Surgery is an important part of breast cancer treatment. Most people have a lumpectomy or mastectomy at some point after their diagnosis.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629d17414b1-1363-4421-9de2-280758c8a173 When the cancer hasn’t spread, surgery combined with treatments like radiation and chemotherapy offers the chance for a cure.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629cf234010-211e-4cf3-898b-84911a0e2744 But breast cancer surgery comes with issues that you might not anticipate, and women often go into the procedure not knowing what to expect. Many don’t anticipate how they’ll feel after the surgery, what complications they’ll have, or what their breasts will look like after reconstruction. We asked five breast cancer survivors to share things to know before breast cancer surgery so you will be more prepared when you go into the operating room.
2. You’ll Wake Up With Drains These flexible plastic tubes remove fluid that builds up where breast tissue was removed, but the sight of them protruding from your chest could be shocking. Even a trained doctor and public health advocate like Sheri Prentiss, MD , wasn’t expecting to wake up with a drain after her partial mastectomy in 2008, and it added a challenge to her recovery. “It’s not like the drain is in and you don’t have to think about it again until it’s time to come out,” she says. “Drains require additional care.” They likely need to be emptied two to four times a day. But you won’t have to deal with these tubes for very long: Most drains come out one to three weeks after surgery.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976291030ee87-fdb5-456c-8117-784fb0ba980d
9. If You Want Help, You Have to Ask for It After Benditt’s two breast cancer surgeries, well-meaning friends brought her food, flowers, and pink T-shirts with inspirational messages. That wasn’t at all what she needed. “I wanted ice packs I could tuck under my arm, and I wanted lotion,” she says. The disconnect between what people with cancer need and what they receive led her to found Balm Box , a company that creates care packages for people undergoing cancer treatment. As caring as the people around you might be, they won’t necessarily leap to your aid when you need them. Prentiss was upset at first when she didn’t get support. “But at the same time, I realized I didn’t really ask for it,” she says. “There are people in your life who want to help. They simply don’t know how.” Instead of making a vague request like “I need help,” be specific about your needs. Tell friends and family, “Please pick up eggs, milk, and apples at the store,” or “Take my kids home from school this week.”
6. Losing Your Breasts Won’t Erase Your Femininity Breasts are so tied to gender identity and femininity that just the prospect of losing one or both can have profound effects on your body image and emotional health.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629b073ce27-9f04-4dfe-9d5d-67a703347565 Know that a mastectomy won’t make you any less beautiful or worthy of love — whether or not you opt to have breast reconstruction afterward. “I feel like I’m really attractive with my new boobs,” says Vera Ventura , a Boston-based mother and stage 4 breast cancer survivor who underwent a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery in 2019. Her husband agrees. “He still loves me the way that he has loved me from the beginning,” she says.
7. Moving Your Arms Could Be Difficult Stiffness and reduced range of motion in your arms and shoulders are common after breast cancer surgery. “I wish I would have known that you can’t lift your arm over your head for quite a while,” says Daphne Ortiz , a publicist and two-time breast cancer survivor. She learned that exercise was an important part of regaining mobility. Regaining full arm movement can take a few weeks or a couple months.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762973b0a295-5b8c-429c-b96f-0bfda5affbaf In the meantime, you may need to make adjustments to your daily routine to avoid anything that’s out of reach.
3. Nausea After Surgery Is a Real Possibility Many women have nausea after breast cancer surgery. This common side effect happens when anesthesia triggers the part of your brain that makes you vomit.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976295c0d3fe6-8d6c-45d6-b050-0fdc13c54cba “I threw up a lot after the surgery,” says Jen Rigley , founder of Flourishing Over Fifty, who had a partial mastectomy in 2017. “It would have been nice to have a heads-up on that.” Ask your anesthesiologist whether they can prevent nausea by giving you medicines like a scopolamine transdermal patch before surgery and ondansetron in your IV afterward.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762901f100f6-c817-4ed0-80e3-51a5d91deb3e
4. Loose-Fitting Clothes Are Best After surgery you’ll be in some pain, it will be hard to lift your arms, and you may have surgical drains in place.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762978dd5016-8293-408d-ac33-a762b2e74b15 Pack loose-fitting and front-opening shirts for maximum comfort and convenience. Rigley used a wrap that someone had brought for her, so “I didn’t have to put my arms through anything. It was almost like a poncho — something that I could wear home pretty easily,” says Rigley.
5. Lymphedema Is Preventable Around 1 in 5 people treated for breast cancer develop lymphedema , a painful swelling in the arms caused by lymph fluid buildup in tissues.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629cfb426c0-6ed2-43d8-80db-5ec4950be93e This uncomfortable condition reduces range of motion and causes weakness, which can affect your life in many ways.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976291dadef6c-a5ff-439f-a810-60695e9abb21 Mobility issues from lymphedema forced Dr. Prentiss to stop practicing medicine. “Suddenly, after 16 years of practice, I could not practice anymore,” she says. Doctors don’t always discuss this common surgical side effect with patients. Prentiss’s breast surgeon and medical oncologist didn’t mention lymphedema before her surgery. Have a conversation with your doctor about ways to prevent it, such as exercise (once given the green light after surgery). Tell your surgeon right away if you notice any swelling or heaviness in your arms.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976292900feeb-9357-493e-9a4d-00e383810002
8. The Right Recovery Tools Are Everything Speak with your doctor before your surgery to make sure that your home is prepared , to ensure that you have the right skin-care products for postsurgical care, and to ask if they have any recommendations for you. Connecting with other people who have had breast cancer surgery may give you additional insight into what tools you’ll need. For example, you may want special pillows for support while sleeping.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762906a40ef7-5df3-4695-878c-b25a66abb27c
The Takeaway Lumpectomy or mastectomy surgery is one of the main treatments for breast cancer. Breast cancer treatment is collaborative, and you should select a surgeon who is open to having a two-way conversation with you. Some challenges you might deal with after surgery include caring for a surgical drain, nausea, arm stiffness, and lymphedema. Talk with your doctor about how some of these can be prevented or treated. Have a conversation with your surgeon beforehand to better prepare you for the procedure. After the procedure, be specific and direct about the help you want from your support network.
1. You Have Control Over Your Treatment Your breast cancer surgeon is the lead person on your procedure, but they’re not the final say. Cancer treatment is a collaborative effort. “You don’t have to let your doctor dictate to you,” says two-time breast cancer survivor Liz Benditt . “I have found that the doctors who have been the best for me have been those who were really open to two-way conversation.” You may have decisions to make about whether to have breast reconstruction, so it’s important to choose what is best for you.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629a5df9ee1-0416-4b60-b299-e72a2f0b6f3a Make sure that your surgeon listens as much as they talk. Some doctors may offer a consult appointment, which can help you decide if they’ll be a good fit.