Lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy

Hi Saund and welcone ️.

i had a lumpectomy and SNB 10 days ago . Like you , I’d never had a general anaesthetic before . The scariest bit was when they came to take me to theatre but all the medical crew were great and I can only remember the mask being put near my face , the next thing I was in recovery .
I was eating a cheese sandwich and drinking a cup of tea an hour later !

I was sent home with codeine but I’ve only taken paracetamol, with a few ibruprofen. Nurse told me to take the paracetamol every 6 hours , don’t wait until you “ need “ them. 
Also , if you take codeine take a senna with it .

I was on a post op high for 24 hours then I crashed .

I had a v pillow , which was a saviour and a normal pillow to keep my arm elevated .Take a small pillow to hospital for the seatbelt . I had a heart shaped one but I haven’t used it since . 

I wore a post op bra at first but I’m on a non wired sports bra now . The most painful bit is the lymph scar but that’s easing now.

I'm waiting for my results on 10th April. The MRI confirmed small tumour and no lymph nodes but pathology results might show different. 

Good luck tomorrow , let us know how it goes x 

Hi saund

I had my lumpectomy and sentinel node samples done at the end of November. I had minimal pain after the operation but unfortunately I reacted to the anaesthetic and had to stay overnight. 

Definitely take a cushion or a pillow for the journey home and get plenty of rest.

I wore a front fastening bra and baggy clothes which made dressing easier.

The operation itself was over and done with in what seemed like minuets, and I wondered why I had been het up about it.

There is currently a long wait for radiotherapy ( where I live anyway ) but I'm taking anastrozole.

Sending love and hugs xx

Hi , thank you for your advice .i never thought of a cushion to take for the journey back so thank you . 
love and hugs to you too x 

Hi . Thanks for your reply . Hopefully I’ll be ok with paracetamol for pain relief as codeine makes me feel awful . 
good luck with your results . 
I’ll let you know how I get on . 
thanks again x 

Welcome to the group no one wants to be part of. I definitely found the cushions a god send (my wonderful sis made me cushions to put tween seat belt and me in car and v pillows and smaller cushions for under my armpit...those were THE BEST!)

I walked around the house and slept with them...got so much relief. The dis comfort from the sentinel node removal was greater than my mastectomy and reconstruction.

I thought of the anaesthetic as a chance to catch up on my sleep...Best sleep I ever had!

Best of luck and take it easy giving your body the chance to recover  take your pain killers on a regular basis initially...don't wait for the pain or try to be unnecesarily brave. Big hugs

Hi Saund , great advice already from the lovely folk here. I used cushions and pillows a lot post surgery - pillows in bed to prop my arm up next to me and to stop me from turning on to my side as I found that really painful for a good while. And a cushion to rest my arm on when sitting on a chair. Definitely good to keep ‘on top’ of any pain, I was lucky to manage with just paracetamol but had other pain relief lined up just in case! And be kind to yourself - don’t rush to do anything if you don’t feel ready. Except for the post surgery exercises! They’re really helpful and for me were a really useful ‘marker’ for my mobility coming back. I was given a booklet on discharge which opened up into a chart of exercises for each day post op. It’s on the breast cancer now website. 
Good luck with your op - in a weird person who actually likes the anaesthetic! Lovely feeling of drifting away and always have a great sleep that night. 
Sending love and a big virtual hug, HFxx

Thanks for reply 

op went ok and wasn’t poorly from the anaesthetic so that was a relief. Didn’t sleep too well last night just wasn’t tired . How long did you keep your stocking on ? I’ve been told day and night till I’m fully mobile (nurse said at least couple of days ) . Got a v pillow found that a real help today . 

Hi Saund , glad you’re home and recovering., I slept badly the night after the op , next night was much better . I kept my stockings on until 3rd day, when I was moving around more.i reads a study tt said , if you’ve been given the anti clotting injection, unless you’re high risk for clots , there’s no real benefit to them . They drive me mad .

Take it easy , take your painkillers regularly, keep hydrated , in a few days you’ll feel much better . And do your exercises xx

Yeah I’ve kept up with pain relief and started exercises today .yes Stockings are a bit annoying but needs must . Thanks for advice x 

Hi Saund , yes I hated the stockings but I think I was told to keep them on for 48 hours. Very glad to take them off eventually! Good that you’ve started the exercises, I had to grit my teeth at times but they definitely help with getting mobility back. Love and hugs, HFxx