Post Breast Cancer Surgery Tips

When you first come home from the hospital after surgery, you may be in pain. If this is the case, you need to be prepared to deal with it. Most likely, your doctor will have given you a prescription for painkillers. Fill it immediately, if you have not already done so. When the pain hits, you’ll be glad you did.

Don’t worry about the pain, though. It will diminish sooner than you think. I started out with a full dose of prescription pills for a few days, and then gradually weaned myself off of them and onto Tylenol. Then I gradually eliminated the Tylenol as well; ten days after surgery, I no longer needed painkillers. I seriously recommend nto trying to be stoic. You need your strength for more important things, like eating and drinking, and you need to be able to sleep as well as you can. Let the pills fight the pain.

To make your time in bed or on the couch more comfortable, snug a poofy pillow under your arm on the injured side (or sides). Get as comfortable as you can, and stay warm enough. If you are cold, your muscles tense up, and right now you need to stay relaxed.

Have a light snack before bedtime, or at least a mug of warm milk. Don’t go to bed with an empty stomach. Remember that these forst few days are about not only your physical welfare but also your mental health. Pamper yourself, and if you are so fortunate as to have someone taking care of you, enjoy it. Sometimes women, who are usually caregivers by nature, have a hard time letting themselves be cared for. Right now, this attitude is not appropriate. Your body and your mind have undergone a sever shock. You need to rest for the next several days at the very least. If you rush yourself, you risk serious injury. So rest, sleep whenever your body demands it, and take your painkillers at the first sign of misery. But write down what you took, how much, and when, so you will know when it is safe to take more. Right now, don’t trust your memory.

As your body heals, you will be able, eventually, to sleep on the injured side again. It both breasts were removed, and you used to sleep on your tummy, you will have to tough out the first months and sleep on your back or your side, but eventually you will be able to return to your accustomed position. Trust me – Before breast cancer, I often had trouble sleeping, and so I was really worried about having to sleep on my back. But when you are tired and recovering from surgery, you will sleep. And you will heal.

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Resources

I have been so grateful to have had access to web-based support groups and to breast cancer information. Here's a list of Web Resources that helped me. If you know of other good ones, please e-mail me and I will add them to the list.

Wonderful Books

Here's a short list of books that I found helpful after I was diagnosed with breast cancer. As soon as I can I'll add to the list and I'll post some reviews, as well.

Walk-a-thon 2007

Every year, the Weekend to End Breast Cancer http://www.endcancer.ca raises tens of millions of dollars for breast cancer research, in several major cities across the country. Within each participating city, a carefully selected hospital receives valuable funding for research and facilities. Each Walker raises a minimum of $2000 for the privilege of walking 60 kilometres over a two-day weekend. Thousands of volunteers across the country donate their time, not only on the days of the event, but also on days training for their part in it. I made this Walk in 2005, not even a year after my treatment, volunteered in 2006 and have done so again for 2007.

I strongly urge you to become involved with this event or others like it. They are enormously uplifting, and you will come away with great memories etched into your heart. With each donation from my sponsors, I wondered if this could be the money that would fund a cure, because I do believe that we will find a cure.