Another Re-Excision or Mastectomy?

Hi Bren. It went well and I feel great. Not much pain after the surgery, as they put pain blockers in. The drain was a nuisance, but didn’t hurt. They give you a fabric bag to carry it around in, but I had made my own to use, as a cross body bag. I was in hospital for five nights, couldn’t go home until the drain was reducing less than 50 mils in a 24 hour period. I believe that public hospitals will often send you home with the drain in, and a nurse comes to visit your own, but I was in a private hospital. They were happy for me to stay there. I was very well looked after, the food was amazing, but I was ready to come home after those five nights. I wasn’t allowed to have a shower while the drain was in, just had to have a wash each day, and after about four days, my hair was disgusting, so they gave me this shower cap thing, that you just put over your hair and massage it through for a couple of minutes and then take it off. Towel dry and style your hair. They’re actually designed for people that are bedridden, to be able to wash their hair without water.So keep that in mind if you have the same situation, or just throw some dry shampoo into your toiletries bag.

I had a little bit more pain after the first couple of days, but it was really nothing to worry about. I’m two weeks out tomorrow, and I don’t feel that I’m very limited in doing things. I have been tired most afternoons and have had a lie down or a sleep a few times. 

I’ve felt really good since I came home, I was given a little sort of horseshoe shape cushion in the hospital, and that’s been really, really good to help me sleep at night. I’ve only been taking a couple of Panadol maybe twice a day. And the pain is really nothing to worry about.

My scar looks pretty good, it was covered by dressings for the first week and now I still have Steri-Strips on, although they are falling off, a couple every day now.

Ive been walking most days, just 15-20 minutes, but I feel that’s enough for me right now.

I see my surgeon tomorrow for a wound check, as she didn’t want to remove the dressing last week because it was still fully intact, and had just been changed the day before at the hospital when they removed the drain (which didn’t hurt).

I don’t have any emotional or psychological issues looking at my scar, I didn’t have large breasts, but the left one does look a bit weird there on its own.

The Breast Care Nurse at the hospital gave me a soft prosthetic to use in my bra for the meantime, until I can be fitted for a proper prothesis, which can’t happen for about six weeks.

When I’m at home, I’m not bothering with putting that in my bra but when I go out, I do, and no one would ever know. 

Best of luck for your surgery. Mine was DCIS as well, and I had low-grade, immediate grade and high grade. Luckily, after my fourth surgery, (the mastectomy), they got clearances, and my surgeon is confident that there is no more disease, and I don’t need to have any further treatment.

So I’m actually very lucky.

I don’t have an issue staying flat. Perhaps if I was young, and single, then I would have a reconstruction, but I’m quite happy the way I am.

My husband‘s also been very very supportive. Before I had it done, I thought I would be hiding myself from him when I came home, wearing T-shirts to bed or whatever, but I’m really not, and I’m quite open about showing him my scar and letting him touch it if he wants to, (not in a sexual way ha ha)!
Best of luck … you’ve got this!!