HI Linwin,

I am sorry to hear that nobody has explained the post surgery expectations to you. It sounds as if you are doing fairly well. I had a double mastectomy10 years ago. This was my second bout of cancer, as I had a lumpectomy the previous year. I had a level one clearance with my lumpectomy and, there was an attempt to take a minimal number of lymph nodes from the arm that hadn't had surgery previously along with my mastectomies. As it turned out there were no lymph nodes removed, just some fatty tissue.

I had a drain in on either side and developed a couple of Seroma. It is still early days for you after your operation, so you can expect it to still be slightly tender and swollen. You will know if you develop a seroma. I found that the surrounding area became hot, red, swollen and quite sore. Once the fluid was aspirated, it almost immediately felt a lot better. They are not keen to remove the fluid unless it is essential, as it tends to build up again quite quickly. Most surgeons seem to feel that the area settles more quickly if it is left to absorb into the surrounding tissues naturally.

I hope that your recuperation continues to progress.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Thank you Jolamine, very helpful, at least I know what to look out for. 
linwin xx