What to expect after lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy, advice please

[Maisy7]

Hi, I was wondering if people could tell me how their experience was of their lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy and their down time after it/recovery time. My surgery is 3 weeks today and feeling angst so just wanted to know what to expect. Also, what would you recommend for me to buy in preparation for it? (What should I have by my bed when I get home?) I have bought a V shaped pillow and after surgery bra's.

Thanks in advance x

Hi … I had this about 7 yrs ago …. It was absolutely fine …. They did the sentinel biopsy down in xray and then I went to theatre . No real pain after , I don’t think I even took pain killers . Maybe a couple of days of taking it easy but that was about it . I didn’t have any post surgery bras … I either wore none or soft bra over the dressing . Hope it goes well

It wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I was swollen but not in a lot of pain afterwards - actually I think the area was numb. I slept on my back with more pillows for a while and I couldn't wash my hair by myself for a couple of weeks. I started being able to go out for walks etc by day 3 though and must have been back doing school runs by 2 weeks if not earlier.

I had this two years ago it was far more straightforward than I had expected. I was up and about the same day and after a week could do all my normal activities and I was going for long walks to maintain my fitness. I took painkillers for the first couple of days then I didn’t need them anymore. I did get quite sharp almost electric shock type pain on the back of my shoulder/arm which is quite common because of nerve damage and recovering the nerve sensation I think

Usually you are asked to buy compression bras or special post Surgery bras and I was given a couple by the hospital to go home with. My best buy was a few very basic tight fitting crop tops from Tesco which I wore after a couple of weeks and carried on wearing for months afterwards to feel more secure. Early days I found it useful to have some extra plasterers/micropore type tape just to stick down the edges of the waterproof dressing as it started to peel away. Do your exercises as soon as you can.

Wishing you all the best for the surgery, it’s a really anxious time in the run-up I know, and I hope that it goes smoothly for you.

The most painful thing was having the drain removed before leaving hospital. I had a wire guided surgery which meant I went in the day before to have the wire put into the breast. I ended up taking back the post surgery bra to M&S as found my old wireless bras were fine. I took some button up tops and cardigan to dress myself easily. My hospital provided all the patients with little heart shaped pillows to put under the armpit. I remember taking some strong pain killer on the first night and when came out used paracetamol. They dressed the wound and I went to gp surgery to get it checked. Just don’t lift anything heavy and do the exercises afterwards. It doesn’t take long to recover, the hard part is the side effects of the letrozole that you have to endure for years to come.

Hope it goes ok for you, the nurses were lovely and will look after you xx

Get clothes that are easy to take on and off, so button up rather than over your head, or an extra large T-shirt.

Lots of ready meals or batch cook to make cooking easier.

Anaesthetics make me feel woozy and tired so lots of watching films or binge tv without feeling guilty. I tended to watch light stuff and gulty pleasures. Get good books to read, and also adult colouring books can be therapeutic.

My surgery was last year, and I found it straightforward. I didn't need painkillers, and although I bought a special front opening bra, after a few days I was fine with cropped bralette type things. I live on my own, so apart from driving (advised no driving for two weeks) I was doing all my usual daily activities.

I used crop bra tops which I could step into and pull up rather than put on over the head. My armpit was very sore and it was painful to try and get a normal bra on. I was given a heart shaped cushion at the hospital and that stayed under my armpit almost constantly for the first few days. I did need to take painkillers. The wound from the node removal was far more sore than the lumpectomy wound. It's important to do the exercises they give you starting immediately to prevent your shoulder from stiffening up. Good luck with your treatment.

Thank you all for your tips. I'm just over a week away now from my surgery. Getting myself prepared. Just trying to be as positive as possible and face it head on.
I do hope you are all doing well now. x

Wishing you all the best for your surgery. I had mine last September and it certainly wasn’t as bad as I expected. Very little pain, just discomfort really. The under arm was the worst. Be aware that the medication they’re give you during and after surgery can make you constipated. I had my surgery on a Tuesday and by Thursday night I was very constipated even though I had been taking the lactolose they gave me. A litre of prune juice sorted me out but I didn’t get much sleep that night until it w9rked its magic.

@Maisy7 just wondering if you've had your surgery yet? I hope it all went well.

I'm booked in for the same thing on Monday - lumpectomy for stage one invasive ductal carcinoma and sentinel node biopsy.

I only found out yesterday that the operation will be next week so it's a bit of a shock. Am feeling a bit better after reading the responses on here though. I'm worried about my arm and shoulder being out of action as an very right handed and have a dodgy shoulder anyway. Hope you can still text afterwards!

@Stowickthevast sorry not the OP but just wanted to say I had my lumpectomy yesterday. Was sent home same day and am feeling fine today. No pain just a bit tired. Hope this helps.
Hugs.xx

@RainyDayCoffee oh that's great to hear. Hope the recovery continues to go well and thank you so much for the reassurance!

I went for the pre-op tests yesterday but they didn't give me much info. Then the nurse rang today to tell me my diabetes test was missing. When I told her I didn't have diabetes, she went and checked and realised she'd got the wrong person. Slightly stressful, but am relieved I don't have to stop eating chocolate.

@Stowickthevast wonder how they can get things so muddled up sometimes. In general though I was pleased with the care and respect they showed yesterday despite some hiccups with scheduling and delays. They made sure I was covered up until they needed me to really undress. Grateful to the nurse who squeezed my hand in reassurance. Lots of little things which made a stressful day much easier.
I hope your surgery goes well and glad the chocolate will cheer you up in the meantime. Feel free to post here for support.
Xx

Surprisingly straightforward, as many PPs have said. Do the exercises regularly as soon as you can and you should regain full mobility.

Thanks 🙏 @LeftBoobGoneRogue
I’ve bought the prune juice just in case. Thanks for the tip x

Wishing you all the best for your surgery next week@Maisy7.

Good luck with your surgery @Maisy7

I had mine yesterday and feel a bit sore today but not terrible. They gave me some pills to helps with constipation (as well as codeine and paracetamol) but no heart shaped cushion - my armpit is quite sore so have ordered one. The hospital was nice and staff very patient, I had a vertigo attack come off GA so had to stay a bit longer but did make it home.

I'm thinking of ordering a couple of buttons up tops, maybe some clogs or slip on shoes (I wore dd2's uggs yesterday but they're a bit big) and a soft fleece as don't have much that doesn't go on over my head. But then am not sure how long it will take to wear normal clothes again.

Hi @Stowickthevast
Sorry only just caught up with this thread, so just read your messages. I’ve been posting up-dates on the end of a thread started by @lovewins I’m sure you can find it.

I had my surgery yesterday too!
My heart ❤️ shaped cushion given by my breast cancer nurse on day of pre-op has not left my side.

Finding sleeping 30/45 degrees quite difficult but apparently very important for healing from breast surgery.
My DD who has been with me since Sunday afternoon has been amazing. She entertained me during a long wait for surgery, was fantastic last night and all day today. I’ve sent her home back to her husband as I feel I can cope now.
I’d had quite a bit of time to prep for surgery so fine for clothes/bras/stocked fridge/freezer and lots of neighbours wanting to help.

I’ve been taking my medication prescribed and so haven’t really felt any pain yet. My surgeon and DD were quite insistent that I took the 4 days as prescribed.

I’d say try not to lift your arm up at all, but that maybe because my SLNB surgery stitches are quite crescent shaped under my armpit. So want it to heal quickly by only doing what I was instructed to do. A paramedic friend who also had this surgery a couple of years ago said first few days rest and baby steps as it’s important for healing.

On that note wishing you and me a speedy recovery and no pain. Xx

On the clothes front, I’d say maybe 2/3 weeks? Xx

oh glad to hear you're recovering well @Maisy7 - funny it was on the same day.

Surgeon told me to start doing the exercises today but when I tried lifting my arms it was very sore and made me dizzy so I'll take it more slowly tomorrow. He also said it was ok for me to sleep on my side. I tried on my back for a bit last night but couldn't drop off until I turned to the non-op side.

Good luck with your recovery. You sound better prepared. Dd1 is on half term and made me soup at lunch, and DH has ordered some recipe boxes in which he did with her this evening. Have ordered another fleece and some slip on clogs to wear.

I had the same surgery 7 years ago. I stayed in hospital overnight and felt a bit sore for a few days. I followed the advice to the letter about movement and exercise.
The main problem I had was cording after a week or so. It was painful but resolved after a few weeks.
Long term the scar in my armpit is barely visible. The scar on my breast is on the side and fine. Obviously one breast is slightly smaller but not noticeable. The scar tissue inside the breast is still tender and I had to experiment with lots of bras before I found one that gave the right support but was comfortable. I was only ever very small breasted. The slight numbness on the back of my arm never went away. The purple stains took about five years to fully disappear.

I had chemo and radiotherapy afterwards.

All the very best.

Hi @Stowickthevast
How are you doing today?
I’m quite tired today.
My movement is good though. Been doing my exercises.
Breast Cancer Nurse called and as we know it’s the MDT meeting on a Wednesday.
She asked about my drain…(no drain) and to change my dressings (no dressings) I thought they had mixed me up with someone else.

That made me feel they hadn’t checked my notes properly before calling me.
Anyway I explained all was good and everything looked fine. In fact it’s very neat so quite pleased as apart from losing my nipple on left breast.
It does make you think though, maybe now I should double check everything. Or am I just being crazy 🤪

There is awesome advice on here and you are doing great, keep going! I have a few recommendations! Shampoo and conditioner bars enable you to wash your hair over the kitchen sink one handed without help. Sliced cheese is amazing! Keep doing those exercises and you will reap the benefits. If you find you are in pain, take the painkillers advised. If still in pain or you find yourself wanting the next dose early, ring your clinic and get whatever you need. I had physio as I developed cording and that worked miracles. I didn’t manage on paracetamol very well and once I had better stuff I could relax. My physio was very passionate about pain relief, if you take it, you move more normally and therefore heal better. Get Superdrug el cheapo scar gel to put on daily once your scar is healed to help it flatten. You don’t need to spend £££ to get the same result. If I think of others I will shout! Speedy healing to you x

Thank you so much @wateraddict
I was sent a shampoo bar to wash hair with and was wondering if I could do it myself! So will give it a go tmrw.
sliced cheese, given up cheese atm, but I can imagine that’s great.

I’m having paracetamol 4 x a day and Dihydrocodeine 30 mg 3 x per day and it’s been great for me. I’ve not felt any pain at all so far, but sure I will start to inna few days time.

I’ve been told about massage cream Moogoo for scar tissue to help soften, but not until after the surgeon has checked my healing.

Thabks for great tips xx

You are so welcome!! I also got a load of blue aveeno in for radiotherapy, took a neck warmer and gloves/wrist warmers as some machines need to be kept in a cool room. Cosy up in some joggers when you get to that stage! I suddenly needed a seat belt pad (sold online including cancer research uk). It made car journeys doable!