Lowengail, can you tell us a little more about your friend's experience? How long ago did she have her mastectomy, and what level of recovery -- or benchmarks -- are her doctors waiting on to begin reconstruction?
Was it a "simple" mastectomy (removal of just the breast) or a "modified radical" mastectomy (removal of the lymph nodes as well)?
It's so important to remember that we each have our own timetable for wellness and healing. Hospital stays after a mastectomy can range from 2 to 10 days; the first follow-up visit with a doctor is usually within a week, and then drainage tubes are removed (usually within two weeks) when the amount of fluid draining from the wound decreases enough. Total physical recovery can range from 3 to 6 weeks. Some things it depends on are age, physical condition, weight and the body's immune system.
Has it been longer than that for your friend? What sort of issues is she having? (Healing of the incision? Infection, or physical motion issues? Nerve pain, or stiffness that won't go away?)
Here is a good article on all aspects of breast surgery, including recovery:
Mentioned in the article as things that can slow recovery are hematoma (when blood builds up in the wound) and seroma (when fluid builds up in the wound). Either of these can lengthen recovery time.
Here is a forum where women are discussing hematoma after breast cancer surgery:
Comment Reply
Lowengail, can you tell us a little more about your friend's experience? How long ago did she have her mastectomy, and what level of recovery -- or benchmarks -- are her doctors waiting on to begin reconstruction?
Was it a "simple" mastectomy (removal of just the breast) or a "modified radical" mastectomy (removal of the lymph nodes as well)?
It's so important to remember that we each have our own timetable for wellness and healing. Hospital stays after a mastectomy can range from 2 to 10 days; the first follow-up visit with a doctor is usually within a week, and then drainage tubes are removed (usually within two weeks) when the amount of fluid draining from the wound decreases enough. Total physical recovery can range from 3 to 6 weeks. Some things it depends on are age, physical condition, weight and the body's immune system.
Has it been longer than that for your friend? What sort of issues is she having? (Healing of the incision? Infection, or physical motion issues? Nerve pain, or stiffness that won't go away?)
Here is a good article on all aspects of breast surgery, including recovery:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4X_Surgery_5.asp
Mentioned in the article as things that can slow recovery are hematoma (when blood builds up in the wound) and seroma (when fluid builds up in the wound). Either of these can lengthen recovery time.
Here is a forum where women are discussing hematoma after breast cancer surgery:
http://www.cancerforums.net/about273.html
And seroma is a common complication after breast cancer surgery. Here is some information about seroma:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/261497
I hope this information helps, and please come back with more information, if we need to we can forward it to one of our experts.
Do others out there who have had mastectomies have recovery experiences they would like to share?
October 28, 2008 - 8:50amThis Comment
Reply