SarahLM I'm sorry to hear of your diagnosis.
I had a similar diagnosis in September 2025 in my right breast. The experiences we have can vary a lot but my advice would be to focus on one step at a time as each step can vary the steps that follow, and to give yourself a chance to rest when it comes to recovery. Hopefully the teenager will leap to action for things like hanging laundry and putting away dishes at times when your movement might be restricted.
I made sure to eat extra healthy, stay hydrated, and I was moisturising my skin a lot in the weeks before surgery hoping to give the surgeon the best chance at a neat result :)
I had a wide lumpectomy with sentinel node biopsy at first and the recovery from that was okay. Some discomfort and weird sensations but they passed. I made sure to follow the exercise regime given to me by my Breast Care Nurse to recover arm movement. I returned to work after a week to a physically active job - at first I took a few extra moments in the days to sit down and needed help in pushing/pulling/lifting tasks that needed use of my affected arm but each day things got easier. I learned to do a lot of things with my non-dominant arm!
If you haven't already started, put together a list of questions for the surgeon that you can go through at your appointment.
Have you been referred to a Breast Care Nurse? If not, your surgeon might recommend one for you or else you can search on the McGrath Foundation website. Mine was helpful for answering questions about surgery, results, and lining up appointments.
I found the initial stages went by very fast. It was a big jolt to go from diagnosis to having my first ever surgery in less than a month. If it feels frantic, take a moment to breath.
And reaching out here like you've done is very helpful when you have questions.
All the best.
