The primary treatment for most types of breast cancer is surgery.

Mastectomy and lumpectomy are two surgical procedures used to remove tumours. Additional surgeries may be required to look for cancer in your lymph nodes or reconstruct your breast after it has been removed.

A well-known cancer surgeon in Kolkata provides a few tips to take care of your breasts post breast cancer surgery.

breast cancer surgeon

 

Breast cancer surgery aftercare

1) How should you care for your wound?

Maintain the wound's cleanliness. You only need to apply antiseptic lotion once a day or as your doctor suggests. After 4-5 days, the drain site dressing must be changed.

2) When should you take a bath?

You can take a full-body bath two weeks after the stitches are removed. Until then, sponge the upper half of your body and pat yourself dry. You can wash your hair with someone’s help but be careful not to wet the dressing.

3) How do you dress my wound?

On the first post-operative day, the dressing is removed and left open. Staples are commonly used to close wounds. The wound should be dabbed with a lotion recommended by your doctor, and you should wear clean cotton clothing, says the breast cancer surgeon in Kolkata.

4) How do you take care of the drain? 

The drain is transported in the bag provided in the post-operative kit. You must empty it once a day at a pre-determined time and measure it using the measuring cylinder included in the kit. The specialist nurse will show you how to handle it, and you can also read the 'Drain Care' leaflet given to you. 

5) What should you do about the pain in your arm and the feeling of stretching at the operation site?

It is common to experience numbness and tingling in the inner half of the upper arm after the surgery, particularly axillary dissection. 

This is much less common following sentinel lymph node biopsy. Touch may even be perceived as painful. This is because a nerve crossing your armpit and traveling to your arm is cut or stretched during surgery. 

The intensity of these abnormal sensations decreases over time and improves significantly with exercise. They might not completely vanish. If the pain increases or becomes unbearable, do notify your doctor about it, says the cancer surgeon in Kolkata.