I’m am one week exactly from having a left sided mastectomy. The drains were taken out a couple of days ago, however I have noticed a fleshy fluid filled lump under my arm and swelling under my arm going onto my back. The breast care nurse yesterday said this was very normal. My concern is that the swelling is painful and getting bigger. I have also noticed a lot of new bruising appearing on my body. I presume this is from the operation and being thrown around in the operating theatre. Any advise I would be very grateful of x
Hi Sunflower
First of all, congratulations on getting through this big stage. It’s a bit of a shock to the system isn’t it? I think the fact that it’s Bank Holiday weekend adds to the anxiety - it did for me anyway.
I would trust the breast care nurse knows what she’s talking about - it’s not in their interests for you to develop an infection or anything - and they do see all sorts of patient experiences every week. We all react differently. In my case, I also had a full axillary clearance so, without that lymph system, it’s harder to compare. Certainly I remember swelling and a lump - and of course the nerves have been damaged by surgery so your brain has to adapt to new sensations. 11 months on and I often still feel I have a huge lump at the side of my chest. In fact, I just have some slight puffiness but my brain feels it differently. Another thing that might be relevant is, my bc nurse explained to me why I had a lump each end of my scar (both of which initially were hard and sore) - it’s because the surgeon does the op with the patient lying flat. If we were propped up, they would sew us back up without these annoying bits of flesh. Having said that, the one towards my centre gives the semblance of a proper cleavage so it’s got its uses.
As regards the bruising, if you can get some arnica 30 tablets asap, you could find the bruising comes out faster and with minimum pain. It wouldn’t be appropriate to use arnica cream right now. I took arnica before and after surgery and it definitely works, no matter how dismissive people are of homoeopathy. Unfortunately, I had an allergic reaction to the waterproof dressing so by week 2, I didn’t care about anything except that!
Recovery is a very individual thing, depending on how high your pain threshold is, what support you have, how anxious you are, what your diagnosis is etc etc. I hope it heals smoothly for you and what you’re experiencing doesn’t lead to problems but, like I said, the bc nurse does know what she’s looking at so she’ll probably be right. If you are still worried by Sunday or get any symptoms suggesting infection, ring the breast nurses at the hospital or, if you can bear it, try A&E because it’s well-nigh impossible to find anyone else available at Bank Holiday! Good luck with the results too.
Jan