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Breast removal surgery - discharge; Subcutaneous mastectomy - discharge; Total mastectomy - discharge; Simple mastectomy - discharge; Modified radical mastectomy - discharge
You had a mastectomy, the surgical removal of the entire breast, to treat or prevent breast cancer. Your procedure was one of these:
You may have also had breast reconstruction surgery.
Full recovery may take 3 - 6 weeks. You may have shoulder stiffness if lymph nodes were removed from your armpit. This stiffness gets better over time.
You may have swelling in the arm on the side of your surgery (called lymphedema). It can be a problem that lasts.
You may go home with drains in your chest to remove extra fluid. Your surgeon will decide when to remove these drains. This may take a few days to a week, or more.
You may need time to adjust to losing your breast. Talking to other women who have had mastectomies, and to their partners, can help you deal with these feelings. Ask your doctor or nurse about local support groups. A mental health care provider can help.
When sitting, keep your arm on the side of your surgery up as high as your heart to help prevent swelling. If swelling in your arm does not go away, talk to your doctor.
It is okay to use your arm on the side of your surgery. But do not overdo it until sutures (stitches) or staples and all drains are removed, and you have seen your doctor.
Ask your doctor when you can return to work. When and what you can do may vary, depending on the work you do and whether you also had a lymph node dissection.
Wearing a loose-fitting bra may be more comfortable.
Breast cancerBreast cancer is a cancer that starts in the tissues of the breast. There are two main types of breast cancer:
In rare cases, breast cancer can start in other areas of the breast. Breast cancer may be invasive or noninvasive. Invasive means it has spread from the milk duct or lobule to other tissues in the breast. Noninvasive means it has not yet invaded other breast tissue. Noninvasive breast cancer is called "in situ."
Many breast cancers are sensitive to the hormone estrogen. This means that estrogen causes the breast cancer tumor to grow. Such cancers have estrogen receptors on the surface of their cells. They are called estrogen receptor-positive cancer or ER-positive cancer. Some women have what is called HER2-positive breast cancer. HER2 refers to a gene that helps cells grow, divide, and repair themselves. When cells (including cancer cells) have too many copies of this gene, they grow faster. Historically, women with HER2-positive breast cancer have a more aggressive disease and a higher risk that the disease will return (recur) than women who do not have this type. However, this may be changing with specifically targeted treatments against HER2. Alternative NamesCancer - breast; Carcinoma - ductal; Carcinoma - lobular; DCIS; LCIS; HER2-positive breast cancer; ER-positive breast cancer; Ductal carcinoma in situ; Lobular carcinoma in situ
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