@Mrs_H the very best of luck with your surgery on Thursday.
I have had two lots of surgery.
1st was a lumpectomy with bilateral reduction, sentinel node removal on right side.
2nd was right side mastectomy with complete node clearance on right side.
I was actually surprised how little pain I was in especially the first few days.
The sentinel node area and the areas of node clearance were the most painful areas, but nothing that needed strong pain killers.
On both occasions I was hooked up to a PCA when I came out of surgery, I used it during the night for the reduction surgery, but not at all for the mastectomy surgery and as long as I took the Panadol at the right time, 4 times a day I had little pain.
There was very little pain in the breast area, it was mostly numb.
Under my arm and behind on my back near my underarm was a mixture of numb and tender, if you can be both, it was a weird feeling for a couple of weeks.
It is still numb there, and doesn't feel nice when I touch it but it is not so tender.
Bras still rub under the arm and in the area just in front of my shoulder on the breast area where the top lot of nodes were removed.
I have a piece of the White padding used in the hospital to put under that area of the bra if I need to. Hopefully that will settle down soon.
I too wondered how much flexibility I would have after surgery.
After the mastectomy I had two drains in but I could still use my right arm to wash myself, just reaching up to the shower rose was not possible. And reaching across my body to my left side was not comfortable for quite some time.
Washing had to be done gently and wearing a bra was out for me after the mastectomy until about week 4 then I was in the soft form fake boob and soft zip up Best and Less bras ( they have pockets for the soft forms)
I could not lie on my right side until about a month after surgery, and even now (surgery was 3rd August) it takes some manoeuvring to get comfortable on that side. I did have 25 sessions of radiation there though and burned badly, so that could have affected it too.
If you are not having radiation, healing will be quicker.
Getting used to being flat?
well, I am only flat on one side.
It was very confronting for the first month, then it became gradually better.
I still go to cup that breast when washing in the shower and it is a slight jolt to realise again that it isn't there.
I found showering was when I dissolved into tears, sometimes to my surprise because I thought I was doing okay.
Clothes sit differently, so that is something to get used to, and not having breasts makes your stomach stick out more obviously ( if that is your shape) and that takes getting used to.
Personally I think I might find it easier to adjust if I had both off, because getting used to the prosthesis and the unevenness is my problem at the moment.
Psychologically for me, seeing the lack of breast hit home that I had cancer and it was the first time I really accepted that it was real, which was strange considering the changes and impact of chemo on my appearance and abilities.(I had chemo before the second surgery)
It will be hard to predict when and how you will be after the surgery.
Anger, denial, frustration, more anger, tantrums, tears and periods of calm acceptance are all normal and to be expected. It is not a smooth transition.
You should find a good lymphodema physio in case you get cording or swelling on either side.
Some public hospitals have a clinic you can attend so ask your surgeon about it.
When I got miserable about having the breast removed I reminded myself it meant the cancer was gone, that worked for me most of the time, hopefully it will work for you too.
Good luck, enjoy the best sleep you have had in a long time, and just take the time to rest and recover. Jennie
