Hi Samigee,

Welcome to Cancer Chat. I'm sorry to read what you're going through at the moment - I can certainly imagine it has been a shock.

While I can't advise on this, try to trust what your consultant is saying as they are best placed to inform.

There will be others on this forum who have been through something similar, so if you don't get any further replies to your post here, I would encourage you to search the forum (using the button in the blue bar above) for relevant discussions.

Wishing you all the best,

Ben
Cancer Chat Moderator

Hi Samigee

I'm going to tag a wonderful lady on here who can advise [@Jolamine]‍ . I had bilaterial lumpectomies and reconstruction and recovered after a couple of days but I know mastecomy takes a little longer. Hopefully others will come forward who have mastectomy experience to advise.

Hi Samigee,

Welcome to our forum. I am so sorry to hear your provisional diagnosis. It will be more stressful for you having to wait for the result of the additonal biopsies, as this is always a worrying time. All people are different and their wounds will heal at different rates. I had a lumpectomy 10 years ago and took Tamoxifen for a year after that. I discovered another large lump in my other breast 6 months later. Fortunately, it turned out to be benign. A year after my first surgery I found another lump in my original breast. I wasn't so lucky this time. I had another primary cancer. I had a double mastectomy followed by Letroxole for 6 years. I stopped taking this in July 2017.

I found the mastectomies easier to undergo than the lumpectomy. The wounds healed quickly, but I was exceptionally fatigued and, this took a few years to die down. I still tire easily, but don't always fall asleep as soon as I sit down nowadays.

Are you thinking of returning to work in 8-10 weeks?  There are other factors that can influence your recovery. These are your age, general health, grade of cancer, how much fluid builds up in the area post-surgery, whether or not you develop an infection. You will also take longer if you have to have radiotherapy or chemotherapy after surgery. The best person to judge this is probably your surgeon, as s/he has all your details to hand. Maybe ask your consultant whether or not you'll need any further treatment with these therapies after your surgery.

I had to get the fluid aspirated from my breast twice, but, apart from that, everything was quite straightforward. Has there been any mention of your grade of cancer yet? They may be waiting until they get the results from these latest biopsies before they can tell you this. Are you planning on having reconstruction afterwards?

Have you been told when you'll get these results? It is always a good idea to take someone with you to your appointment. If you have any questions, write them down. This should ensure that you don't forget anything during your consultation.

PLease let us know when you get your results. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx