New breast cancer diagnosis

Hi Bizzylizzy82

Welcome to the forum. I had a mastectomy last June followed with radiotherapy in August. At my first appointment the surgeon said it was a large ill defined tumour and difficult to measure but guessed 4-5 cms. Biopsy results came back to say DCIS ( pre cancerous) but because if the size a mastectomy was still needed. I was warned about the possibility of invasion and sure enough the post surgery biopsy showed some micro invasions so I’m glad I had the mastectomy.

Recovery has been tough for me. A real tightness under the arm and across the chest. I used to say it felt like an elephant sitting on my chest! I’m glad to say, a year on, the elephant has gone. I still have some tightness and swelling underarm but still hopeful it will go away. I try not to let it get in the way of my life. Improvements in arm movement has been gradual and I’m almost back to normal - not quite there yet. I’m on holiday at the moment and have been cycling and swimming no problem. 

I think you just need to be patient with recovery, baby steps. Keep doing the stretches they give you. Some people seem to recover quite quickly. I hope all goes well for you. Xx

Hello! Similar to you I found a lump aged 43 and was told straight away I needed a mastectomy (I had one large tumour). I waited 6 weeks for my operation and I'm now 4 weeks post-op. I've had hardly any pain at all, and the wound is very neat - not the massive of bruises etc I expected! I have some cording, but I am doing the exercises they give you every day and I'm getting more movement back. I am still feeling very wiped out, even though I'm doing very little. I'm just waiting now for an appointment with the oncologist to see what the next steps are.

The hardest thing I've found is the waiting and not knowing what to expect. No one told me to expect another set of results after the op, for example, I just found out by reading up myself. I'm sure like me you've been given a load of leaflets that are just too much to filter through and take in when you're in the whirlwind. Saying all that, the initial whirlwind does subside and you get a chance to take it all in and feel more like yourself. I found Liz O'Riordan's book very helpful in getting a clearer picture of what to expect. Good luck X

Will you be having reconstruction? I had to wait about 3 weeks following my diagnosis for a treatment plan. I am also 41 and had a single mastectomy about 6 weeks ago with full lymph node removal. I found the first week the hardest as had a drain and struggled with some of the exercises. I was taking regular paracetamol and had some IV whilst I was in hospital. The pain wasn’t so bad but my surgeon suggested I take the codeine to help with the exercises. I got my full movement back after 4 weeks. I struggled wearing a bra as it rubbed agains the dressing. It did feel more comfortable as the weeks went by. I hated not wearing a bra and feeling lopsided but that got better when I could wear a bra. Following the surgery the results were the tumour was bigger and I had multiple tumours with all the lymph nodes having cancer. I’ve just started chemo. I hope your journey goes well. It’s a lot to process but do get help from family and friends. Not sure if you have any children or a partner. It’s hard going and for me it’s a long road. X