After surgery

Everyone reacts differently to surgery, but there are some common problems that may arise. However most people recover well with few major side effects.

Nausea

You may feel sick after surgery due to the anaesthetic. This should pass within a day or two. If you know that any of the drugs used might make you feel nauseous tell the anaesthetist before your operation.

Unusual sensations

Pins and needles, burning, numbness or darting sensations in the chest area and down the arm on the operated side are quite common and can go on for weeks or even months.

Scars

Your scar/s may feel tight and tender and you may not be able to wear a bra or anything that puts pressure on the affected area. As the scars become less sensitive, you may choose to wear a lightweight prosthesis (a false breast form) if you have had a mastectomy or a partial prosthesis after breast conserving surgery, to help restore your shape until your scar heals completely.

Stiffness

Your arm and shoulder on the operated side will probably feel stiff and sore for some weeks. Your breast care nurse, surgeon or physiotherapist will give you exercises to help you regain full movement.

If you have radiotherapy it is important to continue these exercises, probably for at least two years, and many physiotherapists would advise carrying on with them permanently.

Swelling

Swelling is common after any surgery and may affect your breast, chest wall, shoulder and arm. This is a normal part of healing and should lessen after six to eight weeks. Wearing a supportive bra may help if you are uncomfortable. If the swelling lasts for longer than two months after your surgery, particularly if you've had your lymph nodes (glands) removed, tell your breast care nurse or cancer specialist.

Bruising and haematoma

Bruising is common after surgery but will gradually disappear. Occasionally, blood collects within the tissues surrounding the wound causing swelling, discomfort and hardness called a haematoma.

The body can take several weeks to reabsorb the blood. If the haematoma causes you a lot of discomfort your surgeon may decide to draw off the fluid using a syringe and needle.

Wound infection

A wound infection can develop at any time until it is healed, which usually takes between two to four weeks. If you have any of the following symptoms it’s important to speak to your GP or specialist team, as you may need a course of antibiotics:

• the wound feels tender, swollen or warm to touch
• redness in the area
• discharge from the wound
• feeling generally unwell with fever.

Pain

Pain in the breast following surgery should improve after a few weeks, but you may experience discomfort for some months, depending on the extent of the surgery. If you’ve had the lymph nodes from under your arm removed you are more likely to feel pain and discomfort around that particular area. It is important to continue taking regular pain relief until your symptoms subside, as this will help you to maintain your arm exercise programme. If you continue to have problems with pain, tell your GP or specialist team.

Seroma

After surgery some people may develop a collection of fluid called a seroma. This can occur either under the arm and/or in the breast or chest wall and is usually reabsorbed by the body over time.

If the seroma causes discomfort or doesn’t subside, your specialist or breast care nurse may decide to draw off the fluid (aspirate) using a syringe and needle. Sometimes a seroma will return after it has been aspirated so it may need to be aspirated several times over a period of weeks before it goes away completely, and some people will find this a frustrating time.

Cording

After surgery, some people develop a pain that runs like a cord from the armpit, down the upper arm and through to the back of the hand. They may also be able to feel raised cord-like structures that can significantly restrict arm movement. This is called cording.

Cording is thought to be due to hardened lymph vessels and can appear six to eight weeks following surgery or even months afterwards. Cording usually gets better and the symptoms go away, though you may need physiotherapy to stretch the cords. Some people may develop cording more than once.

Change in sensation

If you’ve had your lymph nodes removed you may temporarily experience a change in, or loss of, sensation running down the inner side of your upper arm. Some people who have had lymph nodes removed may be left with a degree of permanent numbness or altered sensation in their upper arm.

This happens because the nerves running through the armpit have to be disturbed to reach the lymph nodes that lie behind them. This can lead to a number of symptoms:

• loss of sensation or reduced sensation
• numbness or coldness
• weakness in the arm
• sensitivity to touch or pressure
• burning or tingling sensations.

If you’ve had a mastectomy, with or without reconstructive surgery, you might have similar symptoms in your breast area.

Download a PDF version or order our publication, Your operation and recovery, for more information.