Recover WLE

Hi I am new on here! I am due to have a wide local excision very soon and was wondering what to expect post op pain wise and what to expect from the recovery ? Thankyou

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Dear Stilloveadisco,

Wishing you well, with your surgery. Everyone is different I have had a Mastectomy which was quite painful, then a few years later a lumpectomy on the other side, which was no problem and left hospital very quick after surgery and pretty much carried on as normal.

I do wish you well, take one day at a time at the moment, very easy for me to say, however I feel sure your going to be fine.

With the biggest hugs Tili :pray::rainbow::pray::rainbow:

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Thankyou Tili for reply that’s very reassuring x

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Hi I had it done years ago. I was out the same day and had no pain at all. I was back to normal swiftly. The only thing that found was my shoulder was stiff due to the sentinal node biopsy, but excerises really helped. Best wishes, am sure you will do really well.

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Hi

I found the day of surgery straight forward, didn’t feel anything first 24 hrs (probably the anaesthetic). The few days that followed were uncomfortable in the arm pit area. I took a small dose of co-codamol for a few days, then switched to paracetamol. My biggest problem was doing too much too quickly and suffered a few consequences :roll_eyes:. Follow the exercises they give you, you’ll be surprised how quickly you get movement back.

Take time to rest and ask for help if you need it. Support is available through your breast team and through this website.

Hope all goes well x

Ps after a couple of weeks of poor sleep, a v-pillow was suggested and worked a treat.

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I think it may depend on where your lump is. The most common area for ductal carcinomas is the upper, outer quadrant of the breast (although it could be anywhere), which is where mine was, which meant that the same incision could be used for excising the lump and for taking out the lymph nodes. I have one 5” scar running down the side of my right breast and nothing actually in the armpit and I had no pain whatsoever, remarkably. They sent me home on the same day with co-codomal (sp!) but I didn’t take one. Obviously if your lump is nearer the nipple, two incisions will have to be made but any pain should be treatable with what they give you followed by over the counter NSAIDS. The most important thing for recovery is to do the exercises they will give you before you leave. Honestly it makes such a difference to shoulder mobility in the future. Other than that, see how you go as age and general fitness factor into how long it takes to feel better so just go at your own pace.

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I had WLE just before Christmas, hardly any pain and very quick recovery. Walked dogs on day 2 and drove a few days after with no discomfort. All the best C

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Wow! Thats amazing! Really good to hear . Thankyou

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Thankyou thats great to hear

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THankyou. Its good to be prepared for pain as i was pretty uncomfy after the vacuum excision so feeling that this could be a bit worse than that? I’ll follow your advice and take it easy. Are the V pillows easy to find online?

Thankyou, I will definitely do the exercises. Mine is lower outer quadrant so not sure what that will mean with scars etc?

Hi, I went in and back out same day. No issues with surgery. I ended up with 2 wounds as tumour was too far away from lymph nodes to use same incision. Lymph node incision was the more painful. Painkillers sorted that out for a few days. As others say - do the excercises to help and prevent stiffness of your arm and shoulder.
As mine was on the left, I was unable to drive for 2 weeks as I could not use handbrake. I will be 2 years post op in April and fine. Sure you will be too xx

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I got a v-pillow from Dunelm, but there were online retailers. I’m a side sleeper, so first it stopped me rolling over, and second it provided a bit of support down my side. Some use a very small pillow use to support under arm. Everyone different, but it worked for me.

A nice soft comfy bra goes a long way too. My incision was from armpit to side of breast, and bra line cut across the wound causing irritation. I switched to a cropped top, once I could get arms above head easily.

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Hi @Stillloveadisco

Mine was also lower outer quadrant and I had a lumpectomy last April. My scar runs under my boob in the crease bit so can’t be seen from the front and then I have a little inch one under my armpit which has faded to nearly nothing.

Recovery for me was quite straightforward. A couple of days of tiredness but no pain. Did a bit too much after a few days and a swelling moved which was really uncomfortable so take it steady initially. I was super keen to get back to my normal routine and built up from walking to running by 2.5 weeks. By results appointment four weeks later felt physically as if it had never happened.

Best of luck with everything. x

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Thankyou! I will follow your advice and take it easy for first few days and hopefully I’ll recover as well as you did. Op is tomorrow and feeling more positive about it all now so hopefully will get a good nights sleep in!

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Good luck for your op.

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Good luck today. x

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Hi @Stillloveadisco, welcome to the forum. I hope you’re able to find answers and support from other users of the forum.
Bernard

PS Great username too! :slightly_smiling_face:

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@Stillloveadisco Good luck for your op. I am 2 weeks post op, I was home by mid afternoon and didn’t have any pain thankfully, just a bit tender from where they took the nodes, I only took paracetamol/ibruprofen, occasionally I’m getting a sharp twinge but that dosn’t last long. The exercises do help, at first I was a bit tight under the arm but now I can lift my arms without any issues.

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Hope your op has gone well. I had my op just over 2 weeks ago - lumpectomy and SLNB all in one incision inbetween the boob and armpit. I was able to do two short walks and start the rehab exercises the day after surgery. I hardly had any pain so only needed one lot of paracetamol. I was able to sleep on my side bolstered by my huge eyeore :laughing:. I wore a post surgery bra from Asda 24 hours a day for two weeks but now I’m wearing that during the day and a light crop top overnight. I started jogging a few days ago thanks to a new high support sports bra! Best wishes for your recovery

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