little step feels like a win
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It makes it a long day doesnāt yet somehow the time seemed to go faster than I expected.
Am glad your recovery is going well ,sleeping is my issue at the minute as I canāt get comfy enough to stay asleep , am hoping it will get easier as the days go on xx
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