Hi. I received news last week that I have a lump - now called “The Squatter” which is showing signs of both Ductal and lobular cells. I class myself as extremely fortunate that it’s been found early and is treatable and am set for an MRI this week then a lumpectomy Is due to follow shortly after. Can some give me an idea of the recovery time and any tips on looking after myself to aid recovery would be amazing. Thank you
Hi Debs
Big consoling hug for finding yourself part of the breast cancer sisterhood. I am fairly new here too and have found the members full of kindness, support, good advice and good humour. The great thing is you found it early and breast cancer is treatable now. They’ll soon kick your Squatter out and send any hangers on packing.
I was diagnosed middle of September last year with mixed invasive classic lobular and invasive ductal cancer. They always do an MRI when lobular cancer is discovered because it can be sneaky and sometimes crops up in the other breast too. After other scans that were needed had been done and waiting times for results, I finally had my surgery on December 10th - in and out the same day, no drain, wound glued rather than stitched and no dressing. I had very little pain to begin with and felt fine for a couple of days, then didn’t feel quite so well on the third day for a couple of days. I also began to feel a bit sore both in the breast and my armpit from where they’d taken a Sentinel Lobe Biopsy - just 2 nodes.
The following week I felt fine and was able to put the Christmas decs up and carry on with light housework etc. The worst part of this, as you will find, is the waiting for results. I got my lumpectomy results back on 8th January, with a bit of good news and a bit of bad - they got clear margins on the tumour so no more breast surgery, but one of the nodes was infected and so now I am having an Full Axillary Node Clearance this Thursday 21st. My treatment plan going forward will depend on what they find there.
After 10 days I started moisturising my wound and massaging it as best I could as it was still very tender at this stage. I used SHEALD RECOVERY BALM which is great for healing wounds and fading scars but Bio Oil is good too and not quite so expensive.
It’s really important to do the exercises they give you, and follow the instructions they give you regarding recovery, when you can do what again, etc. I’m very impatient and did a bit too much too soon and got very sore again. They give you the recovery advice for good reason, so best to stick to it!
Good nutrition, healthy lifestyle and good sleep are all vital to a good recovery and there’s plenty of advice in the booklets available at your Breast Unit about what’s good and what to avoid.
When you get your surgery date you could post again on the Surgery page for that particular month and you’ll find lots of lovely girls there who can give advice and share their stories.
Best wishes, Rose x
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Hello DebsP
I’m sorry to hear you are facing surgery but good news that it’s been found early.A lot will depend on your age and general health but I was surprised how well I felt throughout treatment.
I had a lumpectomy exactly a year ago last week after being recalled from my first screening appointment.I was 52 and considered myself to be in in fairly good general health i.e I had never had any sort of operations or treatment before for anything and was on no medication for any other underlying conditions. I wouldn’t say I was ever an exercise freak but I have always walked a lot so would say I was moderately fit.My operation was done by day surgery(I think that’s the norm in most hospitals) so I was home the same evening.I was slightly tired for a day or two but otherwise in no pain after the anaesthetic wore off and didn’t need to take any further pain killers. I was signed off for 3 weeks(this was just pre Covid so working at home wasn’t the norm) and even thought of going back to work early but listened to everyone and agreed to be gentle on myself.
A lot will also depend on where your wound is.If you have to have a sentinel node biopsy to check your lymph nodes, you will have a scar under your arm and will be told to be careful not to lift anything heavy for a few weeks. That probably caused me to take more care than the lumpectomy itself.My lumpectomy wound was in the “12 o’clock” position so I was lucky it didn’t really cause me any problems but I had to be careful to remember not to do anything too energetic or stretch up to lift anything.My BCN told me most women try to do too much because they forget they have stitches and feel well-so no vacuuming!However, I had frantically cooked and filled the freezer beforehand in preparation and actually found cooking very therapeutic and no problem.
You should be given arm/shoulder exercises to do later and I was very careful to do them daily and build up the frequency as it helps prevent lymphoedema and also helps give you full arm movement if you need radiotherapy later .I also made a great effort to go out for walks every day and built up the length of them and I certainly felt ok to go out after the first day or two.
In retrospect, I would say don’t underestimate the emotional side of everything and even if you feel physically well , I had good days and bad days-that’s quite normal, I think! I also think Covid has a big impact on everything.I was very lucky that when I started treatment, I could meet friends for coffee when I was recovering and have hugs but that later stopped overnight, and it became a much more isolated experience, so I do think it’s harder for all women having treatment now-so do give yourself treats and be gentle on yourself.
I hope all goes well and good luck!
Hello…sorry to hear you are joining the club!
i had lumps removed from both breasts in November. I referred to mine as ‚my unwelcome friends‘.
i think a good sense of humour helps enormously - being able to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.
The physical recovery has been very good - any discomfort I had didn’t last long. I went walking outside the day after the operation…short small walks which I built up. Thoroughly recommend this - it helps enormously both physically and mentally. Even better if a friend joins you. Surround yourself with positive things/people and items of beauty.
i also did (and still am) yoga every day… listening carefully to my body. Prior to the op, it helped me retain my sense of inner calm and post operation has helped keep my mood lifted and improve my upper body mobility. There are some great you tube options
When I embrace my cancer journey (am currently doing radiotherapy) rather than fight against it, it enables me to be much more positive. Go with the flow and the most important thing is to be kind to yourself!
Good luck with your journey!