What happens after mastectomy?

Pain, tightness, bruising, numbness, and tiredness are common parts of early healing. A drain may collect fluid near the operation site; your team will show you how to empty it and record the amount until it can be removed. The laboratory examines the breast tissue and, when relevant, lymph nodes. Results help the team decide whether further cancer treatment or monitoring is needed.

Some people choose breast reconstruction during the mastectomy, some plan it for later, and others do not want reconstruction. A flat closure, an external breast form, and reconstruction are all topics you can discuss. Shoulder stiffness can occur, particularly when lymph nodes were also treated, so movement advice matters.

Follow instructions for the incision, showering, medicines, and drain. Walk gently, avoid lifting or stretching beyond the limits given by your surgeon, and use the exercises recommended by your team when cleared. Keep follow-up appointments for wound review and pathology results. Tell the team about numbness, swelling, or reduced shoulder movement so rehabilitation can be arranged early.

Call your surgical team for fever, increasing redness or warmth, worsening pain, cloudy or foul-smelling drainage, a drain that stops working, or a wound that opens. Get urgent help for uncontrolled bleeding, sudden chest pain, severe difficulty breathing, fainting, or rapidly increasing swelling.

Ask when drains can be removed, what the pathology report shows, whether reconstruction is suitable now or later, how to protect shoulder movement, and what follow-up schedule applies to you.