Painkillers
A local anesthetic may have been injected, as a nerve block or into the wound during your operation, to reduce the pain as you regain consciousness. Its effects should last for about 6 to 8 hours. After this, and while you are still in hospital, you will be able to have pain-killing tablets or injections if necessary. Do ask for these injections if you need them, although following lumpectomies at least, regular oral analgesic tablets such as aspirin, paracetamol or Nurofen will probably be enough. Make sure you have some of these tablets at home for the next few days. Painkillers should be taken regularly (every 4 to 6 hours, or as indicated on their container) so that their effect does not wear off before you take the next dose. A dose as you go to bed may help relieve any discomfort and allow you to get a good night’s sleep.
If you have had auxiliary lymph glands removed, your armpit may be sore for a few days, and possibly numb for several weeks or months.
Getting out of bed
Effective pain control enables you to get out of bed and to move around with ease soon after your operation. Movement and exercise are important to avoid deep vein thrombosis and to keep your bladder and lungs working properly.
You should be able to get up and walk about as soon as the anesthetic effects wear off. Once you are fully mobile, you will be able to remove your anti-embolism stockings if you have been wearing them.
Bra padding
Before you leave hospital, you will be fitted with,-a temporary pad to put in your bra if you have lost a part or the whole of your breast. The pad will give some shape to your affected breast, and will also help to protect your wound. It can be worn at night if desired. Once the wound has healed, a more permanent prosthesis will be fitted if you want one.
Shoulder movement
While in hospital, you will only have limited shoulder movement until any drains have been removed, after which your range of shoulder movements should gradually return to normal within 2 to 4 weeks with gentle exercising. You may be visited by a physiotherapist on the day after your operation so that your degree of shoulder movement can be assessed. You will also be advised about exercises to help you regain the normal range of movement of the arm and shoulder on your affected side, and may be given a leaflet explaining how to do them.
There are some very simple exercises you can do while still in hospital to help to relieve some of the stiffness in your arm and shoulder, for example using your good arm to assist your affected arm with upward and sideways movements, and trying to brush your hair with your elbow resting on a table. Once you are at home again, you should try to exercise your arm and shoulder while carrying out your normal daily routine, for example while dusting and doing light housework.
Although the muscles in the chest wall are now not usually removed during a mastectomy unless absolutely necessary, they can become weakened by under-use after this operation, and exercises to help regain muscle strength are also important.
Discomfort following a mastectomy may also cause you to change your posture, for example by leaning towards the side of discomfort or bending forward. You should try to be aware of this tendency and avoid it if possible as good posture is important so that back pain does not become a problem.
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