After Surgery
The kind of breast cancer surgery you have will determine your recovery time. If it is a lumpectomy, in which only a small amount of tissue is removed with the tumor, the recovery time is fairly short although you will likely have to have chemotherapy. A mastectomy, in which a whole breast is removed, brings a much more difficult recovery process, both physically and mentally.
Recovery
The first thing any patient after surgery should do is keep moving. Do some light exercise; if this is not possible, at least walk a short while each day. Make sure to move your arms. After breast surgery, there is a risk of deep vein thrombosis, in which a clot forms in a deep vein. This can become a very serious condition.
Cleaning
After surgery you will likely be bandaged, and there is a possibility that you will have some tubing placed in your breast to drain fluids from the breast area. The doctor and nursing staff will show you clean those and instruct you on the warning signs to look for in the liquid that would indicate complications.
Tags: deep vein, recovery time, will likely
