Well, following my High Grade DCIS diagnosis I had my mastectomy and SLN Biopsy surgery this morning. I am now home in bed not feeling as though I have just had an operation. At worse I feel tired but other than that, nothing. I am having paracetamol regularly to make sure I don’t get unmanageable pain, so all in all I just feel happy the disease is out.
My hope now is that the 3 sentinel lymph nodes that they have removed show no sign of invasive cancer. This wait, for up to 4 weeks, is what will prey on my mind during the day and keep me awake at night.
One question I do have is when should I be able to drive. To be honest I feel as though I could drive now, but obviously I won’t and know that would be wrong, but I do wonder how early others have started to drive again as 4-6 weeks seems a bit excessive.
In the meantime, for now I hope my positive post will help others out there waiting to start this step of their journey.
That’s fantastic to hear you are doing and feeling so WELL, and so soon following your op. BRILL.
I can understand you’re “itching” to get back to driving as soon as poss. But bare and keep in mind that there will be insurance implications. Strongly suggest you check out the recommended advice around it again, with your BCN, surgeon, team, before you do. Better to be on the safer side, that get back to it too soon, should anything untoward happen, hey?
Lots of love and speedy healing/recovery wishes to you, Delly xx
Think it’s very personal and depends on how you feel and how you recover - best get proper advice from your surgeon - once they’ve advised you are ok to drive should be no issue with insurance company if you did have an accident .
this is advice from NHS website
“Get advice from your doctor or nurse about when to start driving. Generally, you should be OK to drive if you can make an emergency stop without discomfort in the wound.
Some people are able to drive about 3 weeks after the operation, but it may be sooner or later than this depending on how you feel.
Some insurance companies will not insure drivers for a number of weeks after surgery, so you may want to check your policy.”
@Itiswhatitis - Diane, I’ve just been reading back through your posts, and it further jogged my memory, ref driving. It being such a long time ago now, from my Masts and full node clearances 2006 and 07. I can remember my BCN saying best not to drive for 3 weeks after, and it also being the advised time stated in the info leaflets given. Both from a protecting the delicate scar and healing angle, and insurance angle ref “mobility” wise, plus effects of anaesthetic sometimes having a lingering effect. Yeh, I too can remember being uncomfortable in a seatbelt as a passenger, over my mast scars.
I’m really pleased to hear you are doing so well after a week. I physically bounced back, really well too afterwards, both healing and movement wise. But I was “religious” with my exercises, and I think that was a huge part of why. So I can’t stress the importance of that enough to you. Do them as often as you can. I did them MORE often than the physio’s recommendations (didn’t have an awful lot else to do at that time, so why not), because I was so intent to get my arm, chest and shoulder movements back to norm as soon as possible. Obviously not “over”-stretching too much at first, and not over-doing, so as not to damage and pull on the wound. But just gently “pushing” the movement a little bit further each day. Especially to avoid any “chording”. Be strict with yourself about them. They make a huge difference. Can’t tell yer enough.
Am soo wishing you well in your speedy recovery, and your future, Diane, darlin.
Lots of love to you and everyone else on here, Delly xx