I was diagnosed a month or so ago and am booked in to have my right breast removed as a day case at the end of Sept. Has anyone got any tips or advice? Most people on this forum seem to have spent time in hospital after but I want to get some idea of how hard it will be to go straight home. I’m going for my pre-op consultation on Thurs so can ask some stuff then, and have lots of offers of help for when I get home but want to know if others found there were particular things they needed done for them.
Also, how long was it before getting back to ‘normal’? The advice booklets all say 3-6 weeks but it’s helpful to know what real people have found.
Sorry no-one has replied to your post yet. My experience was very different from yours as I had an immediate reconstruction, so was in hospital for a week (slightly longer than average as I live alone). I have heard of ladies having mastectomies as day cases and they seem to do really well - nothing like getting back to your own bed! One thing that is the same for everyone is the need to start the exercises as soon as you can and do them ‘little and often’ .
You will probably be told not to lift anything much on the affected side for a while, and possibly also to avoid reaching as this can pull at wounds. You will almost certainly be tired and need lots of rest. I was told no ironing or hoovering for at least 6 weeks - quelle hardship, not! Hopefully you can get some help with those things for a while.
I was driving again after six weeks and was able to carry light bags of shopping quite soon. I think the key thing is to listen to your body and stop before you get too tired. If something hurts then stop doing it.
Hi Peggers, I had right breast mx on 20th Aug., day case. It is ok really. In to hosp at 7am and home by 6pm. They will check that you are ok to go home, blood pressure checked hourly after the op, need to show that you can walk, and go to the loo; eat and drink something. i was extremely thirsty when I came round and had packed some little bottles of volvic in my bag, but there was plenty of tea and water when I needed it. I didnt have any drains fitted - my snb was clear so no ancillary clearance was needed. I wasnt having any reconstruction either (not yet anyway). Some of the other ladies in the ward had drains which were like bottles they carried with them, and a couple of ladies had oxygen being piped under their noses. I wasnt in any pain. I asked the nurse to help me out of bed to go to loo, and to get my bag out of the locker. I had a puzzle book and pen and attempted some sudoku, but brain quite fried! The nurses were fantastic. They rang OH when I was awake, and he got tea and sandwich too! I felt able to get dressed at about 5pm, blouse with buttons down the front, easy to get into/ loose skirt/ flat sandals. and asked the nurses for pain relief to take home with me. I was given codeine and ibuprofen. I asked them for a Comfy to put into my post op bra. Then they gave me a discharge letter and away home I went. I had two cushions in the car - one in front and one under my arm so that the seat belt didnt rub. Home to bed and a light dinner. Codeine can make you constipated, but it certainly is a good painkiller. Makes you woozy though, so I only took it at night. make sure you take it after a meal, or else you will feel nauseous. I felt surprisingly ok, and was a pain of a patient, kept wanting to get up and do things. Take it easy. I used Pampers baby wipes to wash with for day 2, and then day 3 I wrapped cling film round me in the shower, and my sis washed my hair. Didnt want to raise my arm up that far. Being right handed too , bit of a nuisance. The nurse at the local surgery took the main dressing off a week later, left the steri strips on. They gradually came off over the next week. i was quite swollen with seroma until this week, nearly all gone now, just a little bit of bruising left. Saw the consultant last week, care plan given, see the oncologist on 20th Sept for my chemo plan. Am sure you will be fine. hope this helps a bit. Take care x