I had mastectomy of my right breast 3 weeks ago.  Pathology showed DCIS at 12cm, and that cancer was totally removed, so I don't have to have radiotherapy or chemo.  I will be on Tamoxifen for 5 years starting in January.  I still have quite a lot of pain at my wound site, and every professional I speak to about it doesn't seem to believe me, saying it should be better by now.   I'm new to this, and don't know what's "normal".  When does it stop?  I want to start wearing a bra again with the temporary prosthesis and to go out looking okay, but it's too sore right now.   Everthing I read says that people can wear the post-op bra almost straight after surgery.   Why can't I? ... View more

I had mastectomy a week ago.  So many things have gone wrong.  They lost the biopsy report.  A 'clear' report was sent to my GP, then another saying I had DCIS in my right breast.  Then I was booked to have a lumpectomy, but then the report was found, showing that I needed a mastectomy instead, but theatre was not informed until I told them of the upgrade.  I was rushed into theatre within half a hour of getting to the hospital. I was told there was no bed for me to stay overnight and that if I wanted to go ahead with the op, I would have to be tranferred to the local hospital afterwards.  A bed was found for me eventually and I was sent home the next day.  Although painkillers were written up for me by the anaesthetist, I had to ask for them, because nursing staff forgot.  I got home and within a day I had a reaction to the painkillers.  To get others I had to go to my local Hospital, who directed me to the wrong surgery which was closed.  Finally I was given some pain relief, after another trip to the hospital and to the correct surgery.  This all took from 2am until 9.30am on a saturday.  I was at home with a drain in.  It needed changing so I had to go to the local hospital again.  The nurses there were not familiar with the drain set-up, and sent me home with the tube still clamped and the drain rate regulator turned off.  I had to fix it myself.  What else can go wrong?  There have been so many seemingly small things that I dread going to see the surgeon next week to get the results of the pathology tests.  I cry at the drop of a hat these days, and all the 'contact' numbers given to me to provide help and support have turned out to be recorded messages, not real people. I am so angry, and feel so isolated. ... View more