Hi,
I am having surgery tomorrow for grade 3 invasive ductal breast cancer. My surgeon is planning a WLE with sentinel node biopsy and node clearance, if necessary.
Although I have two children, they do not live locally and have job commitments that mean they cannot be with me next week. Friends will drop in from time to time but I anticipate that I will be on my own much of the time. They expect to discharge me the day after the op. ie. Saturday.
I was wondering how other people who lived on their own coped after they were discharged from hospital.What things did they find most difficult to manage? I would be really interested to find out.
Thanks for your help.
Hi Cherryorchard
I don’t live on my own, but I might as well do with a husband that works extremely long hours, and the only child still at home out playing sport every night.
Unless you have some complications I think you’ll find the practical side quite manageable. The biggest issue for me was not being able to drive for a week or so - so I made sure the fridge was well stocked and then had deliveries. I managed my dog walking every day, and all the usual chores. The biggest problem was boredom - stock up on DVD’s! Hope it all goes well for you.
finty x
Hi,
I wasn’t on my own and obviously you need to rest, but I could potter around and look after myself.
I’d say so long as you stock up with food before your op, you should be fine. Just cook easy stuff or freeze some meals ahead of time.
As Finty says, get some DVDs, put the phone next to the settee and relax.
Good luck. Stella
Thank you for your responses. I think I have pretty much done the right things already. My fridge looks like the ready meal cabinet at M&S. I think I have enough to get me through the first 5 days. I have family coming for Easter and someone will be with me here after that until the following weekend. I am absolutley exhausted at the moment and have not been sleeping well so it is reassuring to know that the first few days after surgery do not need to be a struggle,too.
Regarding driving, did you have to wait to get the OK from your surgeon first? I have been told that if they do the node clearance I will be sent home with a drain in place. Do you have to wait until the drain comes out?
Thanks for your good wishes for tomorrow.
Hi there,
Although i have no children and my Other half was around I actually found that i could have coped on my own. I planned the weeks food and what i would have to eat each day so that I wouldn’t have to rely on him cooking. I did a bulk shop the night before, made myself a chilli con carne, bought baked spuds and various fillings so that that it would be easy to just put them in the microwave to heat up.
I found that for a couple of weeks after i’d have bouts of energy where i could do housework but then if i did some light cleaning i’d need a sleep afterwards. You definately need your sleep. Have you been injected with your dye yet?
Good luck for tomorrow and lets hope for the sunshine to be out because that will make you feel better too. May i ask where you are having it done. I asked about the drain because i’d heard this and the Royal Surrey told me there was no way they’d do that and they wouldn’t have discharged me until I was ready.
As for driving, if i had to drive a manual gearbox i would have found that hard so I waited for the 2 weeks and i was fine with an automatic car.
Hi Cherry Orchard, I had same op as you and was glad that I did not have to bring the drain home. They took it out before I was discharged. If it feels uncomfortable get them to check the dressing, as mine was tight and kept pulling, and I thought if was the drain, but it was the sticky cling film dressing! I was well prepared and whilst I had daughter at home and partner locally, I managed to do all the housework (light) and cooking. When you have nodes taken out, they advise not to lift anything too heavy, apparently there is a 2lb rule, so make sure you stick to that and do all your excercises otherwise you tend to stiffen up. With regards to driving I was a bit scared and as did not need to drive, I waited a couple of weeks, but I do have an automatic and obviously lot easier on the arms. It is doable so be brave and good luck with the op. Take painkillers when you need them, my Breast Care Nurse kept telling me off as I was reluctant to take them. If you need them take them! Best Wishes Adi x
I am going tomorrow morning to have the radio isotope injection at Stoke Mandeville. My surgery is scheduled for the afternoon and they will inject the blue dye once I am under anaesthetic.
I was told that I might go home with the drain in place. I don’t think it is unusual. I was speaking to someone last week, who lives up North not near me, and they were sent home with the drain in, too. This lady put the end of the drain in a cloth bag which they pinned to the waistband of their trousers so they didn’t have to worry about leaving it behind if they got up from the chair. It also left their hands free to do other things.
Hi Adi,
Did you have just an SNB or did they do a node clearance? I have been told that any sign of cancer in the SN and they will do a level 2 clearance, which gets rid of most but not all of the nodes. I seem to be asking so many questions. Two weeks ago I didn’t even know what a sentinal node was but now I seem to be learning a whole new language.
Hi Cherryorchard
My Mum recently had a mastectomy and was discharged the following day along with a drain (in a cloth bag like you described) - this was not a big problem, we made sure she took painkillers regularly to help prevent any pain/discomfort and the hospital arranged for the local district nurses to visit every day to measure the drain output and empty it - after about 6 days the drain was removed (pain-free) at home by the district nurse.
Hope all goes well for you.
Esbee
Hi, I had exactly the same diagnosis and surgery as you. I would agree with everything already said. I was discharged with a drain in place and it was removed the next day by a district nurse. I was lucky I had help at home but after a few days I really felt able to get back to normal with regards to cooking, light housework etc. Good luck with your op.
Hi Cherryorchard
I had a mx on the afternoon of Feb 15th and went in again a week later for a further excision to get better margins. The first time I came out the next morning with my drain still in. The second time I came out the same day, but had no drain that time. The drain was annoying and I had to make sure it was down on the ground when I was sat, otherwise it wouldn’t drain properly. However, I was so much happier to be at home rather than in hospital. I recovered from the ops very quickly. I am now due for my 1st of 6 chemo cycles on Monday.
Good luck with your op; I hope every goes well for you
Sue x
Hi Cherryorchard.
What you’re able to do afterwards will very much depend on what they do with your nodes. I’m guessing you’re having OSNA, where they check the sentinel node while you’re out and only clear more if they need to. While this does leave you not knowing what you’re going to wake up to, it saves on the anxiety and worry so you don’t have to wait for node results.
When I had WLE and SNB with OSNA, I was lucky that I didn’t have to have any other nodes cleared. That said, I was last into surgery so stayed overnight and came home the following day. As I only had the SNB taken and no other nodes I didn’t have a drain, but the armpit incision can be very uncomfortable as they’re digging around near nerves.
The first day home I had a PJ day and I think I slept most of the day, and also slept pretty well at night. I suggest you make sure you take all the painkillers you need, there are no prizes for bravery and particularly as you’re on your own (but be aware codeine can make you constipated so maybe get in some senna or lots of bran flakes).
Also make sure you have lots and lots to drink, as that will help clear out the anaesthetic and also the blue dye. You will find that your wee is blue, which can be a bit alarming if you’re not expecting it. Your boob will also be blue probably, and when you first come round you might have an all-over blue tinge which can make you look really ill, so don’t be too alarmed. It does fade eventually. The all-over skin thing goes very quickly but you could end up with a blue boob for quite a while. I still have a slightly blue patch near my nipple but it’s hardly noticeable and still fading. I had my surgery 3 months ago. (Good grief, is it really that long ago?)
You might find you get a bit weepy one or two days after surgery, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself bursting into tears over the tiniest of things. This isn’t unusual, I think it’s an after-effect of both the surgery and the worry
Because of the anaesthetic you are not allowed to drive for 24 hours after surgery but I didn’t feel like driving the day after. I had my surgery on Monday afternoon and by Wednesday I felt fine for driving, but as I say I only had the sentinel node removed my arm movement wasn’t restricted as it might be if you have more nodes removed.
You might want to arrange for a friend to drop in and see you, if you have someone who you wouldn’t mind them seeing you not at your best. It’s nice to have someone else make you a cup of tea.
And just sod the housework for a day or two. It’ll still be there next week when you feel a bit more up to it (or you might even find your friendly visitors volunteer to do it!) I don’t know any world disasters caused by the hoover staying in the cupboard for a couple of days so if you don’t feel up to it, that’s fine.
Very best of luck for tomorrow, please come back and tell us how you get on when you feel up to it. You’ll be in The Waiting Room again, waiting to see the results from the surgery. You will find lots of support while you’re waiting, as we all know how horrid it can be.
Most importantly, be kind to yourself.
CM
x
Hi Cherry Orchard, I am a single parent and was absolutely fine post surgery with just me and my small(ish) boys. I was reasoning that the boys could possibly fetch cups of tea if I was totally flat out but in fact I was making tea the day of surgery and other than a little soreness under the arm where the SNB was, was quite capable of doing all the daily things.
I did find lifting bags of shopping a bit much so maybe online and home delivery or a big shop pre-op? Also I found that I was tired, probably post general anaesthetic so needed to rest more than usual.
Good luck. You will be fine and we look forward to seeing you back here with us xx
You asked about driving - my surgeon wouldn’t give a specific time, he said you can drive when you feel confident enough to do an emergency stop. So I drove pretty soon afterwards, although I do have an automatic.
finty x
Just thought I would let everyone who helped me here know that I am coping really well at home. I even drove the car this morning.
My tumour was bigger than expected but the best news is that I was node negative on the OSNA. Yeh!! Seeing my surgeon next week and keeping my fingers crossed for clear margins
Well done! Just make sure you listen to your body and don’t try to push it too fast.
Brilliant news on the clear nodes - yaaaayyy!!!
Good luck with the margins - we’ll keep everything crossed for you and let’s hope you don’t need more surgery.
Jane xxx
Hi cherryorchard - just to say what alto’s just said.
YAY!!! on the nodes, and well done on getting over the surgery. How are you enjoying your smurf boob? Isn’t it odd! That fades, and you get used to the odd colour. I had a look just now and I’ve still got a bit of a blue patch but as I don’t spend all day looking at my boobs it doesn’t bother me and I don’t actually notice it.
Good luck with your results meeting. I found that one a bit tough, so if you can bring someone with you with a notebook, or at the very least bring a notebook, you might find that very helpful.
Hi Cherryorchard,
Well done on the clear nodes, excellent news. Glad you are back home and recovering well.
Hanging around for results on margins is horrible but you have made a big step forwards. I needed my margins redone, it was a nuisance, another day surgery but a short term pain (literally) and could be sorted. The biggest news you already have, which is that your nodes are clear. So pleased for you xx
Cherryorchard,
i ditto everything that has been said. it is such a relief to have clear nodes. I find out tomorrow whether or not i have my 5mm clear margin. Gut feeling is that I may need a 3rd WLE. However, if it happens it happens.
Have you got through all the M and S food yet? yum yum!
Hi Cherryorchar, Like you I had a wide local with snb for grade 3 . I live on my own with a child living in Madrid & one in Uni on final year, so didnt feel like I could ask them o drop everythingxx. My son di pick me up from hospital after the sugery & stayed the first night, then I was on my own. Friends did call in to check if I needed anything, but I was fine really. Didnt do much except lie on settee watching tv. I made lots of meals & put them in the freezer before hand, so all I had to do was heat them up. I was out & about after about 5 days, & was able to drive after about a week.I felt much better when I took the dressings off & could have a shower & wash my hair. Hope everything goes well for you