| 1st week
|
In hospital
- Get up and start walking the day after the operation.
Take care to hold up your drain to avoid tearing.
- Do a little more each day
- Do eat regularly
- Take painkillers if you need them. Often after the
first or second day it is best to have painkillers
only at night so you can sleep.
- You may be able to go home after 2-3 days if you
don't have a drain or feel up to it and your doctor
agrees to an early discharge. If you still have a
drain you will need to come in to see the surgeon
to have it removed.
- Your drain will be removed when the fluid level
is low enough. It may hurt a lot, so consider a pain
killer first.
- Take a nap or two each day
- Take time straight after the operation to recover.
Use the time to prepare for treatment and catch up
on things.
|
| Weeks 2-3 |
Back from hospital
- Try to walk each day, for longer each time
- Have a warm bath after any exercise
- Do some gentle stretching
- If swimming, avoid freestyle
- Exercise your arm gently using the instructions
- Do not lift heavy objects or do anything too strenuous
- Don't drive yet
- You can start light housework
- Massage your scar gently and moisturise it
- Rest each day to regain your strength
- Eat healthy meals with good protein and fruit, vegetables
and grains.
- Book into your first radiation therapy appointment
- Consider booking into the lymphoedema therapist
for an initial checkup if you have had lymph nodes
removed
|
| Weeks 4-8 |
Start radiation treatment during
this time
- You could go back to work. Take it easy and work
9-5 or part time if you can especially if you are
having radiotherapy.
- Take 1 or 2 weeks off at the end of radiation treatment
- If at home you can resume most normal
- Don't drive until the end of the 6th week and/or
advise by your doctor. Take care even after this when
parking not to wrench your arm
- Keep up the arm exercises and increase the intensity
each day. By the end of week 6-8 you should have most
of your reach back.
- Try to protect your arm if you have lymphoedema
- Continue to moisturise your scar
- You could start more physical exercise and perhaps
light weights. Take care not to use heavy weights
or lift too much.
- Try yoga, focussing on your legs. Take it easy on
exercise where you hold your own body weight.
- Have a nap in the early evening if you are having
radiation treatment
|
| 2-6 months |
Your full recovery
- You should be back to work by now
- If at home you should be back to a normal life
- You can get back to most normal exercise. Ask your
doctor about more physical sports such as tennis,
especially if your affected arm is the one you use
- You should have close to or 100% of your reach back.
Keep up the exercises until a month after this happens
- You may feel tired for some time, especially if
you had radiation and even more so if you worked through
and have not had a break
|
| Throughout
your recovery |
Some
things to remember
- Rub vitamin E cream and aloe vera gel into the scar.
Keep it moisturised
- Start regular gentle exercise such as walking and
build up over time. Take it easy and don't overdo
it.
- Persistent pain from the operation is not normal
but sometimes happens where a nerve is cut etc. See
your doctor to help to deal with this pain.
- Ensure you do the exercises recommended by the surgeon
or breast nurse to get full movement back in your
arm as soon as possible (see get
your arm mobile)
- Do build up to your normal exercise program
- Take as long as you need to get back into things
- Let people help you. You will be tired for a while
- It may take a while before you can wear a new bra.
(Wear an old, stretched and comfortable one, preferably
without underwire)
|
