Help

Hey

First - breathe!!

Well done getting through surgery - and hopefully that means the cancer is now gone!! 

You will have nerve pains from the surgery. Shooting electric shock type things. And the inside of your arm will feel like it's been sandpapered. That lasts 4-6 weeks for most. So don't panic when it happens.

You'll have a pathology results appointment in about 2 weeks. They will have tested all the nodes taken. We all have a different amount of them. Some have 30 or more, I had 15. Only one of them was positive. Remember they had one job - to catch stray cells before they spread. Which they have done.

You should have been given exercises to do. Make sure you do them. 3 times a day. Every day. I found taking painkillers half an hour before was helpful to start with.

And try to get back to doing all the things you did with that arm, gradually, over the next few weeks. Otherwise you lose too much strength and mobility on that side.

You've got this chick.

Hugs xx

Thank you for replying Karen, it has helped. I haven't been given any exercise sheets yet as they're keeping me in overnight do I'm currently sweltering on a ward and trying to tune out all the snoring Another 2 weeks waiting for results will be hard, I'm still waiting for the HER2 result to come back. Do you know if the sentinel node being affected now means chemotherapy? The original plan was surgery, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. I'm so confused now and cant cope with Google tonight.

Thank you for replying Karen, it has helped. I haven't been given any exercise sheets yet as they're keeping me in overnight do I'm currently sweltering on a ward and trying to tune out all the snoring Another 2 weeks waiting for results will be hard, I'm still waiting for the HER2 result to come back. Do you know if the sentinel node being affected now means chemotherapy? The original plan was surgery, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. I'm so confused now and cant cope with Google tonight.

Not necessarily .

If the HER 2 is positive or triple neg then definitely. But if er+ only then they may offer another test to see whether you'll benefit from chemo.

You can download the exercises from ...... Oh dear, I've forgotten...... Either breast cancer now or ....... Ah crap, I'm still getting chemo brain 2 years later.... The other cancer research site, anyway.

Hope you manage some sleep!! I had someone on the phone. All night. Loudly. And a screamer in the next ward.

Xx

Hi , 

I was similar to you, I had mastectomy and sentinel nodes out, first the nodes were inconclusive, then it was said cancer was present in them. I was just having radiotherapy and anti hormone tablets up until that point.  I had node clearance 3 weeks later and 7/21 nodes were effected so chemo for me. 

If you want to know anything ask a breast care nurse, pls don’t google you will drive yourself mad.

Gentle hugs x

Hello ladies,

I'm still black and blue but went out and got some post surgery bras 

today which definitely  help. I have an appointment on Thursday to get the results from the surgery and am hoping and praying for the best. I'm staying off Google now and just reading here but mentally this diagnosis has really shaken me. Good luck to us all xx

Hi, breast cancer care have a fab downloadable pdf with post surgery exercises. It's called 'Exercises After Breast Cancer Surgery (BCC6)'

Xx

Hiya You don't say what op you had, was it a lumpectomy or a mastectomy? 

Once you get your results they will tell you what will happen next, every one is different so no one can tell you for sure what will happen. I had a mastectomy 7 weeks ago and will start radiotherapy in 2 weeks, but that doesn't mean you will, lots of things can change it. 

Make sure you pester for the exercises, when i had a lumpectomy the physio came to see me before my op but once i had my mastectomy she came to see me after my op. They definitely make a difference, i can tell if i miss a day, but soon feels better again once i've done them.

Keep posting let us know how you get on xx

Hi Scriptfan, I've had a lumpectomy with axillary node clearance to level 2. I've been doing the exercises from breastcancer.org. Nobody at the hospital said anything about them or the fact my boob would be blue and I'd be weeing like a smurf. This site and Google provides the answers.

Hi Rosie97,

I hope that you don’t mind me asking but what size was your tumour? I ask because because I have a 3cm grade 2 Invasive ductal carcinoma and am having the same op next Tuesday. My is positive for Er and negative for HER 2.

i hope you recover well and are not in pain following your surgery.

take care 

Tina