Any tips for aunt about to have mastectomy?

[Elibean]

Actually, she's dh's aunt...but feels like my own, lovely as she is. She's a young 75, looks after a dh with chronic heart disease, and is worried about practicalities of coping post-op....just wondered if anyone had heard of/experienced anything that might help.
Anything from what to expect (she's having some lymph nodes removed, anything up to a third of them on that side) re drains, movement, discomfort to what to wear most easily, self-care, etc.
She's a positive woman, and anything that can help her feel prepared will be much appreciated!

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Sorry, no advice, but bumping for you, and thinking of your aunt.

Hi - my mum had a mastectomy and reconstruction at the same time, approx 3 years ago. She was in hospital (if I remember rightly) for about a week, then came home. She was very stiff and it was clearly uncomfortable, but she had some good painkillers and the nurses would visit her daily to get her exercising her arm.

Regarding what to wear, your aunt should talk to the breast nurse at the clinic - they should give lots of advice. Mum got some nice loose pyjamas (so that she could reveal her scar etc to the doctors without having to reveal everything else too!), she had several of the pyjama tops (button down the front ones because she couldn't lift her arm over her head) so that they could be washed daily.

Mum was already seeing a naturopath before her op so was on a good healthy diet already. Like your aunt, she was (and remains) extremely positive. The Bristol Cancer Care centre were very helpful to her (not sure of the exact name but you should be able to google it). She did find that there were so many different breast cancer stories, potential remedies, everyone knows someone who has had it, etc etc, that it was a bit overwhelming. So she made a decision early on to do a bit of research, but to ignore the rest. She trusted her oncologist and surgeon to do the best they could, she took their advice and asked them questions when she wanted to, and other than that she tackled it head on.

I hope this helps, if you want to know anything else, just ask and I can always ask mum!

get her to ask about lymphodema as it can be a side effective if they remove lymph nodes ,if she is prepared for it it will help later if she develops it

Thanks so much, all three of you - Paranoid, did your Mum have drains in when she came home first? If so, any tips on managing them/around them? Sounds like PJs are much better than nighties....

Yes, she did have drains but they were fine to manage. Obviously a bit of a fiddle, but mum certainly didn't have any problems with them. Mum had even made a little bag to slip them inside when she had visitors!! (she did this before the op) They weren't in at all long.

When dad had to have drains after his cancer op, his drains were in for seemingly ages, so mum made him a bag but with a strap that could go over his shoulder and across his chest (if you see what I mean) and under his clothes so that he could walk around carrying them invisibly!

Thanks again - will advise Aunt Helen to get a bumbag or something!