Mastectomy next week

hiya.  Sorry you find yourself with all of this. I had a single mastectomy at the beginning of the year & decided against reconstruction. Look up the Flat Friends charity. They have an excellent group you can join if you want to seek information & experiences. Such a great bunch of women. They have made all the difference to my recovery 

Hi chockdee

Sorry to hear that you have to have a mastectomy.  

Wishing you the best of luck with your operation.

Best wishes

Daisy53

Hello chockdee,  yes those emotional swings are difficult for sure.  It will take time for sure to accept the loss.  The wait is not easy either but can be a time to reflect on what you want to do.  Praying for you to go well .

Barbara

Hi Chokdee

Sorry you are facing this. I had a single mastectomy (and full axillary clearance) in May and I do have some practical advice. Make sure you have some loose button up shirts and a soft front fastening bra (I got mine from M&S online) so you can get dressed easily and pop in the “comfi” they send you home with as a temporary filler.  Also PJs. Getting things over your head is tricky to start off with.  I found the actual wound but less painful than any other surgery but it can feel tight - do the exercises they give you before you come home right from the start and don’t stop (I still do mine every day and have full mobility).  They don’t feel like you’re doing much but they really know their stuff (unsurprisingly).  Check out what drains look like online (gross but better mentally prepared than not).  Our community nursing team came out daily to check on me and empty my drain until it was removed - it all worked really well on a practical level. I was able to move my arm and do way more than I expected (I have had shoulder surgery before and had my arm strapped rigid for 2 weeks so I was expecting to be similarly limited but it wasn’t at all like that).  If you are able to grab a bed for yourself that can help - I found I was out of kilter in terms of time and awake in the night (worry doesn’t help) so being able to switch the light on and read was great.  Also make sure you have lots of pillows as being a little upright helps as does putting a pillow under your arm. I spent a lot of time getting my nest “just so”.  Once I’d perfected that it was so much easier to sleep - as you will need to sleep on your back. Pain is not your friend so do take any medication you are offered - I had some kind of pump thumb for the first 24 hours.  

I am in the same position vis a vis reconstruction - I don’t have enough skin left for any other option but a graft and as I will be having radiotherapy once my chemo is over it meant that option wasn’t possible as it round damage the grafted skin. After 8 weeks I went to see one of the MacMillan nurses at the prosthesis clinic and got a “weighted” breast which fits inside the pocket of a mastectomy bra - that feels and looks a bit more “natural” than the temporary foam one.  But it is odd being so one sided, especially as a 35 GG.  I don’t know what I’ll do when I get the chance in future as the thought of more surgery is daunting but I don’t like being unbalanced - or having a fake body part with its own beauty routine on top of everything else I have to remember to do/not do. But I suspect I’ll get used to it. 

I hope things go well for you.  

Thank you so much for your advice. 

l’ive been told they expect to removed upto 5 lymph nodes. I should only have 1 drain which they hope will be removed before I leave the hospital. I spoke to a breast cancer nurse today about the dressings. There’s been no word of a community nurse visiting. The surgeon told me the pain should be minimal and paracetamol should be enough. I know everyone is different so will just have to take it all as it comes :) 

I found the surgery not too challenging once I walked through the door. I didnt have a drain. The stitches were disposable with some glue so I didn’t even have a district nurse visit. I hated the whole prosthetic thing though. I need to feel comfortable. I wanted to like my adapted body. So now, even though I dont seek to advertise my status to the world, I do t hide it either. I have found some good clothes that help with this. I might wear a prosthetic “for best” if I feel like it, but I’m feeling okay not to. I wanted the least amount of surgery & I didn’t want to spend time every day trying to disguise my body. Seven months on I’m feeling better than I thought I would. Acceptance of me as I am has helped xx

I’m sure you will be fine. I had a mastectomy 6 weeks ago- it was a reasonably easy trip to the hospital- whisked off to theatre , one breast removed and a full axillary clearance. The ward team were amazing and went home next day with a drain. The bottle was bigger than expected, but they give you a bag to keep it in, which saves you from trying to walk off and leave it behind - which is easily done. I’m staying flat - who cares ? But each to their own, like the other lady I shall wear my prosthetic for best.

Best of luck xx