I didn’t sleep very well the night before, even though I was no longer feeling anxious about having surgery. I was confident that my surgical team would do a great job and I was encouraged by lovely messages and prayers from family and friends. I was as prepared as I could be from a practical point of view. The house was clean and tidy, the fridge and freezer were fully stocked, I had a stack of pillows ready to sleep sitting up, and my bag was packed as I was likely to stay in overnight, including electric toothbrush, front-fastening pyjamas, snacks, OJ and prunes for the inevitable, phone, iPad and chargers.
HCA-cum-chauffeur drove me to the hospital and we checked in at 11.30. After a very short wait we were taken to a small room where I changed into a fetching gown and was visited by a succession of nurses to go through questionnaires, take blood, bring me a swag bag of breast surgery goodies, and give me information and advice on drains, arm and shoulder exercises, recovery, etc. Then came a young anaesthetist who went through all his checks and explained the knock-out procedure. As well as the general anaesthesia, he said I would also have nerve blocks to reduce post-operative pain. Bring it on, I said.
Next a small army arrived in the little room: my two surgeons, Nick and Fiona, another consultant and a student. It was cosy with HCA and me in there as well. Then it was a case of “close your eyes and whip ‘em out” as Dr Nick produced a tape measure and blue sharpie and proceeded to draw the London Underground map on my frontage with everyone looking on. It’s ok, I’ve given birth twice and had numerous other “bare-all” procedures 
. This would be a therapeutic mammoplasty and axillary lymph node clearance on the naughty side, and symmetrizing mammoplasty on the good side. The incisions would be the “wise pattern”, leaving anchor-shaped scars. Simples.
Finally, another nurse came to measure me up for some lovely white pop socks and she helped me put them on. Then it was time for HCA to leave. I felt very calm and confident that I was in good hands. Everyone had been very reassuring and had put me at ease so off we trecked to the theatre suite. I was met by another nurse who took me through to the anaesthetic room where a very nice consultant was waiting with the other anaesthetist who had been to see me earlier. I sat on the edge of the bed to have a cannula inserted in the back of my hand, then local anaesthetic and nerve blocks injected on both sides of my upper back guided by ultrasound. That wasn’t very nice, but I pulled up my big girl pants and the lovely nurse squeezed my hand each time I winced. Once that was done I lay down on the bed, they put an oxygen mask over my face, I asked the time (3pm) and I was out like a light.
I came to on the ward around 9pm. I was aware that HCA was there and some nursing staff, one of whom was wrapping some cuffs around my lower legs which tightened like a blood pressure cuff every few minutes (anti-DVT compression device). If I came round in recovery, I knew nothing about it! In fact, quite a few things happened that I don’t remember at all, some of which HCA recounted to me the next day! There is Whatsapp evidence of messaging my family at 11.30pm to ask if they were up for a video call and of me making the call, but I had to be reminded who was there and what was said! Poor HCA had been told to call the ward at 5pm, then 6pm, to see if I was out of surgery, but he didn’t get to see me until 9pm. He’d spent the day wandering around the shops, had some lunch, sat in the car and in the day room on the ward. If he’d known it would be that long, he could have gone home and had dinner before coming back! He made do with beans on toast at 10.30pm.
When I woke up around 7 o’clock next morning, I had no pain and enjoyed tea and toast in bed, then they let me sit in the chair. Later I was able to walk up and down the corridor and get my arms moving a bit. I had visits from a consultant, a breast care nurse, and then the consultant came back with Dr Nick at 2pm to check on me again and they said I could go home! HCA had come back to get me by then but we had to wait until 5pm to get blood thinning injections from pharmacy. I’d had the first of seven on the ward, and HCA would be back on duty for the other six.
Recovery is too slow for my liking, but I’m not in pain unless I stretch my right arm too far. Having the three drains hanging in tote bags around my neck was inconvenient, especially when showering, but they were removed after six days. I needed help showering, dressing and getting into bed for the first couple of days but can manage by myself now. I can’t reach up very high and mustn’t lift anything heavier than a can of beans. The wounds seem to be healing well. Hopefully I’ll get a call to ask me to come in later this week to have the dressings removed and the Big Reveal. Otherwise, I’m resting, eating and sleeping well, doing my arm and shoulder exercises, and have managed a short walk every other day. Today was cold but the sunshine and spring blossoms were lovely, as was the robin who sang us a beautiful song from his perch above us.
Thank you for all the lovely cards and messages received pre- and post-surgery. They are a big part of the coping and recovery process!
If you are about to have breast surgery and have any questions, feel free to message me in the comments below or send me a private message. I had some great tips from other ladies who had gone before me. Thank you, Clare, Anna and Tracey.
Lots of love
xx
