Hi
I had a full mastectomy and instant reconstruction on 24 June, followed by a total axilla lymph node clearance on 29 July. I’m healing very nicely where the wound/scars are concerned (in fact my mastectomy scar is pretty invisible) but just wondered when my skin might soften up and everything stops feeling so tight.
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Hi irenko
Thanks for posting.
You don’t say what type of breast reconstruction you had, but it’s very normal for the area to feel tight in the early days and weeks following surgery. This can be especially noticeable if you’ve had an implant-based reconstruction.
Tightness is also common after axillary node clearance. This may be due to swelling and inflammation, but tightness can also often be felt if the muscles across the chest and around the under arm and shoulder area stiffen as a result of the surgery. Scars and skin also can feel uneven and may feel tight and tender.
It’s difficult to say for sure when the tightness may completely resolve, but there are things you can do to help.
Your breast care nurse or surgeon may have given you some exercises to do after your surgery. These exercises are often specific to the type of breast reconstruction as well as helping you regain arm and shoulder movement after surgery.
Our Exercises after breast cancer surgery leaflet has more information on arm and shoulder exercises, but it’s always a good idea to check what exercises you should be doing if you’ve not been given specific instructions.
Massaging the skin and scars daily once they’re fully healed can also help reduce tightness, but it’s always important to check with your team before doing this. You can massage the area using a little moisturiser, with light small circular motions with the tips of your fingers over the breast area and scars.
We offer a range of free supportive services for anyone who has had a diagnosis of breast cancer which you may be interested in. They include face to face and online courses and events such as our Moving Forward resources that are for people who have had a diagnosis of primary breast cancer and have come to the end of their main hospital treatment within the last 2 years. They include our Moving Forward booklet and Moving Forward courses.
For more details about all of these services, please see the information on the link, or call our free helpline.
It can also be helpful to connect with someone who has had a similar experience to you. Our Someone Like Me service can match you with a trained volunteer who’s had a similar surgery to you for example. You can be in touch with your volunteer by phone or email and they can share their personal experiences to answer your questions, offer support or simply listen to how you are feeling.
You can ring the Someone Like Me team on 0800 138 6551 or email them at someone.likeme@breastcancernow.org, so they can then match you to your volunteer.
Do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to more support and information if necessary. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks. The number is 0808 800 6000. If you have hearing or speech difficulties prefix our number with 18001 and the call will go through Relay UK. Our helpline has access to telephone interpreters if language translation is required.
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Best wishes
Catherine
Breast Care Nurse
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