Wide Local Excision (WLE) operation.

Monday I had my wide local excision (WLE or lumpectomy).

Firstly I had to have a wire placed in my bad boob so my surgeon knew exactly where to look for the nasty lump. This required a mammogram to see exactly where the lump was, then I was sat down in front of the mammogram machine and positioned, another mammogram was taken but this time it didn't let me go. For those that have not had a mammogram, it hurts! Imagine your breast being squashed and squashed and squashed until you become seriously worried that it won't stop and your breast will explode, that pretty much explains it. Now imagine you're left in that torture device whilst someone puts a local anaesthetic in with a needle and then threads a wire through your breast. Ouchy! With the wire poking out I was freed, stood up and had to have another mammogram to check the final wire placement. I am rather surprised i was not completely bruised the day after!

This unsurprisingly was the start of the tears for the day.

Next I had to wait to be taken to theatre, a good few hours later. 3.20pm I went down to the anaesthetic room and said bye to my mum. My surgeon came to see me in the anaesthetic room, he had a look at my wire placement and said that that lump looked bigger than they expected on the mammogram and I will need a mastectomy if there are too many cells in the report from this operation. He did however feel that a WLE was the right operation to start with, but to me didn't sound too positive about me not needing further surgery.

The anaesthetist was a lovely man, unfortunately he said chemo has ruined my veins despite me having a PICC / port-a-cath from the off, meaning it was difficult to cannulate me. After two attempts in my good arm he had to resort to using my bad arm (I am meant to try and avoid injections, cannulas and blood pressures etc on my right arm as I have had lymph nodes removed). The stress from all this made me cry. I'd love to have a week off from all this rubbish! I had a nurse who held my hand again while I fell asleep, you really can't get much better patient-centered care than that!

I woke up very spaced out, woozy and feeling very sick. So I was given two lots of anti-sickness medicines through another cannula they had put in in theatre in my good arm, and fell asleep while I was taken to the ward. 5.30pm I arrived back on the ward to my mum and boyfriend waiting for me. Turns out the sickness and woozyness was caused by morphine, which also managed to drop my blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels and temperature. One nurse didn't believe my temperature was 34.6 so took another reading and promptly wrapped me in two blankets, my dressing gown and a wooly hat! I had to keep my oxygen on and had a lovely, drug induced, snooze.

Once all my numbers were up I was allowed to get up, have my dressing changed and got dressed. I managed all this so got discharged home at about 9.15pm.

I am now well dosed up on painkillers as I am quite sore, I am resting lots but also doing my required exercises. I have a huge dressing covering the incision (no picture sorry as it would be too revealing!) and I have a two week wait to find out if all this was all unnecessary or not. I'm keeping everything crossed that I do not need a mastectomy!