Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 11/24/2009
If the procedure is performed as an outpatient surgery, the patient may go home the same day of the surgery. The length of the hospital stay for inpatient mastectomies ranges from one to two days. If breast reconstruction has taken place, the...
hospital stay may be longer.
The surgical drains will remain in place for five to seven days. Sponge baths will be necessary until the stitches are removed, usually in a week to 10 days. It is important to avoid overhead lifting, strenuous sports, and sexual intercourse for three to six weeks. After the surgical drains are removed, stretching exercises may be begun, though some physical therapists may start a patient on shoulder and arm mobility exercises while in the hospital.
Since breast removal is often emotionally traumatic for women, seeking out a support group is often helpful. Women in these groups offer practical advice about such matters as finding well-fitting bras and swimwear, and emotional support because they have been through the same experience.
Finally, for women who chose not to have breast reconstruction, it will be necessary to find the proper fitting breast prosthesis. Some are made of cloth, and others are made of silicone, which are created from a mold from the patient's other breast.
In some case, the patient may be required to undergo additional treatments such as radiation, chemotheraphy, or hormone therapy.
Advertisement
A modified radical mastectomy is a major surgery used to treat breast cancer. This animation shows which anatomical structures are removed during a modified radical mastectomy and how the procedure is different from other forms of mastectomy (breast removal surgery).
In a simple mastectomy, the skin over the tumor is cut open (A). The tumor and tissue surrounding it are removed (B), and the wound is closed (C). (Illustration by GGS Inc.)
Search
Other Information
Simple mastectomy (or "total mastectomy"): In this procedure, the entire breast tissue is removed, but axillary contents are undisturbed. Sometimes the "sentinel lymph node"--that is, the first axillary lymph node that the would be expected to drain into--is removed. This surgery is sometimes done bilaterally (on both breasts) on patients who wish to undergo mastectomy as a cancer-preventative measure. Patients who undergo simple mastectomy can usually leave the hospital after a brief stay. Frequently, a drainage tube is inserted during surgery in their chest and attached to a small suction device to remove subcutaneous fluid. These are usually removed several days after surgery as drainage decrease to less than 20-30 ml per day.
From yhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastectomy#Types_of_mastectomy
Find a Qualified Specialist
Looking for a specialist?
Please enter your zip code.