Can anyone help? my wife goes for a mastectomy tomorrow, Wednesday. The breast nurse has said that there may be a chance she could be home by the weekend with drains still in.
We have a complication in that her mum sadly passed away on Sunday and we have provisionally booked funeral for 13 March.
I guess I am looking for reassurance that my wife will be fit enough to attend the funeral.
Any help would be really helpful.
Hi
Sorry to hear about all your sad news. I had a mastectomy in December and came home the following morning with drains still in tact!! My drains came out after 3 days. I’m sure your wife will be OK to attend the funeral. Drains only stay in for 5 days max (so I was told in hosp). She will not have much energy but I was walking round the block (5-10 mins) a few days after my op. She will need lots of support which I’m sure you’ll give her. The best support my OH gave me was to reassure me that he still loved and wanted me (although he can’t make soup!!LOL)
Good luck with everything.
Love Gill x
Sorry to hear of your problems. I can sympathise as my mum passed away in January last year, three weeks before my dx. To get two such big issues in your life at once is hard to deal with.
However, your wife should be fine to attend the funeral - I was at my daughter’s 12th birthday party (postponed due to my operation) exactly one week after my mastectomy. I had come out of hospital two days earlier. The party involved taking a group bowling (needless to say I didn’t bowl!) followed by pizza at a nearby restaurant. Just make sure that your wife is not expected to do anything other than be there.
Hi,
Sorry you’re having tough time at the moment. I had mastectomy in September and drains were out after three days and I came home on 4th day with no problems. Make sure you get pain relief to bring home (although I have to say I didn’t have lots of pain) and try to get your wife to take it easy and rest lots for first couple of days. I felt a bit wobbly and was very nervous of my operation site being bumped and walked around with my arm clamped firmly to my side for days (not good!, try and do excercises the hospital will give you - little and often). I was out walking the dog after couple of days and feeling fine, just take things a bit slower than usual.
Hope everything goes smoothly for tomorrow,
Love Louisa x
Hello Alancs
I had a mastectomy in October, I came home the day after the operation & they had removed the drains before I left hospital. I had no problems afterwards, and started to feel better as soon as I was in my own bed in my own home. I was able to get out and about more or less straight away.
Please send my regards to your wife & I hope it all goes well for her
Anita
Thanks so much for the useful and honest comments. I guess at this stage reassurance is what I am looking for that the op and outcome won’t be as traumatic as it seems it will be from this side.
Hopefully, when this is done my wife can plan for the future treatments and look forward to returning to a normal life.
What has been quite amusing is our five year old - he said “when are you going to hospital to get small?” !!!
Kids are a great leveller.
Hi Alancs
It may sound daft as it’s not on the same level but my cat died 2 weeks before I had my op and I just bawled my eyes out for a few days which really helped. So I hope in some ways the funeral can help your wife in a similar way but sorry she has to do both these things at the same time.
I had a double mastectomy 2 weeks ago and was released with drains in 2 days later. A lot of it actually comes down to whether they are taking a sample of the lymph nodes or taking all of them, as recovery when they just take a sample can be very quick. And the younger you are the faster you recover.
I was had full motion within 2 days of the op but lifting things was and still is a little difficult.
Hope this helps give you an idea of what to expect.
tip: those v shaped pillows making sitting at home a lot more comfy after the Op.
Hope it all goes smoothly. I just had my results today, I may have lost both of my breasts but it looks like it took all the cancer with it so I hope it works out as well for her.
HI Alancs
I hope your wife has come through the op ok.
My mum died the day after I was diagnosed as did another family member so went through December in a bit of a blur and drunk. With my mum dying it gave me something else to focus on instead the BC.
As for the op I had mast and recon 15 lymp nodes removed on the Thursday came out on the Monday came home with a drain in. I think your wife will be okay going to the funeral but she will just need to take it easy and listen to her body and rest when it says so.
Take care
Sharon
Well it looks as though she has come through the operation; she was back on the ward by midday. I’m going to visit tonight.
I think she wants to get home even with drains simply to get some sleep. As she said, hospitals are no place for sick people who need to rest!!