Mastectomy Before And After

A mastectomy, or breast removal, is done when there are large areas of cancer cells within the breast. The breast tissue is removed to not only get rid of cancer but also to prevent it from reoccurring. What is a patient to expect in mastectomy before and after the procedure?

 

What is a mastectomy?

A mastectomy is a surgical procedure that is done to remove the malignant cells that are in the breast tissue. Depending on the severity and amount of cancer cells found, the surgeon can choose to perform a radical mastectomy, partial or nipple-sparring mastectomy.

Radical mastectomy is the most extensive type because the surgeon will remove the whole breast. This used to be the most popular type of mastectomy done, but in recent years, partial mastectomy has become more popular, because it does not involve losing the entire breast. Only the cancerous tissues are removed, and the rest of the breast is saved. During a nipple-sparring mastectomy, the whole breast is removed but then the nipple is left intact.

 

What to expect

Your doctor will probably advise you about how you should recover at home. This will ensure that your incision will heal properly and so that you will know what you need to do to ensure that no infection develops.

Taking care of the incision. Your doctor will most likely advise you not to remove the bandage to take a look at the incision, and to wait for the next check-up before removing the bandage. You will likely feel some numbness for a few days after the surgery.

Pain medication. They will prescribe some pain killers for your recovery. It is important to have the prescription filled before you get home because you will need those pain medicines when the anesthesia wears off.

Stitches. Modern surgeries will no longer require the use of sutures that need to be removed. Your Miranda plastic surgeon will have used sutures that will dissolve as time passes. However, if your surgeon did use the old-fashioned stitches, they will be removed on your first visit to the doctor after the surgery.

Prevention of infection. Listen carefully to the instructions of your doctor. They will explain how you can be able to tell when an infection is forming. You should call your doctor the moment you see or feel any of those signs.

When you can consider prosthetics. Your doctor will be able to advise you when you can consider wearing prosthetics or a bra. Especially if your surgery was a mastectomy with reconstruction, there will be a specific timeframe that you need to follow.

 

Recovering from a mastectomy

It is possible to prepare for a mastectomy before and after the surgery. Recovery is a long and painful road. Make sure you are getting enough rest, especially for the first few weeks following the surgery. Take your medications as prescribed, and when your doctor recommends it, you can begin doing arm exercises. Life after a mastectomy will go back to normal soon enough, you just have to make sure that you do not rush through the recovery process to that your wound would heal as it should. You will be back to doing the things you love in no time.