Mastectomy 30/07

[itchyhand]

Wondered if I could find anyone else having a mastectomy this week?

I have invasive breast cancer affecting the whole right breast. Reconstruction with an implant at the same time.

I'm 41, DD is 7, DH will be here to look after me.

Or if you’ve had one previously - any recovery tips, things to buy, ideas about recovery time etc

Me! same day Same operation, same breast.
Good luck how are you feeling?
. I am feeling remarkably calm . I think I just want it done now . I have been waiting almost 6 weeks since confirmation of treatment plan
Let me know how you get on

Hiiiii! Thanks so much for replying, I wasn’t sure if I’d find anyone. What a coincidence that it’s the same side too!

i can’t imagine waiting six weeks, how have you been during that time?

I only had 16 days to wait from diagnosis to surgery… but it had taken 7.5 months to diagnose.

what kind of cancer have you got? Will you need any other treatment too?

I just feel ready and positive.

I have stage 2 IDC estrogen positive. I have 2 tumours both around 2cms but in different quadrants and being quite small breasted a lumpectomy wasn't an option hence the mastectomy
I have been taking lots of photos so I can remember what my breast looked like but will be sad to lose it . I am slightly anxious about what my new one will look like . I have elected for nipple sparing but I know there is the risk it won't work
I am hoping apart from the Anastrozole that this will be me done as long as the lymph nodes are clear. I had my injection this afternoon so they know which nodes to take out
16 days is incredibly quick it must have been quite a whirlwind for you
I think our hospital must have limited resources as this was the earliest date offered for me If I had wanted the diep flap it would have been an even longer wait and in a hospital 50 miles away
What time are you in tomorrow? I have to be there 7 30am.
Let me know how you get on . I will also keep you updated on my progress

I’ve had two mastectomies but I didn’t have a reconstruction, so I don’t know how relevant my info is. The surgeries were a breeze and there was very little pain. In and out in half a day. The psychological aspect was the hardest for me. Button-up shirts are useful. You won’t want to be pulling things over your head. They should give you sets of exercises to do from the day after surgery. These are really important to regain flexibility and movement in your arms. On my surgery, they thought there was only one tumour but there turned out to be about six of many centimetres each, so that was a shock. So do be warned that the results may differ from what scans showed.

My cancer is similar - grade 2 IDC, hormone positive, I was referred to the clinic in December 2025 for nipple bleeding. Imaging gave the impression of diffuse papillomatosis, I was still bleeding most days, so I had the milk ducts and a section of breast, which biopsied as atypical papilloma, removed in June. The lab found 8mm & 15mm IDC, I have enormous boobs, J cup, but the amount of growths - which I guess now are probably cancer - means a mastectomy rather than lumpectomy. Nipple off too. The reconstruction will be whatever implant can fit in the remaining skin, healthy boob will be reduced to match later down the line.

that’s a good idea to take photos, i took my sick boob for a topless dip in the sea, I still love her even if she is trying to kill me. I know my new boob will look and feel totally different but I’ll accept and love her too.

I have to be in at 7.30am too, you’re not in N Wales are you?

I came to bed last night without packing my bag so I think I’ll get up now and do it. That’s not like me, I’m usually very organised. I must be avoiding it.

I hope you’re early in your list, I know I’m 2nd but won’t be seen until the afternoon so likely to stay overnight.

good luck, I’ll be thinking of you

That’s helpful thank you. I’m a bit nervous of the drain and getting my arm back to fitness so knowing there’ll be exercises is handy.

I’ll definitely take imaging results with a pinch of salt after all this, like you say, I really believe the lab is the only way to really know what’s going on.

Good luck @itchyhand not north wales the midlands . It’s strange to think of all these women going through the same thing today ( and yesterday and tomorrow)
I am now at the stage of packing where I am just flinging in things randomly. I am hoping to be in and out in a day. It’s actually my daughters birthday today which was the last time I was in hospital 24 years ago which seems slightly ironic

Just want to say good luck to you both, you are incredible brave positive women - hope the operations go well for you both xx

Just want to wish you all good luck !
It struck a note with me as l remember it was the date my mum had a mastectomy back in the early 1980’s. She breezed through it , led a very healthy life afterwards and recently passed away at just shy of 100 …… Hope that boosts your confidence x

Good luck to you both🙏🏻 I’ll be thinking of you and sending love and positive thoughts today and for your recovery ❤️‍🩹

I also will be thinking of you both today, hopefully will hear from you both soon that everything went well and that you both heal quickly after your operations. Brave brave girls 💕💕

First on the list just been marked up by the surgeon and waiting for the anaesthetic now . Feeling Ok . Hopefully next time I post it will be all over

Good luck, we can do hard things ❤️

Hope it goes as well as it can for both of you. I had a right side mastectomy back in 2021 which was very quick to recover from but I had delayed reconstruction which was DIEP in 2024, that took longer to recover from but still not too bad. That's great you have a supportive DH. Lots of cushions and soft things help.

Hope @Puravida23will be out soon and enjoying some toast. I think I’ll be taken down shortly

I'm out! Very disorientated when I came round but feeling good. Pain level around 3 or 4. Got my tea and toast but finding it hard to chew and talk as mouth so dry
I can see I am going to struggle with the arms bit. I think the first thing I'll did was lift my arms up so panicking I have already damaged my implant but the surgeon says it is fine. I have also got a drain and a battery pack thing 😬 to juggle and am naturally clumsy so slightly scared
Hoping to be discharged after this cup of tea and looking forward to collapsing in the sofa with a box set for the rest of the day
Can't believe that I am not potentially cancer free it's amazing. Really grateful to the NHS who have been amazing
They gave me a little heart cushion and really pretty drain bag so for anyone reading this don't worry about buying
Let me know how your op goes I will be thinking of you @itchyhand
Let the rehab begin😀

The endorphins have worn off from the surgery completion now and to be honest I feel really down now The drains are a real pain . I keep forgetting about them and they are so cumbersome. It took me 10 minutes fighting with them just going to the loo as I seem to have managed to wrap them round the strap of the bag so had to detangle myself.
I also have very little dressing on the implant breast which is a surprise so I can see most of it and my new breast looks very lumpy and I can clearly see the implant which is freaking me out a lot. Please someone tell me this improves .
I am also worried my bra ( post surgery bra from John Lewis) might be the wrong size/shape and will leave me with a mis shapen breast as a result. It feels fine I think but I think I am just catastrophising now
On the plus side no pain at all

@Puravida23 you are just hitting a natural low after anaesthesia and surgery, don’t be surprised if it lasts a few days. Be kind to yourself, don’t panic about anything and tell yourself there is no rush! It will be better when you get rid of the drains and move about a bit easier. The implant will settle down, there will be swelling there at the moment. Get plenty of rest, take painkillers when you need them - don’t let pain build up. You don’t have to wear a bra yet if you’re not ready, one step at a time.

Are you definitely having a drain? I didn’t with either mastectomy.

@Puravida23 did you make it home? I’m on a ward, up and about, snacking, tidying my bed, keeping busy.

i can’t tell you how funny my boobs look, healthy boob is a drooped J cup, reconstructed boob is a high C/D cup, literally under my chin. Wish I could show you the comedy of it.

i think the consultant said they took 4 lymph nodes out.

I’ve had a local anaesthetic all over the boob so I can’t feel a thing, I had the same during a breast surgery in June and it lasted 24 hours, when that wears off tomorrow I might feel some pain / discomfort.

I hope you get some rest x

Yep, a drain from my armpit, I need to squeeze a balloon into a bag and count the mL and change the bag daily

@itchyhand I was home by 4pm. My drain has a little battery pack so there is another wire to juggle . To be honest the drain is my biggest worry I am convinced I am going to rip it out and I am not fully sure i understand how it works as not much coming out so far and already managed to detach the bag by mistake (got it back on!) . My boob is pretty high as well and a weird shape which is slightly concerning I am hoping that is due to the drains/swelling and not how it is going to look permanently or there may be many tears.
The biggest surprise for me is the lack of pain so far although I have the same local anaesthetic as you so tomorrow may be a different story
Just setting my nest up for the night to stop me rolling over as I am a front/side sleeper and looking forward to a potentially restless night (shame I couldn’t have sneaked some of the general anaesthetic out . I think that’s the best I have slept since May)

Morning @Puravida23 I really think these drains need to be redesigned. catheter bags are attached to the leg without all this long tubing, why can’t these bags be strapped to our bodies?

what’s your shape like? Mines a cone, stuck on, no curve of “underboob”. I hope yours settles and leaves you with a shape you’re happy with. There’ll be a lot of work for me to do to accept my asymmetry while I wait for the J cup to be reduced to match the C/D cup.

you may not experience the same when the local wears off but last time I cooked family dinner on the evening of surgery and then Saturday felt like I’d been hit by a bus lol

i hope you slept well in your nest, have you got someone looking after you today?

Morning @itchyhand I slept relatively ok but my back feels a bit sore from staying in the same position. My boob is more like a circle stuck on with a lumpier/ripply bit at the bottom quarter which is slightly concerning hoping it is just the drain /tubes .
Still very light headed when I stand up and walking very slowly (like a sick person who has just had an operation 😂)
When will they discharge you? Is it noisy in the hospital?
My boobs are roughly the same size the new one may be slightly bigger but a lot higher and static on my chest when I lie down while my other one flops down to the side .
When will they reconstruct the other one for you? That is quite a difference in size . Will you just wear your old bra with a prosthetic temporarily?.
Also did you keep your nipple . I still have mine I think but can't see it as I have bandaging there . There is a risk I may lose it still if there is not enough blood flow though
I have my husband looking after me . I kept him.busy making many cups of tea yesterday as my throat was really croaky and sore from the anesthetic tubes
The drains are still a pain that's a good point about strapping I have no idea why they don't do that , the bag thing is definitely more work always remembering to pick it up when you move I can see mine is sewn slightly to my side so if the drain drops down too low it pulls on the stitches
Planning another quiet day but might try to go for a walk if up to it

glad you slept ok, I found it ok to lay on my good side curled up and have the drain by my belly. New boob doesn’t move at all for now and didn’t feel any dragging or gravity.

about your ripples, after my last surgery (all milk ducts and a ~5cm section off the top) it took a good 2 weeks for the swelling to go down and see what I was actually looking like, it healed well and looked ok - not that it mattered because turns out it was cancer and I needed this mastectomy. I also had a sloshing noise in the breast which might not happen this time with the drain. Basically I’m waffling but what we look like today won’t be what we look like in a fortnight.

I've lost the nipple, I think that’s why I’ve had such a size difference, the areola was large so it’s a lot of surface area to lose I’ve been looking at tattoo ideas in place of the nipple

I’m glad you’ve got a teasmaid and feeling optimistic about a walk outside later. I live at the seaside and walk the promenade most days, I might walk less and sit on a bench for the first few days but getting out really helps my spirits.

aiming to be discharged after lunch. It is quite noisy and being woken up for meds and obs was unwelcome (but necessary)

the breast clinic nurse said the good side would be a “cosmetic procedure” waiting 2+ years
the consultant said “nooo that’s probably true for normal people but you’ve had an awful time so far so I’d get myself into trouble to ensure it was as quick as possible, as soon as you’re healed”

I took 7.5 months to diagnose so it has been a heck of a year. Dec 2025 I went to the GP for it and referred to the clinic straight away.

I hope you find comfort today, and joy however you can.