Hi @Skbr, what you are feeling is very normal. Everything moves so quickly and it is difficult to process everything. I totally agree with the comments so far - this network is such a great support and wealth of knowledge. I had a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with ILC in my left breast. I knew from the start that I wanted a double mastectomy because I had dense breasts. I had chemo before my surgery which was in June 2020. At the time of surgery I had expanders put in under the muscle. I was anxious about how I would look when I woke up and I can honestly say I was simply relieved. ILC is a bit tricky, so that helped to make my decision.
Now, everyone’s experience is very individual, so I can only give my perspective and how things were for me, but I hope it may help you in some way. I had drains in for almost 7 days, as soon as they were removed, I came home. When I came home, I was taking paracetamol as the pain was under control. I agree, take the pain meds - you cannot recover properly when you are in pain, you need to sleep etc so you recover well. My sister is a nurse and she drummed it into me to ‘manage the pain properly as this helps the recovery.’ (Best advice) When I checked my surgery sites, yes I was quite flat as I was a dd cup, but the expanders already had a small amount of saline and the surgery line was a curved single line - very neat. I really didn’t know what to expect, I thought I would have lots of bandages and that was not the case at all - just a strip of surgical tape which I could get wet etc but stayed in place for quite a long time - maybe a couple of weeks.
The exercises the physio will give you are really important to do, but don’t overdo it. I also found a hairdryer was excellent in gently drying the area. As mentioned, the cushion for under your arm is excellent. The breast care nurse gave me mine as the group Zonta kindly makes them and donates them. I also had a bag to put my drain in and this enabled me to walk around and grab a coffee and just generally gave me better mobility. Some hospitals may have them, but if not, just use a tote bag that has handles long enough to put over your shoulder. I took in packing cubes - get them at Kmart - and I put in all the things that I needed handy - lip balm, tissues, book/reader, phone etc. Button up shirts make life easier too as do slip on shoes.
Your decision will be the right decision for you. Your medical team will be doing their absolute best for you. Don’t forget, you can ask them as many questions as you need to, don’t hold back. On Friday, they will remove the cancer and you will begin your recovery. Take care, be kind to yourself. M x
