Hi just been diagnosed stage 1 grade 2 BC been offered Breast reduction just wondered if anyone been through this? Any advice? How did it go? or tips of what I will need to buy, thank you xx
Hi there, I had a therapeutic mammaplasty at the end of August. I had two tumour/suspicious areas removed from one side and a reduction both sides. It’s a long operation, about three hours. I had a sentinel node biopsy done at the same time so also had a scar under my arm, I think this is very common. In terms of what to expect, I would expect to be in hospital for at least one night, then home the next day as long as there is no bleeding and you are up and going to the loo ok. The things that helped me were:
A cushion to put around the seat belt in the car. Mine velcroed onto the seat belt but equally you could use a normal cushion between you and the seat belt.
A special surgery cushion, mine was from William and Flo on Amazon. It went around my torso and under my arms. Really comfortable and protected the scars etc
A large wedge pillow for sleeping propped up. I thought it would be hard to sleep this way but it wasn’t, it’s very comfortable.
A chair which can get wet, the first few showers I had it was useful to sit down in the shower as I felt quite faint.
Compression bra - I woke up from the surgery with one on. I found it the most painful and uncomfortable bit of the whole thing! Kept it on night and day for 4 weeks then couldn’t wait to get it off and use my own one. Ask for a spare one before you leave hospital.
Some other things I noticed were…how quickly the scars fade, when I first saw them it looked brutal, but they are already well faded. If your nipples are pink and body temp that’s a good sign, if they go dark coloured or very hot or cold, call the bc team. Look out for infection, I got one under my left breast, and had to have a couple weeks of antibiotics to clear it up.
Do the exercises they give you religiously, they do help a lot.
Finally, you might find you feel better than before, I had a big reduction and went from an E to a B/C cup. My back feels a lot better!
Thank you Ruth, that all sounds very helpful, my feelings at the moment are the anxiety’s over having the sugery more than the fact I have cancer. I have large breasts and I’m so worried about it and if I will not like them anymore. The scaring also worries me. I do get a lot of back pain so that should be a good thing also. How are you feeling now? Xx
My surgeon said they normally reduce two cup sizes or so, depending on where the tissue is that they are removing. They removed 1.2kg of tissue from me across the two breasts, which is no small amount. It was painful after the surgery but less than I thought it would be. As I said wearing the compression bra was the most annoying part. I’m reasonably pleased with the outcome although one breast, the one which had the tumour, has a small dent. Surgeon said that after radiotherapy he could operate again to even them up with fat from elsewhere on my body. I’m pleased with the cosmetic outcome, but honestly this is much much less important at the end of the day, than getting rid of the tumour with a healthy margin. Good luck with your surgery and fingers crossed for your recovery. Let us know how you get on.
Hi, Ruth. I just joined the forum today and came across your post. I was diagnosed in August and had a bi lateral mammoplasty in September. The surgery took approx 3 hrs and I was discharged the following day. I recovered well, apart from developing a seroma which resolved within 3 weeks. As someone previously mentioned, do the physio exercises religiously - they really do help. Be prepared for bumps in the road... I developed cellulitis 3 weeks post op, and wound healing problems in one breast which is now responding to treatment. Please don't worry though, not everyone gets an infection. I bought 2 M&S surgical bras (more like bullet proof vests, lol!) which I was advised to wear for 6 weeks. I wasn't prepared for the odd shooting pains in breast and axilla afterwards but apparently they are quite common, so don't panic. This is a long post, but knowing what to expect might ease your mind a little. The very best of luck with your surgery and your recovery.
