Tips I learned Before + After Breast Cancer Surgery!

This was originally written 

in 2017 after I had double 

breast cancer surgery and 

during radiation treatments.

I have to applaud everyone at 

both Providence Medical 

Hospital in Newberg and 

St. Vincent's Hospital in 

Portland, Oregon, for always 

telling me ahead of time what 

I would be going through 

before they did any 

procedures. It helped 

lessen any anxiety I had 

about procedures I was 

not familiar with. If you 

have a different medical 

plan, ask your doctors 

questions to find out 

beforehand exactly 

what you will be going 

through. It will reduce 

your stress and anxiety 

about the procedures. 

And do not be afraid to 

tell them that they are 

hurting you during a 

procedure. I do that with 

the technicians who do 

my mammograms 

because they have no 

idea how hard they are 

pressing you. Be 

pro-active. Stick up 

for yourself! 

Also, everyone I met at 

Providence Medical Hospital 

and St. Vincent's Hospital 

during this cancer journey 

have been helpful and kind; 

and they did everything they 

could to make me as 

comfortable as possible 

during these procedures. 

I am so grateful that God 

blessed me with such 

wonderful people to help 

me through this cancer 

journey. 

I was not comfortable with 

male doctors, nurses, 

and technicians looking 

at or handling my breasts. 

I asked if I could have only 

female doctors and 

technicians treat me, 

and Providence Medical 

Hospitals accommodated 

me. But you have to 

speak up and tell them 

that is what you want. 

One tip for those who have had 

radiation treatments after 

breast cancer surgery.

I had 17 double doses of 

radiation treatments after 

surgery for cancer in both 

breasts and for the removal 

of 3 lymph nodes under 

each arm; so my underarms 

were radiated, too. 

Incidentally, radiation 

treatments do not hurt. It 

is just that afterwards, it is 

kind of like having gotten 

a bad sunburn. Further 

down in this post I give 

information on some 

healing cream that will 

help with that. 

Back to this helpful hint which is 

the reason for this update. One 

month after my last radiation 

treatment, I had an 

appointment with the oncologist 

to see how my skin was healing. 

She suggested that since my 

underarms were one of the 

warmest places on my skin 

(after all, that's not a normal 

place to get a sunburn) that 

perhaps sleeping with my arms 

over my head might help to get 

some air circulation to those 

areas. Well, having my arms in 

that position put my arms to 

sleep. So, now I sleep with my 

arms extended to my side 

leaving as much space as 

possible between my body 

and my arms, and that 

helps a lot so my underarms 

don't perspire as much 

during the night, thereby 

adding more heat to my 

already hot underarms. And 

by doing that, my arms do 

not go to sleep. So, happy 

camper. This may be an 

odd thing to post on, but I 

thought it might be helpful.

New information 5/1/17: 

Physical Therapy or Not 

After Surgery?
To make a long story short, a 

bi-product of surgery (and 

radiation) is scar tissue 

which is kind of like lumps 

in your breasts that are tender, 

painful, and very sore. My 

surgeon recommended that 

I go to a physical therapist 

for help with that. I did not 

understand how a P.T. could 

help so I just put it off. 

Eventually I did go to a P.T., 

and she told me that massage 

would help make the lumps go 

away a lot faster than waiting 

for them to naturally go away 

which could be a long time to 

put up with the painful lumps. 

My dear husband enjoyed 

the massaging!  :)

Just an FYI - I had 

lumpectomies done to 

both breasts (one in the 

milk duct and one that 

escaped the milk duct) 

and also three lymph 

nodes removed from 

under each arm. Your 

situation may be different, 

so I don't know if this 

information I'm sharing 

is helpful. I hope it is. 

I have had lots of soreness 

and tenderness, and a 

reduced range of motion 

in my arms (like lifting my 

arms up to put a tee shirt 

on). My surgeon told me 

last week that physical 

therapy will both help me 

regain full range of motion 

and flexibility and it will be 

helpful with overall breast 

pain. I went to the physical 

therapist and she gave me 

exercises to do that truly 

do help with the range of 

motion and the tenderness.

Plan Ahead Before Surgery
Why? Because after breast 

cancer surgery and after 

radiation treatments you do 

experience a great loss of 

energy, so planning ahead 

will be a tremendous help 

so you don't overtire yourself. 

The doctor stressed that 

it's important not to over-tire 

yourself during the healing 

process. 

So ahead of surgery I made 

two meatloaves and a roast 

chicken in order to be able 

to make easy noodle 

casseroles, stir fry, etc. I 

also bought easy stuff like 

frozen French fries and 

hot dogs; and I made sure 

I did a big grocery 

shopping order before 

surgery. This meant I did 

not have to push a heavy 

grocery cart around or 

lifting groceries in and 

out of the cart (because 

bending hurt) when I 

was sore after surgery. 

Update on Walmart food

shopping described below. 

Now they will deliver to 

your home. They won't

come in your house.

We put a chair with a 

big box on it so the 

delivery person can 

drop the groceries in it-

saves bending to pick

the food bags off the

ground. 

Also, my husband did research 

and found that Walmart will 

do your shopping for you - 

for no additional fee. You 

order your stuff online, pay 

for it there, and the store 

employees shop and pick 

out your groceries for you. 

Then you drive to the store 

and they bring your groceries 

outside and load them into 

your car. It helps tremendously 

to not have to push a shopping 

cart full of groceries or to lift 

your arms up high to lift stuff 

off of shelves. Just an FYI: 

Walmart sometimes will 

want to substitute items 

if they are out of the 

specific item you ask 

for, but you can opt to not 

have any substitutions. 

Be aware if you choose 

to not get substitutes, 

the store may not be able 

to supply that food item 

at all. But, what a blessing 

from God not to have to 

shop, especially when you 

just do not have the energy 

to do so. And I am grateful for 

my loving and thoughtful 

husband finding this service 

from Walmart. Other stores 

have this service, but may 

charge you a fee for what 

Walmart does for free. 

How to Reduce Lifting 

after Surgery
Because I was told ahead of 

time that I would have some 

soreness after surgery and 

after radiation treatments, 

plus I would have some 

reduction in my range of 

motion and flexibility; I 

planned ahead. I put pans, 

plastic bowls, and kitchen 

utensils that I use frequently 

onto the kitchen counter so 

they were within easy reach. 

That way I didn't have to 

raise my arms above my 

head (to get things out of 

the cupboards), nor to 

reach down to get stuff in 

lower kitchen drawers. I 

wasn't worried that the 

kitchen would look 'messy' 

because the pans were on 

the counter. Who cares? It 

is more important to do what 

is best for your body while 

you are healing. 

Facing Surgery and 

Perhaps Death? 
When I faced double breast 

cancer surgery, and possibly 

death, I was not afraid 

because I know Jesus Christ 

as my personal Saviour. 

Trust God's Holy Word, the 

King James Bible, that 

says when we believers 

die, we will be immediately 

in the presence of our 

Precious Lord and Saviour, 

Jesus Christ, who died for 

our sins and rose from the 

dead. What freedom to not 

ever be afraid of what 

comes after death again! 

2 Corinthians 5:8
We are confident, I say, and 

willing rather to be absent 

from the body, and to be 

present with the Lord. 

Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess 

with thy mouth the Lord 

Jesus, and shalt believe in 

thine heart that God hath 

raised him from the dead, 

thou shalt be saved.

Lots of Questions?
Providence Medical Hospitals 

will give you contact 

information for a 'Nurse 

Navigator' who will answer 

all your questions as you go 

through this cancer journey. 

Getting answers will take 

away the mysteries of this 

experience that were totally 

new to me, and could have 

been frightening perhaps or 

just uncomfortable. When 

fear of the unknown is 

taken away, you can be 

more at ease, which will 

help the procedures go 

more smoothly and help 

you recover more quickly. 

It is important not to be 

stressed during the healing 

process. 

Financial Aid
At Providence St. Vincent's 

Hospital in Portland, 

Oregon (where I had my 

pre-surgery preparation 

and radiation therapy after 

surgery), I asked the 

Social Worker in the 

Radiation Department how 

I could apply for financial 

aid. (Radiation treatments 

are expensive.) She 

personally walked me 

to the Finance 

Department, and 

they gave me all the 

paperwork I needed to 

fill out and apply for aid.

Get plenty of sleep!
With lots of tests, surgery, 

radiation, chemotherapy, 

stress, or whatever this new 

experience entails for you, it 

will take a lot of energy out 

of you. Plenty of sleep helped 

me a lot! Since this journey 

began, I have been sleeping 

a lot more than I normally do; 

but my sleep is gradually 

getting back to normal as I 

progress through recovery.

Do Not Tire Yourself Out! 
My oncologist told me that it is 

important not to over-tire 

myself. I was surprised at 

how quickly I pooped out 

after surgery and during 

radiation treatments just 

from doing regular physical 

activities or household chores. 

So, I started to pace myself. I 

would alternate physical 

house work with sitting-down 

work, like computer work or

writing letters. And although I 

still pooped out sooner than I 

wanted, I somehow got 

the necessary household 

chores done. 

Remember, the unnecessary 

housework will wait! Just 

make sure that the 

bathroom is clean and 

things are put away. Your 

recovery will go faster if 

you do not stress yourself 

out worrying about how the 

house looks if someone drops 

by. Your good friends and 

your loved ones will 

understand. They are not 

coming to look at your house; 

they want to see you and 

how you are doing. I was 

always worrying about that; 

but your health and 

recovery is, for now, a priority. 

Take care of your health. If 

you are all worn out from 

housecleaning, you will 

not be able to enjoy the 

time spent with your 

friends and loved ones 

when they do visit!

Do not be afraid to ask for 

help from loved ones or 

friends.
I have been blessed by God 

because my loving husband 

(without asking) has helped 

me tremendously by taking 

care of all the insurance 

papers (which I do not 

understand), the hospital 

bills, the doctor and 

insurance phone calls, 

and setting up 

appointments; plus he 

helps me with other 

household duties, i.e., 

meal preparation, etc. 

He has been incredible! 

He takes all the annoying 

stuff off of me, and lets me 

focus on getting through 

the tests, treatments and 

recovery. 

Remember, that we are all 

different and recover at 

different rates.
As far as energy level goes, 

just remember that we are all 

different, so your energy 

level may be more or less 

than mine. I am just an old 

(but young at heart) chick of 

68; and I spend more time 

sitting, working on my 

Christian blogs, than I 

do exercising; so you may 

be more used to exercise 

than I am and you may 

have much more energy 

than I have had going 

through this cancer 

recovery process. 

Also, remember that I had 

lumpectomies, not 

mastectomies, so the kind 

of surgery you have, 

obviously, will affect how 

your energy level is, and 

how fast your recovery 

will be. 

Just remember that 

someday this will all be a 

memory. 

Take it one day at a time. 
And speaking of that thought, 

here is a link to a post on 

this blog to the music and 

lyrics of a song called 'One 

Day At A Time'. I hope 

that you are uplifted by 

this song, too. Link here.

Jesus said that we should 

not worry about tomorrow.

Matthew 6:34  
Take therefore no thought 

for the morrow: for the 

morrow shall take thought 

for the things of itself. 

Sufficient unto the day 

is the evil thereof.

October 2017 - During recovery 

from radiation treatments I 

asked my oncologists (at 

Providence Newberg Medical 

Hospital and at St. Vincent's 

Hospital) and they both said 

that the time for recovery from 

the burning and hot skin to 

stop after radiation treatments 

varies from patient to patient. I 

also heard different people 

working at the hospital who told 

me what some of their patients 

told them recovery can be 

anywhere from several months 

to several years. But, I believe 

it could all depend on the 

patient. If you are young and 

healthy, you may heal a lot 

faster than I am doing 

because I'm almost 69. 

It's been 8 months* for me 

and the heat and burning 

have finally slowed down. My 

husband now only has to 

apply Aquaphor (fragrance 

free) once a day instead 

of twice. Although sometimes 

I'll wake up at night and may 

need to apply a little more 

cream to my underarms, 

which is the slowest to heal 

since they don't get much 'air'. 

*3/18/19 - It is now been a little 

over two years and I still need 

the Aquaphor at least once 

every day or sometimes 

every other day.) So, the 

burning is slowing down.

But do not get discouraged.

Keep on applying whatever 

cream you choose to use and 

you will see progress. It is 

a bit inconvenient to be 

covered in that greasy 

cream all day, but it is 

worth it to heal your skin 

and get relief from the heat. 

And when I would get 

impatient with the process, 

I just keep thanking God for 

the treatments which I know 

have helped keep the cancer 

at bay. I know the treatments 

were for my good so I 

should just take it one 

day at a time. 

Also, another hint that might 

be helpful - check online to 

compare prices and you can 

probably get a better price 

on the Aquaphor (or 

whatever cream you 

decide to use) than by just 

buying it at some local store. 

For the last 8+ months we 

have gone through two 14 

ounce containers of 

Aquaphor every month. 

My husband said if he had 

known how much of the 

Aquaphor we would use 

during this process, he 

would have bought a 

case of it in the beginning. 

Aquaphor Healing Ointment
This stuff is great. It was 

recommended by the nurses at 

St. Vincent's Radiation 

Department. They had other 

choices to recommend; but 

you can get this one in 

Fragrance-Free! My husband 

buys this in a big tub online. 

He rubs it on my breasts and 

underarms twice a day (since 

it is hard to reach with my 

limited flexibility during healing. 

It greatly cools the heat from 

the radiation. Here is a link 

to Aquaphor online. Link here.

Incidentally, radiation 

continues to work long 

after the treatments end 

so the heat and burning 

is a sign the radiation is 

working to keep the 

cancer at bay! 

Sleeveless Tee Shirts 

Are a Great Help
This Aquaphor ointment is 

greasy because it is thick and 

cooling and it stays on so well 

to give your skin time to heal. 

But I did not want to ruin good 

tee shirts because of the 

grease; so I cut the sleeves 

off of some old ones. Being 

sleeveless helps to me get 

some air to my perspiring 

underarms which were 

also affected by the radiation 

treatments. 

Two baby-sized pillows 

with removable pillow cases 

are so needed! 
These were super helpful! First, 

I used them on the day of 

surgery. They sent me home 

the same day (which may or 

may not be the case for you. 

It all depends on how quickly 

you recover after the surgery 

ends, and if you can walk 

out of the hospital). These 

pillows helped keep the seat 

belt from hurting my tender 

breasts and underarms on 

the ride home. 

Since then, I have used them 

to keep heavy bed blankets 

from pressing on my chest 

which is still tender from the 

radiation treatments. Just 

clothing touching my skin is 

uncomfortable as the 

radiation is like getting a 

bad sunburn. 

I also sometimes put one of 

these little pillows under my 

tee shirt to keep the material 

from rubbing my nipples 

(which really got burnt 

during radiation) which 

get irritated as I move, 

especially if the shirt is too 

snug. 

To Take Anti-hormone Pills

 or not? 
More than a month after I had 

had my last radiation treatment, 

I met with the oncologist. She 

said that hormones encourage 

cancer to grow and so she 

wanted to give me 

anti-hormone pills as an 

added preventative to keep 

the cancer away from those 

cancer-prone areas. She 

gave me details about several 

different anti-hormone pills; 

but recommended one in 

particular. She said that I'd 

have to take these pills for 

5-10 years! She also wanted 

me to come back after I had 

started taking them to 

discuss the side effects 

I would be experiencing 

from the pill. Red Flag! I 

went home and read about 

this pill she recommended 

online; and yikes! It had 

some very scary side effects! 

One of which was that it 

may cause endometrial 

cancer! Hello! Why, if I am 

trying to combat breast 

cancer, am I going to put 

something into my body 

for 5-10 years that could 

cause a different kind of 

cancer? So, I emailed my 

oncologist; and respectfully 

declined taking that pill - 

or anything like it. 

A Housecoat or Robe 

when you are bra-less
I do not usually wear a 

housecoat or a robe; but I 

think one of these will be 

great as a covering in order 

to be dressed modestly 

whenever we get company 

during this recovery time 

when it is too uncomfortable 

to wear a bra, and also while 

my chest and underarms are 

slathered with greasy cream.

1 Timothy  
2:9 In like manner also, that 

women adorn themselves in 

modest apparel, with 

shamefacedness and 

sobriety; not with *broided 

hair, or gold, or pearls, or 

costly array; (*braided)

2:10 But (which becometh 

women professing 

godliness) with good works.

3-3-2019 Update:
It has been over two years 

since my last radiation 

treatment, and I still get 

burning in my skin. But, do 

not get discouraged. The 

radiation is burning the 

cancer out of your body, so 

that is a good thing. Also, an 

added bonus - it took away a 

lot of the moles I had on my 

chest which were in the way 

when they took 

mammograms. We started 

with 2 tubs of Aquaphor a 

month or more. Now we 

are down to 1 or 1-1/2 

tubs a month. So, you 

might want to buy a 

quantity of whatever 

cream you use. 

And this is for anyone 

who would like to go to 

heaven when you die, 

but don't know how.

How can I be saved 

from my sins and know

that I will go to heaven

when I die? God's Holy 

Word, the King James 

Bible, tells us how:

Agree with God in  

heaven that you are 

a sinner and need a 

Saviour. GOD SAYS 

WE ARE ALL 

SINNERS. But keep 

reading because 

there is Good News 

for you: 

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned, 

and come short of the

glory of God;

Believe that Jesus 

Christ, the Sinless Son 

of God, shed his blood

on the cross to pay 

for your sins (and 

mine). Three days later 

He rose from the dead. 

Romans 10:9  

That if thou shalt confess 

with thy mouth the Lord 

Jesus, and shalt believe 

in thine heart that God 

hath raised him from 

the dead, thou shalt 

be saved. 

Repent of trusting in 

anything or anyone 

other than Jesus

Christ (i.e. baptism, 

good works, money/tithes, 

man-made church rules 

or traditions, or religious 

ceremonies) to save you.

Titus 3:5

Not by works of

righteousness which we 

have done, but according 

to his mercy he saved us, 

by the washing of 

regeneration, and 

renewing of the Holy 

Ghost;

Jesus said that we do 

not get to heaven by our

good works (stuff we

have done). See verses

7:22 and 7:23 below!

Matthew

7:21 Not every one that 

saith unto me, Lord, 

Lord, shall enter into 

the kingdom of heaven; 

but he that doeth the 

will of my Father which 

is in heaven. 

7:22 Many will say to 

me in that day, Lord, 

Lord, have we not 

prophesied in thy 

name? and in thy 

name have cast 

out devils? and in 

thy name done 

many wonderful 

works? 

7:23 And then will I 

profess unto them, 

I never knew you: 

depart from me, ye 

that work iniquity. 

Accept God's Free 

Gift of eternal life 

through his Sinless 

Son, the Lord Jesus 

Christ. It is a free gift 

to you, but it cost Jesus

Christ his life! You do 

not have to work to 

earn a Gift - It is free!

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is 

death; but the gift of 

God is eternal life 

through Jesus Christ 

our Lord.

God tells us that as 

many as received 

Jesus Christ as their

Saviour and believed 

on his name (trusted

him as Saviour), he 

gave them power to 

become the sons 

(and daughters) of 

God the Father in 

heaven! 

John 1:12

But as many as received 

him [trusted Jesus], to

them gave he power to 

become the sons of God, 

even to them that 

believe on his name.

So, if you confessed to

God in heaven that you 

are a sinner in need of

a Saviour, and you 

believe that Jesus Christ

died for your sins and 

that God raised him 

from the dead, then 

you shall be saved. 

Romans 10:9  

That if thou shalt confess 

with thy mouth the Lord 

Jesus, and shalt believe 

in thine heart that God 

hath raised him from 

the dead, thou shalt 

be saved. 

And when you die, you 

will go straight to heaven

to be with Jesus Christ 

forever and ever! The

following Bible verse

is one of my favorites.

It gave me comfort when

I went through double

breast cancer surgery

for I knew that if I died

on the operating table

I would immediately be

in heaven with Jesus!

Knowing that is why I

no longer fear what 

comes after death. 

What freedom there is 

in knowing that.

2 Corinthians 5:8  

We are confident, I say, 

and willing rather to be 

absent from the body, 

and to be present with 

the Lord.

One note to all dear 

Catholics: The Catholic

church says that it is 

wrong to believe that 

you can know you are 

saved before you die. 

Please think about

this: God is a God of 

love. After all he sent

his Son to die for your

sins so you could be

with him in heaven for

eternity! That is love!

Why would a God of love

want you to worry all of

your life whether you will 

go to heaven or hell when

you die? God in heaven 

wants us to have peace 

and joy in this life as we 

live for him and draw 

others to him as their 

Saviour. Only a cruel 

God would want us 

worried and stressed 

about what comes after 

death. But GOD LOVES

YOU and wants you to 

have peace knowing that

you are saved now and 

can know now that you 

are going to heaven when

you die! Please trust your

loving heavenly Father's 

Holy Word (the King James

Bible) when God tells you 

that you will be with Him 

after death if you trusted

Jesus Christ as your 

Saviour!

And now that you have 

become a Christian, it

is important to learn how

to live a life that glorifies

God in heaven who gave

you the Gift of salvation.

Link below to my Bible

study on 'What Do I Do

Now That I Am Saved?'

Link here. 

I hope that these tips 

will be helpful to you 

as you go through 

your cancer journey. 

God bless and keep 

you! 

And here is a link to my 

post 'I Have Cancer And 

I Am Not Afraid To Die'. 

Link here.

And here is a link to my 

post 'Older Women Can 

Get Breast Cancer - A 

Mammogram Saved 

My Life'. Link here.