How to Understand the Results of Mastectomy Surgery

Many factors affect the outcome of a mastectomy surgery, including the diagnosis and reconstruction. While the goal of a mastectomy is to completely remove all cancer so that it will not reoccur, each experience will produce individual results.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Internet access
• Computer

1. Collect information about mastectomy surgery. Visit Web sites like the official breast cancer site (see Resources below), which will show you more about mastectomies and discuss what this surgery entails, as well as how it helps. Also visit the library and buy medical journals to learn of other results and discover new findings.
2. Understand the potential risks associated with surgery. These are not common, but include bleeding complications, damage to internal organs, adverse reaction to anesthesia, the development of pneumonia during recovery and pain. Other risks include blood clots and infection.
3. Recognize the possible complications specific to a mastectomy. The main complaint of patients after surgery is numbness under the arm. Cutting nerves during surgery is the cause of this. Some feeling will return as nerve cells regenerate, but some may be permanent. When lymph nodes are removed, disruption of fluid-draining canals may cause mild to severe swelling in the hand or arm. This condition could be temporary or permanent. A fear of recurring cancer is also possible.
4. Know what is being removed and why. Depending on the type of mastectomy being done, there will be loss of parts of the body. The entire breast, lymph nodes, various tissue, chest wall muscles, nipple, areola, skin and any part where the cancer has spread could be removed.
5. Talk to your doctor and surgeon. Ask them what to expect after surgery and ask any questions you might have about the procedure, as well as why it’s necessary to have a mastectomy.
6. Discuss reconstruction procedures. Conducting reconstruction surgery immediately following a mastectomy can reduce the loss of muscle and cosmetic loss of the breast tissues.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to ask your insurance company about reconstruction coverage, as some companies will include this as part of your mastectomy package.
• Gather information before you talk to your doctor and surgeon to accumulate all of the questions you might have, and make sure you understand everything they are talking about.
• Atypical results of a mastectomy could include cancer that reoccurs, only partial elimination of the cancer and very rarely, persistent pain or impairment.