Hospitalization after surgery (within 2 to 4 weeks)
After all the surgery procedures finished, you may feel a little tired and pain. Doctor will give you some medicines to reduce discomfort which will gradually disappear 24~48 hours after surgery. You need to stay in hospital for 6 to 8 days. During this period, some precautions you should know as follows:
Within 48 hours, you should take liquid foods, such as milk, fruits juice, fish soup, etc
Stop smoking or secondhand smoke for nicotine causes vasoconstriction.
Reconstructed breast will have swelling which will begin to subside after one week.
During surgery, you may need a drainage tube which must be pluck out under the assist of your physician after surgery.
Don’t do strenuous exercise if you had axillary lymph node dissection and felt pain in the armpit.
You can begin to have bath one week later after surgery.
Inquiry your doctor for which kind of clothes is suitable to you.
Home care (after 2 to 4 weeks)
After 2 weeks, you can try to raise your hand with a low speed and slowly increased width. The main principle is that don’t make pain during movement. Try to stretch a little bit more every day. When you can raise hand over your head, you can act as normal people.
One month after surgery, you can slowly try to have some shoulder movements to improve shoulder muscle strengthen and endurance.
One month later, you can tap the breast scar area to enhance its sensitive fitness and lighten scar, but do not over rub.
Avoid heavy physical labor, heavy mental work and housework such as vacuuming and window cleaning until you are recovery.
Bra wearing: it is related to the type of reconstruction you undergo. Generally it’s not suggested to wear wires and lacy bra which will affect the blood circulation or cause skin inching and other discomfort.
Diet conduct
Post-operative diet is very important to rapidly restore physical and health status and avoid breast recurrence. The following is some diet principles:
1. Take more vegetable, fruits and coarse cereals
Fruits, vegetable and coarse cereals contain several phytochemicals which have the potential of preventing cancer such as antioxidant and anti-estrogen. We suggest five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day, such as cruciferous vegetables, leafy green vegetables, alliums, eggplants, pumpkin family, etc. Taking whole grains and legumes can ensure enough intake of fiber, changing the cancer depend hormone.
2. Reduce fat intake, <30% calorie
Reduce taking high saturated fat foods, such as beef, mutton, animal offal, butter, ice cream, etc.
Reduce taking foods that contain trans fatty acids, for example baked foods like cookie.
Increase intake of unsaturated fatty acids, such as fish and beans, to inhibit the growth of cancer cell.
3. Reduce taking pickled and smoked foods
4. Reduce alcohol intake
5. Keep standard weight
Attitude to others
After surgery, you need to readapt attitude toward your partner, kids, colleague and friends. The good news is that you have gained the initial victory of fighting against cancer and the reconstructed breast has no big difference as before. You can talk to anybody about the surgery, no taboo, and tell them your true feelings. You can wear comfortable sleeveless garment staying with your family, swimming, shopping and joining in kid’s entrance ceremony or your friends’ parties. You can still enjoy everything you like before. The sexual contact, which may be the most concerned problem, can be done after your body recovery to avoid hurt again of the surgical wound. It’s safe to have sex after wound recovery. You should remember that it’s your new life that every day is better than the former day. The scar will fade away. The surgery is just a memory of your past.
Click these links for more information
Means of Breast Reconstruction
Reconstruct Breast Immediately after Modified Radical Mastectomy
FAQ of Breast Reconstruction after Modified Radical Mastectomy
