Upcoming Oncoplasty Lumpectomy
I’m having the surgery with reduction & lift next week. Hoping to go home same day. Can anyone share what their recovery was like? I’m off work on an (unpaid) medical leave, but live on a farm and single parent teens so I’m usually kinda busy. Thx
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Hi @jack512, and again, welcome to Breastcancer.org. We're so sorry for the reasons that bring you here, but we're really glad you've found us. You're sure to find great support here!
While you wait for the ever-helpful responses from others here, we wanted to point you to our content on Oncoplastic Lumpectomy, which could offer you some insight on what to expect with surgery and recovery, including questions to ask.
We hope this helps! Sending you good wishes for a full and speedy recovery!
—The Mods
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Hi @jack512, I had an oncoplastic lumpectomy with sentinel node biopsy and felt OK after about 5 days. The cosmetic results were excellent. I was forbidden to do anything repetitive with the surgical side arm for two weeks (vacuuming, cleaning stalls) and couldn’t lift anything over 15 lbs for a month. Check with your surgeon’s office to find out what the recommendations will be for your surgery. The restrictions are in place to help prevent lymphedema which would be a permanent problem so it’s worth hiring help if necessary.
This is tough to do on a farm but maybe you could trade off with neighbors where you do their tractor work, child care or cooking and they do your heavy lifting. I hope your surgery and recovery go well.
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@maggie15 Thanks for the reply… What were the first five days like? My sister is pinpointing when to come and stay with me. She can each only stay a few nights, so I thought having her come two days after surgery is best as I’m guessing I may not even know she’s there the day after.
I’m hopeful after hearing your cosmetic results! Oh, how was your experience with the tracer dye injection? And did you have seed placement?
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The first five days I was sore but not that bad. I took the oxycodone just for the first day and switched to OTC meds. Having your sister come after a few days is a good idea. I wasn’t out of it but didn’t need as much help then since I had frozen meals, done laundry and cleaned before the surgery,
The tracer dye turned my skin (and urine) blue but slowly disappeared over several weeks. I didn’t have seed placement since my tumor was palpable. I did the arm exercises as prescribed and regained my range of motion within a month. Hopefully things will go smoothly for you.
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I had a oncoplasty also. It was a hard week and went home the same day. I didn’t have drains just wrapped up tight and could wear a bralett after the first two weeks and then at around 12 weeks I could wear a real bra of my choosing. I went from a 38 H to a 38 D sometimes DD. Kinda strange at first and miss my big size but I feel it was the right thing to do.
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@margecandoit Were you happy with the lift ? I’m hoping that will be an improvement to my appearance since I’m larger breasted and 60 I could use it. I have no idea how much they’re reducing, they won’t tell me, just “it depends” but I have two tumors 8cm apart so I’m guessing it’ll be the whole area.
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They are lifted and made a big difference. The plastic surgeon asked me what size I wanted to be. I said DD but I am more like a D. He said that was fine as long as I didn’t want to be a B. It was a big change for me and has taken some getting use to. The surgeon comes in and marks you up before you go in for surgery and after you go and get marking writer put in. I am 48 now but was 46 when I was diagnose.
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