I’m due to have a single mastectomy next week and wondered how others had coped with operation

Hi Ovlov, had mine 3 weeks ago today. Can’t speak highly enough of the treatment from the hospital team. Drain for a week. Healing well. Took me a while to recognise I needed the painkillers regardless of how I felt (have never been a pill popper so was easy to forget and then the discomfort took a while longer to settle which interfered which me doing the exercises). I guess the next step always seems the biggest so my attention has already switched to the chemo which I’d dared to hope wouldn’t be needed. 

Thank you for that - it is helpful to know and I feel the same about chemo. Fingers crossed for you. Take care. X

Hello i hope all goes really well with your surgery. I had a single mastectomy and auxiliary lymph node clearance in july. I am so pleased to say that it has all healed so well and i am doing things as i was before with my arm where the lymph nodes were in the under arm. Doing the exercises they give u after helped so much, it wasnt always easy doing them but i managed even if a bit painful. Yes definitely keepbon top of pain relief if you need to as i also didn't take these regularly at first which didnt help. Good luck x

Thank you Mummybear80 your experience was good to hear and I appreciate your help. Best wishes x

Hi I had right mastectomy and axillary clearance last Friday.  I still have the drain in.  I have not had any pain only what I would say discomfort and difficulty sleeping x

Hello Ovlov, i had my left mastectomy 14th October. I ended up staying one night in the Hospital, i had a drain fitted which was removed three days later, i also had a PICO7 dressing which was removed after a week. I currently have fluid above my wound so I'm seeing a breast nurse tomorrow. Sometimes getting comfortable lying down takes time, but i get there. I had knee pain, so Doctor wasn't sure if i had a DVT, so I'm having an ultrasound scan tomorrow and I'm on blood thinners. I was glad to have a shower after the dressing was removed and washing my hair. I would get button through pj's and tops, as i struggled to get tops over my head. Take pain relief, my pain/discomfort varies day to day. If people offer to help with things, then say yes. I wish you well with your surgery, this site is also helpful, so keep in touch. xx

Thanks 4everMe, these little tips are really helpful and much appreciated, so many thanks. Hope they can help tomorrow at the hospital with the fluid build up and the scan proves useful. Take care and many thanksx