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Key Points
- You will be in hospital between two and seven days
- If you have a drain (a tube under your arm) you may not
be allowed to leave until there is minimal fluid leaking
into the bag attached to the drain
- You may not get the results of your tests until after
you leave hospital, depending on how long you stay.
- Some hospitals have an early discharge program. This means
you can leave hospital a day or two after your operation
Checklist
- Consider restricting painkillers to the evening when they
may help you sleep, especially after the first day or so.
It is a good idea to go off the painkillers to see how much
residual pain you have. You may find a codeine sufficient
after a while
- Do tell the nursing staff if you feel sick
- Start to get up and walk around the day after the operation
- you will feel better for it
- Use the time in hospital to relax and think through how
you will go forward, especially if you are normally too
busy to do things for yourself
- Let the staff know if you want to talk to support carers
or would rather not
- Enjoy having others look after you
- If you have a drain (and a low pain threshold) have a
painkiller before having the drain removed
- Ask a friend to pick you up from the hospital on the day
you leave
- Use antiseptic cleanser while in hospital and for a while
after
- Ask about the early discharge program if you feel you
want to go home after a couple of days
A number of women have found these tips useful. They
are not medically proven and may or may not work for you.
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