I am having lumpectomies both sides in November and am thinking about practicalities. I’m wondering if I should move things to low shelves in case I can’t lift my arms much. I live alone. Any practical advice would be useful. Thanks.
I had this very op 4 weeks ago. But I only had lymph nodes removed on the left. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how quick I could move my arms normally - I did the arm exercises religiously and now my arms move better than before! (I have joint problems). But the armpit pain has been really annoying - put a soft cushion in the car to protect your chest when travelling. Driving isn’t safe at first but later on you’ll find certain movements “catch” your armpits. I have an automatic though so less of an issue. Parking and reversing can hurt a bit sometimes. You will need a front opening bra without underwires or uncomfortable bits. I got a post surgical bra by Royce which has antibacterial silver threads in it, is stretchy to cover the variety of sizes yiu go through from swollen to smaller than before. You will probably find you need to wear a bra 24/7 and depending on your size, a crop top bra might not be supportive enough. A supportive sports bra is ok for some people, but the front opening definitely made it easier for me.
I had a few issues with my dressings leaking and coming lose - tell your breast care nurse if this happens and you need the dressings replaced. But later on, when my wounds were dry and uncovered I taped a bit of micropore over them just to protect them against knocks.
