Hi,

I see your post was in 2015, so hopefully you got through ok and are now cancer free and living life to the full. I thought I would answer anyway, in case it helps others.

I have just had a "lumpectomy" with mamoplasty and sentinel node biopsy. This was just over two weeks ago. My surgeon was excellent and i have a 2 inch wound under the arm and a circular incision round the nipple, both of which are healing well.

I had to wear a good bra day and night for 2 weeks , no deodorant and keep all wounds dry, which was awkward ! My surgeon favoured a sort of brown tape over the whole breast, left on for 2 weeks, which was odly comforting but a nightmare to remove... it took chunks of skin with it. I thought the nurses would have a special spray, but they don't, so my advice (and theirs now) is to have a shower the day before (or the morning of) your follow up appointment and gently remove the dressings etc. Make sure to pat dry gently. Do not rub and do dry very thoroughly.  Avoid deo (and soap) near the wound until it has been checked.

As to recovery: 2 weeks post op I am still uncomfortable when moving about and if the car goes over bumps, and I tend to cradle my breast in my arm. The wounds are good but there are big hard lumps under the skin (like a golf ball) which are going to take months to settle. Meanwhile they hurt if they move about and probably have stitches in them. There is also a ridge like a short  pencil under my arm incision too.

All these  things will subside in time, but we need to be kind to ourselves. I still get very tired and shaky after even a short time walking round the shops or a few minutes light housework, and I am trying to build up slowly. I think the younger and fitter you are, the quicker you bounce back. (I am 51 and overweight)

My best advice is: if people offer to help, they usually mean it. Say yes please and get friends and family to make some meals (this is amazingly helpful: my local church did us main meals for the second week, when hubby went back to work. It took so much pressure off: cooking, washing up, shopping, planning etc. and was lovely to have people dropping by too.), pick up some shopping (when you can't do it online),  help pin up the laundry or hoover... whatever you need. And get the kids involved.  It is scary for kids of any age when Mummy is ill and getting them to help gives them a feeling of control and empowerment which helps them to cope.

Having a friend pop round for a cuppa can help you feel more human and less "ill" too.

I hope I will go back to work in 2 or 3 weeks from now, (my job is fairly physical but part time) but I will test my stamina in the week before and judge it then. A few weeks after that it will be radiotherapy and I will take that as it comes: some people need time off and some don't.

I researched on the net for recovery times. Some of the US sites seemed to be suggesting a return to work within 3 days!!!! This is nonsense and refers to a tiny lumpectomy op under local anaesthetic: more like a biopsy. Please don't feel bad about having time off following a cancer operation. Your recovery is yours and everyone is different, just as every op is different.

Hopefully this post will help some of you going through this. I hope you are supported and loved and wish you all the best for your results and beyond.  You are amazing.