1st consultation
Comments
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Your arm is unlikely to be totally useless. Much of the advice you are given is calibrated to fit the worst possible outcomes, which sort of makes sense , I guess. Hope for the best and plan for the worst. There's nothing worse than being told you will be fine and then discovering you are unable to manage--this whole business comes with inbuilt disappointment without giving anyone unrealistic expectations
Surgical outcomes vary so radically that it is not possible to predict how you will feel afterwards. Responses to anaesthetic, seroma and fluid retention, even silly things like dissolvable stitches not behaving can all slow down recovery but are totally unpredictable. It's reasonable to plan for discomfort but don't get too stressed. Lumpectomies are generally not too bad and sentinel node procedures have varying results depending on where the node is and what they find.
Good luck and set yourself up so you won't be doing anything too vigorous for a little while. You may be surprised at how quickly you recover.2 -
Oh and for a lumpectomy? I wouldnt say your arm is useless at all and I had nodes removed. In fact I remember healing really well I think maybe I had a week off work. x1
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I had a mastectomy and lost quite a few lymph nodes and my arm certainly wasn't useless. My underarm didn't belong to me for a while, it's true, but I had full mobility within days and I went back to work after a week. Everyone's experience is different, so it's good to be prepared for some setbacks, but it also means that sometimes things go pretty smoothly. "It is what it is" is a very good thing to keep in mind, also it's good to avoid expending a lot of nervous energy on things that may not happen. It's hard not to plan and anticipate, but it's more effective to wait till you know what you are facing, and deal with it then. Best wishes.3
