After breast cancer surgery
There is a risk of problems or complications after any operation including breast conserving surgery. Breast conserving surgery is also called a wide local excision or lumpectomy.
A complication is anything that happens after surgery that makes your recovery more difficult. For example, wound infection is a possible complication after any surgery.
Most problems are minor but some can be serious. Treating them as soon as possible is important.
Your nurse will give you the phone numbers of who to contact if you have any problems when you are at home.
You may have a small amount of blood on your wound dressing after surgery, which is normal. Your nurse will regularly check your dressing after the operation. Tell your doctor or nurse straight away if there is more bleeding.
Infection is a risk in any surgery. If you develop an infection you will need to take antibiotics. Usually, this clears up the infection. You might need to stay in hospital longer or go back into hospital if you need antibiotics through a drip.
Tell your doctor, nurse or contact your 24 hour advice line if you have symptoms of an infection. Symptoms can include:
a temperature of above 37.5C or below 36C
red or swollen breast
your breast feels warm
a painful breast
fluid seeping from the wound (discharge)
feeling cold and shivery
feeing generally unwell
Sometimes fluid collects near the wound and around the armpit. This might happen after your nurse removes the wound drain if you have one.
It can cause:
swelling
pain
an increased risk of infection
The fluid normally goes away on its own within a few weeks.
Your nurse or doctor can drain the fluid with a needle and syringe if the seroma is painful. Sometimes the fluid can build up again after being drained.
Tell your doctor or nurse if you think a seroma is developing.
Occasionally blood collects in the tissues around the wound. This can cause pain and swelling, and the area might feel hard.
The haematoma normally goes away on its own, but it can take a few months. Your doctor or nurse can drain the swelling if needed.
Tell your doctor or nurse if you have any swelling around the wound.
You might have numbness, tingling or a shooting pain in your armpit, upper arm, shoulder or chest wall. This is due to damage to the nerves during surgery. The nerves usually repair themselves, but it can take many weeks or months.
Your doctor or nurse can give you medicines to help with nerve pain.
Your shoulder might become stiff and painful after breast surgery or removal of the lymph nodes.
Your nurse or a physiotherapist will show you exercises to do after your operation to help improve movement in the shoulder.
You might have some slight swelling in your arm or hand after your operation. This should settle soon after your surgery.
Tell your doctor or nurse as soon as possible if the swelling does not settle or if you have pain or tenderness in your arm or hand.
You are at risk of long term swelling (lymphoedema) in your hand and arm after surgery to remove your lymph glands. This is swelling caused by lymph fluid that can't drain away. It can happen any time after surgery.
Once you have lymphoedema it can’t be cured but early treatment can help to control it. Your nurse will talk to you about ways of preventing lymphoedema.
After surgery, you're at risk of blood clots developing in your legs. There is also a small risk of a blood clot in your lungs.
To prevent blood clots, your nurses get you up as soon as possible after your operation. They encourage you to move around or do your leg exercises.
To help reduce the risk of blood clots you may have injections to thin the blood (anticoagulants) before, during and after your surgery. Your surgeon will talk to you about this beforehand if you need to have this.
Also, during and after your operation, you wear special stockings (called anti embolism stockings or TEDS).
If you had surgery to remove lymph nodes in your armpit (axilla), you might have other problems after surgery.
Find out about surgery to the lymph nodes and possible problems after surgery
Last reviewed: 03 Aug 2023
Next review due: 03 Aug 2026
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