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Part 4 Continues…
-How to care for the surgery site and dressing
-How to care for your drain, if you have one (this is a plastic or rubber tube coming out of the surgery site attached to a soft rubber ball that collects the fluid that occurs during healing)
-How to recognize signs of infection
Bathing and showering after surgery
When to call the doctor or nurse
When to start using your arm again and how to do arm exercises to prevent stiffness
When you can start wearing a bra again
When to begin using a prosthesis and what type to use
Use of medicines, including pain medicines and possibly antibiotics
Any restrictions on activity
What to expect regarding sensations or numbness in the breast and arm
What to expect regarding feelings about body image
-Side effects of mastectomy
The side effects of mastectomy can depend on the type of mastectomy you have (more extensive surgeries tend to have more side effects). Side effects can include:
Pain or tenderness of the surgery site
Swelling at the surgery site
Buildup of blood in the wound (hematoma)
Buildup of clear fluid in the wound (seroma)
Limited arm or shoulder movement
Numbness in the chest or upper arm
Nerve (neuropathic) pain (sometimes described as burning or shooting pain) in the chest wall, armpit, and/or arm that doesn’t go away over time. It is also called post-mastectomy pain syndrome or PMPS.
If axillary lymph nodes are also removed, other side effects such as lymphedema may occur.
As with all operations, bleeding and infection at the surgery site are also possible.
Treatment after mastectomy
Some women might get other treatments after a mastectomy, such as hormone therapy to help lower the risk of the cancer coming back. Some women might also need chemotherapy, or targeted therapy after surgery. If so, radiation therapy and/or hormone therapy is usually delayed until the chemotherapy is completed. Talk to your doctor about what to expect.
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/treatment/surgery-for-breast-cancer/mastectomy.html